Bass Cab Recommendation Wanted

[Robal]

I have an SWR SM 400s amp. Amp specs are: http://www.swrsound.com/support/manuals/html/sm400som.php
I am looking for speaker cab recommendations. Used or new -- looking for the best sound. The cab will stay in a studio so cab size, weight, portability are not an issue. I have a pair of SWR 2x10 Goliath cabs, but am looking for something different. Music style: mainly alternative and pop rock.

Any recommendations?

[martins3325]

Theres a lot of really good cabs out there Schroeder, Bergantino, Acme, Epifani, Accugroove ect ect. Id say best bang for buck would be Acme, but best cab I ever heard for clean loud deep bass is the Accugroove El-Whappo....but they are VERY expensive

[TedintheShed]

Personally, I swear by Bag Ends. I own a 4x10, a 2x10 and a 1x18 (of which I am selling the 4x10 as I no longer play live). They offer a transparency and efficiency not found in most bass cabinets.

What don't you like about the 2x10's you are using now?

[Robal]

Personally, I swear by Bag Ends. I own a 4x10, a 2x10 and a 1x18 (of which I am selling the 4x10 as I no longer play live). They offer a transparency and efficiency not found in most bass cabinets.

What don't you like about the 2x10's you are using now?

The pair of 2x10s sound good, but I am looking for a "bigger" sound --not necessarily a louder sound -- and I think I need more cone area for that. They have to keep up with a vintage Marshall 4x12 straight cab, driven by a loud Komet 60 watt, and a drummer. I was thinking an old SVT 6x10 or SWR Henry 8x8 might be good for that.

[The Golden Boy]

I've been a huge proponent of 15s for years.

I've been pretty happy with the tone of my old SWR Triad. From what I've surmised over the years, the older SWR 15s are PAS, the later pre-Fender stuff is Foster and Panasonic.

I've owned GK cabs with EV speakers in them, and I actually blew the 15 in my Triad and replaced the EV in the Triad while the PAS was getting reconed- no comparison- the PAS speaker is so much bigger, more enveloping.

[2 Loud 4 You]

My Genz Benz 6/10 sounds great but I hear their Uber cabs are even nicer with lots of big low end.

[martins3325]

The pair of 2x10s sound good, but I am looking for a "bigger" sound --not necessarily a louder sound -- and I think I need more cone area for that. They have to keep up with a vintage Marshall 4x12 straight cab, driven by a loud Komet 60 watt, and a drummer. I was thinking an old SVT 6x10 or SWR Henry 8x8 might be good for that.
My experience is power between Guitar amps and Bass amps is a huge disparity..it takes a LOT of power to push bass frequencies and moving a lot of air to hang with a Marshall or Komet 1/2 stack. I prefer clean deep bass, not flubby distorted bass ..and to do that at volumes to hang with a Komet 1/2 stack I run a Fender TBP-1 bass preamp into Crest CA-9 Stereo Power amp -- 2 x 900watts per channel at 4 Ohms-- each channel into a seperate Accugroove El Whappo cabinet ...not much that rig cant hang with and stay clean, with enough volume to make plaster come off the ceiling..lol ... I'm primarily a guitar player and have two 1/2 stacks and had a hard time finding a bass rig that could hang volume wise and do it with a clean signal...it takes LOTS of headroom.

[Robal]

My experience is power between Guitar amps and Bass amps is a huge disparity..it takes a LOT of power to push bass frequencies and moving a lot of air to hang with a Marshall or Komet 1/2 stack. I prefer clean deep bass, not flubby distorted bass ..and to do that at volumes to hang with a Komet 1/2 stack I run a Fender TBP-1 bass preamp into Crest CA-9 Stereo Power amp -- 2 x 900watts per channel at 4 Ohms-- each channel into a seperate Accugroove El Whappo cabinet ...not much that rig cant hang with and stay clean, with enough volume to make plaster come off the ceiling..lol ... I'm primarily a guitar player and have two 1/2 stacks and had a hard time finding a bass rig that could hang volume wise and do it with a clean signal...it takes LOTS of headroom.

I have considered that route too. I have several Hafler P500 amps (800 watts bridged mono each) that I could run using the SWR as a full-featured pre-amp. I don't want to make myself deaf though.

[martins3325]

I have considered that route too. I have several Hafler P500 amps (800 watts bridged mono each) that I could run using the SWR as a full-featured pre-amp. I don't want to make myself deaf though.
Well thats the beauty of volume knobs...you can always turn it down..but not all amps have the ability to turn up to hang with a 1/2 stack and be heard clearly without flubbing out. If you want input from top notch pro bass players..try talkbass.com, that is the equivalent of the gear page but for bass players...I did all my research there before I bought my rig...some very serious players there! My ultimate rig would be a Millennia TD-1 pre through a Crown Macro into the two Whappos.

[timmers]

Kind of a tough one to find, but the single best bass cab I've ever used, in terms of maximizing volume, efficiency, transparency, projection, portability and relative light weight, is the now-discontinued Epifani T-212. It's a rectangle, with the woofers side-by-side (as in most guitar cabs). The current 2x12 from Epifani has the speakers mounted in a bigger box, diagonally. I'm sure they sound great, but the side-by-side one is my point of reference here.

