A pair of smallish cabs?

[Norm Nelson]

I'm probably scaled down a bit from you in required SPL but I kind of do what you are interested in doing, and I think it works. I have a vertical 2x10" (with adjustable tweeter) and a little cube 1x10" - for the smallest gigs I just use the 1x10" on a little folding table, for the medium gigs I stand the 2x10" atop the 1x10" and use that one as a backup; I don't have big gigs (the 2x10 is a Warwick Gnome, the 1x10 is a Trace Elliot Elf, lol)

 

[Jeff Hughes]

I used to have the same philosophy: have different cabs for different gigs. At one point I had three 210 cabs for different reasons.

By the end of my gigging days, I realized I should have just always brought the cab that made me play and sound the best. Looking back, I would have used a modest sealed 410 for every gig.

So, as bass players, do we yearn for separate setups for different needs because we are mostly modest and considerate by nature, or do we just like to buy more things for niche purposes?

 

[brianrost]

I’ve been rocking a pair of Bergantino 1-12 cabs for over two decades. I seldom need both, only for outdoor gigs with no PA support. I turn off the tweeters for more of an old school sound, but if you need bright and cutting, the tweeters are smoother than the piezos found in many less expensive cabs.

 

[Cleezmo]

Another vote for RevSound. I've had a 2x12 for about 6-7 months now, and it does everything I need a cab to do. Pretty light, very loud (with a 500W head, I am rarely even at noon on the Master for bar and club gigs, with no PA support), very little 'baked in' tone. I can hear the differences in basses and EQ settings much more clearly through this cab than my prior 2x10 from another brand.

I was torn between buying two 1x12s or a single 2x12, I went the 2x12 because it's a little less $$ and in general I'd prefer to move one 36lb box vs two 20lb boxes, but I'm sure buying two of them would be great. And IMO you don't need to spend the $$ for the tweeter option, these 12s have plenty of snap and high end already.

He also makes a 15 and a 210 that get rave reviews.

 

[Dana R Gregory]

How about the Fender Rumble 800. It weighs 28lbs and has 400 watts RMS out of two tens, and you can add a matching 210 cab for a full 800 watts if needed. Worth a look.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Lately I've been thinking of building a “modular” bass rig- that is, having 2 smallish cabs so I can use 1 or both depending on the situation- and I realize I’ve been a bit out of the loop on what’s available and high quality. I think a pair of matched 210 or 115 cabs is probably what I’m looking for.


Sound needs: I play in a few different bands with different tone goals, but I need something that’ll handle a low B clearly, take pedals well, and sound good in some relatively aggressive rock situations. Most of what I play is rock oriented but can range from distorted P bass tones to clear deep 5-string stuff.


Volume needs: I play a lot of small bars where my Mesa Walkabout 12” combo *almost* cuts it, so I’d like to be able to bring 1 cab in those situations, and probably want a little more oomph than a single 12 can provide. I’d also like to be able to turn up and let loose in outdoor situations (bike nights, backyard functions etc) where my bass is expected to carry the “room” without help from the PA. I don’t need extreme volume- my current “big” cab is a Genz Benz 212, for reference, but I’d like to get a little louder than that.


So what’s out there? I know that the forum favorite lately is Mesa’s Subway series, but they’re expensive and I’d like to know what else is out there. GK Neo and CX cabs are both interesting to me, and I know Markbass and Ampeg’s Venture series both have options in that space as well.

This was my thinking. I was recently dragging a 410 around, using a 210 for smaller or well-FOH-supported rooms. Then I bought a second 210, a 23 lb Markbass, for one of our regular gigs up a long, narrow, steep flight of stairs.

I found using both worked better than the single 410:

• Modular - two lighter loads rather than one heavy, bulky one.
• The two stack vertically, putting the top one up closer to my ear.
• Small footprint on smaller stages
• Combining the two has been a happy accident - the first one sounds tight, a 14-year-old, 600w Acoustic BN210, the Markbass sounds fuller; They play together well.

For the past four months, the 410's been stored in the basement.

