Any trade offs with GR Bass?

[Jason Bonilla]

I may be seeking another cab in the future, I have good experience with Genzler, and Laney cabs and have spent a good amount of time with a Bergantino 212 cab so I guess I can say I like them. But I've also been curious about the "super light" category which is dominated by Barefaced and GR Bass in my opinion. GR Bass has two dealers near me, and I've played around with a few of their cabs like the 610 and 112 at Chuck Levin's. I'm not a fan of playing super loud at music stores though, its always been with a bass at chucks and a GR head rather than one of my basses and on of my heads (Fuchs and Genzler).

My question is does anyone with gigging and at home experience find that they loose out on something with a GR Bass cab in trade of the crazy light weight? When pit against something like say, Genzler, Mesa, or Berg cabs, would they be lacking in body or warmth?
I love hi fi cabs, but not shrill cabs. For context I like to play hard rock and also softer jazz like stuff at times. My only cab at the moment is the Laney 410 I leave at church, it's great cab but not necessarily very portable, it's close to 80 pounds and it bulky enough to make transport with my Sedan not the easiest, but a great cab nonetheless.

 

[gtirard]

I may be seeking another cab in the future, I have good experience with Genzler, and Laney cabs and have spent a good amount of time with a Bergantino 212 cab so I guess I can say I like them. But I've also been curious about the "super light" category which is dominated by Barefaced and GR Bass in my opinion. GR Bass has two dealers near me, and I've played around with a few of their cabs like the 610 and 112 at Chuck Levin's. I'm not a fan of playing super loud at music stores though, its always been with a bass at chucks and a GR head rather than one of my basses and on of my heads (Fuchs and Genzler).

My question is does anyone with gigging and at home experience find that they loose out on something with a GR Bass cab in trade of the crazy light weight? When pit against something like say, Genzler, Mesa, or Berg cabs, would they be lacking in body or warmth?
I love hi fi cabs, but not shrill cabs. For context I like to play hard rock and also softer jazz like stuff at times. My only cab at the moment is the Laney 410 I leave at church, it's great cab but not necessarily very portable, it's close to 80 pounds and it bulky enough to make transport with my Sedan not the easiest, but a great cab nonetheless.

I have a Barefaced Super Compact and a GR Bass NF210V, I don't know Genzler, Mesa, or Berg cabs.

Man, these modern cabs are both excellent! Not only lighter, they also sound better than the average: fuller, more detailed, articulate, punchy…

I really see no trade off, at all.

I agree that super light is not the main quality you want from a cab. I prefer the tone of the BF Super Compact, the low end sounds even better. I mean the GR is excellent, but there's something magic and super rewarding in the Super Compact's low end. So given the small difference in weight between the two, I would keep the BF if I had to choose only one.

On a sidenote, the first GR Bass NF210 I have received was vibrating when I was playing low notes. I returned it to the shop, their customer service is incredible, they have repaired it in the most efficient way. I will let you decide if you think it's a drawback (poor QC?) or an quality (awesome customer service).

 

[Jason Bonilla]

I have a Barefaced Super Compact and a GR Bass NF210V, I don't know Genzler, Mesa, or Berg cabs.

Man, these modern cabs are both excellent! Not only lighter, they also sound better than the average: fuller, more detailed, articulate, punchy…

I really see no trade off, at all.

I agree that super light is not the main quality you want from a cab. I prefer the tone of the BF Super Compact, the low end sounds even better. I mean the GR is excellent, but there's something magic and super rewarding in the Super Compact's low end. So given the small difference in weight between the two, I would keep the BF if I had to choose only one.

On a sidenote, the first GR Bass NF210 I have received was vibrating when I was playing low notes. I returned it to the shop, their customer service is incredible, they have repaired it in the most efficient way. I will let you decide if you think it's a drawback (poor QC?) or an quality (awesome customer service).

Thanks for the reply man, it offers great perspective! I'm glad to hear that for the most part it seems to be a win/win. Barefaced is hard to come by in the USA. And GR has only recently become more accessible with a few US dealers offering them. I think I'll try my luck with a GR cab in the near future.

 

[Jim C]

I have a 1x12 GR and a Berg HT322 (a 12, 2x10's and a horn) so not similar at all other than quality sound at different volume levels.

 

[Jim C]

I may be seeking another cab in the future, I have good experience with Genzler, and Laney cabs and have spent a good amount of time with a Bergantino 212 cab so I guess I can say I like them. But I've also been curious about the "super light" category which is dominated by Barefaced and GR Bass in my opinion. GR Bass has two dealers near me, and I've played around with a few of their cabs like the 610 and 112 at Chuck Levin's. I'm not a fan of playing super loud at music stores though, its always been with a bass at chucks and a GR head rather than one of my basses and on of my heads (Fuchs and Genzler).

