If your playing a show and your running D.I. out it really doesn't matter, the sound guy is going to make it sound how he wants it anyway.
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Are expensive cabs really worth the money
- Thread starter smgleitch
- Start date
i find it quite disheartening that so many people say "the audience doesn't care" as if it's justification for using bad stuff. it's not their job to care...it's YOUR job. and that, to me, shows a disregard and lack of respect for your audience. if they don't like your sound, they may not know why, or even care, but they're going to leave if it's bad. so if it were me, i'd get the best rig i could afford that delivers the sound i like and not settle for less.
does that mean you have to spend a fortune on it? absolutely not. does that mean it has to be perfect in every way? nope. but it does mean you need to love it and feel it's giving you all it can within your budget. but using the audience's lack of sophistication (btw, don't kid yourself...audiences are way more sophisticated than you think they are) as justification not to care is lame.
does that mean you have to spend a fortune on it? absolutely not. does that mean it has to be perfect in every way? nope. but it does mean you need to love it and feel it's giving you all it can within your budget. but using the audience's lack of sophistication (btw, don't kid yourself...audiences are way more sophisticated than you think they are) as justification not to care is lame.
Here, here.
And even though I'm playing a lot of gigs with good house sound lately, I still find that my tone on stage makes a difference. When I've got the low mids dialed in just right and the rest of the band can feel it, I believe we are tighter and able to rock it that much more.
that's right. the idea is to forget about it and concentrate on playing and performing. the less your rig fights you, the easier it is to do your job.
+1 I trust my rig. I know it will work, and sound good doing it. So I don't have to worry about it and can concentrate on my playing. This is worth a lot to me!
The only problem with having higher end gear is that I can't blame my problems on the equipment
Speakers are the least linear element in a bass rig, just as they are in a PA system or a home stereo.
Differences in distortion between competing solid-state amps are measured in fractions of a percent, while differences between speakers are orders of magnitude greater.
In the stereo industry, double-blind tests have proven that "golden ears" couldn't hear the difference between cheap electronics and top of the line. But you'd have to be half-deaf to not hear the difference between good speakers and poor ones...
It only seems natural to me to concentrate your resources where it can do the most good. That doesn't necessarily mean paying top dollar for cabs, but it does mean going for the best quality.
Differences in distortion between competing solid-state amps are measured in fractions of a percent, while differences between speakers are orders of magnitude greater.
In the stereo industry, double-blind tests have proven that "golden ears" couldn't hear the difference between cheap electronics and top of the line. But you'd have to be half-deaf to not hear the difference between good speakers and poor ones...
It only seems natural to me to concentrate your resources where it can do the most good. That doesn't necessarily mean paying top dollar for cabs, but it does mean going for the best quality.
I just gotta add that I went through a lot of speakers for a long time before I settled on Mesa stuff. With all of the Peavey, Ampeg, Crate, Acoustic, Yamaha stuff I tried, I always had to really go around the bend to get it to sound good. Really exaggerated EQ. When I first got some mesa cabinets I was astounded that a bass rig could go so loud and not sound muffled and woofy. When I go the Mesa I head I kind of took a step back. Looked around. Maybe there is a god?
I think bass cabs have caught up to Mesa in terms of not blowing too easily or turning to mud. But there are still some not very good cabs out there.
As far as 'at volume". My Mesas sound very distinct at full volume. I know you cant say the same for most of the newer/cheaper cabs out there. I have tired some markbass and SWR cabs that were very muddy and woofy at moderately loud volume...in Guitar center.
I think bass cabs have caught up to Mesa in terms of not blowing too easily or turning to mud. But there are still some not very good cabs out there.
As far as 'at volume". My Mesas sound very distinct at full volume. I know you cant say the same for most of the newer/cheaper cabs out there. I have tired some markbass and SWR cabs that were very muddy and woofy at moderately loud volume...in Guitar center.
I couldn't agree more - by bringing plenty of rig, and a high quality one at that, I know that I won't have to push it hard, and that reliabilty won't be an issue, either...
I tend to buy used, high quality gear - and think *I* get my best bang for the buck that way... I don't pay new gear prices, yet I get to enjoy playing thru nice stuff - and generally speaking, higher end gear is more durable/reliable, besides sounding great...
I've gigged many, many times with budget rigs, and done just fine - but it was nowhere near as enjoyable as what I'm playing thru now...
- georgestrings
i honistly think some amps arent worth the money. i think they start with a price and then try to justify it. ok some are cleaner than others and some have more power but honistly most shows ive played the amp was just for somthing on stage rather than whats going to the p.a.
plus if you have a nice rig your more likely to have it nicked where i live. hence why i use......
JANKY RIG OF DOOM.
plus no one can nick it cos its so bloody heavy
plus if you have a nice rig your more likely to have it nicked where i live. hence why i use......
JANKY RIG OF DOOM.
plus no one can nick it cos its so bloody heavy
alexclaber
Commercial User
Your JANKY RIG OF DOOM will perform better if you stick that 2x8" cab on its side. It will also look even more JANKY.
ill get a pic of it tonight.
however i think you should design a new range of cabs. the janky range. cheap, heavy and none of the cabs are the same hight or width
Your best bet is to look for a used high end cab, and make darn sure you test it at full volume. I picked up a roadcase mesa 4x10 years ago for cheap, and after all the other gear I've had over the years, it's still with me. Power and tone.
