BAGEND
 

First off...is BAGEND a very good cabinet? I am looking at the S-15B,,the S-15D & the S15X-D. I don`t know what the differences are between them,but I like the lighter weight of these cabs. Can you guys help me pick one?

A Streamliner 600 and 2 s15-d's will kill. Make one the x model if you like tweeters.

S-15D is the standard. I've gigged two of these cabs for a good decade now with a few different heads and they've always performed well. I currently use either a Thunderfunk amp (when I want some solid state grind) or a Streamliner amp (when I want a fatter, creamier sound) with my pair of Bag End cabs and it's all good!

They are a very good cab.

The D is the standard model
The XD is the tweeter model
The B is the stained birch model

I run an S15D/XD rig live and I love it. Very efficient and punchy cabs.

I've had a pair of S-15Ds for ten years now. Great cabs.

Great cabs, love my S15D stack which is kind of the standard config. They are pretty bright for full range cabs, so I don't think you need the tweetered version which should save you a few $$$. Their construction is top notch and I think they are a steal for such a quality US made product if you dig their vibe. They are very efficient, take EQ well, and handle a good deal of power. My S15D stack gets louder than any of my big Berg NV cabs.

This is of particular interest to me as I'm debating on whether or not to pick up a Berg NV412 that is local to me. Part of me wants to, part of me wants a smaller more portable rig.

What makes them so loud? Just their efficiency or is it the lack of low end they put out? I have an 800RB and watched your video and love the sound, but it's curious for me when people say they gig with 2 112's in rock bands. My band is pretty damn loud.

I have a Q10X-D. Great cab. Heavy, but sound is phenom

They were the Sh*t back in the day. Haven't heard much about them recently as new flavors have come out. Never heard one sound bad. Smooth cabs that fill the room nicely from my experience.

The lack of big low end is the reason they are so efficient and hence loud per watt. The little 15 cubes are very warm, very mid present, very loud, and IMO slot the bass tone where many players want it... that kind of 'above the bass drum' sort of thing.

The 'x' versions have very nice sounding coax tweeters under the speaker dome, and no attenuators. Nice sounding tweeters... very crisp but not 'metalic.

Of course, Bag End makes 'bigger box' designs that have more low end, but the 'classic' Bag End cab that is still popular is that small 115 cube (SD15 or whatever it is called).

The SD15/SE15x stack is a classic, and hasn't changed for probably 20 years. The closest cab on the market tonewise to that classic Bag End 15 is the Aguilar DB112.

The only downside IME (I gigged this stack with either a GK 400RB or Eden WT400 for years back in the day) is that the rear port is basically a big hole cut right behind the drivers. It is almost an 'open backed cab', given the size and placement of the port relative to the driver and box size. While port location doesn't typically matter, in this case, there actually is quite a bit of directional upper bass pumping out of that port, which makes that particular Bag End cab somewhat more sensitive to placement.

IMO, that particular cab is the reason that rear ported cabs in general are mistakenly believed to be more sensitive to placement.

Per you post, there is MUCH in common between the Bag End stack and the Berg NV's in general tonality to my ear (especially the NV610).

I prefer Bag End, but I might be biased. Here's why.

When I was looking at different powered cabs I emailed Bag End and Bergantino.

Jim at Bag End returned my email promptly. I talked to him on the phone the next day.

I NEVER heard from Bergantino.

I wasn't asking for a deal, let alone free.I was asking if they had an artist rep or knew of a user in the Nashville area so I could try one.

Bag responded and offered the deal.

Berg didn't even give bother to send me a email with "no". My multiple emails were ignored. I even offered to come by the shop while I was in the area on a run. Still nothing.

Service, service, service. Jim and Henry at Bag End, as well as the other folks, are easy to get a hold of and helpful.

Strange. Jim typically responds very quickly to emails. That being said, Jim does not do endorsements nor has any 'artist reps'. Jim also eliminated the powered cabs from his line up a couple of years ago FYI.

Anyway, both great companies and both make great cabs.

+1 That Bag End (at least back in the day) seems to go 'above and beyond'. I had a 'black carpet' S15 or whatever they are called, and wanted a second identical cab (this was back in the 80's or early 90's). They had changed the carpet to their 'deep red' recently, so just on a whim, I called and asked if any of the original black ones were left. They said 'no', but still had black carpet left and would make me one for no extra charge and get it to my dealer. Impressive. Nice company for sure!

That's really intriguing that it sounds both like the Bergs and the Aggie DB's, as both of those cabinets are some of my favorites, tonally.
What are the pitfalls for placement of these cabs?

There is a difference between a "port" and "vent".

Ports are usually tuned to a freq. so that accentuate that octave.

Vents are just that. The allow the cab to breathe and the speakers work effeciently with less restriction. The are not "open back" by any streatch.

The weight is due to the large traditional magnets. A lot of new cabs use Neo or smaller magnets. to cut the weight.

I asked Jim about useing Neo. Neo used to have a problem with looseing magnitism at high temps. As Technology moves this has been essentially over come. They haven't made the switch yet, but I wouldn't be surprised if Bag End started useing Neo. in the future.

I have a Power Q10xD. I replacecd a Rabe era SWR Goliath 3. No ones ever said I didn't have low end. In fact, I picked up a more balanced freq. responce and picked up more volume at less power.

My weight was net less because I lost the Crown K1 in a shell shock rack I was useing, 45lbs.

The Bag end amp installed adds about 5.5 lbs to the cabs weight.

Like I said I was just wanting to try them. It didn't have to be an artist rep. A user would have been fine. I wasn't asking for a deal or anything. I was willing to pay sticker.

At the time the powered cabs were still in production.

As I said, I would have been happy with a simple "No". Don't ignore me.

I called and spoke to Jim B. a few years back. Spent at least an hour on the phone with me. He was a really nice guy.

The 800RB with a pair of S15D's is pure awesome. I don't think you'd have any trouble keeping up with a loud band running that rig.

Although I don't gig my 800RB as often since I got an MB500, it's still my favorite head with these cabs. They just seem like a perfect match to me.

As for cab placement with that giant port, I find that if I put them in a corner or against a wall I'll get more low end than if they were out in the middle of the floor. Depending on the venue I can't put them in the corner or it gets too boomy. I suppose that's easy enough to fix with some EQing though.

I've noticed the same thing. I feel as though my tone is more balanced and I can run with less power and still be very present in the mix. Not that it means much but with a P bass and my 800RB, I'll run it with the input volume about noon, boost about 1:00, and the master barely at 9:00 and it's fecking loud. I can also swap the input and master and get the power amp cooking a but more with the same overall volume.

My guess is, something got tied up with his email system somehow. It is ALWAYS better to call if you really need information and are serious about having a question answered.

I hear the 800RB + Bag End stack is the good stuff all the time. BassNW has a couple of the Bag End's and I might have to go check them out today.

Oh. I run mine with an EBS Micro Bass Pre.

I've also used a Demeter HPB1 pre and my Sadowskys sound awesome plugged directly in.