New Cab Day - soon

Dark Barn · #1 10-01-2010, 09:06 AM

A few months ago I decided to downsize my rig. I had been playing through a Goliath SR for over 10 years and it had served me well, but I'd gotten around to thinking that maybe it was time to have a look at what new gear was out there. I hadn't even looked at bass gear for probably as long as I owned my Goliath SR since I was happy enough with my sound but the prospect of finding something smaller, lighter that might work just as well had taken hold. So off I went... to the internet.

Well, within a few googles I was delivered to the front door of Talkbass. Let me add here, I love this place, glad I found it, wish I had known about it a long time ago.

And now to make a long story short: tooling around Talkbass (for days) I found the cab I wanted. I came to the internet looking for info on the Eden xst210, came away with a Talkbass supporting membership and a tracking number for a Barefaced Big One.

I'm a nerd, the type of marketing you see at Barefaced (forthright nuts and bolts technically laden marketing that mostly steers clear of "tone hype superlatives") just killed me. It's like spec-sheet as narrative. As read by Morgan Freeman. Worked on me.

I understand there may not be many (any) of these things stateside so, Fedex willing I'll update this thread later with a hands on review.

Can't wait!

SactoBass · #2 10-01-2010, 05:01 PM

Yes, please do! (post your review).

I currently have a pair of Eden D210XST's, however I have been eye'ing the Barefaced cabs (the Big One in particular), so I will be very interested in hearing what you have to say about this cab.

rpsands · #3 10-01-2010, 05:03 PM

Holy mackerel! Congrats dude. I think that might be the first one stateside.

SactoBass · #4 10-01-2010, 05:11 PM

Btw, I started a new thread today entitled "Barefaced Cabs?" asking those who actually own them to share their opinions on these cabs.

ishouldbeking · #5 10-01-2010, 05:51 PM

I too am intrigued... that barefaced marketing already worked its way into the deeper recesses of my brain. I want either a Super Twelve or a Vintage, but can afford neither for the time being. Stateside reviews will be great, though!

Dark Barn · #6 10-02-2010, 12:04 AM

Thanks Rpsands, it was partly your esteem for the brand (and Bill Fitzmaurice's) that got me to take a look in the first place. You stand out as one of the more knowledgeable fellows on talkbass in regard to the technical nature of bass cabinets.

Ishouldbeking, the Supertwelve seemed like a great choice to me at first also in that I assumed the voicing would be more similar to what I was used to. If I was made of money I would have ordered both! You don't even want to know what I sold off to be able to afford this cabinet and a few other toys, haha.

Dark Barn · #7 10-07-2010, 11:13 PM

The eagle has landed. It made the trip in fantastic shape, in a very frankenstein looking box (albeit well protected). Sounds phenomenal, as a replacement for a swr 6x10 I seriously dont think I'm gonna miss the extra speaker area at all, the Big One can definitely do loud.

I've only just spent a little time with it in my studio apartment so I can't give you a more nuanced opinion of the tone of this cabinet. I will say though, that it can go very loud, and retain it's character continuously between low and high volume. The upper frequencies sound great (really really great) through this midrange driver and the lows sounded tight and defined, in my short time I spent with it.

It is extremely light, it's almost fun to lift just for the incongruity of how heavy it looks vs. how heavy it is. The build seems sturdy and well appointed. The finish on it, I'm not sure what it is? It looks like a sprayed on covering, something like Duratex? Whatever it is it looks great and it isn't rat fur!

One notable bummer is the lack of a speaker out on it, input only so daisy chaining is not possible, with the stock build at least. I did put it through it's paces with a Stewart world 2.1 both in single channel and in bridged mono and it delivered satisfying volumes at both 400 watts and 1300 watts. It's too soon to say for a fact but I think this single cabinet could easily handle medium sized venues without PA support.

After I get to know her a little better I'll add to this thread, and I'll borrow a decent camera sometime soon and add some pics as well.

