Anyone Disappointed with a Fearful

[IntrepidCellist]

Another possibility in a similar vein, if size and weight are important and you want "enough" low end as opposed to "a LOT" is the Audiokinesis Thunderchild range. No DIY though; you have to buy them straight from the company.

Similarly, if you want a more "mid-bumped" "traditional bass cab" voicing, the Baer ML112s are pretty sweet. I finally got to play one the other day and if I didn't have a Thunderchild already, I'd be looking pretty hard at a Baer.

That said, I've yet to play a 12/6 (which is the fEarful in that size/weight range); just a 15/6 and a 1515/66, which were solid cabs (a little brighter than I'm used to) but just too big for my public-transportation-using needs.

 

[dukeorock]

Another possibility in a similar vein, if size and weight are important and you want "enough" low end as opposed to "a LOT" is the Audiokinesis Thunderchild range. No DIY though; you have to buy them straight from the company.

Similarly, if you want a more "mid-bumped" "traditional bass cab" voicing, the Baer ML112s are pretty sweet. I finally got to play one the other day and if I didn't have a Thunderchild already, I'd be looking pretty hard at a Baer.

That said, I've yet to play a 12/6 (which is the fEarful in that size/weight range); just a 15/6 and a 1515/66, which were solid cabs (a little brighter than I'm used to) but just too big for my public-transportation-using needs.

BNA is just getting started and I've been on tour forever, so we still haven't built our first 12/6 yet...hoping to do one soon to see how much gas is in the tank on em

+1 on the Thunderchilds...before I hooked up with greenboy, I got myself a TC115AF and it is a truly wonderful cab...for me, the 15/6/1 suits the type of gigs I do a little better...deeper lows, and more present in the mids, but I still can't find fault with Dukes amazing little cabs...fEARful and AudioKinesis are the only two American made cabs I can whole heartedly recommend with zero reservations.

 

[Downunderwonder]

5 pages of people disappointed with their fearfuls. Too bad for the legally blind OP reading it all.

 

[tycobb73]

5 pages of people disappointed with their fearfuls. Too bad for the legally blind OP reading it all.

Haha. I'm barely legally blind. Reading off the TB phone app makes my eyes hurt in 5 minutes and I'm sqinting and water is oozing down my cheeks (are you listening app designers?) But reading on the computer I can do ok, I just have my head very close to the computer.

Luckilly I can go try one out myself. I'm going to next week probably. This thread took off and that is good so maybe I can describe my situation more.

With the blindness I also have cerebral pulsy so weight is very important to me. I had Dr Bass build me a 210 and 115 a few years ago. They weigh 40 and 35 lbs. I usually only play one at a time. Now I've seen all the things he's done and don't want to get into that here. I ordered mine early and had them in about a month. I'm leader of a new band that is a three piece. Sometimes I use a Fishman when I'm just playing root notes but if the bassline moves you only hear one guitar. It is my belief that 90% of bar cover bands are too lould and I insist that in most bars you can go vocals only through the PA. I wish my last band would have listened to me as I now have to go and beg for a chance for my new band to play a bar as the old band played too loud for the venue and pissed off the booker of the club (who's known my dad for about 40 years, before I was born)I play Spector and Warwick basses into a Streamliner head. Surprisingly the W is brighter and liked more by soundmen and other band members than the Spector (or so my group of about 40 church musicians tells me). 2 seperate bands, church and cover band. Church needs are covered as I just bring my bass and play through 10 of thousands of dollars worth of PA and in ears. Carrying the Dr Bass cabs for more than about 5 minutes can't be done and I'll have back pain in about 3 minutes.

So I'm looking for something that can cover a lot of ground tonality, be loud enough, and light. All on a budget. Size is important too as I obviously can't drive so my stuff is always in a vehicle with someone else's. I'm thiinking a 12/6 designed to be as light as possible. Would this offer something my current cabs don't? I'll admitt I can't hear subtle nuances. Once you get pass strings and pickups on a bass I can't hear any other differneces like wood type, etc. I picked the head because I have tube sound in 5 pounds. I got the cabs at the time because they were light and relatively cheap. Told him I play rock and country. Go design it. Now I need my rig to carry the room. It isn't just for stage anymore. If the differences will be big, I'll do it. If they are barely noticeable I'm not one who's going to notice.

Opinions?

 

[wcriley]

It's always great to know someone else has the same idea about volume as I do!

In my opinion, a 12/6 or 12/6/1 would be perfect for you.
I have 2 of them. One, built out of generic pine plywood weighs ~39 lbs. The other, Arauco plywood, weighs a few pounds less. Both have Alpha mid drivers. The AlphaLite or 18Sound neos would shave another couple pounds off the weight.

There's a thread in the fEARful forum started by a guy building a 15/6 to be as light as possible without using composites. You can probably pick up some weight saving ideas there.

With a G-K 1001RB II and a single 12/6 I can get loud enough to make it difficult (if not impossible) to hear the drummer...without the cab or amp breaking a sweat.

 

[jlepre]

I live in Warwick NY and am on the look out for anyone within 50 miles who might let me listen to a 15/6. Anyone?

