Looking for a more polite 1x15 cab
 

Hey folks:

I'm currently using a Trace Elliot 1153 1x15 cab, along with a Markbass LMII and Fender P with flats.

The 1153 has some great punch and huge low end, but I'm finding that it loosens up and gets a little too hairy for my taste once the volume goes up.

Any suggestions for a 1x15 cab that retains a tighter low end and stays a little smoother when pushed? Maybe a little more hi-fi sounding? Should I be thinking about some neo cabs?

I'm also assuming that perhaps more speakers (like another 1153, a 2x12 or a 4x10) and more clean power would help my cause.

G-K NEO115 or maybe a Hartke Hi-Drive 115.

Yes. Like you wouldn't believe.

By "hifi" do you mean brighter or not such a huge bottom in comparison to the rest of the sound?

If so, yes, the GK's or Hartke 15's should fit the bill.

Or are you overdrivng the speaker turning up and just need another one to spread the power around and stay clean? Do you like your Trace sound at say "medium volume"?

Thanks for the quick replies.

Yeah, the 1153 just seems to get a little too burpy and aggressive as I turn up. I guess by hi-fi I mean clean and smooth, tighter low end, maybe a little mid-scooped too? I find myself cutting the high mids. That could be the natural mid voicing of my P bass though.

I'll check out the GK and Hydrive.

a 1x12 cabinet?

Strings can make one of the biggest differences in voicing. Not saying move away from flats but are they new, old, really old?....ever consider a different brand?....or half-rounds maybe?.....stuff like that, in addition to the speaker.

Just go ahead and get a bag end stack. Loud, clear, great value, and portable.

Was gonna say *polite cab*=BE

The strings on my P are Labella 760 FLs. I've thought about trying rounds on there just for the heck of it but flats really suit the stuff I'm doing in my current project.

I've also thought about the Bag End 15's. Never played one myself, but I like what I've heard. I know that two actually sold in the classifieds yesterday so I'll have to keep an eye out!

Genz-Benz Uber 115. Done.

As I own and use that cab, I think I might have the answer for you.

It's the driver.

It's a rather cheap Celestion and really doesn't like going very loud. It's a good bin, pretty well made, and sounds very good up to a point. Perhaps someone here might recommend a replacement driver that will give you some more headroom -- a la Eminence, Faital, etc.

I'm not qualified -- as I don't know anything about driver/enclosure matching.

A Markbass Traveler 151P cab would do just what you're asking, IMO. It can handle the volume, too. 'Twould sound great with the LMII. Also, the New York 151RJ Randy Jackson cab (maybe even better).

Well!
 

When Robin Eaglestone was first endorsed by Trace Elliot we had an SMX 600 rig, bright box + 4x10 + 1x15 running biamp.
We blew the original Celestion 15" fairly quickly and substituted it for a JBL 2226 which sounded a lot better in the cab.
The only thing we had to do (apart from playing with the port plugs, we left them both off in the end) was use a pry bar to lever out the steel grill to provide about a 1/4" more clearance for the JBL's greater x max.
So if you go for a driver with much higher x max you will have to do the same or the cone will hit the grill.:bassist:

You may want to look into a cab that uses the FaitalPro 15PR400. Sounds like it would fit your goals pretty well.

It can handle a lot of power with regards to thermal rating and mechanical (cone) excursion. It reaches smoothly up to about 5kHz so get get a nice top end without being "peaky" in the upper mids. It's a neo, so you save some weight.

Best 1 x 15 I've heard was the Accugroove Tri 115. Smooth, deep, polite, loud. Heard Damien Erskine using that cab with an Alembic F1x pre... Sounded really, really good. Probably the best non- fearful cab 1x15 I've ever heard... Not cheap though...

I sure love the Mesa Powerhouse 115. They are really well made and have a very smooth tone without the honk of some 115 cabs. The horn is very sweet and can really add a nice sheen if desired but isn't harsh or brittle.

Barry refrained from saying it (suggesting Greenboy's designs is getting almost political/religious around here! lol! :^), but I'll say it: Look into the Fearless Basic or Dually models.

Neither version of these tweeterless cabs sounds crisp or organ-deep, or modern; but they sound great for any classic, non-slappy music.

Basic or Dually are, respectively, the simplest single and dual 15" Greenboy cabs (single driver-type). They are well-designed, ported cabs available thru about 8 authorized custom builders. (Barry is one of them.)

They can be ordered with either Faital 15PR400 or Eminence Kappalite 3015. Both are excellent drivers; the 3015s are slightly more old-school, the Faitals a tad more extended both down low and up top.

Both are modern neodym's, and go considerably louder than traditional drivers.

I believe the single 15" Basic can be made in wood below 40 lbs; the double 15" Dually around 55 - 60lbs.

If you're weight conscious, one maker, Mike Arnopol, can make them in a composite material, and brings them in at a shocking 24 lbs (single 15") or 40 lbs (double). You pay extra for the crazy lightness.

If you care more about cost than weight, Low Down Sound can also very competently put these great drivers in a quality box.

Anyone in Europe can check out Barefaced speakers.

There's Mike Walsh in the UK as authorized builder for Greenboy Cabs.

Another cab will probably fix the distortion problem but it sounds like you might be a jazz bass guy .