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2x15" cabs

#42
What with the '69er being a wide shallow cab it might not be too much trouble for us to make an alternate Super Fifteen that's valve amp width (so it could share the shipping carton and grill). I'm not generally a fan of putting grills in front of ports but the port on the Super Fifteen is so large that it even with a grill in front you'd need 1000W+ into it before its performance degrades noticeably (chuffing noise, compression, etc).
 
#45
fenderhutz said:
You can pick up a US made Crate SLM era 215 for 100 bucks or less. After trying a ton of cabs when I was looking for a 215 I picked that one. They sound darn good, are cheap, and lighter than most of the other 215 cabs I played.

I am sure the Bergantino and Mesa cabs sound better, but 600-800 dollars better? Not to my ears, but I was playing cover rock.
Click to expand...

Crate is barely passable as gear. I used to share a space with a band that had all crate gear (heavens knows why). And I often had to use their bass rig when my car was in the shop. Let's just say classic cars are for mechanics.
That crate amp was horrific! No definition, no lows. Just a lot of vague low mid.
Also Mesa 2x15 are pretty out of style these days. Which makes them cheap.
I see them for $300-450 all the time on CL. Not $700! That's insane!
I also see Ampeg 8x10 going for $300-450 a lot lately too. Seems the gas prices are making folks rethink the type of cabs they haul.
 
#46
klejst said:
+1 to Mesa/Boogie still making a 215 cab in regular production (and in two different styles, the PowerHouse and Vintage PowerHouse to choose from). I just picked up a early version of the 215 PowerHouse cab with EV speakers in it. Pure awesome!
Click to expand...
are you sure its a powerhouse?
The old EV loaded cabs where generally either "Diesel" or "Roadready". The Diesel cabs looking more like todays powerhouse line. The Roadready was built like a road case, with metal edge protectors, cam lock covers etc.
I own several of each and one pre-diesel/roadready.
 
#47
I assume it's designed to help load onto trucks and stages, not to protect the cab from being dragged up or down stairs.
Click to expand...

Sooner or later, an owner is going to meet up with some stairs when there's no one around to help him lift it, no?

[(Edit) Example: Decades ago I used to have a Fender Rhodes 88. We practiced in my cellar, which had narrow winding stairs down to it. I used to drag that behemoth up and down it alone! -- holding from above, it just dangled down by its own weight. It was so tight, it wasn't even practical to have two people carry it. 'Course the Tolex got scraped over time.]

Trucks & stages are the equivalent of one stair -- i.e., one hard corner dragging from top to bottom of the back. That edge of stage or tailgate still has to pass the gap in the rail. (Ka-bump.) Wonder why they put it there??

georgestrings said:
Correct - although I don't have that many gigging miles on my PH215, I do have over 150 gigs on my PH810 - which is laid out pretty much the same - and it's still in excellent condition...
- georgestrings
Click to expand...

Glad to hear it's not a durability problem.
But I still wonder what the heck the thinking behind it is? There must be some reason I haven't thought of.
 
#48
Calaverasgrande said:
are you sure its a powerhouse?
The old EV loaded cabs where generally either "Diesel" or "Roadready". The Diesel cabs looking more like todays powerhouse line. The Roadready was built like a road case, with metal edge protectors, cam lock covers etc.
I own several of each and one pre-diesel/roadready.
Click to expand...

I know the difference between mine and the Diesel and RR cabs, but yes it is a PowerHouse. According to the response I got from a rep at Mesa/Boogie some of the earlier PowerHouse cabs did have EV's put into them.

Also I too believe the reason for larger cabs at least in the used market are sometimes so cheap is obviously the casual player is "downsizing" and not wanting to handle a larger load. Also stores drop prices to hopefully move them off their floor faster to make room for the next.
 
#49
Calaverasgrande said:
Crate is barely passable as gear. I used to share a space with a band that had all crate gear (heavens knows why). And I often had to use their bass rig when my car was in the shop. Let's just say classic cars are for mechanics.
That crate amp was horrific! No definition, no lows. Just a lot of vague low mid.
Also Mesa 2x15 are pretty out of style these days. Which makes them cheap.
I see them for $300-450 all the time on CL. Not $700! That's insane!
I also see Ampeg 8x10 going for $300-450 a lot lately too. Seems the gas prices are making folks rethink the type of cabs they haul.
Click to expand...


