Take me to school - bass cab edition.

[mutantcolors]

Nowhere near anyone since I am the sole representative of Idaho up in this piece.

[liquidsmoke]

Someone chime in:

http://www.ebay.com/itm/USA-MADE-ACOUSTIC-VL810-8-X-10-2Way-Bass-Guitar-Cabinet-Samick-2400watt-8x10-NEW-/390440082714

My boner says yes.

My ears say yes, saw a band use one of these a couple weeks back, only the vocals were through the PA and the bass was loud as hell and sounded great. Why get an 8x10 when you can get two 4x10s though? If you're a power lifter it's no big deal I guess.

[chille01]

I remember helping a former bass player research some new gear, and fEarfull came up a few times.  I think the premise is some guy has done the acoustic leg work and drawn up the plans...which you download and build.  Never heard one in person, but like most gear the fans of it rave about it.

http://greenboy.us/fEARful/faq.htm

Also, what about Avatar? That name used to get tossed around at the old board quite a bit.

[Mr. Foxen]

A gear savvy bass player friend of mine tipped me off to an Acoustic 402 at a nearby pawn shop. Tomorrow I inspect...

If you get one of these, line it with knobbly foam or similar, there is an ugly bit in the top that sorts out. One of them was my main cab until I got my Barefaced.

I remember helping a former bass player research some new gear, and fEarfull came up a few times.  I think the premise is some guy has done the acoustic leg work and drawn up the plans...which you download and build.  Never heard one in person, but like most gear the fans of it rave about it.

http://greenboy.us/fEARful/faq.htm

Also, what about Avatar? That name used to get tossed around at the old board quite a bit.

Fearfuls are crossover multi driver jobs, probably better suited to SS rigs. Probably work with valve amps but they trade sensitivity for broad bandwidth, and if you are using valves, have to make a possibly more complex crossover with less impedance spikes. The Fearless Dually is the one for valves, but not free plans, those are commercial builder jobs.

Avatar are bang for buck builder in the US.

[mutantcolors]

Thanks for the foam idea. Avatar is actually based in the northern part of my home state, but I was shocked at the not-so-affordable prices of their bass cabs, ans I think the only big boy sort of model they had was a 4x12 in a guitar enclosure.

I type this as I wait another hour for the pawn shop housing the 402 to open up. I'm not the kind of guy to worry about having matching gear on stage, but that would make a cute couple with my 450.

[Jake]

It is true that 8x10s can be a bitch to lug around, but oh my...that sound. That sound. That's the sound of rock n roll. A big silver lining regarding their size and weight is that they sell relatively cheap secondhand locally since they're an absolute nightmare to ship anywhere.

That being said, I had an Ampeg 610HLF for a bit, and that was every bit as much of a cab as the 8x10s I have owned, believe it or not.

[RAGER]

I have one of the first inceptions of the Ampeg 8x10.  Will probably never part with it.  Still has og speakers.  Bought for less than 250 too.  its a little beat and is a bitch to move around but still.

[Lumpy]

Fridges may be easier to move than a half-stack, because tilt-back wheels let you roll like a dolly. Loading a fridge into a car or van, you lean it over and lever it onto the gate, never really holding the full weight. With a shorter cab you have to hoist the entire weight. You can also slide fridges on stairs. Perhaps true of shorter cabs too.

The best bass sounds I've heard have been two 6x10s or two 8x10s. Second best: one 8x10, or two 2x15

[Mr. Foxen]

Only really works if a half stack is as heavy as a fridge, and since 4x10s are also fully obsolete now, and can get 2x15s at are one finger lifts, really doesn't work at all.

[MichaelZodiac]

This thread has been really helpful for me so far. My current setup is a Acoustic 220 and a Peavey 410 TVX (4ohm), I have to dime the volume on my Acoustic to go along with the drummer so I was thinking about my setup. Originally I was thinking about adding a 215 (also 4ohm) and run it parallel into my Acoustic, using my amp to its full capacity at 2 ohms. But reading this thread has made me worry about mixing different speaker sizes..

Any thoughts?

[justJon]

That 220 really wants to run @ 2 ohms. It's a killer sound and should be loud enough for anybody! I've gotten good sound out of mine into an ampeg 410svt half and the 406, 2x15 cab, but it really came into its own when I added a second 2x15 (generic Crate w/JBL's). 220>2,2x15's= heaven, IMO.

[Mr. Foxen]

Those Peavey 4x10s suck power in exchange for the lows they give. If you dig the sound, get another the same, the more speaker area will do more for you than the impedance drop.

[Danny G]

I have been more than pleased with my Dietz 2x15 with EVs.

Hard to come by anywhere but Texas, but it paired with my mid-70s SVT is a match made in heaven.

Plus those Dietz cabs look cool. Win/win.



Mine was on Craigslist for $300


Sent from a can on some string using Tapatalk

[mutantcolors]

Knocked over that Acoustic for $300.

[RacerX]

Who needs more than one speaker, anyway, really? 

[liquidsmoke]

Who needs more than one speaker, anyway, really? 

Whoa. They have all sorts of weird stuff down there, much of which the general public doesn't know about. I should head over with my baritone and Behr fuzz and plug in.

[mortlock]

sound weapons are developed there. i could be wrong, but i wouldn't doubt it..

[liquidsmoke]

You are probably correct.

[sludgelord3000]

The old Van Nuys-made Acoustic Control Corp amps are still a great buy for the money, and I expect their slight jump in demand/price will be neutralized a bit by the cheapo Guitar Center rebrand versions flooding the market (don't touch those).

I second what Lumpy said about Peavey 2x15s. They are quite good cabs for the price (which usually doesn't break the $300 mark). I prefer 2x15s to 8x10s but I guess that comes down to preference. Bigger speakers don't necessarily mean better low frequency response, by the way. A lot of people love those SWR 8x8s. I have a little Phil Jones 4x5 that I use for upright and it has no problem reproducing lows.

I've been thinking about getting/building a fEARFUL for upright. Wouldn't use it for butt rock though. Those cabs are worshipped religiously over on talkbass, but a lot of those folks are the 96-string zebrawood bass through a D class micro amp types, who I imagine just use it for tapping and slapping YouTube videos, and gear demos, not playing with actual humans.

[mutantcolors]

LOL at the last sentence. I'm more of a full sized guitar and bass set up, including instruments, for under 2 grand kind of guy. Shit, all 4 of my electrics and my bass probably still ring in under that.

Acoustic 450 - $135
Legend 4x12 - $300
Acoustic 2x15 - $300
2 Mockingbirds - $750 total
1 Hamer - $250
Squier Strat - $20 (not a typo)
Ibanez 305 - $200

$1955 aaaaaah yeeeeeeeah

[Jake]

I've got a reissue Acoustic setup for a basement jam rig, and it's not as terrible as the innernets might have one believe. The price was really good* and the sound is actually pretty dang good to my (relatively picky) ears. It seems that the amps can be very hit and miss, as far as them shitting the bed, so perhaps not recommended to tour/frequently gig with? Buuuut the cab is as solid of an 8x10 as any I've had before – which has been two Ampeg fridges.

*$500, 600-watt head w/ 8x10 (both new)

[mutantcolors]

I saw those cabs going used for low $300s and instantly thought something had to be terrible about them.

[sludgelord3000]

I tried one in GC when they first came out, just for S's and G's, and thought it sounded like a Crate. It wasn't an 8x10 though.

[liquidsmoke]

and since 4x10s are also fully obsolete now

Huh?

[mortlock]

I was confused by that as well..