Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
12's?!! For Bass?!! Oh come now! Really?!!
- Thread starter madjazzbass
- Start date
Might be a personal preference. Try a really good 15 in a 115 Music man bass cab, or a stack. Even better go to 18's with crossover to 10's. I saw Sir Paul using an 18 while doing Tired of waiting on You on YouTube. Actually the guitar player was playing Bass on that tune. An 18 w/some 10's can't be beat. You can get any kind of sound you want. Anything from an awesome rumble to a woody tone for an acoustical group. Just depends on your bass and how your amp is set up. I've heard bla bla bla about the sound of an 18 only develops a half mile away but the only thing that counts is how it sounds on stage and in the audience. I will concede that 12's might work w/a better cabinet design than what I had but I am not trying them on my dime.
My favorite is 4x10, punchier than 15s. But when I wanted something more practical for space/weight I found I got really close to the 4x10 punch with a good 2x12.
Well....according to Barefaced Cabs blurb....one of their 1x12 cabs is equal or better than most 2x12 cabs. YMMV
Glad I wasn't the first one to rock the boat on this idea! 12/15/18 all sound blah and farty to me lol. I'm a firm believer in the amount of air being moved by a 4x10 is way better than anything (other than 8x10)
1x15=15 2x10=20
2x15=30 4x10=40
Simple math there, and the smaller cones give more punch!
But you don't just.......You gotta take the radius.....Ummm....
Invalid Link Removed.
Lol, yeah I got you there, that's just my theory and I just love the way a 4x10/8x10 sounds. =p
So you're trying to tell ME, that a 2x12 cab. is gonna be deeper, punchier, warmer and clearer than a 1x15? (or two 1x15's)? I'm a firm believer that 15's are the ultimate cones/cabs for Bass guitar, and now someone comes along and tells me that 12's are where it's at for Bass! Are you serious?
The short answer is Yes, and No.
We live in modern times. SPL has increased dramatically in the last two decades. As has low frequency response in smaller drivers. As has high frequency response in bigger drivers.
12s from way back then were more like guitar cabs with a little more lowend. 12s nowadays are a little smaller than 15s and a little bigger than 10s. Phil Jones does 5s that really work. barefaced and greenboy do 12s that eat any production 15 for breakfast. But that is not about speaker size, that is about clever cab design and really good drivers.
That gives us the freedom of choice. Frankly said, any good cab works fine regardless of the size of the drivers.
212 cabs are between 210 or 115 and 410 or 215. 112 cabs are between 110 and 115.
This is exactly my thought. Love Mesa, but my Berg HDN212 is just the best I've ever played.
Agreed, especially in terms of the boutique stuff like Genzler or others. Those 12s are extremely punchy, ell I've got the Genzler BA 12-3s and they absolutely dominate any of the older 15 cabs I own. Trust me, I used to also be one of those who believed it was 15 or bust, but I'm a convert.
