112 Decision Time: Bergantino, Epifani, GK

[NOLA Bass]

I think I've narrowed down my 2 x 112 configuration to three choices and would love some feedback > tombowlus, kjung, where are you!!! ; )

My 2nd band (drummer + 2 guitarist with combo amps) plays a variety of styles from alt-country to old standards to rock to blues to funk to "New Orleans" stuff. I'm playing a Sadowsky Vintage 4, Fender PJ and Lakland Hollowbody (flats) into a GK MB2-500. I was using my Epifani PS210 but have moved that to the other band paired with a PS115. My PS410 is just too much for my surgically repaired neck.

So, that being said, I think a pair of 12's is perfect (did a gig with this band opening and used the other guys Ampeg 12's with a GK700RB and like it). Super portable (fits in trunk), lightweight for load in/out and sometimes I may only need 1 cab even. I like a classic, full low end sound (thus my use of the PS series from Epifani) and tend to not like what I consider a more traditional Neo sound (Epifani UL, Schroeders, etc.). I do like a little more clarity than an Ampeg per se.

My thoughts on the subject:

Bergantino HT112 + EX112 - Alot of praise. My concern is I used to own the HS210/ES112 setup. Once I hurt my neck and went from a QSC + pre high wattage setup to regular heads, I felt those cabs never really performed for me. They loved power. Are these the same.

Bergantino AE112 x 2 - I don't like "traditional neo" cabs with the focus more on the mids and not alot of lows. Are these really different? The size and no rat fur coverning is appealing. I have 2 dogs and this pair would stay at my house alot between gigs.

GK Neo 112 x 2 - It is hard to discount these with such praise from guys like Tombowlus and I'm using a GK head. Price point is great too.

Epifani PS112 x 2 - It seems like a no brainer as I really like my other PS cabs. My only complaint in switching from the 410 to 210 and 115 in the other band is that I tend to get the rounded grill pushed in during transport (band uses a trailer) and have to pop them out with a screwdriver. This never seemed to happen with the similarly constructed 410. Is it an issue? I don't think. Will it be a constant issue with the 112's? I don't know. Once again, price point is good compared to Berg but I'm willing to get what I pay for to.

I like a full, fat low-end, tight and punchy low mids, tend to roll off some high mids on the eq, and I like good clarity on the top end without it being too "crispy" (think SWR I guess). I do like that pillow underneath the band as kjung once so perfectly described.

Should I scratch the neo's? Stick with what I like? Go Berg?

 

[marc40a]

Your description fits the GK NEO II's profile.... full low end, tight punchy low mids and relatively subdued high mids. To my ear, that's the voicing inherent to these cabs.

The driver seems pretty balanced sounding... the sonic attributes listed above seem to be the effect of having that driver in a larger box, IMHO.

FWIW, I recently did a couple of gigs with a pair.

I've never used just one of them, so I can't comment on the performance of a single cab . I'd be too afraid of blowing it, unless it was an ultra quiet situation.

 

[marc40a]

They also fit the profile treble-wise, the tweeters/crossover sounds nothing like that of the aggressive SWR. These seem to be crossed over higher.... adding air as opposed to sizzle.

 

[BassinCT]

Subscribed. I'm also interested in going with a 2x112 setup with the same basic tone goals. I like clarity, but don't dig the click-clank-sizzle.

 

[Kwesi]

subscribed for more opinions on the GK neo stuff. I can comment on the Epifani PS-112s (I wonder why, lol ). If you want cabs with powerful and focused lows and low mids you won't find a cheaper cab for the job and in the case of the PS-112 cheap is a good thing. And with the tweeter control you can go anywhere from serious low-end thump to crispy Marcus Miller type slap in a heartbeat.

Just this past weekend I was at practice with my band using only the PS-112 and we got called up to play a cookout for a bandmates neighbor. Pretty much everyone there was a musician and a bunch of them were bass players. They had gear at the house but I wanted to use my stuff. A couple of guys took a look at my setup and commented on how I should be using something bigger... until I plugged up, lol. I can only imagine two being twice as awesome

 

[VroomVroom]

I can't speak to a lot of your questions/areas of concerns, but if there's any value, I do have a few thoughts.