 

[wcriley]

Have you tried the Google Map on the fEARful forum?
Can be accessed without registering.

 

[dhomer]

It doesn't clean my room or make me breakfast in the morning. I'd say that is a negative.

Au contraire... I know of a 1515/66/1 that has been known to blow bottles across the floor and shake dust out of every space in the shop..

 

[::::BASSIST::::]

There's a thread in the fEARful forum started by a guy building a 15/6 to be as light as possible without using composites. You can probably pick up some weight saving ideas there.

That guy is me. My 15/6 will have a final weight of 43Lbs when finished. Its built out of Italian Poplar. I could have likely got it a pound or so lighter, but was not combfortable with some of the compromises to get me there. I also added extra bracing. The cab is almost finished but I was recently diagnosed with [FONT=arial black,sans-serif]calcific tendonitis in my right (dominant arm) shoulder and have my arm in a sling.
[/FONT]

 

[wcriley]

Sad to hear about that, dude.

 

[Bass Unique]

The big bottom can easily be tamed. Block half the port area.

I block indoors and uncork the thing outdoors. Until I figured that out sound checks were not a cake walk.

So when you are outdoors, you turn up the wick but by blocking half your port, you have lowered the tuning significantly which will moist likely cause over excursion around 90 Hz...

 

[Bass Unique]

Nope, flat is a measured straight line frequency response curve in some specified space or loading arrangement. Now can we argue about what the heck the neutral position is before we get to what a bass should sound like?

The neutral position should allow you the most flexibility of adjustment, not necessarily sound neutral or "flat". That's my point. Flat sounding bass is not likely to be what people want or expect!

 

[jlepre]

Have you tried the Google Map on the fEARful forum?
Can be accessed without registering.

I tried it but it didn't work so well on my iPad.

 

[Interceptor]

So when you are outdoors, you turn up the wick but by blocking half your port, you have lowered the tuning significantly which will moist likely cause over excursion around 90 Hz...

Just the opposite. I block the port indoors, and unblock outdoors. What I gain out that is nice roll off when blocked that is very close to the response of a traditional cabinet.

At the low stage volumes I play at I have zero possibility of running into over excursion with a 3012lf, no mater how I tweak the cabinet tuning or bend the eq on my amp.

 

[a2zbassman]

Just the opposite. I block the port indoors, and unblock outdoors. What I gain out that is nice roll off when blocked that is very close to the response of a traditional cabinet.

At the low stage volumes I play at I have zero possibility of running into over excursion with a 3012lf, no mater how I tweak the cabinet tuning or bend the eq on my amp.

Just curious, but what do you block it with? I seem to be having similar issues in low volume situations while playing in church. I'm in front of, or within a short distance from, my 12/6/1 and I think I'm way too loud while I'm being told to turn up from the our guitarist just 15 feet to the left, or the person doing the sound check when only 20 to 30 feet in front of me. I'm running solo with no PA support so my stage volume has to cover the entire room.

 

[Interceptor]

I use a chunk of high density foam.

 

[Passinwind]

The neutral position should allow you the most flexibility of adjustment, not necessarily sound neutral or "flat". That's my point. Flat sounding bass is not likely to be what people want or expect!

Thanks for the clarification. My take is quite different, but that has little to do with this thread -- 'nuff said!

 

[4Mal]

Just curious, but what do you block it with? I seem to be having similar issues in low volume situations while playing in church. I'm in front of, or within a short distance from, my 12/6/1 and I think I'm way too loud while I'm being told to turn up from the our guitarist just 15 feet to the left, or the person doing the sound check when only 20 to 30 feet in front of me. I'm running solo with no PA support so my stage volume has to cover the entire room.

Easy peasy! You need to get away from your cab.

I prefer to be in the PA and have low volume on stage. Which is most nights for me. I split two small 1x10's side to side as bass monitors. It really helps clean up the mix IMO. I can't get the same out of 1 12.6

 

[tycobb73]

CL400Peavey came over today and I got to show him how I never know what to play when just noodling around. But anyway. Without getting into graphs and bumps, etc to describe how these cabs sound, I'd have to say they sound big. His 15/6 had a much closer sound to an Ampeg 810 than to a 210. It is the sound I hear in my head and I want one. That combined with my Streamliner (i know, I need to update my profile) sounded sweet. It didn't matter whether it was my Warwick or his muiscman. They both sounded awesome. He left gassing for a head and now I'm gassing for a cab.

 

[CL400Peavey]

CL400Peavey came over today and I got to show him how I never know what to play when just noodling around. But anyway. Without getting into graphs and bumps, etc to describe how these cabs sound, I'd have to say they sound big. His 15/6 had a much closer sound to an Ampeg 810 than to a 210. It is the sound I hear in my head and I want one. That combined with my Streamliner (i know, I need to update my profile) sounded sweet. It didn't matter whether it was my Warwick or his muiscman. They both sounded awesome. He left gassing for a head and now I'm gassing for a cab.

Im glad you dug it. Now I gotta find a way to afford a streamliner!