I know we have all been involved or read some of the Behringer threads that have been floating around here lately. They tend to sometimes get nasty, political, and sometimes rather offensive. So I am saying this before we begin this little foray. I would prefer to keep this discussion about the gear. Not ethics or anything political. Those that have personally tried the product. Everyone has an opinion and we seem to get caught up in other matters when people sometimes just want to know how something sounds or works. So for those that are interested I will give my review of a new Behringer Ultrabass BA115. I have been hesitant to do this but here goes.
I called my local GC to see if they had any to try. They had the 115 and the 410 in aluminum only. So I loaded up my BX3000T and my Cort/Elrick 5 and went down to take them for a spin. I had tried the 115 in another store about a month back but wanted to see how it will sound with my stuff. Plugged in and took her for a spin. Impressive tone and volume came from that cab. I tapped, slapped, and fingerstyled that puppy and she was very responsive to all of those styles. I usually prefer 10's and am now just discovering 12's so I had kind of given up on 15's. This cab had a nice bright tone with tight mids and lows. I then tried the 410 and for sheer volume that cab dominated the 115. But I discovered the same thing the guys in Bass Player discovered, it lacks in the lows. Punch and mids for days and no bottom. So I buy the 115 and look forward to trying it out with the rest of my stuff. Ever since joining Talkbass I now have stuff.
I have 30 days so if I don't like how it sounds with my band I can bring it back.
I get to the church and put the Behringer rig through it paces. Sounds even better with more space and the acoustics of my church. I then hook up my Avatar 210 cab with it and turn off the 115's tweeter. The 210 handles the highs and mids with ease and the 15 gives me ample, tight bottom. This cab is different with its tweeter off. Nothing but lows and some mids but the high end seems to not have totally disappeared. Maybe this is because of the aluminum speakers. With the tweeter on I get nice clean highs that do not sound harsh. My 210's tweeter give me more hiss and that is with the attenuator at about 10 o'clock. I then hook up my BBEpre/B-power amp setup to see how that sounds. Made the 15's tone even tighter and handled the Low B with ease. Now I actually hear and feel the low end. My Avatar 112 gives me the same feel but the aluminum has a certain ring to it. The tweeter on my 112 is not as hissy and the two paired together gives me a quiet and powerful stack.
The cab is not that heavy and the construction seem solid. The carpet covering is rather thin though and will wear quickly with heavy gigging. The side wheels are a good idea only if they were bigger. Rolling the cab over flat pavement is no problem but anything that has thick carpet or is not solid and they become pretty much useless.
Overall the cab is not bad and a steal for 199.00 not including tax. I am not saying it compares to SWR, Aguilar, AccuGroove, or Bergatino. It is nowhere near the big boys in total sound and clarity. But if you are a beginner or need something to bang on and don't want to bring your good stuff then you may be surprised. I would love to A/B this with a 15 from Avatar just to see how they compare. Mine will be a backup/practice cab and support when I need to bring the boom. Tens are nice but I forgot what a 15 brings to the table.
Talkbass has really affected me. I have never owned this much gear in all of my bass playing years. I now have 2 rigs, 3 basses, a combo, and some other gadgets and effects and it feels good. It may not be some of the high end stuff a lot of you guys own but some guys can only work with what they can. I don't tour or play out every weekend. I just play at my church and a coffehouse every now and then. I believe that I will eventually move up as my skills progress. I think that technique is more important than what you are playing on and if you learn to sound good with what you have now then you will appreciate the high-end. Just my .25 cents
I called my local GC to see if they had any to try. They had the 115 and the 410 in aluminum only. So I loaded up my BX3000T and my Cort/Elrick 5 and went down to take them for a spin. I had tried the 115 in another store about a month back but wanted to see how it will sound with my stuff. Plugged in and took her for a spin. Impressive tone and volume came from that cab. I tapped, slapped, and fingerstyled that puppy and she was very responsive to all of those styles. I usually prefer 10's and am now just discovering 12's so I had kind of given up on 15's. This cab had a nice bright tone with tight mids and lows. I then tried the 410 and for sheer volume that cab dominated the 115. But I discovered the same thing the guys in Bass Player discovered, it lacks in the lows. Punch and mids for days and no bottom. So I buy the 115 and look forward to trying it out with the rest of my stuff. Ever since joining Talkbass I now have stuff.
I have 30 days so if I don't like how it sounds with my band I can bring it back.I get to the church and put the Behringer rig through it paces. Sounds even better with more space and the acoustics of my church. I then hook up my Avatar 210 cab with it and turn off the 115's tweeter. The 210 handles the highs and mids with ease and the 15 gives me ample, tight bottom. This cab is different with its tweeter off. Nothing but lows and some mids but the high end seems to not have totally disappeared. Maybe this is because of the aluminum speakers. With the tweeter on I get nice clean highs that do not sound harsh. My 210's tweeter give me more hiss and that is with the attenuator at about 10 o'clock. I then hook up my BBEpre/B-power amp setup to see how that sounds. Made the 15's tone even tighter and handled the Low B with ease. Now I actually hear and feel the low end. My Avatar 112 gives me the same feel but the aluminum has a certain ring to it. The tweeter on my 112 is not as hissy and the two paired together gives me a quiet and powerful stack.
The cab is not that heavy and the construction seem solid. The carpet covering is rather thin though and will wear quickly with heavy gigging. The side wheels are a good idea only if they were bigger. Rolling the cab over flat pavement is no problem but anything that has thick carpet or is not solid and they become pretty much useless.
Overall the cab is not bad and a steal for 199.00 not including tax. I am not saying it compares to SWR, Aguilar, AccuGroove, or Bergatino. It is nowhere near the big boys in total sound and clarity. But if you are a beginner or need something to bang on and don't want to bring your good stuff then you may be surprised. I would love to A/B this with a 15 from Avatar just to see how they compare. Mine will be a backup/practice cab and support when I need to bring the boom. Tens are nice but I forgot what a 15 brings to the table.
Talkbass has really affected me. I have never owned this much gear in all of my bass playing years. I now have 2 rigs, 3 basses, a combo, and some other gadgets and effects and it feels good. It may not be some of the high end stuff a lot of you guys own but some guys can only work with what they can. I don't tour or play out every weekend. I just play at my church and a coffehouse every now and then. I believe that I will eventually move up as my skills progress. I think that technique is more important than what you are playing on and if you learn to sound good with what you have now then you will appreciate the high-end. Just my .25 cents
