'76 SVT, 5 String Bass, What Cab???

[Jefe]

So I have a '76 SVT head that I adore. I also have a Berg NV610, that I also adore. My current 5-string bass, Guess what, I adore it also!
Here's my quandry. I play in a pretty damn loud rock band and I use the B string frequently. The NV610 is punchy bastard but is rated down to 48hz and being a sealed cab, rolls off sharply after that. The low B just doesn't have the strength I would like.

What other cabinets would you guys suggest? Keeping in mind that 300 watts is not alot of power to make a Low B-string sing, so cab efficiency is at play here. Sub-100lb suggestions only please

[zachoff]

My Schroeder 1515 gets low, low low. When I used it for a while my guitar player would say, "I can't really hear you as much as I can feel you." We play in C though & not B.

[Jefe]

Interesting. I had a 1212R (folded style) for awhile and I honestly hated that cab. All midrange and very little low-end. It could cut through a mix though.
Is your 1515 one of the folded style cabs or the BMF series?

[anonymous02282011]

I would look to the EQ on either the SVT or your bass before I started looking for a new cab.

[RickenBoogie]

Roll back the low eq, disengage the low boost, kick the mids up a few notches, enjoy the great harmonics of those uber low notes. Trying to reproduce the low B fundemental is a losing battle, your gear is top notch, just eq it differently and enjoy the ride.

[Jefe]

Originally Posted by RickenBoogie

Roll back the low eq, disengage the low boost, kick the mids up a few notches, enjoy the great harmonics of those uber low notes. Trying to reproduce the low B fundemental is a losing battle, your gear is top notch, just eq it differently and enjoy the ride.

Thanks for the suggestions! My current eq set up is Ultra High- off/ Mids @ 800 / Low Boost - Middle position
Treble - 10 o'clock / Mids - 2 o'clock / Bass - Noon.

Should I roll back the bass knob and cut the low boost switch (I assume all the way left is cut?)?

My bass EQ is set dead flat.

Thanks again guys.

[zachoff]

Originally Posted by Jefe

Interesting. I had a 1212R (folded style) for awhile and I honestly hated that cab. All midrange and very little low-end. It could cut through a mix though.
Is your 1515 one of the folded style cabs or the BMF series?

It's the folded style & definitely throws the lows. I had to actually use the horn & EQ the mids up quite a bit to get a tone I liked & I almost never use the horn.

[Jefe]

Originally Posted by zachoff

It's the folded style & definitely throws the lows. I had to actually use the horn & EQ the mids up quite a bit to get a tone I liked & I almost never use the horn.

Wow! Sounds like the 1515 is a VERY different beast than my 1212. Thanks for the input!

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by Jefe

Thanks for the suggestions! My current eq set up is Ultra High- off/ Mids @ 800 / Low Boost - Middle position
Treble - 10 o'clock / Mids - 2 o'clock / Bass - Noon.

Should I roll back the bass knob and cut the low boost switch (I assume all the way left is cut?)?

My bass EQ is set dead flat.

Thanks again guys.

ya, mid position on ultra lo is off, left position cuts lows. can't say i feel the same way about the sealed cabs. i've used a 5 or a downtuned bass a lot with my svt/810 and it always sounds great to me. maybe i'm weird

[Jefe]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

ya, mid position on ultra lo is off, left position cuts lows. can't say i feel the same way about the sealed cabs. i've used a 5 or a downtuned bass a lot with my svt/810 and it always sounds great to me. maybe i'm weird

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the cab. It just seems that the B/C/D notes don't have the same heft/punch that the E/F/G notes have. I attributed it to the NV cabs being sealed (frequency response tends to drop sharply in the lower registers with most sealed cabs) and being designed around the vintage vibe (passive 4 stringers).
Maybe I'm just EQ'ing wrong (HIGHLY possible)

[brekfustuvluzer]

try a svt 410-hlf. it's not the traditional cab to pair with an all tube svt, but it has much more bass output than a sealed cab. i have one that i use with an svt-vr and i am happy with the tone (although for me, it is a compromise).

[Timi]

Originally Posted by Jefe

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the cab. It just seems that the B/C/D notes don't have the same heft/punch that the E/F/G notes have. I attributed it to the NV cabs being sealed (frequency response tends to drop sharply in the lower registers with most sealed cabs) and being designed around the vintage vibe (passive 4 stringers).
Maybe I'm just EQ'ing wrong (HIGHLY possible)

Just curious, do you only use the rig in one particular room or are you also hearing the problem in different rooms/stages? Also pickup height, dead string, action too low on that string ect?

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

ya, mid position on ultra lo is off, left position cuts lows. can't say i feel the same way about the sealed cabs. i've used a 5 or a downtuned bass a lot with my svt/810 and it always sounds great to me. maybe i'm weird

No weirder than Al Cisneros of Sleep/Shrinebuilder. He used two SVT's and 810's (plus a Marshall full stack), with Sleep, one SVT +810 with Shrinebuilder. Not sure what Shrinebuilder tunes to, but Sleep tunes down to C. Sounded really good.

[Sartori]

Originally Posted by Jefe

Don't get me wrong, I LOVE the cab. It just seems that the B/C/D notes don't have the same heft/punch that the E/F/G notes have. I attributed it to the NV cabs being sealed (frequency response tends to drop sharply in the lower registers with most sealed cabs) and being designed around the vintage vibe (passive 4 stringers).
Maybe I'm just EQ'ing wrong (HIGHLY possible)

Sure you're not dealing with a dead string? Lots of b-strings are not that great. I was having a hell of a time getting the one on my BEAD bass to sound good. Turned out the string was a dud.