Bergantino: HT vs AE. I went with the HT for the exact reasons you describe. The AE line seems very mid-happy. Not that this is a bad thing....I just want the lows to really speak, and I absolutely fell in love with the x-over/tweeter setup on the HT line. These cabs do like power, but I learned that in the opposite direction you might guess. IMO, the cab sounds incredible at low volumes. On my second gig, only taking one cab, things got a lot louder than expected. I pushed a 10-piece band with a single cab, and if cabs could speak, my HT would've said, "Dude...that all you got? Bring it!" I was very pleasantly surprised. At the same time, two of these cabs can be overwhelming. The lows are VERY present. I wouldn't say boomy, although in the 'wrong' room that could probably add up, but these cabs hit low and hard.

I'm guessing others may disagree a bit, but I'm very happy with the mids on the HT. Not as pronounced as on the AE, but I've never had any issue cutting through the mix, and certainly haven't wanted for anything - anywhere in the frequency range.

Epifani. I used to own two UL112's, and I just couldn't find anything resembling my sound with them. I've played through two PS112's, and liked the sound a lot more, but that was only in a music store setting, not in a gig environment. Similar story with the GK Neo - I didn't find a lot of sonic happiness there, but I only played through it for a few minutes in a test-drive atmosphere.

I think the bottom line...and you probably expected this...you'll have to hear these for yourself, with your amp and your bass...to come to a good conclusion. Good luck!

 

[Montanamike]

I own the AE 112 and have played the GK quite a bit. They both have great merit as competent cabs. I find that the AE is big on the bottom when you give it enough power, (I'm using a 700 rb2) The AE does have a present mid bump but the cab is so clean and crisp it works really well.

The GK is very linear with very little color from the cab in the lows and mids but you do need to tame the tweeter a bit. If tour using the GK bi-amp you can make it sing. The GK lacks the refined clarity of the berg, but it is 1/2 the price.

Taking $$$ out of the equation: I would do a berg AE 112 and a AE 210, this is spectacular. For me money is an issue so I'm going to give the GK's a shot and if I'm completely satisfied, I'll sell my berg just because I can't afford more cabs.

BTW the series 1 and 2 GK neo 112 sound identical (IMHO). Box width and depth changed a bit for stacking, small weight difference, beyond that they are the same. There are some good deals to be had on series 1 gear.

 

[KJung]

Hello,

Never heard the GK's, so can't comment there.

One word of warning. It is my understanding from posts on TB that Epi changed the voicing/drivers of the wonderful PS112's. From reviews, they now sound much more like the UL's, so that probably is not for you. Leave it to Epi to mess up one of the best sounding 112's out there.

Never heard the HT112ER's, but those would be less mid present and deeper voiced than the AE112's from many reviews. Just depends what you want. I love the AE's.. tigher and more mid present than the UL112's.

I have the new AE212 on order... same drivers as the AE112... less expensive versus two AE112's, same footprint, possibly more booty.. don't know yet.

All good stuff. I love the Aguilar DB112's also... mid punchy like the AE112's, but less aggressive... more mid mids than the upper mid grind of the AE's.

 

[Infidelity]

I own the AE 112 and have played the GK quite a bit. They both have great merit as competent cabs. I find that the AE is big on the bottom when you give it enough power, (I'm using a 700 rb2) The AE does have a present mid bump but the cab is so clean and crisp it works really well.

The GK is very linear with very little color from the cab in the lows and mids but you do need to tame the tweeter a bit. If tour using the GK bi-amp you can make it sing. The GK lacks the refined clarity of the berg, but it is 1/2 the price.

Taking $$$ out of the equation: I would do a berg AE 112 and a AE 210, this is spectacular. For me money is an issue so I'm going to give the GK's a shot and if I'm completely satisfied, I'll sell my berg just because I can't afford more cabs.

BTW the series 1 and 2 GK neo 112 sound identical (IMHO). Box width and depth changed a bit for stacking, small weight difference, beyond that they are the same. There are some good deals to be had on series 1 gear.

