Replacing my Trace Cab

[IPYF]

I've while ago I was tossing up the idea of upgrading from my Trace 1048H for a while and have held off doing it because I wasn't sure whether my band were continuing on or not.

Now it seems that they are I think my spine and car require that I buy a lighter/smaller cabinet for tours and local gigs.

My primary problem though is volume. I have to go up against a Mesa 50/50 and a Peavey 6505+ every week and I really need all the juice that my 1001 can provide in the rehearsal space. The Trace keeps up with this which I greatly admire but it doesn't like it at all and it's probably only a matter of time til I wear it out.

Everyone keeps telling me that in order to keep myself present in the mix I need at least a 610 or a fridge, neither of which are portable in the slightest.

So here's my question; is there a lightweight 210 or 212 which could do a better job than the Trace Elliot?

I was looking at the Barefaced Bass website and thinking that the Super Twelve might be an option for me. I honestly don't mind paying $1500 for it and getting it shipped out here if it can bust air and save my backbone. Does anyone have any experience with these?

[Session1969]

That seems like a tough one. The only thing I can think of that would be a light one cab solution to out pace a 4-10 would be a composite 2-15 with large x-max speakers, like the Dually. They're not cheap, though. Over a grand. Personally, I'd get another Trace cab and go 8-10. Cost effective.

[IPYF]

Yeah well tone-wise a matched cab would be lovely. Also there are a few Trace Cabs around at the moment and they're very cost effective. A perfect solution, if the primary problem I'm having wasn't the weight and the size.

I'd effectively just be doubling my problem.

[passive pickup]

How about a pair of 2x12s?

[alexclaber]

A Super Twelve will easily play louder than a 1048H, given a reasonably powerful amp. No contest.

[IPYF]

Hey Alex

I'm currently running a GK 1001rbII. I play reasonably technical death metal in standard C tuning with an active Spector bass. I also use a MI Audio tube driver in front of this setup. Would you suggest the Super Twelve would be a good pairing for this amp setup and an adequate replacement for the Trace, or is there something else you would recommend me look at?

Sorry to pick your brains but I figure since you're the director at Barefaced, I'd be bananas not to ask for this information directly from the horse's mouth so to speak.

[wcriley]

I pushed a pair of fEARful 12/6s with a G-K 1001RB-II for a couple years. I could get loud enough to make it impossible to hear the drums, and there's no logical reason for playing louder than that. Each box weighs less than 40 lbs. and is an easy one hand carry.

A fEARful 1212/66 would be an equivalent single box solution.

The soon-to-be-released fEARless F212 should be even lighter.

[dukeorock]

Getting your cab(s) up to 4 ohms to take every bit of juice the amp has would be a great start...a good 'super 212' would pummel your current cab...although there are a lot of great 'super 12' cabs these days, I'm not sure a single 12" could reasonably compete with what you have. A FEARLESS F115 would take it on and go lower and probably louder...those weigh around 46lbs.

Best of luck finding your perfect match! Your ears and back will thank you

[IPYF]

Good responses. I've heard a lot of praise for fEARful gear on hear. My issue is that I'm in Australia and the only way to get a boutique cab out here would be to pay a significant amount in shipping, for a cab I can't hear prior. Let's face it; the cabs we're discussing here are not cheap, and the idea of paying upwards of 1.5k to get something out here which might not be what I need or to my taste is quite anxiety inducing.

But the alternative situation is not great either because there really isn't a lot of options here to try. The only lightweight cabs I've seen in store here are the GK Neo series. I think I might have seen Genz Focus cabs here too at one point but the stores that held Genz have since gone bust and changed hands. I therefore don't really have much at all that I can actually try, and I've decided that the Neos don't really appeal to me because I'd essentially have to buy either the 410 or a pair of the 212s, 115s or the 210s to get up to my current volume level. While I understand the 410 is much lighter than my Trace, it still won't fit in my car properly and I can't bear to think about jamming 2 cabs into the boot of the hatch instead of one.