Current rig:

 

[EricOnTheBass]

I'd suggest looking at what Genzler offers. My rig consists of a Genzler Bass Array 115 and a 210, driven by a Magellan 800 head. For rehearsals and most bar/pub gigs, I use just one cabinet, usually the 115. With both cabinets, PA is optional wherever we play. They can go very loud and still sound crystal clear.

 

[JonathanPDX]

I went this route many years ago and never looked back. I got a matched pair of Bergantino 112 cabs and they sound fantastic. I found the tone much more pleasant than my "I'm in my early 20's and will never have back problems" rig with a 115 and a 210 on top of it.

Eventually I tried to simplify my rig and reduce my overall gear weight due to health issues so I picked up a Markbass 112 combo with a matching 112 extension cabinet. It sounds great and moves way more air than you'd expect from such a lightweight setup.

 

[dbsfgyd1]

if a 112 cab is 'almost enough', the next step up for a single-cab solution is a 210 or a 115, depending on what you sonically prefer. two 210s or 115 would also be louder than a 212.

I'm pretty happy moved from a 112 to a modern 210 that weights under 25 lbs, but of course two of them sound even better. mines are MarkBass, but not sure if that's your cup of tea.

I’ve been getting by with a 210 cab theoretically can produce up to 127 dB. We almost have FOH support, but we’ve played rooms that seated over 700 people and I’ve had some sound men tell me after the gig that they didn’t need to have me in the house mix. Of course I told them the next time they mix our sound or let me know before the gig the show. Usually they say they don’t bother to mention it when it isn’t a problem.

Generally I’m not a loud bassist, but last summer I played an outdoor concert with two 210 ten cabs. After the gig the sound man told me it wasn’t needed in the house mix then added he couldn’t have made it sound better.

 

[DCErik]

I've been running a Markbass Little Mark IV (250W @ 8Ohm, 500W @ 4Ohm) into a pair of Euphonic Audio VL-110 cabinets, and absolutely love the results. One cab is more than enough for rehearsal and small gigs, and adding a 2nd gives me more than enough stage volume for outdoor shows. They've been discontinued for a while, but you can still find them used. Only real downside is they're 37 lb each. You could probably get similar results out of a more modern, lighter set of cabs.

 

[henryjurstin13]

If you think one cab will do it, but are wondering if a second might be a lil better.... the short answer is YES!!!

 

[Gurnmagic]

Lately I've been thinking of building a “modular” bass rig- that is, having 2 smallish cabs so I can use 1 or both depending on the situation- and I realize I’ve been a bit out of the loop on what’s available and high quality. I think a pair of matched 210 or 115 cabs is probably what I’m looking for.


Sound needs: I play in a few different bands with different tone goals, but I need something that’ll handle a low B clearly, take pedals well, and sound good in some relatively aggressive rock situations. Most of what I play is rock oriented but can range from distorted P bass tones to clear deep 5-string stuff.


Volume needs: I play a lot of small bars where my Mesa Walkabout 12” combo *almost* cuts it, so I’d like to be able to bring 1 cab in those situations, and probably want a little more oomph than a single 12 can provide. I’d also like to be able to turn up and let loose in outdoor situations (bike nights, backyard functions etc) where my bass is expected to carry the “room” without help from the PA. I don’t need extreme volume- my current “big” cab is a Genz Benz 212, for reference, but I’d like to get a little louder than that.


So what’s out there? I know that the forum favorite lately is Mesa’s Subway series, but they’re expensive and I’d like to know what else is out there. GK Neo and CX cabs are both interesting to me, and I know Markbass and Ampeg’s Venture series both have options in that space as well.

Bergantino, man! Best in the business. They’re expensive but you get what you pay for.

 

[JReno]

Bergantino. I’ve been using a 112 & 210 combo , they were designed to be used together. For many gigs I just use the 112. Small , lightweight , modular. Great cabs.

This for me. I use the same setup, and it works perfect for me. Extremely light, modular, small enough that it doesn't take up much room at home or in transport, and coupled with a Forte HP there's plenty of headroom to play with. Lots of good suggestions that would work though.

