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Double Bass A 2nd crazy 8 or somthing a bit larger?

Dave Irwin

Dave Irwin

May 11, 2002
817
9
59
Alexandria, Ohio
www.afterhours.com
#1
I have an Arnopol crazy8 and a Clarus. The speaker is awsome but I have managed to push it's limits. Question is... For some headroom, should look for another 8 or one of slightly larger options Mike has produced. Or in other words, Will I get significant headroom or will I just be pushing both too far. I dont need double the volume but another 30% would enough.

What do you think?
 
#2
I have a Crazy8 and a Crazy88. I use them with an AI Focus AND one of FDeck's HPF/Pre's, which significantly boosts the output without emasculating the sound (as an added bonus, the high impedance of the HPR/Pre helps extract the best sound from piezo p'ups).

I have pole mounting cups installed in both cabs. When I use them together, Crazy88 lies on the floor, horizontally, maximizing bass coupling while making a stacked pair more stable/less tip prone; Crazy8 is pole mounted above, enabling me to hear myself very clearly, which is particularly helpful with DB and fretless electric.

When using this set-up, I aim Crazy8 toward me, and face Crazy88 toward my band mates. Works great!
 
#5
With EB, I go directly into the FDeck S3, then my tuner/mute pedal, and then to my amp. With DB, for some reason I prefer to go directly into the FDeck S2, then my tuner/mute pedal, and then to my amp.

The FDeck S3 is a unity gain device and has a different (steeper) slope than the one built into my Focus. S2 is 12dB/Octave and provides the ability to increase output voltage beyond parity. Both of my FDeck units are very clean sounding/transparent.

Nathan, I go through the main input jack of my Focus, not through the effects loop; I've never tried it that way.

Hope this helps.
 
#6
Dave Irwin said:
Sounds like I should start with the Fdeck. The Amp head has a high pass filter. What does the Fdeck do differently?
I like to keep the chain as simple as posible...

Thx
Dave
Click to expand...

I use one of two amplifiers when gigging, an Acoustic Image Clarus SL--which does not have a HPF, and an AI Focus 2R SIII--which does. With the Clarus, I always use the Fdeck HPF, either the series 2 or 3 (I have both.) However, with the Focus, I don't use the FDeck HPF, finding that the HPF built in to the Focus does the job just fine. BTW, the most beneficial use of the HPF for me is when I have to use a back line bass guitar amplifier--the Fdeck HPF has never failed to to make my double bass sound good in those situations.

In terms of speakers, I too have one of Mike's plastic Crazy 8's and love it for low volume gigs on either BG or DB, and agree that the use of a HPF is required to get the most out of it. However, it will only do so much. If I need more volume, then I use either an AI Ten2Ex or a single Barefaced Midget speaker which can get incredibly loud. Alex Claber has just redesigned the speakers in his line around a new 12" speaker he helped design, and I have one of the new Super Midgets plus a Bass Baby 2 on order. With the two of them there is no way I will ever need to be louder than these speakers can go unless I'm playing in a large arena or stadium where there will be full blown PA support.

Lownote aka Erik Hansen
Scotland
 
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#7
Dave Irwin said:
I have an Arnopol crazy8 and a Clarus. The speaker is awsome but I have managed to push it's limits. Question is... For some headroom, should look for another 8 or one of slightly larger options Mike has produced. Or in other words, Will I get significant headroom or will I just be pushing both too far. I dont need double the volume but another 30% would enough.

What do you think?
Click to expand...

Well, I'm one who tried to use two identical smaller cabinets several times in my career. I had two Bag End M15's, a pair of Bose 802's, dual 2x8's from Flite Sound, and a couple of VL 108's. From that experience, I came to the conclusion, that I prefer a slightly larger cabinet, to a pair of smaller ones, so I liked a single VL 208 better than I did a tandem set of VL 108's. IME you'd be better served by getting either a Crazy 88 or one of the MA 4x5's.

Ric
 
#8
I think the crazy 88 is pretty close in weight to my ten 2 Ex.
I'm just always hung up on deciding which to cboose for a particular job.
Gonna try facing the crazy8 back at the band from middle stage and see what happens. Ive been bringjng the ten2 and leaving it in the car just in case. I really love using the 8 as much as possible
 

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