Dark Barn · #8 10-12-2010, 04:32 PM

Sorry still no pics but I did get D2F covers here in Seattle to make me a nice cover for the Big One should anybody have need for one the template is good.

mikell128 · #9 10-12-2010, 05:31 PM

Wow I don't know how I missed this thread... I'm very interested in the barefaced line. I've been an active stalker of any bass info on BFM, fEarful, barefaced, LDS,and audiokinesis cabs and would love to hear a gig review/see some pictures. That's awesome you got one stateside man you might be the first of what I'm sure will become a big trend!

Joebone · #10 10-13-2010, 10:18 AM

How dreadful were the shipping costs from the UK? I'm intrigued by this line, and am also thinking about Audiokinesis...

smeet · #11 10-13-2010, 12:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Barn

I came to the internet looking for info on the Eden xst210, came away with a Talkbass supporting membership and a tracking number for a Barefaced Big One.

I've been wanting one of these for a long time... Did you buy it new from Barefaced, or used through TB?

Whoa! I just looked at the site, I didn't realize they were shipping to the US! Time to start saving the pennies I think.

Please please please give thorough gigging reviews and compare to other cabs...

I wonder how the Big One would compare to the Berg NV610...

Dark Barn · #12 10-13-2010, 10:33 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joebone

How dreadful were the shipping costs from the UK? I'm intrigued by this line, and am also thinking about Audiokinesis...

The shipping is inclusive to the U.S. prices on the Barefaced website.

Quote:

Originally Posted by smeet

I wonder how the Big One would compare to the Berg NV610...

My only recent point of comparison is to a SWR Goliath Sr. 6x10 (mine was pre-fender, not sure if that matters). I used to roll the tweeter on the SWR to completely off. The Barefaced Big One tonally is particularly smoother in the upper mids/highs than the SWR was capable of, to my ears. I would describe it (with the set-up I'm using) as very pure + deep lows, with a very smooth and defined upper register, but that's partially how I try to dial my sound in. In comparison to the SWR Goliath SR, it has less mid bite and a deeper low end, once again to my ears. I'm sure you could EQ any almost sound you want out of it, but straight out of the box, with everything flat that's how it sounds to me.

I'll add that it weighs 1/2 of what my 6x10 weighed, is almost as loud at equal settings, and can handle more power than I'll likely feed it. It suits my purposes perfectly. I used to haul that 6x10 to ANY gig, regardless of size, other than my small practice amp it was all I had. For me the Big One is an almost prefect single cab solution for everything I'll likely do: small (coffee shop) to medium (200-300 people) venues. The "soundstage" or "mid-range dispersion" is also very even on this cab, as advertised.

I'll add that with a 2-way cab like this you'd have to also be comfortable with always running a DI to FOH since micing it is problematic.

SactoBass · #13 10-25-2010, 10:45 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Joebone

How dreadful were the shipping costs from the UK? I'm intrigued by this line, and am also thinking about Audiokinesis...

I was curious as to how much the added cost was to ship a Big One to the US. So I took the English price of 675 Pounds (per Alex's website) and multiplied that by the current exchange rate of 1.5716 and came up with $1060. So that's what a person would pay for a Big One if they were local (in England). Per Alex's website, he charges $1200 for a Big One shipped to the US. So, the difference between the $1060 local price and the $1200 "shipped to the USA" price is $140 in shipping costs. IMO, that's not bad at all!

SactoBass · #14 10-25-2010, 10:47 PM

Hey Dark Barn,

How's the Big One working out for you? Have you played through it in a band situation yet? If yes, what are your comments?

I am seriously considering getting a Barefaced Big One.

Dark Barn · #15 10-26-2010, 09:10 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SactoBass

Hey Dark Barn,

How's the Big One working out for you? Have you played through it in a band situation yet? If yes, what are your comments?

I am seriously considering getting a Barefaced Big One.

I've only played it with the 2 bands I jam with, one of them is a full band (guitar/vox/drums/electric piano/bass), one is a piano/bass duo so pretty quiet, I'm currently looking for a gigging band that is a good fit for me. I dig it though, sounds great and is capable of putting out alot of volume for a cab of it's weight/size. It reproduces the tone of my rig beautifully, to me the Demeter pre is transparent with just a touch of tube warmth and punch. I A/B tested the speaker with both the Demeter pre and going direct from active bass into my power amp to speaker, this was actually to A/B the preamp, but the differences in tone were easy to discern through this cab.