The Crate head sounded like garbage, with my Ampeg PF-500 or PF-350 it sounded loud and very nice. With the Crate head it sounded like a bunch of cardboard fighting over the last piece of tape. Lots of muffled mess.
 
#50
pbasswil said:
Trucks & stages are the equivalent of one stair -- i.e., one hard corner dragging from top to bottom of the back. That edge of stage or tailgate still has to pass the gap in the rail. (Ka-bump.) Wonder why they put it there??
Click to expand...

Good point. That is odd. Here it is compared to the Fender 215 PRO.
I load my 215 PRO in and out of the back of my vehicle
(Chevy Suburban) often. With the solid rails, it scoots right
in (or out). That gap would pose a problem for me.

Other215.jpg
Fender215PRO.jpg
 
#51
Wow that's interesting.

Honestly though Mesa would probably tell you they design for practical applications and solo lifting a a fridge isn't one of them.

But still with two people you have to say "Be sure and hit the skid rail." lol
 
#52
pbasswil said:
Trucks & stages are the equivalent of one stair -- i.e., one hard corner dragging from top to bottom of the back. That edge of stage or tailgate still has to pass the gap in the rail. (Ka-bump.) Wonder why they put it there??
Click to expand...
That raises another question. Won't the problem be more than
just a "Ka-bump"? Dragging the split-rail cab against a hard
corner (like a stage edge or tailgate) will result in that corner
scraping the cab covering (tolex, vinyl, rat fur, whatever)
between the rail gaps. Eventually, it will wear or tear.

Other215Damaged.jpg
 
#54
warnergt said:
That raises another question. Won't the problem be more than
just a "Ka-bump"? Dragging the split-rail cab against a hard
corner (like a stage edge or tailgate) will result in that corner
scraping the cab covering (tolex, vinyl, rat fur, whatever)
between the rail gaps. Eventually, it will wear or tear.
Click to expand...

The logic is a mystery known only to the "creator(s)". And not owning any Mesa cabs, I'm just too lazy to email them to ask!
 
#55
warnergt said:
That raises another question. Won't the problem be more than
just a "Ka-bump"? Dragging the split-rail cab against a hard
corner (like a stage edge or tailgate) will result in that corner
scraping the cab covering (tolex, vinyl, rat fur, whatever)
between the rail gaps. Eventually, it will wear or tear.
Click to expand...

The rail is there for protection not to be used as a constant drag rail. Cabinets like this are made to be lifted and carried or put on wheels for transport, not for somone to drag around, up and down things.

You can buy a 1000lb capacity wheeled dolly at Harbor Freight for $15.00 then you would only have to lift it onto th 4" tall dolly and on stairs.
 
#57
Musiclogic said:
The rail is there for protection not to be used as a constant drag rail. Cabinets like this are made to be lifted and carried or put on wheels for transport, not for somone to drag around, up and down things.

You can buy a 1000lb capacity wheeled dolly at Harbor Freight for $15.00 then you would only have to lift it onto th 4" tall dolly and on stairs.
Click to expand...

Well...if you love the way that cab sounds, then that's awesome and can't be argued, BUT that skid rail thing is a design flaw, plain and simple. When I tour a big cab and the stage is over 2 ft tall, I wheel the cab up to the stage, then walked up onto the stage and pull the cab up from there...maybe others do things differently, but that's the utility of skids as I see it. if they were strictly 'bumpers' for protection, why wouldn't we put them all over the cab? Because they are SKID RAILS :)
 
#59
epic! said:
Any cheap ($600 range) US 215 makers?
Click to expand...

I think for a really great (IMO) 215 cab, you're going to have to seek out used options at that price point. For US made, the best 215 cabs that come to mind are;

greenboy Dually
Bergantino (though their 215 cabs are discontinued)
Mesa
Fender 215 Pro (also discontinued)
 

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