Bag End Stack in the House!

[MichaelVee]

Thanks for helping me celebrate, guys!

There are a lot of threads either about Bag Ends or that BE players have posted in. One thing I'd noticed is that there aren't many pictures of the cabs on Talkbass. I definitely wanted to get a visual on here so players that haven't ever seen Bag Ends in person could get a look at a stack.

Even Bag End's website doesn't show the stack, just the individual speakers.

Before I happened upon my first cab, the S15X-D, I had never even seen a Bag cabinet in person. I surely had read a lot of praise for them on Talkbass, and IvanMike and Joshua had a LOT to do with me going the BE direction.

[MichaelVee]

Well, yeah! Reading a few years' worth of very favorable comments on the Bag Ends from you and IvanMike.. ya know.

[MichaelVee]

Originally Posted by metron

Specs indicate they are pretty efficient too. Inefficiency is one of my main gripes with a few bass cabs Ive had. Plus tweeters make me unhappy. These may be just what Im looking for in a modern style cab!

Metron- Bag End rates these at 103 dB/1W/1M which is about as loud as a single driver, ported cabinet can get. Only the Fitzmaurice cabs get way out there past 103, as well as some much larger 4x10s, 6x10s, and 8x10s.

As I noted in another post, it's unreal how loud the Bags are even singly, if you are standing right in front of them. Not much power is required at all to punch through. Stacked, the sound is huge.

The coax cab has a very smooth tweeter. I don't know what kind of crossover components Bag End uses, but I would imagine they are as good as what you would find in most high-end cabs. Plus, the coaxial design makes the highs emanate from the same point source as all the other frequencies. That integrates the highs into the overall sound. Same thing with my Eden CX-110 cabs- very smooth highs. You might really like the Bag End S15X-D.

But you do get a lot of mids and highs from the non coax S15-D.

[MichaelVee]

Originally Posted by bassteban

62bass, I'll let the guy w/2 BEs properly respond, but my 2 cents is that my S-15X-D supposedly weighs 44 lbs, has great depth all by itself(active & passive 5s & 6s through Eden WT-400); I imagine they will swallow a pretty substantial low boost & give it right back loudly. To the OP, I must have another Bag End 1x15, & it's ALL YOUR FAULT! Thank you.

Glad the OP could lend a hand, bassteban!!

I've dialed in a bit of low end boost at low volumes. It really doesn't take much- more like 3 dB or at most 6. As you turn up the volume, the need for bass boost decreases. That's why the dynamic bass boost on my Eden WT-390 worked so well with the Bag stack.

I haven't weighed the cabinets, but the Bag End site does state 50 lbs for the S15X-D and 44 for the S15-D. They are reasonably easy to pick up and move around. You just have to get used to the spring-loaded handles being pulled out to lift rear to front instead of bottom to top. After you pick it up, it's easy to carry with this handle configuration balancing the speaker weight.

[BassGreaser]

nice looking rig MichaelVee! how much bottom end does this rig have?

[MichaelVee]

Originally Posted by BassGreaser

nice looking rig MichaelVee! how much bottom end does this rig have?

Hey Grease- I haven't played it out yet, so it's hard to say. Playing it in the studio/office, there is plenty enough low end, even unboosted.

I am beginning to think the correct way to EQ the Bags live is to do a bit of cut in the low mids, (200-500) instead of boosting the lowest freqs (40-80). The blast and assertiveness of these cabs is largely coming from the low mids. With a really loud rock band, the low-mids would cut through and probably shouldn't be cut.

I have to defer to the other BE owners here on TalkBass that have played the stack live with rock bands- Joshua and IvanMike, as well, among dozens of other past and present owners.

[cb56]

Originally Posted by 62bass

cb56-I don't need a whole lot of thick botom end but it needs to sound full and rich. I dislike tweeters and don't care for a hi-fi sound.

That pretty much descibes me too. I think anybody would be fine with this setup.
Since I use G&L basses which have plenty of mids to their tone, I was looking for something with a bit more mid scooped (ampeg like) tone to compensate and the aguilars did the job. Kind of an apples and oranges thing. Both are excellent cabs.

[svtb15]

Originally Posted by emblymouse

Bag End S15's are retro like a Fender Jazz is retro. There is nowhere else to go, they define the genre IMHO. I think anything else is either a copy or a compromise. Or a whole different catagory.
Congrats to you, I'm betting you'll love them even more down the line. You will get your money's worth out of them over time.

+1

[CanadianBass48]

Here are some of my pictures. Got to love the stacks. I usually only run the 15 and the 18. It is great stuff. I seem to prefer the tweeterless version better then the cabs with tweeters. The sound harsh when I slap. I usually use a pick or fingerstyle though. I guess I just am not much of a tweeter guy. 1+ for the bag end 18. I really love this cab. It is freakin amazing! Great sound.

[MichaelVee]

Somebody needs to pick up Canadianbass's S15X-D!

[whacker]

CanadianBass48-

Are those S15B-D models, or are they the "L" model -- the special model that's sized in between the small ones (thread topic) and the big "B" versions? (Sometimes the rare "L" goes by another name also)

[DEVILMAN]

I've had my BE D10B-D for awhile & it is one of my favorite cabs. It works great with many combos(amps & cabs) & has amazing lows as well mids/highs that punch & cut right through a dense mix. Very underated & one of the best 2x10's IMO...

~S~

[MichaelVee]

Let's keep this going.. I'm still partying with the Bags!

[Headroom]

Originally Posted by MichaelVee

Let's keep this going.. I'm still partying with the Bags!

No problem:

A priest, a rabbi and an S-15D walk into a bar. The bartender says 'waddya have?" And the S-15D says...

[WillPlay4Food]

A priest, a rabbi and an elephant walk into a bar. The bartender says, "What is this, some kind of joke?"...

buh dum ching

[4Mal]

A fish walks into the bar, up to the bartender, becons the bartender to lean down towards him and says ... water...

[4Mal]

a stack o' 3 BE 2x10's. More of a storage thing as I would only gig with 2
I'm down to 1 now the deep and co-ax. Not the most efficient cab
on earth but sweet! The GK and BE combination is a good one IMO.

I'm driving it now with an F2B/dbx/QSC rig.

[rockstarbassist]

Like you ever needed to doubt!

2x15's are the way to go.

[MrBEAR]

No discouraging words in my vocabulary regarding Bag End cabs, although the coffee and soda on the amp courtesy of the drummer and vocalist required retort of harsh language after asking nicely "Please don't do that".

http://www.bluejade-band.com/assets/...ki12Aug031.jpg

Still have this stack, S-12 and S-15 in Birch although I rarely use it now that the club band has gone with an all Bag End PA. A pair of TA 1200's for mains and a pair of S-15D's for subs on each side.

[coyoteboy]

I'll have to come up with pics of my two custom BE's

Q10B-CUS w/ factory Line-x (still got that one)
D10X-E (wait for the pic)