My question is does anyone with gigging and at home experience find that they loose out on something with a GR Bass cab in trade of the crazy light weight? When pit against something like say, Genzler, Mesa, or Berg cabs, would they be lacking in body or warmth?
I love hi fi cabs, but not shrill cabs. For context I like to play hard rock and also softer jazz like stuff at times. My only cab at the moment is the Laney 410 I leave at church, it's great cab but not necessarily very portable, it's close to 80 pounds and it bulky enough to make transport with my Sedan not the easiest, but a great cab nonetheless.

I just realized you are local.
I have an SVT head as well as SWR, GK MBF800, and Traynor, Ampeg tube pre's, as well as GB 2x12 NeoX cabinets, GR1x12, and Bergt HT322 if you want to get together to compare gear. I'm really interested in the Fuchs and Sisma heads.

 

[Jason Bonilla]

I just realized you are local.
I have an SVT head as well as SWR, GK MBF800, and Traynor, Ampeg tube pre's, as well as GB 2x12 NeoX cabinets, GR1x12, and Bergt HT322 if you want to get together to compare gear. I'm really interested in the Fuchs and Sisma heads.

I'm down! but maybe a better conversation through PM. I'll message you.

 

[Fat Nermil]

I have an AT212, and gig it with a Mesa Subway WD-800. I get a beautiful warm full tone and easily sound great in the mix with a guitarist, drummer, and keys. The only real downside I've found is my concern about it being as sturdy as my Mesa cabinets during transport. I have no reason to believe that it's not, it's just that the cabinet is SO light it's hard to wrap my head around it.

 

[Jason Bonilla]

I have an AT212, and gig it with a Mesa Subway WD-800. I get a beautiful warm full tone and easily sound great in the mix with a guitarist, drummer, and keys. The only real downside I've found is my concern about it being as sturdy as my Mesa cabinets during transport. I have no reason to believe that it's not, it's just that the cabinet is SO light it's hard to wrap my head around it.

True, I'm not so much a can of the smooth gloss surfaces they tend to have either, just because I know dings will likely show up as cracked dimples in the clear coat. In terms of strength though, Carbon fiber is supposed to be pretty strong in theory. probably wont stop a bullet but I'd hope it would survive the odd corner every now and then.

 

[57pbass]

I'm really intrigued by the lightweight GR cabs as well. Uncanny is my thought about these carbon cabinets..
I will probably buy a used GR cabinet just to test it.

Does GR have a patent on this material for cabinets ?
If not why haven't the other builders added this to their line ?

 

[Kevin Hailey]

I've been using the GR 110 for a bit over 6 months now. It's an amazing piece of equipment. The only trade off I'm seeing is the initial cost.

 

[1960jbass]

I was using a GK CX210 and with my spinal stenosis 39 pounds is hurting me. I picked up the AT 210V+ recently and find it's boomy compared with the GK. I have to engage the tweeter to a medium setting to get it close to the CX210 sans tweeter. I also got a One 350 head and the first fried the second I turned it on. A few emails back and forth with my dealer and I got another head and no problems. I'm keeping that as a spare and running the GR cab with My GK Fusion 500S. So far I'm really enjoying that combo.

 

[gtirard]

I'm really intrigued by the lightweight GR cabs as well. Uncanny is my thought about these carbon cabinets..
I will probably buy a used GR cabinet just to test it.

Does GR have a patent on this material for cabinets ?
If not why haven't the other builders added this to their line ?

Others have tried in the past but they have failed because it's not so easy.

For a start, normal carbon fiber don't have the same acoustic properties as wood, so if you try to build your own CF cabs, it will sound crap.

They have solved this by designing special CF panels, made of layers of carbon fiber and damping material, so that these panels have the same acoustic properties as wood.

The second challenge is to assemble these panels in a robust way, to be able to hold the speaker in place and avoid unwanted vibrations.

I don't know if there's a patent, but the technology is quite innovative, it required a lot of R&D, and it would be quite difficult to do reverse engineering.

 

[gtirard]

I personally don't like the modern and techy look of carbon fiber, but they also have another range of cabs called "Natural Fiber" made of linen fiber I believe, that have the same properties as carbon fiber but look more… natural.

Here's my NF210V - same incredible sound and weight as the AT210V, but with a different finish:

 

[wintremute]

I play hard rock/metal. I have a 212 slim that sounds fantastic with my SVT-7 Pro. No "drop off".

 

[Barticus]

I gig the crap out of all my GR Bass amps! Indoor, outdoor, small venues, large venues… They are super light weight and sound amazing. My combo is 'stadium loud' which I'll never need, but love the flexibility.

