Cab opinion on SWR Henry the 8x8 for NS Design EUB

thejimfactor · #1 10-05-2005, 12:31 PM

I'm considering the SWR Henry the 8x8 as an addition to my setup to support both 5 string bass and an NS Design EU6. My head is an SM-500, and it has been many years since I played the Henry. Both instruments currently go through a 4Ohm 2X12 cab. I plan on using either cab singularly depending on the gig for the vast majority of the time.

I've seen comments about 8" speaker cabs being a good choice for a natural sounding EUB, but the Henry hasn't come up in any of those discussions. So do you think the 8x8 would be a good match for my EUB?

I'm into the clean SWR sound and my main gig is playing hymns/contemporary music for my church. My musical tastes also include blues, alt-country, rock, the styles of Michael Manring, and the Flecktones. (hard to categorize those last two!)

Ric Vice · #2 10-05-2005, 02:07 PM

Jim Factor,
Sorry I couldn't resist the pun. I love the way Hutch Hutchinson sounds through that cabinet with Bonnie Raitt. I think the only way, you're gonna find out it to borrow one from someone and check it out for yourself. SWR's are usually voiced better for EB that DB, but EUB's are somewhat closer to EB's.

Man, that was confusing. NS Design EUB's are IMHO more like EB's than DB's ( here I go agian) so why don't you post this thread under the EUB section and let the experts take a look at it.

Ric

thejimfactor · #3 10-05-2005, 02:18 PM

Hutch is great!

Yes, I am definitely from the land of EB as most folks on this side of TalkBass would discern by my choice of EUB.

Thanks for the suggestions. I wasn't sure what the best forum for this post would be. Primarily it is about a speaker cab, so that's why I landed here. Is it against protocol for me to start a thread in EUB that merely links to this one?

Ric Vice · #4 10-05-2005, 02:42 PM

Jim Factor,
Well, I think you could do that but I'm not the moderator
for these threads. Why don't you PM Chris Fitzgerald and sound him out.

Ric

**Chris Fitzgerald** · #5 10-05-2005, 05:13 PM

Francois, our EUB guru, suggested moving the thread to the EUB forum and leaving a redirect in "Amps". To quote the Dread Pirate Wesley: "As you wish".

If there were going to be another thread in "Amps", it should probably be in BG Amps, since nobody I know of down here uses 8 of any kind of speaker - you'd probably get more help upstairs.

**Francois Blais** · #6 10-05-2005, 07:31 PM

D.A.R.K. · #7 10-06-2005, 03:09 PM

i owned an 8x8 for a bit awhile back.
interesting cab, not bad sounding, great voice in the upper mids,
excellent for fretless and eub. i wasn't happy with the bottom at all, though, so i ended up hauling around an additional sub as well.
good thing i owned a van
i have a much more portable rig now
cheers
doug

thejimfactor · #8 10-06-2005, 03:17 PM

Thanks D.A.R.K. Good feedback. It makes sense to me that an 8x8 wouldn't do it for you since last I read you're planning to take the EUB down to F#. Was the cab you mentioned a Henry and did you have your NS at the time?

D.A.R.K. · #9 10-06-2005, 03:47 PM

yes, the cab was a henry, bought it right when they came out,
10 years ago? 12? early 90's anyway...
i think it would work great for the upper harmonics etc. on a low f#,
i feel it just requires an additional sub to get closer to the fundamentals.
the eub at the time was i believe a carruthers sub-1, i experimented with drop-d alot . as i recall the little 8's would start flapping....
so an x-over and 18" was added.
and yes, someday in the near future i will get my mitts on an ns
6-string, and will immediately try that low f#

d

Jason Hollar · #10 10-06-2005, 09:15 PM

I had one of the Henry Jr. cabs (4x8) and loved the sound for DB. Only problem, it didn't handle the low end well and farted hard when the volume crept up. I'd love to try an 8x8 cab for DB or EUB -- I understand it's a tight sounding cabinet.

Why not go with something a bit more standard like a Goliath III 4x10? It's a slightly more compact cab and probably a bit cheaper. I also have an SWR 2x10 that I used to stack with the 4x10 for rock gigs using electric bass. No problem with the low end there!

If I had it to do over again though, I'd get two (Euphonic) 2x10 cabs. That way, I'd use one for most small to medium gigs and have a short stack for louder jobs, plus a 4 Ohm load to make your amp happy.

thejimfactor · #11 10-06-2005, 09:29 PM

Funny you should say that, because those are the other options I'm considering. A 4 Ohm Goliath would make a nice pair with my 2x12.

It seems there is a wide variety of opinions about whether the Henry farts out on low notes. Someone mentioned a loose wire problem that imitated a speaker buzz. There are also differing views on whether the 8x8 has a good low end response.

You're right about the portability/flexibility advantage with the double 2x10's. From what I understand, if I only used one 2x10, I'd want to put my amp in stereo mode to split the power and just put it on one side, correct?

Jason Hollar · #12 10-07-2005, 03:22 PM

If it were me...I'd bridge the amp and go full throttle into the 2x10. Not sure I'd use just one 2x10 if you plan on thumping on a low B string...

I think a 2x10 and a 2x12 ought to sound quite nice...although maybe not as deep as 4x10 or 8x8.

I love the Goliath 6x10 -- but it seemed too big to tote around. That's why I went with a 2x10 and 4x10.

However, enough of this speculation...go try an 8x8 and see how it sounds! I bet it will rock.

thejimfactor · #13 10-10-2005, 11:18 AM

Thanks for the input, all.

I'm going with a *safe* cab choice that will also benefit my EB playing. I'm ordering a SWR Goliath Jr. 2x10 and a Son of Bertha 1x15. I'll report back in the "Rig for NS EUB?" thread once I get them.

By the way, if anyone is looking for a great deal on a new 8Ohm Goliath Jr., go to Elderly Instruments. They only have one in stock and it is currently (10/10/05) going for $419.

http://www.elderly.com/new_instrumen...IIIJR-8OHM.htm