And additionally, each of the Neo options would still cost me north of a grand in total, so it's not seeming to me like such a dumb idea to go for a single, compact, imported high end cab.

[dukeorock]

Originally Posted by IPYF

Good responses. I've heard a lot of praise for fEARful gear on hear. My issue is that I'm in Australia and the only way to get a boutique cab out here would be to pay a significant amount in shipping, for a cab I can't hear prior. Let's face it; the cabs we're discussing here are not cheap, and the idea of paying upwards of 1.5k to get something out here which might not be what I need or to my taste is quite anxiety inducing.

But the alternative situation is not great either because there really isn't a lot of options here to try. The only lightweight cabs I've seen in store here are the GK Neo series. I think I might have seen Genz Focus cabs here too at one point but the stores that held Genz have since gone bust and changed hands. I therefore don't really have much at all that I can actually try, and I've decided that the Neos don't really appeal to me because I'd essentially have to buy either the 410 or a pair of the 212s, 115s or the 210s to get up to my current volume level. While I understand the 410 is much lighter than my Trace, it still won't fit in my car properly and I can't bear to think about jamming 2 cabs into the boot of the hatch instead of one.

And additionally, each of the Neo options would still cost me north of a grand in total, so it's not seeming to me like such a dumb idea to go for a single, compact, imported high end cab.

Australia seems especially tough...we've sold a few there, and yes, it is expensive. What part of the country are you in?

[IPYF]

I live in Melbourne. There is one major bass store here which I usually patronise, but most other music stores here are in transition at the moment since our major music group just went under. The corporation that's taken them over only stock Trace and Orange and Fender, none of which are suitable for my purposes.

[Downunderwonder]

Shipping out of USA is off the chart because they nixed the seafreight for small items. Everything goes by air.

Barefaced have reasonable shipping charges.

Buy a jigsaw and make one?

[alexclaber]

Originally Posted by IPYF

I'm currently running a GK 1001rbII. I play reasonably technical death metal in standard C tuning with an active Spector bass. I also use a MI Audio tube driver in front of this setup. Would you suggest the Super Twelve would be a good pairing for this amp setup and an adequate replacement for the Trace, or is there something else you would recommend me look at?

That's a great amp, one of my favourites and a very good match for the Super Twelve. Which exact Trace 4x10" is it? What era?

[IPYF]

I think the 1048H I have is one of the 90s models; I've been told it's from the 90s but it could easily be older than that based on the condition it's in. There are a lot kicking around town here and a lot of the designs are similar-but-different. Mine is the model with a horn loaded in the centre; I've noticed that a lot of the Trace 1048H cabs that come up on the market have no horn at all. Mine is rated at 300w RMS, 8ohm. I don't have the cab on me so I couldn't provide a serial.

I really like the tone of the cab but it's just offensively heavy and just sucks to lump around, even to local gigs. If I was still under 25 I'd just get a second one but now I'm moving towards 30 I need something that isn't going to be the reason I can't climb stairs at 50.

[alexclaber]

With the GK1001RBII pushing it the Super Twelve will play a lot louder than that 4x10" can, maybe not as loud as a dual 4x10" stack but easily comparable to a 6x10" stack of the same specs. No contest!

[Jools4001]

I moved from Trace cabs (via a brief flirtation with Eden) to a Barefaced cab just over two years ago. I have no tie up with Barefaced other than being a very satisfied customer and I'd say just do it; you are extremely unlikely to regret it and more likely to be wowed.

[HillBillyWannaB]

Why don't you just use one or 2 of the new GK ultralight 2x12's with your head? Super light, super powerful. No way I would EVER consider lugging around a 610 or 810 again, especially considering all the technology of newer, lighter and more powerful cabinets these days.

[Razman]

Originally Posted by IPYF

...I really like the tone of the cab but it's just offensively heavy and just sucks to lump around, even to local gigs. If I was still under 25 I'd just get a second one but now I'm moving towards 30 I need something that isn't going to be the reason I can't climb stairs at 50.