 

[Lonnybass]

You should seriously consider the Genzler Bass Arrays, especially the BA12 and BA10. These things are designed to be modular...assuming you have the power, you can go all the way up to four vertically stacked cabs - essentially your own personal line array. Scale up or down based on your need.

 

[mambo4]

Or better: Plan on getting a pair of barefaced 112 cabinets, but buy one first, because you will not need a second one.

My exact experience with Bergantino 112 cabinets. used with a Genz Benz Streamliner 900, I only ever plugged both cabs in once.
The drummer asked me to turn down.

Form what I gather, these days you can't really generalize about speaker size any longer.
"you need a 15 for sound X, A 2x10 for sound Y" etc just isn't true any longer, if it ever was.
Individual component quality and design philosophy seem to be the primary determinant of tone.

 

[billiard]

Lately I've been thinking of building a “modular” bass rig- that is, having 2 smallish cabs so I can use 1 or both depending on the situation- and I realize I’ve been a bit out of the loop on what’s available and high quality. I think a pair of matched 210 or 115 cabs is probably what I’m looking for.


Sound needs: I play in a few different bands with different tone goals, but I need something that’ll handle a low B clearly, take pedals well, and sound good in some relatively aggressive rock situations. Most of what I play is rock oriented but can range from distorted P bass tones to clear deep 5-string stuff.


Volume needs: I play a lot of small bars where my Mesa Walkabout 12” combo *almost* cuts it, so I’d like to be able to bring 1 cab in those situations, and probably want a little more oomph than a single 12 can provide. I’d also like to be able to turn up and let loose in outdoor situations (bike nights, backyard functions etc) where my bass is expected to carry the “room” without help from the PA. I don’t need extreme volume- my current “big” cab is a Genz Benz 212, for reference, but I’d like to get a little louder than that.


So what’s out there? I know that the forum favorite lately is Mesa’s Subway series, but they’re expensive and I’d like to know what else is out there. GK Neo and CX cabs are both interesting to me, and I know Markbass and Ampeg’s Venture series both have options in that space as well.

Try checking out Avatar Speakers. Good quality and great for the money. I used to run a V4B to a 2x12 and it was more than great.

 

[pfschim]

So, the OP has a Mesa Walkabout 12 combo (I think) and wants more volume and modularity by using 2 separate cabs, or maybe just another cab to use with the WA 12 combo. He also already has a Genz 2x12 cab as his "big" cab, so he's familiar with that arrangement.

As a Walkabout guy for many years who struggled with clean volume using that amp, no matter what you do about cabs, one of the first things I would do is get the Walkabout amp out of the combo 12" cab. Those passive radiator cabs are nice enough, but very inefficient. They just don't do justice to the Walkabout and its somewhat limited available clean power. I did that years ago and went with Berg CN cabs and never missed the Walkabout cabs at all (and I had a bunch of them over time).

Obviously the OP is going to get the usual TB "my favorite cabs are the right choice" answer on which cabs to get. There are plenty of options that will probably work great. It sounds like the OP understands that the Walkabout is just a bit volume constrained at its upper power range (it just starts compressing at a certain point on the Master), so cab efficiency is very important. Another non-cab solution to getting the most clean power from that amp is to use an HPF to reduce the power sucking (and mostly not needed) lowest frequencies from the Walkabout. Go straight into the input or into the FX loop with the HPF. That has helped me out with my Walkabout quite a bit.

I'm using Berg CN 1x12's and they work great with the Walkabout, but are clearly not the only option. FWIW, I tried a Barefaced Big Baby with my Walkabout some time ago and the sound/tone just did not work for me ... but thats just me. I also tried Aguilar (GS?) 1x2 cabs and I also did not care for them much either. Not bad, just kind of non-descript to my ears.

Good luck OP! let us know which way you end up going.

 

[matthewbrown]

I used to use a pair of 4 ohm Eden EX112 cabs with a 500 watt 2-ohm head running the pair, or switched to 4 ohm for smaller venues. Now I use one GR 112 Aerotech with an Eden head. If I needed to get louder, I'd use two. The GR is carbon fiber and weighs 15 pounds; it handles 450 watts. It's a very pricey option, but I'm very glad I splurged on it. It sounds amazing -- sound techs seek me out about it.

