fEARfuls for heavy rock?

[Son of Bovril]

Anyone care to comment on whether they would suit this kinda music?

Yes I know you can use any gear for any style, just interested to know if anyone is playing heavier stuff with one of these cabs and how it is working out for them?

Does it cut through better, whats the overdriven tone like, does it play nice with tube amps etc?

[Derek Kiernan]

You'll be able to hear yourself much better (as will your bandmates). You don't really need to "cut through" when everyone can hear you well Many people have commented on how much they enjoy the mid's performance with a good distortion pedal.

You'll have more low end extension and capability than conventional speaker cabinets. If you boost bass, or want to have a lot of weight down low while avoiding the boom caused by the upper bass bump with other speaker cabinets, this will help out tremendously. The fEARful designs will play nicely with a tube amp without modification, but if you're interested in a "sealed response", greenboy has recently mentioned the possibility of blocking half the shelf port for similar results on the fEARful forum (registry required).




The only way I could really see it not working out for your needs is if you want a fair amount of distortion from the driver, or a massive spike in the upper mid frequency response and don't have the EQ to get the coloration otherwise, or if you don't have a very capable amp and are expecting a 15/6 to replace an 8x10.

[Son of Bovril]

I would essentially be looking at a 15/6 and a 15 sub. Mainly Running an Avalon U5 into a crown XLS1500 bridged. The distortion/overdrive characteristics are not my biggest concern, was just interested as there may be a tube head in my near future again.

Only problem being that I live in South Africa, I wonder if any of the fEARful builders would be willing to ship the cabs over here ready built?

[Derek Kiernan]

Seems like you might be pretty happy playing with that amp and pre!

[Son of Bovril]

Yeah I like a very clean modern sound with plenty of headroom are the fEARful designs pretty neutral sounding or are they quite colored?

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by Son of Bovril

Yeah I like a very clean modern sound with plenty of headroom are the fEARful designs pretty neutral sounding or are they quite colored?

Please take some time to read the fEARful website, messageboard and some of the threads here. I say that, because by asking if they're colored or neutral, it sounds like you're not really familiar with this cab at all. One of the main reasons this cab was built was to be flat and neutral and clean.

[Son of Bovril]

hehe yeah I have done some reading already and it sounds like exactly what I am looking for, the 12 thread discussion is somewhat overwhelming to wade through though!

It basically seems like the design is essentially a 3-way cab (similar to a PA system) but just because it is a 3-way system doesn't make it flat response...

I'm sold on the concept, my biggest concern is cost and availability regarding the fact that I'm in South Africa. I've mailed some of theofficial builders to get some estimates and see whether or not they are willing to ship here

[Foz]

Maybe try one of these - lots cheaper to ship...

Speaker Hardware - fEARful Flat Pack Assembly - YouTube

[Jools4001]

I use a Barefaced Big One cab. It is a 15/6 design that is similar to a fEarful, and was recommended to me by Greenboy, the fEarful designer, as the cab he would buy if he was in the UK. I consider it to be at least equivalent.

I play in a rock covers band that plays material from the heavier end of the rock spectrum (AC/DC, Thin Lizzy, Guns 'n' Roses, Metallica, Iron Maiden as well as more contemporary stuff from RHCP, Foo Fighters etc).

The cab gives me exactly what I need. It's got a very clean transparent sound that seems to reproduce exactly what my bass and amp feed into it. It's very responsive to tone control adjustments so when you tweak the tone knob on your bass or amp, the cab does what it's told and doesn't mush up. It does all this with the ability to go nice and loud - easily enough to balance nicely with a Hughes and Kettner !00 watt Switchblade half stack and a Marshall 60 watt half stack that are used by our two guitarists.

I don't use too much distortion, I like a nice big clean sound with lots of headroom, but I have used a lot of distortion just messing around using a very bass heavy overdriven sound with Muses 'Hysteria' and the cab just laughed at my attempts to unsettle it

EDIT: The Big One is now (sadly) discontinued but I don't see why a fEarful wouldn't give you the same result

[KJung]

All depends on what you consider a 'hard rock tone'. If your definition of that is the tight, grindy, punchy classic sealed 10 cab vibe, then these would be in the totally opposite direction voicing-wise.

