1515/66 Help

[Foz]

Almost like dropping a bait amongst said sharks, looking for bites.

Troller gonna troll...

[RFord04]

Originally Posted by dmusic148

Really. Around and around we go. Just trying to help the OP. He's used to a fridge and likes it. Your cabs sound nothing like a fridge. That's all I'm saying.

fEARful cabs can sound like whatever you want them to sound like with a bit of patience and EQ. Between my onboard East preamp and my VT Bass deluxe, I can get just about any tone imaginable with the twist of a knob or the stomp of a switch. A person who likes their amps and cabs to be plug-and-play might not care for them, but those people might have to settle for a more tonally limited cab, depending on what sound it is that they prefer to be "baked in". If you have the patience to twist some knobs for a little while, the fEARful cabs are virtually limitless when it comes to tonal variety. Not for everyone, but nothing ever is.

You might have to sink a small amount of cash in to a new EQ as well, depending on what kind of EQ your amp has to offer, or other signal processing devices, depending on what tone you're after. As I mentioned, I use a VT Bass with mine and I'm pleased with how close it gets me to an Ampeg style tone for when I need that sound, but I could certainly get by fine without it. Best thing to do is to find someone who has one and try it for yourself.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by RFord04

fEARful cabs can sound like whatever you want them to sound like with a bit of patience and EQ.

I've found this to be true with almost any cab I've ever owned. Nothing particularly 'special' with the fEARfuls there, since they have a baked in tone like every other cab (a different baked in tone, for sure, just like every other cab).

That being said, there is SO much more to rig performance and tone than just EQ levels, and if a cab is voiced against the general tone you are looking for, I've always found it is kind of a 'close but no cigar' thing that no amount of turning knobs can totally alleviate.

It would be better for potential buyers to not use this kind of 'neutral tone palette that can be made to sound like anything else and everything else is a compromise' language. Inaccurate IMO (and IMO with my experience with my fEARful 15/6), and if you REALLY want to get that 'neutral' vibe, the Thunderchild cabs are actually closer to a true flat response. Of course, with bass backline, 'flat' response is just another arbitrary EQ curve

That being said, to the OP, GREAT cabs... super deep, powerful low end, decent efficiency, and a unique uber clean and present (meaning a bit bumped) upper mid/lower treble response that has its own unique tonality coming from the particular mid driver used.

[Sliderbass]

Originally Posted by whatisacup

So I posted a thread the other day about getting rid of my 810 for a 610.

After lots of confusing advice, I'm leaning towards a 1515/66 built buy LDS.

There is a lot of into out there, it almost seems too good to be true.

Is this cab really as loud and as good as claimed? Can it really blow away an 610 and 810 and put out a much more balanced sound?

The two things that are making me interested:

1. Volume. Having the ability to handle any gig isn't a bad thing.

2. Flexibility. From what i've read, these cabs are good for those who like a variety of sound. I change my tone often, and experimenting with new things.



AND weight. Less than 100 pounds = dream.

I've owned both. Played both out at gigs with and without PA support.

Don makes a great box. BUT he is not a cabinet designer. The LDS cabinets I had sounded fine BUT they are NOT a fearful, period! I've had both a fearful and LDS 15/6 open and apart next to each other. That's the only true way to actually see the differences in the two. Both were top notch from a construction perspective(the fearful was from Barry Audio Designs).

The cabinet you are looking at will come in at or over 100lbs. I have one and it's every bit of 100 or maybe more. It's an amazing cabinet. They are very sensitive to tonal changes so if you like to change things, they will be heard. It will make your pants flap if you stand too close.

Again, don't get confused between a fearful and a nearful.

[willsellout]

Originally Posted by Sliderbass

I've owned both. Played both out at gigs with and without PA support.

Don makes a great box. BUT he is not a cabinet designer. The LDS cabinets I had sounded fine BUT they are NOT a fearful, period! I've had both a fearful and LDS 15/6 open and apart next to each other. That's the only true way to actually see the differences in the two. Both were top notch from a construction perspective(the fearful was from Barry Audio Designs).

The cabinet you are looking at will come in at or over 100lbs. I have one and it's every bit of 100 or maybe more. It's an amazing cabinet. They are very sensitive to tonal changes so if you like to change things, they will be heard. It will make your pants flap if you stand too close.

Again, don't get confused between a fearful and a nearful.

But the plans are available, aren't they? IF the plans are available, he can build a fEARful designed cab if you want him to, couldn't he? What were the differences you saw?