+1 If you're on a tight budget go for GK, if not you'll never regret buying a bergantino..

I own a Bergantino HT112. I just received it almost a week from now and now I have a major GAS to pair it with EX112.. Don't worry about ER series vs non ER.. Even though ER series is better they are both really good cabs.. I mean REALLY GOOD!

 

[MarkA]

Hello,

One word of warning. It is my understanding from posts on TB that Epi changed the voicing/drivers of the wonderful PS112's. From reviews, they now sound much more like the UL's, so that probably is not for you. Leave it to Epi to mess up one of the best sounding 112's out there.

Any reliable way to differentiate between pre- and post-voicing change PS112s?

 

[abraun]

I use 2 Markbass 121H Traveler cabinets with the Little Mark 3 head. It's a great rig and really can cut through the mix. Each cab weighs 34 pounds. These cabs have the compression horns not the piezo tweeters that are on a lot of the Markbass cabs. Here's a video I uploaded to youtube. On this video I am just using one of the 121 speakers. Tone is slightly "mid scooped." The cabs are strong on the mids which is great for performances. When I practice I like to cut the mids to get a softer tone. Our band has a loud drummer, 2 guitars and a piano miked to the PA. I have no regrets getting the two 121 cabs as they are easy to lift and both fit nicely in my trunk.

Invalid Link Removed

 

[NOLA Bass]

Hey guys, thanks to everyone for all the great feedback! For some reason, The Perfect Bass has listed both the GK and Epi 112's on order forever and not had them in stock to at least compare those side by side.
I think the Berg AE may not be for me, but the other 3 are all viable options.
Kjung, I'm so glad you brought up this PS change. Why on earth would they make the PS sound like the UL, I thought the point was that you had two differently voiced cabs.The UL was never my sound, but I have loved my PS410, PS210 and PS115! I thought the PS112 was my safest bet, but I may well be wrong if they've changed the voicing.

 

[KJung]

Hey guys, thanks to everyone for all the great feedback! For some reason, The Perfect Bass has listed both the GK and Epi 112's on order forever and not had them in stock to at least compare those side by side.
I think the Berg AE may not be for me, but the other 3 are all viable options.
Kjung, I'm so glad you brought up this PS change. Why on earth would they make the PS sound like the UL, I thought the point was that you had two differently voiced cabs.The UL was never my sound, but I have loved my PS410, PS210 and PS115! I thought the PS112 was my safest bet, but I may well be wrong if they've changed the voicing.

I've not really been following Epi for a while, so my info is just from others posting on TB. So, second hand info, and I don't have any more detail on the PS line at this point.

 

[Alper Yilmaz]

I have Bergantino's IP112, HT112 and a pair of AE112's. I will definitely order AE212 as soon as it is out. In the past, I owned Aguilar's GS112 and played through some Genz Benz 12", pretty much all the models of Epifani's 1x12" speakers, as well as Bag End's and EBS' 12" models.

Within the neo class of speakers, my preference is strongly for the AE112. So far, I have driven one (at 8 ohms) or two of these (at 4 ohms) with Markbass F1, Epifani UL-502, and Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0.

Because of the mid-present voicing of the AE112's, it is very easy to cut through the mix (even with the Epi UL-502, which, I find mid-scooped) without turning the volume to irrational levels. Because of that, with the AE112's, I feel like I have more than enough headroom all the time, even when I play with a strong attack and volume. With two AE112's, I hear bass and mid registers represented more evenly, so as a two-cab solution, it is my favorite with deep bass as well as mids heard well in the mix.

They are a bit pricey though. Also, I'd recommend buying the covers, as the paint on these come off very easily. However, I believe if you invest your money in a pair of AE112's, you won't look back for many years to come, so it definitely pays off.

I have not heard the HT112ER's, but my HT112 is an amazing cab in itself, a bit mid-scooped than the AE112 (but much less than, say, Aguilar GS112). You cannot find these brand new any more, but one advantage of HT112 is its footprint. It is very small and therefore fits anywhere. Heavier than the AE112 though... With my IP112, HT112 is my preferred extension cab, but by themselves, I would prefer AE112 to HT112 because of weight issues (31 lbs versus 41 lbs) and mid-presence.