And always remember... it's cheaper to do it right once than wrong twice.
And always remember... it's cheaper to do it right once than wrong twice.
- Dec 18, 2000
- 13,201
- 340
- Disclosures
- greenboy designs: fEARful, bassic, dually, crazy88 etc
Ironically, some cabs that have been touted as real standards often have the same drivers and tunings/alignments as some cheaper ones. So there is a lot of crazy stuff going on in Basscabland. A real eye opener once you peer beyond the grillwork and logos.
Well said.
I would add that folks who are shopping REALLY need to learn to ignore hype and trends. Case in point: Acoustic. Once upon a time, it was an "A-list" brand. Now? Not so much. I also think (please don't flame me!) that Markbass fall into the category of "hype" - - I find their cabs to be flat & farty sounding, but they're REALLY COOL LOOKING... So they are not for me.
When I last went cab shopping, I had a sound in my head and I shopped for it. I went to GC, a few other local stores, and ended up at LA Bass exchange (no longer open). I listened to several cabs, and ended up buying a cab from a builder I had never heard of (Epifani). That I choose with my ears has really payed off - I still use Epifani cabs today (and I still have that 4x10 I bought at LABE - but I never use it).
Now, my man NoStatic decided that he is too old to schlep heavy gear, so he's opted for Bergantino - and it sounds great too - he chose with his ears (and his back, as it happens) -- not by rep or hype or any other BS.
And to that fellow who said "Turned up full, all cabs pretty much sound the same" clearly has never used a cheap bass cab that, when cranked, farts/distorts/breaks up and sounds like caca. I have *cranked* my gear and it sounds nothing but great - but like the quote said, I paid money for it up front so I could stop paying money searching.
This was the basic idea behind this thread. I never really meant to compare a berg to a behringer. Just wondered if you had to spend a lot to get great sounding cabs. I have been looking at Avatar cabs and a few others in that price range and thought that the specs looked pretty good and they get good reviews. I will always buy used to get the best for my money just wondered if a lot of those ultra high end cabs are more name or experience in building a great sounding cab. I get the impression that the high end stuff is to be taken seriously when looking for a great rig. I do very much appreciate quality. I take very good care of my stuff and because of that I don't mind paying a little more. I was once 18 and bought anything and played hard through everything and loved it all. Today I am a little older, work a little harder for the money I earn, and want a professional and pleasant experience when I play. I am hoping that with a good amount of research, patience and some good guidance from my fellow tbers that I will be able to buy a new rig that will stay with me for the next 10 plus years. I know in the end it will be well worth the investment.
Yes, if they sound the way you want them to.
As much as possible, try to A/B cabinets at the same time. use the same bass and amp. Sometimes (if you're really shopping hard) it pays to bring a notebook with you and write down your impressions of various cabinets and what differences you hear when comparing them. Unless you're really lucky, not all of them will be in the same place, but often you can find cab A and cab B in one store, Cab B and C in another, etc. Writing stuff down can kind of keep you focused.
As much as possible, try to A/B cabinets at the same time. use the same bass and amp. Sometimes (if you're really shopping hard) it pays to bring a notebook with you and write down your impressions of various cabinets and what differences you hear when comparing them. Unless you're really lucky, not all of them will be in the same place, but often you can find cab A and cab B in one store, Cab B and C in another, etc. Writing stuff down can kind of keep you focused.
I agree with a lot of this. I don't necessarily believe that you need to have cork sniffing gear to have a professional sound, but if you want a good sound, you have to be willing to get high end gear somehow or another.
As far as the player vs. the gear - I agree that a great player is a great player, no matter what. But the Great Player argument is really a red herring when these discussions come up. Victor Wooten could play an SX through a GK Backline and he would be a great player. The sound quality of what he plays is still going to be much better if Victor is playing through with some pro-level gear. I remember going from an Ibanez SR305 to a Carvin LB75, which was my first higher-end bass. Did I automatically jump in playing ability? No, I didn't. Did the tonal quality of what I was playing improve. Yeah, by about 10 times. Did sound engineers like dealing with my sound a lot more with the Carvin? Damn skippy, they did.
+10,000
I honestly don't think people give the audience enough credit. In my experience, a general audience can differentiate between a band with a pro sound and a band with a non-pro sound. They may not stand there discussing how it was awesome when the guitarist bumps 2k for his solos or how awesome the drummers Paistes sound or woo over the clarity of the sound engineer's Health and Allen board; however, they know when a band has a professional sound. Also in my experience, bands that go into venues where the norm is quality production and professional instrument tone often fail when they don't deliver on those things.
It does make a difference, but there are good sounding mid price cabs. It just depends on what you can afford. You can make a mid range cab sound about as good as a high end, but it might take more of an amp and more eq'ing. I'm hoping to get an Epifani 410 I saw the other day. Just have to come up with more $$$$!