Checkout the GR Bass Club here

 

[ThinCrappyTone2]

I may be seeking another cab in the future, I have good experience with Genzler, and Laney cabs and have spent a good amount of time with a Bergantino 212 cab so I guess I can say I like them. But I've also been curious about the "super light" category which is dominated by Barefaced and GR Bass in my opinion. GR Bass has two dealers near me, and I've played around with a few of their cabs like the 610 and 112 at Chuck Levin's. I'm not a fan of playing super loud at music stores though, its always been with a bass at chucks and a GR head rather than one of my basses and on of my heads (Fuchs and Genzler).

My question is does anyone with gigging and at home experience find that they loose out on something with a GR Bass cab in trade of the crazy light weight? When pit against something like say, Genzler, Mesa, or Berg cabs, would they be lacking in body or warmth?
I love hi fi cabs, but not shrill cabs. For context I like to play hard rock and also softer jazz like stuff at times. My only cab at the moment is the Laney 410 I leave at church, it's great cab but not necessarily very portable, it's close to 80 pounds and it bulky enough to make transport with my Sedan not the easiest, but a great cab nonetheless.

fwiw a bassist came by to audition with a GR 2x12. It was lightweight and sounded great, but even though it was pretty new, the owner expressed frustration that it was already falling apart. No idea if that's par or an anomaly.

 

[Cleezmo]

Not to hi-jack, but from a 'ridiculously light weight' angle, the new Markbass Energy cabs, with a composite (plastic) cabinet could be another option if GR bass isn't what you land on. I picked up a few at GC a week or so ago and couldn't believe how light they were. They had a 1x15, a 2x10, and a 4x10, and the 2x10 felt lighter than the 23lbs on the sticker - just crazy light. The 4x10 was very noticeably lighter than my ~38lb 2x10 at home... They did not have any heads sitting out to try, otherwise I would have given them a sound check, but might be something to investigate - or not.

 

[gtirard]

Not to hi-jack, but from a 'ridiculously light weight' angle, the new Markbass Energy cabs, with a composite (plastic) cabinet could be another option if GR bass isn't what you land on. I picked up a few at GC a week or so ago and couldn't believe how light they were. They had a 1x15, a 2x10, and a 4x10, and the 2x10 felt lighter than the 23lbs on the sticker - just crazy light. The 4x10 was very noticeably lighter than my ~38lb 2x10 at home... They did not have any heads sitting out to try, otherwise I would have given them a sound check, but might be something to investigate - or not.

I second this. When I went to the physical store to get the GR Bass cab I had ordered, there was a new Markbass cab, and I just lifted it to see, I was shocked: almost as crazy lightweight as my GR Bass cab. Much more affordable. I hate to say it because I dislike the yellow color theme and the plastic material, but I must admit that it is so closed to GR Bass in term of weight….

People still say that that GR Bass and Barefaced are the king of lightweight cabs, but as much as I adore Barefaced it is no longer true: the kind of lightweight cabs are GR Bass and Markbass (but I won't sell my Barefaced cabs, they sound too good).

 

[Jason Bonilla]

Not to hi-jack, but from a 'ridiculously light weight' angle, the new Markbass Energy cabs, with a composite (plastic) cabinet could be another option if GR bass isn't what you land on. I picked up a few at GC a week or so ago and couldn't believe how light they were. They had a 1x15, a 2x10, and a 4x10, and the 2x10 felt lighter than the 23lbs on the sticker - just crazy light. The 4x10 was very noticeably lighter than my ~38lb 2x10 at home... They did not have any heads sitting out to try, otherwise I would have given them a sound check, but might be something to investigate - or not.

yea I actually picked up one of their 210s recently at GC and was pleasantly surprised to see how light they are. But if im going brand new, I think Id rather get something a little higher end, that can blend mobility and power. The GR bass stuff at 700w like the 212 is perfect for my amp heads, will I ever need 700w? Nah, but I'd rather not bottle neck the headroom of an amp by a cab.

 

[Jason Bonilla]

I second this. When I went to the physical store to get the GR Bass cab I had ordered, there was a new Markbass cab, and I just lifted it to see, I was shocked: almost as crazy lightweight as my GR Bass cab. Much more affordable. I hate to say it because I dislike the yellow color theme and the plastic material, but I must admit that it is so closed to GR Bass in term of weight….

People still say that that GR Bass and Barefaced are the king of lightweight cabs, but as much as I adore Barefaced it is no longer true: the kind of lightweight cabs are GR Bass and Markbass (but I won't sell my Barefaced cabs, they sound too good).

Also, part of the reason I started this thread was because after I picked up the markbass 210 at GC, I looked up what people's thoughts were on them. It seemed like a few people who had owned markbass cabs in the past thought these new light ones didn't sound the same as the older heavier models. So that's what made me want to ask if a high-end lightweight cab like GR Bass is still lacking in something.