I have not tried the most recent Epifani's. The ones I played through were great cabs, but you should take what Ken (kjung) mentioned into account.

I tried different cabs by GK at different times, but I never remember being impressed by them...

Best,

Alper

Hey guys, thanks to everyone for all the great feedback! For some reason, The Perfect Bass has listed both the GK and Epi 112's on order forever and not had them in stock to at least compare those side by side.
I think the Berg AE may not be for me, but the other 3 are all viable options.
Kjung, I'm so glad you brought up this PS change. Why on earth would they make the PS sound like the UL, I thought the point was that you had two differently voiced cabs.The UL was never my sound, but I have loved my PS410, PS210 and PS115! I thought the PS112 was my safest bet, but I may well be wrong if they've changed the voicing.

 

[T. Alan Smith]

I would look at a pair of Aggie 1x12"s ...compare the GS to the DB. I loved 'em both.
I own a Berg HT112 but have also played 1x12"s from Epi, Boogie, GB, Ampeg, Glock & EA. They all sounded great to my ears...except the EA(harsh)...with their own voicings. For example, the Epi had that Epi sound; the 'Peg hand that 'Peg sound, etc.
But for your tone goals, look at Aggie.

 

[NOLA Bass]

I've not really been following Epi for a while, so my info is just from others posting on TB. So, second hand info, and I don't have any more detail on the PS line at this point.

I actually emailed Epifani late last night to ask about changes to the PS line as far as voicing. I'll report back what I find out.

Thanks to everyone for all the great feedback, this is really helpful. There is nothing like all the real world feedback you guys have from playing these different cabs on a variety of gigs.

 

[MarkA]

Being both curious and impatient, I gave Epifani a ring and ended up talking to Nick, who displayed considerable patience with my raft of obvious newb questions about this issue and others. Official word from the designer of the cabs is that the only substantive change between the PS-112s made now and the originals is that, about four years ago, they switched the tweeter over to the larger tweeter used in the UL series. Otherwise, the character and voicing of the cab should be the same, and distinct from that of the UL cabs.

I've never played an Epifani cab so, if you have real-world experience to the contrary, trust that, but that's the word from Epifani.

 

[KJung]

Being both curious and impatient, I gave Epifani a ring and ended up talking to Nick, who displayed considerable patience with my raft of obvious newb questions about this issue and others. Official word from the designer of the cabs is that the only substantive change between the PS-112s made now and the originals is that, about four years ago, they switched the tweeter over to the larger tweeter used in the UL series. Otherwise, the character and voicing of the cab should be the same, and distinct from that of the UL cabs.

I've never played an Epifani cab so, if you have real-world experience to the contrary, trust that, but that's the word from Epifani.

Not sure if I believe most of what comes out of the Epi company at this point. When I discussed some of the design issues of the 502, and some of the strange behavior, it took quite a while to get Nick to 'fess up' regarding some of the strangeness with that head.

Who knows though... quite a few posted about quite a different tone with the recent PS cabs (including some retailers, from what I remember)... again, only second hand info through. That being said, I don't really trust the info coming out of that shop any more, unfortunately, and no longer recommend their products.

 

[NOLA Bass]

Well if that is the case, I have the PS cabs with the more recent horns. Mine are about 1-2 yrs old. I need to find those other threads and see what the word is.

 

[tombowlus]

I like a full, fat low-end, tight and punchy low mids, tend to roll off some high mids on the eq, and I like good clarity on the top end without it being too "crispy" (think SWR I guess). I do like that pillow underneath the band as kjung once so perfectly described.

I would think that the HT112ER's (not the older HT112's) would serve you quite well, or perhaps the Mesa/Boogie PH112 (a bit more round/warm, not as clear/refined as the Bergs). And again, for much less dough, much less weight, but darned close to the same performance, the GK Neo112-II is worth checking out.