If, on the other hand, you dig the fat, wide, warm 2 x 15 loaded boxes back in the day, the 15/6 type cabs are a much better execution of that... smaller, lighter, with that smooth, full low end, and a nice clean upper mid response.

[Jools4001]

Originally Posted by KJung

All depends on what you consider a 'hard rock tone'. If your definition of that is the tight, grindy, punchy classic sealed 10 cab vibe, then these would be in the totally opposite direction voicing-wise.

If, on the other hand, you dig the fat, wide, warm 2 x 15 loaded boxes back in the day, the 15/6 type cabs are a much better execution of that... smaller, lighter, with that smooth, full low end, and a nice clean upper mid response.

Hmmm...I seem to be able to get tight, grindy and punchy or fat, wide and warm at will.

May I direct you to my band's website where there are some mp3's of some early rehearsal efforts.

The Lash - Lemonrock live music gig guide

The first and second tracks were both played using my Ric and the same amp settings - the only difference is that the first is using the bridge pup with the tone control wide open, the second uses the neck pup with the tone rolled off about halfway. The G n R and Killers track were played on my Epi T-Bird pro, and I was trying out fretless on the Whitesnake.

Whatever, I think this gives a glimpse of the 15/6 design's versatility

CAVEAT: These are not proper recordings, they were done in a 12' x 14' rehearsal room and the recordings were made totally live using the awesome technique of sticking a Zoom recorder on a mic stand in the middle of the room and moving the mc stand around to get a rough balance. They are also quite early rehearsals where we hadn't quite got the songs nailed (so please excuse the timing clams, ropey fills, poor vocal intonation and general slopiness). The track that makes me cringe is "here I go again" where I'm just humming along trying to work out the backing vox that I will eventually put against the bass line - why my guitarist thinks this take of the song is fit for public consumption on the web site Lord only knows - especially when we have far better takes of the same song.

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Jools4001

Hmmm...I seem to be able to get tight, grindy and punchy or fat, wide and warm at will.

May I direct you to my band's website where there are some mp3's of some early rehearsal efforts.

The Lash - Lemonrock live music gig guide

The first and second tracks were both played using my Ric and the same amp settings - the only difference is that the first is using the bridge pup with the tone control wide open, the second uses the neck pup with the tone rolled off about halfway. The G n R and Killers track were played on my Epi T-Bird pro, and I was trying out fretless on the Whitesnake.

Whatever, I think this gives a glimpse of the 15/6 design's versatility

CAVEAT: These are not proper recordings, they were done in a 12' x 14' rehearsal room and the recordings were made using the awesome technique of sticking a Zoom recorder on a mic stand in the middle of the room. They are also quite early rehearsals where we hadn't quite got the songs nailed (so please excuse the timing clams, ropey fills, poor vocal intonation and general slopiness). The track that makes me cringe is "here I go again" where I'm just humming along trying to work out the backing vox that I will eventually put against the bass line - why my guitarist thinks this take of the song is fit for public consumption on the web site Lord only knows - especially when we have far better takes of the same song.

Actually, the zoom does a great job of recording.

You bass sounds nice, and just as I would expect from my experience with a lot of versions of these 15/6 cab... fat, warm, wide. Works great for what you are doing. Sounds nothing like the grind coming of a multi-10 cab. Nothing wrong with that.

Sounds like you are playing out of a VERY good 2 x 15 cab to my ear... nothing wrong with that!

[Son of Bovril]

I prefer a modern clean tone with decent low end extension to the SVT tube head + 810 typical rock setup. I think these fEARful cabs are a step in the right direction for me, so hopefully if I can't get a fully assembled one then that video of the assembly pack makes it look pretty straight forward

[KJung]

Originally Posted by Son of Bovril

I prefer a modern clean tone with decent low end extension to the SVT tube head + 810 typical rock setup. I think these fEARful cabs are a step in the right direction for me, so hopefully if I can't get a fully assembled one then that video of the assembly pack makes it look pretty straight forward

Fantastic for that flavor of 'hard rock'. +1.

