A few weeks ago, I started a
thread about some of what I perceived to be the more hifi cabs out there. I was looking for a smallish cab to use primarily backing up singer/songwriters and with a relatively low volume church band.
I came across a used Acme B2 in 4 ohms and bought it. (The seller has a second one available
here.) The rest of my rig is a Peavey USA Cirrus 4 string bass and a GenzBenz 3.0, 300 watts into 4 ohms.
The advice/reviews/common wisdom regarding the cab were pretty much spot on. So, here's my take on it...
The bottom end is amazing. I can't speak for the low B string on a 5'er but the low E is real and unreal. It is big and fat and round and warm. Whether it is because the cab is "uncolored" or something else is going on, it is not punchy. Whatever midrange characteristics do that, they are not there or they are overwhelmed by the true fundamentals of the low notes. Someone described the low end as being pillowy and I understand that descriptor as long as you don't read that as being mushy. I see why these cabs are popular with upright players. I can also see where the low end could be a problem in a dense mix or a room that emphasizes low end.
I feel like I need to boost the mids a bit to keep up with the low end. Some of the descriptors that others have used about the mids and highs are that they are "polite." I have both attenuators all of the way up, which I understand is flat for this cab. There is a funny emphasis on the fret noise without giving me a lot of high end. I'm not sure how much is my technique, how much might be the bass, and what is coming from the cab. I'll have to work at that. I'm not crazy about it whatever is causing it. It also feels like the transitions from the low to mid to trebles are less smooth than they could be. That one way or 2 way Acme cabinet could be the answer.
It is not a terribly efficient cab but it is not as much a concern as I feared. This is one area where the common wisdom was little off. I had read that you need HUGE amounts of power for the cab or it is almost unusable. The seller had an 8ohm Avatar 112 with the tweeter swapped out for a midrange which I tried as well. It didn't feel like the B2 was softer than the Avatar - Indeed, because the sound signature was so different between the two cabs, t was difficult to tell but it is possible that the B2 was louder than the Avatar. I realize the Avatar was running at 175 watts with that head since it is an 8 ohm cab but that should only account for a difference of about 3 dbs if it was louder than the Acme. So, not a huge difference. Beyond any possible differences in volume though, at the same settings, I much preferred the sound of the B2. The Avatar had soooo much less bottom end and I wasn't crazy abut the sound of the mids. The Avatar had been modded though so it may or may not be a very accurate comparison to a stock cab.
The B2 isn't lightweight, but it isn't too heavy either and it has a nice small footprint.
This one has rat fur... so I'll need to keep it away from my cats
Maybe I'll pull it off one day and spray it with duratex.
All in all, I think I'm going to be happy with the cab although 2 8 ohm B1's would have been even cooler.
