Carvin 112AG for bass?

McGryff · #1 09-22-2008, 06:37 AM

I was checking out what Carvin's got going on (through their website) lately, and I was disappointed to see that they don't have any 1X12 bass cabs anymore. However, I did check out the 112AG extension cabinet. It's got a 12, and it's only about 25 lbs. Naturally this has me interested. It's under the guitar or acoustic amplifier umbrella on the website, but if the frequency response of the cabinet is decent, I imagine it could be used for upright... and it's just $270.

Anybody try this out for bass? Or read anything about it? Anything?

Carvin 112AG

Johnny Atomic · #2 09-22-2008, 08:11 AM

i would wonder about the tuning, if it's say at 60hz or above, you could easily blow the speaker playing bass through it.

McGryff · #3 09-22-2008, 08:40 AM

I sent them an email about the cab last night, asking what the frequency response was. I mentioned that I aimed to use it for DB, so we'll see if they have anything to say about it when the reply...

McGryff · #4 09-22-2008, 11:10 AM

... I don't quite know what I was thinking. I must've come up with this while I was up too late! Avatar has actual bass 1X12 cabs for about the same price. It can be tough finding good cabs that are kind to the budget. I can't afford a wizzy or AI or anything hi-fi like that.

Gearhead43 · #5 09-22-2008, 01:24 PM

I use 2-10 Avatar cabs and they sound great. Alot of upright players use the 12s and 2-12s. Their price for new highly efficient lightweight neo cabs is unbeatable. Of course they may not be as nice as the extremely expensive boutique cabs, but for the money they are awesome.

I also don't consider 39 pounds to be "heavy" for a bass cab.

**yodedude2** · #6 09-23-2008, 10:23 AM

i have been mulling over the carvin 12" cab also. it might make a good top for a sub bottom, or even use a pair for bass.

12 lbs. less weight than the avatar sounds good to me. maybe even use an avatar ont he bottom and a carvin on the top.

so please let us know what carvin has to say about the response! subscribed. thanks, ron

Quote:

Originally Posted by McGryff

... I don't quite know what I was thinking. I must've come up with this while I was up too late! Avatar has actual bass 1X12 cabs for about the same price. It can be tough finding good cabs that are kind to the budget. I can't afford a wizzy or AI or anything hi-fi like that.

McGryff · #7 09-23-2008, 10:30 AM

I'll post the reply here whenever I happen to get it. I did a bunch of searching online, and people seem to say that the Carvin doesn't go very deep or low. People have reported that the 112AG goes down to about 48Hz, which is alright. I've also read that Avatars are good for electrics, but not so much for upright. It's a tough road for those of us who can't afford Wizzys & AI cabs. I might wind up saving up for a GK 112 Neo... haven't read anything bad about that thus far!

Quote:

Originally Posted by yodedude2

i have been mulling over the carvin 12" cab also. it might make a good top for a sub bottom, or even use a pair for bass.

12 lbs. less weight than the avatar sounds good to me. maybe even use an avatar ont he bottom and a carvin on the top.

so please let us know what carvin has to say about the response! subscribed. thanks, ron

kraigo · #8 09-23-2008, 10:54 AM

We've used the 112AG combo for acoustic gigs. It does what we wanted it to do: Guitar, bass and lead vocals get a little boost. As far as the bass tone, we've gone back to my Fender RAD Bass. The 112AG combo is what it is, but it isn't a very good sounding bass cab.

KO

**yodedude2** · #9 09-26-2008, 10:17 AM

thanks for the input...looks like i'll be scratching the 112ag off my 'must try' list...

McGryff · #10 09-26-2008, 01:15 PM

Yeah, I think I'll pass on it too. I'll keep on scouting around...

tgrant · #11 09-30-2008, 08:12 PM

I just wanted to chime in here. I purchased a new Avatar 112 Neo (4ohm) just about a year ago and have been gigging with it fairly regularly. I have been extremely satisfied with it. I use it with an AI Clarus III. I would highly recommened it for anyone buying a bass cab on a budget.

McGryff · #12 09-30-2008, 09:17 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by tgrant

I just wanted to chime in here. I purchased a new Avatar 112 Neo (4ohm) just about a year ago and have been gigging with it fairly regularly. I have been extremely satisfied with it. I use it with an AI Clarus III. I would highly recommened it for anyone buying a bass cab on a budget.

Well that's good to hear... I'm glad to see another good review of Avatar for upright!

Jason Hollar · #13 10-02-2008, 02:31 PM

A student of mine had the Carvin w/amp. It sounded great on acoustic guitars but farted on anything below the low A string on bass at a decent gig volume.

Avoid this cab!

winston · #14 10-06-2008, 12:49 PM

I had a Carvin PB-200 combo, whose cabinet section was identical to the 112AG. Hated the sound of the amp section so I took it out and used the cab on its own for a couple years. As others have said it doesn't go very low, but in my experience it took a lot to get it to crap out.

I used it more often for BG; while it sounded OK with DB it doesn't have the clarity and detail many folks want from a speaker these days. On the plus side it was light, well built, and stood up to several years of hard use. I sold it after getting Bergantino HT112 and EA Wizzy 112 cabinets, which are in a different league altogether.

Roger Mouton · #15 10-18-2008, 01:52 PM

I don't know anything about their cabs, past or present, but when I acquired my AI Clarus I used for a time one of the 12" Carvin speaker cabs from my PA system. It worked well. I later acquired an Epifani UL-110 from David Gage. The sound is more focused and "hi-fi" but that's to be expected from a bass-only cab. My assumption is that any cab you get from Carvin will do OK as long as the amp is good.