I view these cabs as an improvement over the Acme Low B cabs... tighter, more usable low end (but still bigger and more full than most other designs), not as power hungry, and MUCH better upper mid response.

[Son of Bovril]

Thanx KJung, if any1 can give an unbias review of these, you're the man!

[Sundogue]

I use a fEARful 15/6 in a very loud classic rock band (two guitarists, keys, drums) and it just kills.

I've gone through so many cabs over the years (including my own designs) and not one has withstood the punishment I put my fEARful through on a live, loud rock gig.

I can cop any tone I want with my 15/6. Any. I also play in a variety band (50's through today) and also a blues band. I have to be able to do "vintage", "clean & modern", "overdriven hard rock", etc. ...you name it. I can't be swapping cabs for all the different tones I need.

The only cab that has allowed me to do that AND at high volume, with clarity no matter where I stand, and with a lot of true, deep low end without mud is my fEARful 15/6.

Anyone who can't get a variety of tones with a fEARful either doesn't know how to EQ, or has an amphead that is too limited in tonal options. It stands to reason that if I (and many others) can get any tone we desire out of a fEARFul, even though others can't, then the cab is not the reason for not being able to.

+1 on the flatpacks from speakerhardware.com. That would be the easiest and cheapest to ship to you. Don't worry if you've never built one before or don't think you have the room. The current flatpacks can be built on the kitchen table in one evening.

This link below shows how easy it is to build a fEARful from a flatpack...

Speaker Hardware - fEARful Flat Pack Assembly - YouTube

[Son of Bovril]

Thanx Sundgue

Does the flat pack assembly come with the speakers included?

[Sundogue]

Originally Posted by Son of Bovril

Thanx Sundgue

Does the flat pack assembly come with the speakers included?

Go to speaker hardware's website.

Check it out. E-mail Leland. He's a great guy and he'll set you up with everything you need for the complete cab. He has everything for them.

And be sure to register here... fEARful forum and ask any question you have. Lots of help with all things fEARful there.

[BurningSkies]

I don't believe there is such a thing as an unbiased review on TB. Really. If you want people want to play harder music, I’d certainly consider the views and reviews of people who play harder music who have had their hands on these cabs regularly. I’m not one to play heavy stuff all that often these days, but I’d suggest that there is no comparison to any of the multi-15 rigs of the 70’s…beyond the fact that they happen to share the number 15 somewhere in their specs. The 3015LF is a very modern driver, and the dedicated 2 or 3 way design with properly designed crossover belies almost everything that a vintage 15 cabinet represents. This is lower, and higher, and with present mids. It doesn’t distort easily with volume like many of the old cabs did. It has dispersion that is unheard of with the older cabs. It can take WAY more power. The perception of ‘slow’ or ‘loose’ or any of that stuff can be wiped off the slate. Because of the GOOD quality speaker components, distortion doesn’t get ratty or grating in the highs…and it doesn’t get flabby or farty in the lows...when YOU feed it an overdriven signal. They don’t snarl and grind naturally unless that’s what you’re giving it.

No, they’re not the answer for everyone, but many people have found them to be THEIR answer.

[makohund]

Originally Posted by Son of Bovril

Anyone care to comment on whether they would suit this kinda music?

Yes I know you can use any gear for any style, just interested to know if anyone is playing heavier stuff with one of these cabs and how it is working out for them?

Oh, *bleep* yeah, they will. And yes, I am.

I've been doing an AIC trib for a couple years. We've also been known to bust out some Slayer, Megadeth, 'tallica, FNM, and so on on occasion.

I'm up against a 200W Marshall full stack, a 100W Line6 SpiderValve/Mesa half stack, and a loud drummer.

No problem. At all. Sounds great. I can pretty much dial in whatever. And I'm only pushing 12s, not the 15s.