For whatever reason, & I'm a pretty hardcore vintage/classic sounds guy (I think every bass should really only be played through one rig and one rig only: SVT+8x10...), the Epifani sounds 95% as good as anything else out there. Not super light (75 lbs.), but definitely manageable. I've played small clubs and a 5,000 seat theaters with that thing - delivers every time. I've put everything from my old SVTs to the new Markbass super light/small heads through it, & everything sounds great. Like a bass!

[TedintheShed]

The pair of 2x10s sound good, but I am looking for a "bigger" sound --not necessarily a louder sound -- and I think I need more cone area for that. They have to keep up with a vintage Marshall 4x12 straight cab, driven by a loud Komet 60 watt, and a drummer. I was thinking an old SVT 6x10 or SWR Henry 8x8 might be good for that.

I used the 4x10 and 2x10 in a metal band, against a double bass set, a Mesa 100 watt half stack and a Marshall TSL 100 half stack. I was pushing them with a QSC PLX 2402.

They couldn't keep up with me.

Cone area is great, but efficiency is a huge factor in bass cabs as well.

[dsjaisdas]

I've owned GK cabs with EV speakers in them, and I actually blew the 15 in my Triad and replaced the EV in the Triad while the PAS was getting reconed- no comparison- the PAS speaker is so much bigger, more enveloping.:argue:beer

[martins3325]

I have considered that route too. I have several Hafler P500 amps (800 watts bridged mono each) that I could run using the SWR as a full-featured pre-amp. I don't want to make myself deaf though.
Took some pics of my music room tonight now that I finally got it clean..I tellya the Whappo stack will definitely give you brain damage..Im admittedly in overkill mode!. Can easily hang with any of my guitar amps without breaking up. But it does sound really good at lower volumes too. Definitely more of a hifi sound than an SVT...which I like too..but I dont think you can have an amp that can really do both warm but squeaky clean...and also gritty like an SVT. Good luck on your cab hunt...definitely check out Accugroove if you get a chance and can get one for a good price.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d137/martins3325/DCP_3925.jpg

[Robal]

Took some pics of my music room tonight now that I finally got it clean..I tellya the Whappo stack will definitely give you brain damage..Im admittedly in overkill mode!. Can easily hang with any of my guitar amps without breaking up. But it does sound really good at lower volumes too. Definitely more of a hifi sound than an SVT...which I like too..but I dont think you can have an amp that can really do both warm but squeaky clean...and also gritty like an SVT. Good luck on your cab hunt...definitely check out Accugroove if you get a chance and can get one for a good price.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d137/martins3325/DCP_3925.jpg

Wow . .. nice room and collection. I am very fond of my Komet 60, and would love to play a Mad Professor. Do they compliment each other well or overlap?

[martins3325]

Wow . .. nice room and collection. I am very fond of my Komet 60, and would love to play a Mad Professor. Do they compliment each other well or overlap?
Thanks! The Komet and MP are very different animals..especially since my Komet is a one-off prototype..basically a Komet Liverpool ..running 4 el-84s. Ive had K-60, KF-50LTD, and Constellation..all great..but different than the MP. All the Komets are pretty bone-crushingly loud. The MP has a great Master and Attenuator built in...and can get a pretty wide array of tones..but I like that Hot-Rodded Plexi tone it does best. The MP is the one amp ive played where I can go from Strat to LP and not touch a knob to adjust for tonal differences, and it sounds great with either guitar. My Komet is basically an AC-30 on steriods..the one thing the MP doesnt do..the Komet is chimey and very dynamic and 3d, and has that Trainwreck-ish "chirp" to the attack and great harmonic feedback. It has a good amount of gain but not near what the MP is capable of. So yea...very different amps. Yes they can compliment each other well...I like going from Strat ot LP into the Komet set for that chimey mild breakup and clicking over to the MP for the searing lead tones. I also have a Express clone..which is a beast as well.

[timmerel]

If you need more bottom end which isn't too slow, you could add a Hartke 115XL. I'm switching to a light rig for taking out to gigs, so am selling one now on eBay (but UK not US, so you would need to look locally). I've used it for home studio use together with a 12 inch cab with great results.

But it is inexpensive and not boutique, which is always a minus ;)

[jokerjkny]

Took some pics of my music room tonight now that I finally got it clean..I tellya the Whappo stack will definitely give you brain damage..Im admittedly in overkill mode!. Can easily hang with any of my guitar amps without breaking up. But it does sound really good at lower volumes too. Definitely more of a hifi sound than an SVT...which I like too..but I dont think you can have an amp that can really do both warm but squeaky clean...and also gritty like an SVT. Good luck on your cab hunt...definitely check out Accugroove if you get a chance and can get one for a good price.


http://i34.photobucket.com/albums/d137/martins3325/DCP_3925.jpg

now THAT is an amp room...

[martins3325]

now THAT is an amp room...
Thanks..actually one of my favorite pieces is my drumset --not pictured-- I seem to recogonize your Id from basstalk.com forum no? ...great forum, a wealth of knowledge and great bass players there, and some nice folks there..thats where I did all my research before buying my bass gear.