[KJung]

Originally Posted by willsellout

But the plans are available, aren't they? IF the plans are available, he can build a fEARful designed cab if you want him to, couldn't he? What were the differences you saw?

Don does not build 'fEARFul' cabs. He has no interest in doing that. The 'nEarful' thing is a red herring. It is like Don building a 410 cab and then people saying it is a 'nbergantino' or an 'nepifani'. The confusion comes in IMO since the fEArfuls are designed around stock components, with the only proprietary thing in the design/execution being the crossover, which is high quality but not exactly revolutionairy (i.e., Ralf Patterson, Don's design expert and crossover builder, has crossovers that IMO are just as good but a bit different.).

So, Don can build his own version of a 1515/66 for example.... again, nothing proprietary, and the tuning/box volume is pretty standard. One can argue about if Don's bracing design etc is 'better or worse' or his preference for rear flared ports is 'better or worse', etc. Don has been building mid driver loaded cabs for well over a decade.

That being said, if the OP wants a fEARful, just like if he wants an Epifani or whatever, that is what he should get. Every cab sounds a bit different, although IMO and IME that is a bit less the case with the fEARful versus the LDS boxes, since the components are so similar (giving they are non proprietary).

[Sliderbass]

Originally Posted by willsellout

But the plans are available, aren't they? IF the plans are available, he can build a fEARful designed cab if you want him to, couldn't he? What were the differences you saw?

Ask FOZ. He has a wonderful thread about it. (Sorry to bring up the past).

Major differences were in porting. Overall port size, port shelf length were the two big ones. The overall outside dimensions were very close. So close that a cover for the LDS fit the Fearful.

BUT, how did they sound? Night and day in the low end which is what you would expect with two boxes tuned differently. The lows in the fearful we're more defined and to a certain extent, louder. Also the overall sound of the fearful was smoother to my ears.

[dukeorock]

Originally Posted by willsellout

But the plans are available, aren't they? IF the plans are available, he can build a fEARful designed cab if you want him to, couldn't he?

He can and does...though it's stated clearly on greenboys site that the plans are not for commercial use.

[willsellout]

Gotcha, thanks.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Sliderbass

BUT, how did they sound? Night and day in the low end which is what you would expect with two boxes tuned differently. The lows in the fearful we're more defined and to a certain extent, louder. Also the overall sound of the fearful was smoother to my ears.

That was an ugly thread, and MUCH misinformation was given there. Better not to bring that up again. Very inappropriate posts by a number of people, and again, MUCH incorrect information presented. That thread was ANYTHING but wonderful IMO.

Again, LDS makes many custom cabs, some with virtually identical components as the fEARful (again, due to the 'off the shelf' components used in the fEARFul designs). This does confuse matters, since most cabinet manufacturers have their own custom OEM version of the drivers (which aren't necessarily better or worse than the stock drivers, but they result in a bit of differentiation to the voicing of otherwise similar 212's, 410's, whatever). Don's 15/6, etc. builds can't but help to be pretty similar to the fEARful designs, but they are not fEARfuls, and if the OP decides on a fEARful, he can go to an authorized builder and get that with no issue or build it himself (which is a cool option for those who have the time, skill and interest to do that).

The LDS 12/6's are another thing. Don's build of that cab is, IMO, the best of the best out there. The rear porting (smaller absolute size), the Faital driver (sweet, organic, warm top end), the Ralf Patterson crossover (simple like the fEARFul design, but matched to the Faital)... magnificent, and HIGHLY recommended for that driver configuration. IME.

If on the other hand, he want a specific box size, a different mid driver, etc., etc., the LDS option is pretty cool.

All good stuff.

[RFord04]

True KJung, but you can't deny that fEARful's take EQ in a much more noticeable way then a cab loaded with nothing but one size of full-range drivers. I certainly don't mean to sound as if I'm saying that any other cab is a compromise either. I love many other cabs as well. I just think my fEARful is my most versatile cab to date. I wish I could afford a Thunderchild, but for now, I'm happy with my fEARful cabs that I built myself.

My main point I was really trying to make though was that the fEARful cabs give you the ability to create a tone your happy with if you know what you're after, and While there are a great deal of other cabs out there that can do that, it's always easier to subtract with an EQ than it is to add, especially when you have a hole in the spectrum of frequency response like many full range cabs with a tweeter have. I'm no fEARful nut. I just like my cab, and feel that anybody who is interested in hearing one should not be swayed by all of the hype or the anti-hype that flies around here.