 

[EliasA]

Another voice for the Barefaced modular rig. Check out sound samples before committing though...the 12s don't sound like normal 12s though the 10s are more traditional

 

[Rip Van Dan]

Lately I've been thinking of building a “modular” bass rig- that is, having 2 smallish cabs so I can use 1 or both depending on the situation- and I realize I’ve been a bit out of the loop on what’s available and high quality. I think a pair of matched 210 or 115 cabs is probably what I’m looking for.


Sound needs: I play in a few different bands with different tone goals, but I need something that’ll handle a low B clearly, take pedals well, and sound good in some relatively aggressive rock situations. Most of what I play is rock oriented but can range from distorted P bass tones to clear deep 5-string stuff.


Volume needs: I play a lot of small bars where my Mesa Walkabout 12” combo *almost* cuts it, so I’d like to be able to bring 1 cab in those situations, and probably want a little more oomph than a single 12 can provide. I’d also like to be able to turn up and let loose in outdoor situations (bike nights, backyard functions etc) where my bass is expected to carry the “room” without help from the PA. I don’t need extreme volume- my current “big” cab is a Genz Benz 212, for reference, but I’d like to get a little louder than that.


So what’s out there? I know that the forum favorite lately is Mesa’s Subway series, but they’re expensive and I’d like to know what else is out there. GK Neo and CX cabs are both interesting to me, and I know Markbass and Ampeg’s Venture series both have options in that space as well.

I'd love to tell you to get two of the DNA's DNS-210 cabs, but DNA closed its doors in 2023 due to lack of parts and their used gear is getting harder and harder to find. Originally the DNS-210 sold for $869 street price and $969 for Neo version. It weighs in at 52-lbs and is a larger box than most 210's. It handles 700-watts rms and can replicate the fundamental down to 34Hz. If I'm playing someplace that requires more than 400-watts rms, I'll bridge my 800-watt Eden amp into it. I bought it to handle the medium-sized indoor venues and then I found it and it was more than able to handle all my indoor venues, small to large. So I no longer bring my DNS-410 cab in for large venues. Instead I reserve that 410 for outdoor venues and Music Festivals. Buying two of these if you can find them would be ideal. Use one for indoors and both for outdoors.

My Eden amp could blow the speakers on it, but I never run it that hot. Highest I've ever turned it up was 10:30 on the Master. In fact after I bought my DNA-800 class D amp (400-watts into 8Ω or 800-watts into either 4Ω or 2Ω) I found out that my 8Ω DNS-210 would fill up most large venues with just that 400-watts. Possible exception would be a long room because distance eat decibels.

I use my DNS-410 for outdoor venues and Music Festivals. If the outside venue has reflective surfaces, I can use the 400-watt output from my DNA-800 amp, which weighs just 4.8-lbs as opposed to the 37½-lbs of my Eden WT500/800 in its rack. If it's a large wide open area I'll bring my big Eden amp. That 410 handles 1400-watts rms and is so loud that I get told to turn down by sound crews at music festivals if I turn the master on my 800-watt Eden amp up to 10:30. So I run it at 10:15 and they're happy.

I'd suggest you look for two high power-handling (400-450-rms watts or more), high-output, 210 cabs. Also when you are comparing SPL (sensitivity ratings) be aware there is no standard test for that. Most manufacturers will use a 1KHz tone measured at 1-watt/1-meter distant (1W1M) and post that as their sensitivity results. Bass players play a lot more than a 1KHz frequency.

About the only manufacturer I know of that doesn't do it in a similar fashion is Mesa. Instead Mesa measures them at a number of different frequencies, publishing those results as well as an average SPL rating. That is the most valid test that I know of. As a result of that, Mesa's bass cabs may show a lower SPL on paper than its competitors, while actually being louder than their competitors. If you can, try their gear out with the amp you plan to use. In fact that's the best choice with any cabs you are serious about checking out. Plus, it doesn't hurt that @agedhorse is very active here to answer questions about Mesa - from the "horses-mouth" as the saying goes.