Bass cab & tone questions

[zenfreud]

Hey guys,

Like many of us on TGP, I'm a guitar player who occasionally plays bass. Now I'd like to buy a cab and need some direction. I've got a P-Bass with Rotosound roundwounds and a H & K BATT preamp/mini amp (pretty cool). My initial plan is to use the H & K preamp along with a Crown MacroTech power amp (currently my home stereo amp) so power will not be an issue. The Crown is a beast but since I'm not gigging, the weight is not an issue.

Since this is for occasional use, I want to go the "bang for the buck" route, not the "best in market" route. I'm interested in the Avatar cabs, the price is right, wondering if they can produce a fat, warm, old school tone. I don't slap and have read in some of the reviews that the Avatar neodyn speaker cabs (2 x 12 and 4 x10) have a "modern" tone. I originally figured I'd go with a single 15, but Avatar doesn't make them (not enough demand?). I'm also dubious about a horn tweeter but I haven't played through countless bass rigs like I have with guitar amps.

I know a logical choice for my purposes might be one of the compact combo bass amps (SWR, etc) but from the ones I've briefly heard, they seem to be pretty light on the fundamental tone, I want fat, round tone. And I really don't need a cab to be tiny, I've got lots of room. Plus I already own the pre & power amp. Will either of the Avatar cabs get me in the ballpark? If not, what should I be looking at?

This is probably pretty crucial: given the type of tone I'm gravitating toward, should I change over to flatwounds?

I'd appreciate any pros and cons before I pull the trigger.

[billbass1]

Before you purchase any cabs............
Know what the power output is on your power amp
and
how many ohmns it is.
Find something that matches.

" Fat and warm " ?
I love my Aguilar GS 112 T...........

[zenfreud]

Before you purchase any cabs............
Know what the power output is on your power amp
and
how many ohmns it is.
Find something that matches.

" Fat and warm " ?
I love my Aguilar GS 112 T...........


The Macrotech was Crown's statement amp a while back. It produces 760 WPC into 8 ohms, 1120 WPC into 4 ohms, and 1525 per channel into 2 ohms. Very high damping factor gives it tight bass when used with big studio mains & audiophile reference speakers. I will only be using a small fraction of the amp's power. I'm mainly looking for advice on how different cabs will compare tonewise. Since posting, I have read about the Dr Bass line of cabs, wonder if anybody here can compare/contrast them with the Avatar cabs. Thanks.

[Gordon_Gecko]

Carvin.

[The Golden Boy]

I haven't used any of the Avatar cabs, however- of all the times I've seen reference to them in the past 4 years or so- I can only recall one dissatisfied customer. That leads me to believe the cabs are pretty well constructed from good designs and good materials.

Make sure you're getting a speaker that can handle the power. Of course, that's all relative once you get into the 4 digit wattage thing...

I've been really happy with my SWR cabs- specifically the 15s. I love 15s for bass, and I love whatever speaker SWR was/is using in those cabs.

As far as the horn- you can always turn it off.

[TedintheShed]

If you want "fat and Warm" I'd suggest you look towards some old school 2x15 cabinets.

[Chuck King]

Yeah, if you want "a fat, warm, old school tone" you're looking for 15s, and avoid anything with a horn in it. (To be fair, a number of cabs with horns have attentuators that will let you turn the horns off entirely.)

Bag End makes some great 115 cabinets. Ampeg makes a pretty solid 115. Don't overlook Peavey, but I'd look for something with a Black Widow in it. Those are good speakers.

[lovelife]

Since posting, I have read about the Dr Bass line of cabs, wonder if anybody here can compare/contrast them with the Avatar cabs. Thanks.

The Dr. Bass cabs blow away the Avatar cabs. I have used both and I kept my BL 2460 with Beyma drivers. The crossover that Marc puts in his cabs are great. I wouldn't put the cab in the hifi or classic range though. It can do both. I can get a nice old school tone or a very transparent jazz tone. A single 15 is a classic, but don't rule out 12's. They are a bit punchier (go great with a P bass), but still maintain that nice low end. The Avatars just sounded thin and the construction quality was sub-par, but for the money, they are great. The Dr. Bass cabs are just better.

For reference, I've ran an Ashdown 900EVO (very old school tone), GK 700RB (modern) and Mesa M-Pulse 600 (a bit of both) through Avatar, Dr. Bass and Ampeg cabs with Lakland Bob Glaub (P bass), Reverend and Lakland 4-94 basses. I kept the M-Pulse because the Ashdown was too wide and heavy and I kept the Dr. Bass because it was better than the other cabs I've tried.

[jay42]

Look for used Aguilar/Epifani/Bergantino cabs. Modern only means fast attack and a Foster tweeter which can be disconnected with a little effort. I think you'll prefer Modern once you've lived with it for a time. I like the 2-12" or 3-10" configurations. Probably a bit more for two 1-12" cabs.