It sounds like two light-weight twelves are the way to go for you, as others have said in this thread and they are raved about in others. I've never owned one; an acquaintance has one and when I picked it up I couldn't believe how light it was. I dig TE though; my last rig was a 90's 4-10 combo w/a 12-band unit in it. Fantastic amp, but it too was a beast.

I had to chuckle at your comment above though. I play bass for my church (worship and a metal band) and we frequently put on concerts at other churches in our organization. The church's bass rig consists of a 10-space carpeted rack with the amp/tuner/power/etc. in it and four Hartke cabs; two 4x10's and two 1x15's.

However, my personal rig that we use at smaller churches (so as not to lug all the big guns with us) is a SWR Henry 8x8 cab (100 lbs) and a GK 800rb.

When we do pull out the big guns, we bring our PA: 16 Mackie 18" subs and eight 2x15 pa cabs, 132 lbs each for a total of almost 3200 pounds. Myself and another church-mate are the primary roadies for this equipment, including rack setup/tear down, lifting them up, etc. It's work but a lot of fun (when it's not 2 am )

BTW, I'll be 39 this month. I started running last May (after a 15 year hiatus) and my resolution this year is to begin working my upper bod so these tasks get easier - well, maybe just a little a little.

Not tryin' to mad-dog you or anything but I had to comment considering our contrasting perspectives.

Eric

[IPYF]

Originally Posted by Razman

When we do pull out the big guns, we bring our PA: 16 Mackie 18" subs and eight 2x15 pa cabs, 132 lbs each for a total of almost 3200 pounds. Myself and another church-mate are the primary roadies for this equipment, including rack setup/tear down, lifting them up, etc. It's work but a lot of fun (when it's not 2 am )

BTW, I'll be 39 this month. I started running last May (after a 15 year hiatus) and my resolution this year is to begin working my upper bod so these tasks get easier - well, maybe just a little a little.

Not tryin' to mad-dog you or anything but I had to comment considering our contrasting perspectives.

Eric

Don't get me wrong. It's not about fitness and I'm certainly not work-shy. The issue is not primarily the weight, but the shape. Hefting that old Trace cab is dangerous because it's an awkward size and shape. There's no perfectly safe way lift it because of the depth of the unit, and the position of the handles. This depth is also the reason I can't get it into my small car safely, and the reason I have to Tetris the storage cupboard at the studio to fit it in with all the other traps cases. One of these days I'm going to rick my back trying to lift it out of the cupboard, or when I'm trying to wedge it in to or out of the back seat of my hatch I'm going to end up breaking a window. This cab, while I really love the tone is simply an accident waiting to happen.

There are evidently cabs almost half the weight and size that can work much harder without fear of damage to themselves, my person or my property so I'm certainly going to be looking to those options because eventually the clumsy nature of my current cab is going to hurt me or my wallet. Additionally, every time I use it I run the risk of hurting it with the GK head, and I certainly don't relish the idea of trying to sell a pooped out box.

[Razman]

Originally Posted by IPYF

Don't get me wrong. It's not about fitness and I'm certainly not work-shy. The issue is not primarily the weight, but the shape. Hefting that old Trace cab is dangerous because it's an awkward size and shape. There's no perfectly safe way lift it because of the depth of the unit, and the position of the handles. This depth is also the reason I can't get it into my small car safely, and the reason I have to Tetris the storage cupboard at the studio to fit it in with all the other traps cases. One of these days I'm going to rick my back trying to lift it out of the cupboard, or when I'm trying to wedge it in to or out of the back seat of my hatch I'm going to end up breaking a window. This cab, while I really love the tone is simply an accident waiting to happen.

There are evidently cabs almost half the weight and size that can work much harder without fear of damage to themselves, my person or my property so I'm certainly going to be looking to those options because eventually the clumsy nature of my current cab is going to hurt me or my wallet. Additionally, every time I use it I run the risk of hurting it with the GK head, and I certainly don't relish the idea of trying to sell a pooped out box.

Ah, Tetris... That's also a good way to describe what we do on trips. I see your points; sorry you have to look into replacing a cab you like so much. Two lightweight 2x12's might be your solution...