[ko stradivarius]

Originally Posted by whatisacup

I've always played 10's, I'm happy with them because I haven't played much else. It's really hard to find good information out there. Before TB I was on another forum and a guy was saying 1980's 410+115 Peavys are the best cabs out there.

I'm highly considering a 1515. Or the 1515/66 because of the larger profile.

I want a 810 sized cab, I know many would disagree, but I like a large cab on stage.

Im having Mark (dukeorock) build me a couple of cabs. A 15/tube and a 12/6/1.
The 15/tube is 24" wide, the 12/6 is 24" tall. Ill be able to stack them and run my SVT on top. Hopefully Ill have a new modular rig to replace my 810. Although for the project im doing the 810 will still be there for aesthetics. ;-)

[willsellout]

Originally Posted by KJung

The LDS 12/6's are another thing. Don's build of that cab is, IMO, the best of the best out there. The rear porting (smaller absolute size), the Faital driver (sweet, organic, warm top end), the Ralf Patterson crossover (simple like the fEARFul design, but matched to the Faital)... magnificent, and HIGHLY recommended for that driver configuration. IME.

This is good information for me.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by RFord04

True KJung, but you can't deny that fEARful's take EQ in a much more noticeable way then a cab loaded with nothing but one size of full-range drivers. I certainly don't mean to sound as if I'm saying that any other cab is a compromise either. I love many other cabs as well. I just think my fEARful is my most versatile cab to date. I wish I could afford a Thunderchild, but for now, I'm happy with my fEARful cabs that I built myself.

My main point I was really trying to make though was that the fEARful cabs give you the ability to create a tone your happy with if you know what you're after, and While there are a great deal of other cabs out there that can do that, it's always easier to subtract with an EQ than it is to add, especially when you have a hole in the spectrum of frequency response like many full range cabs with a tweeter have. I'm no fEARful nut. I just like my cab, and feel that anybody who is interested in hearing one should not be swayed by all of the hype or the anti-hype that flies around here.

I agree they are top notch cabs that 'do what they do' very nicely.

Again, less of a hole than you would think up top on many two way cabs designed well (i.e., 10's or 12's in relatively vertical configuration with a high quality tweeter crossed over relatively low... ala the more recent Bergantino designs for example.

All good stuff. In general, +1 to everything you posted. I actually am a pretty big fan of the fEARfuls and recommend them often to players looking for a certain thing. I just don't recommend them for every player in every situation like some. Of course, that is not the case on this thread at all, since the OP is looking for a fEARful or mid loaded design cab with a big low end.

[murphy]

So you cannot get a mid forward punchy growl out of the DUALLY?
What about smooth and fat lows and low mids?
The format and the weight make this very interesting
Are there any in the Toronto area to be able to try or hear?

[dukeorock]

Originally Posted by murphy

So you cannot get a mid forward punchy growl out of the DUALLY?
What about smooth and fat lows and low mids?
The format and the weight make this very interesting
Are there any in the Toronto area to be able to try or hear?

Not sure about the Toronto part, but 'smooth and fat lows and low mids' are a strong point of these cabs. As far as 'mid forward punchy growl' that all depends on how you define those things. We've built a handful of Dually's and every customer has been well pleased with them. The Faital 15PR400 is just a remarkable driver. I was able to get a very mid voiced grindy tone quickly out of one. The 3 way cabs (FEARLESS, for example) are more mid forward for obvious reasons

[murphy]

Thanks for the info
Sounds like it might just fit the bill for my reggae band and Blues/funk band

[barryaudio]

Originally Posted by KJung

the Faital driver (sweet, organic, warm top end)

Man, you should try the F115 or F112 someday. I think you would really like it.

[barryaudio]

Originally Posted by murphy

So you cannot get a mid forward punchy growl out of the DUALLY?
What about smooth and fat lows and low mids?
The format and the weight make this very interesting
Are there any in the Toronto area to be able to try or hear?

A 3015 loaded Dually is VERY punchy and has a great natural growl. It's a fantastic rock and roll cab. The Faital-Dually is a bit smoother and a good fit for people who play a wide variety of music. The F215 is even more versatile and can be driven harder--IMO the best big cab in the series.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by barryaudio

Man, you should try the F115 or F112 someday. I think you would really like it.

I disagree. I KNOW I would really like it I've been following that design. Nice option for those who appreciate the quality, design and superior components of the Greenboy stuff, but who have tone goals that work against the original fEARful voicing. Nice!