My last cabinet was a SWR Goliath Senior which I powered with a Stewart World 1.2. After talking with Alex I picked up a used Stewart World 2.1 to replace my 1.2 (an upgrade that ended up costing me $20 after selling my 1.2!). Alex didn't recommend the upgrade specifically, just noted concern that the Big One is more power hungry than the Goliath Senior, and that the thermal shutdown potential on the 1.2 (no fan) might be an issue if I was pushing it harder than I was accustomed to. Alex does a good job of interviewing his potential customers to ensure an informed purchase.

A few things I'd add to what I've already mentioned in this and another thread. The tiny wheels on the back for tilt back rolling are only good for wheeling around on smooth surfaces. I got nicked for $65 in duty taxes, billed by FedEx, the bill didn't come til a week after I picked up the cab, sort of a surprise. No state/local taxes applied (Washington State), I assume the same would be true anywhere in the U.S. Also my order took roughly one month.

I had a few other things to say in this thread.

Hope that helps.

greenboy · #16 10-26-2010, 09:18 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Barn

My last cabinet was a SWR Goliath Senior which I powered with a Stewart World 1.2. After talking with Alex I picked up a used Stewart World 2.1 to replace my 1.2 (an upgrade that ended up costing me $20 after selling my 1.2!). Alex didn't recommend the upgrade specifically, just noted concern that the Big One is more power hungry than the Goliath Senior, and that the thermal shutdown potential on the 1.2 (no fan) might be an issue if I was pushing it harder than I was accustomed to. Alex does a good job of interviewing his potential customers to ensure an informed purchase.

Having had the World 1.2 issue with several of them several times in a house PA gig I walked into, you got good advice.

Quote:

A few things I'd add to what I've already mentioned in this and another thread. The tiny wheels on the back for tilt back rolling are only good for wheeling around on smooth surfaces.

I always recommend 2.5" minimum, 3" tiltback wheels preferred for fEarfuls. The small wheels not only get hung up easily, but the wheels if hard seem to chip and stuff gets stuck in those nacelles which impedes rolling. There is a slight weight penalty, but that's not something you notice if you are trying to use the primary function of a wheel ; }

SactoBass · #17 10-26-2010, 10:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Dark Barn

I've only played it with the 2 bands I jam with, one of them is a full band (guitar/vox/drums/electric piano/bass), one is a piano/bass duo so pretty quiet, I'm currently looking for a gigging band that is a good fit for me. I dig it though, sounds great and is capable of putting out alot of volume for a cab of it's weight/size. It reproduces the tone of my rig beautifully, to me the Demeter pre is transparent with just a touch of tube warmth and punch. I A/B tested the speaker with both the Demeter pre and going direct from active bass into my power amp to speaker, this was actually to A/B the preamp, but the differences in tone were easy to discern through this cab.

My last cabinet was a SWR Goliath Senior which I powered with a Stewart World 1.2. After talking with Alex I picked up a used Stewart World 2.1 to replace my 1.2 (an upgrade that ended up costing me $20 after selling my 1.2!). Alex didn't recommend the upgrade specifically, just noted concern that the Big One is more power hungry than the Goliath Senior, and that the thermal shutdown potential on the 1.2 (no fan) might be an issue if I was pushing it harder than I was accustomed to. Alex does a good job of interviewing his potential customers to ensure an informed purchase.

A few things I'd add to what I've already mentioned in this and another thread. The tiny wheels on the back for tilt back rolling are only good for wheeling around on smooth surfaces. I got nicked for $65 in duty taxes, billed by FedEx, the bill didn't come til a week after I picked up the cab, sort of a surprise. No state/local taxes applied (Washington State), I assume the same would be true anywhere in the U.S. Also my order took roughly one month.

I had a few other things to say in this thread.

Hope that helps.

Thanks DB.

If I get a Big One, I plan to drive it with my Kern IP-777 tube preamp and one side of my two-channel QSC PLX3602 power amp which provides around 750 watts RMS per channel into an 8-ohm load. Alex said that should work quite well, and would actually provide a bit more power than that using only one channel since the power supply is sized to drive both channels. I would just consider the other channel as my "back up amp".

I am glad to hear that you are enjoying the Big One!