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Double Bass Arnopol 8 Cabinet - A Winner!

#261
Took my Crazy8, Crazy88, and Acoustic Image Focus 2R SIII to a big band rehearsal tonight, where two other double bassists took turns using my rig (sharing the same DB). One wanted to buy my cabs on the spot; the other asked me to bring my rig to his house so he can try it with his DB. They both gig Acoustic Image heads and cabs, and both said they prefer my Arnopol-built cabs to their AI cabs. Way to go, Mike!
 
#262
Just returned from a music festival hosted by the "High Desert Fiddlers" of eastern Oregon, where I played DB and 5-string electric bass in three different-sized performance venues using my Crazy8 and Acoustic Image Focus 2R SIII. Audience size ranged from dozens to a few hundred. In all cases, Crazy8 and Focus carried the room easily with deep, robust, bass. I was pleasantly surprised by how well this pair performed. :)
 
#264
I'm finding the Crazy8 works very well for acoustic bass, not so well for electric. The tone with electric is good but it's overall feel is not as robust and girthy as I prefer with that instrument - which might be more of a statement on the type of music the electric is used for as opposed to jazz, which is what I use my fretless acoustic bass for. Usually I go with a Fearless 110 or 210 for electric gigs.
 
#265
Greg Clinkingbeard said:
Good to hear. I've been thrilled with the sound of my 8 driven by a Clarus and am not the least bit curious to try anything else. Certainly the sound quality to portability ratio is appealing.
Click to expand...

Greg,
I suspect at some point, I'll have to spring for one of these little giants. Eight's have been my passion for a long time. I've owned most of the different incarnations of dual 8's

SWR Baby Blue, and it's matching extension, a pair of

Flite Sound 2X8's that were composite cabinets

A Low Down Sound 2x8 Three Way, that's gathering dust.

Two Euphonic Audio VL 108's that also need to be played more.

One Euphonic Audio VL 208 that's just sitting around as well.

So the Crazy 8 is definitely on my go to list if I can find a used one some day.

Ric
 
#266
Ukiah Bass said:
I'm finding the Crazy8 works very well for acoustic bass, not so well for electric. The tone with electric is good but it's overall feel is not as robust and girthy as I prefer with that instrument - which might be more of a statement on the type of music the electric is used for as opposed to jazz, which is what I use my fretless acoustic bass for. Usually I go with a Fearless 110 or 210 for electric gigs.
Click to expand...

I normally use a Crazy8 and a Crazy88 with electric basses, and have no problems with perceived "girthiness;" as long as I'm using a high-pass filter to nibble away at the lowest notes from the bottom up, I can push these cabs remarkably hard without complaint.

For perspective, I'm usually playing jazz, Latin jazz, R&B, blues, and so forth; no heavy rock or metal for this old fart. ;) In the context of my little adventure in Oregon, I'm happy to report that a single Crazy8 was more than I needed.
 
#267
Ric Vice said:
Greg,
I suspect at some point, I'll have to spring for one of these little giants. Eight's have been my passion for a long time. I've owned most of the different incarnations of dual 8's

SWR Baby Blue, and it's matching extension, a pair of

Flite Sound 2X8's that were composite cabinets

A Low Down Sound 2x8 Three Way, that's gathering dust.

Two Euphonic Audio VL 108's that also need to be played more.

One Euphonic Audio VL 208 that's just sitting around as well.

So the Crazy 8 is definitely on my go to list if I can find a used one some day.

Ric
Click to expand...

If weight is a concern, see if you can find a used composite Crazy8. Mine weighs less than 11 pounds. Too bad Mike is no longer making composite cabs. :(

I carried my Crazy8, Focus, extension cord, speakon cable, tuner, HPF/Pre, Fishman Dual Parametric EQ, etc., in a Meinl cajon bag with a shoulder strap; I doubt the whole thing weighed 25 pounds. :D
 
#268
I bought a Crazy 88 composite and have been using it both with Upright and EUB. Use AI Focus II or Clarus heads and am surprised at the "air" that gets into the sound. Been particularly surprised at the sound with my Eminence EUB. Have gotten bunch of comments on the clean full sound from notoriously picky players.
 
#269
Got my crazy8 delivered to Australia from David Homer at Gigmaster. I use it as an extension cab with my GK150 combo or with my AI ten2. Love it for both amps and for double bass and my Eminence. Great to have such a range of combinations for different rooms and the crazy8 makes it all possible.
 
#270
Hallo dear TBr's.
I've read this whole thread and I'm impressed by how high You Guys value this Crazy 8/88 cab. Are there any sound or video samples/ tests of this cab available anywhere. I've found on youtube only Fearless 112 test which is very impressive and encouraging, but nothing about Crazy 88.
If any coud say something how Crazy 8/88 compares tonaly to MBs Traveler 121h (that I presently have) for DB sound.
best regards to Every One here.
 
#272
Ric Vice said:
Bass Stinker,
You might want to take a look at the MAS 1/8 thread. That's the Cabinet that Mike Arnopol is building now. It's the "new" crazy 8. This thread hasn't been active since 2013.
Click to expand...

s the designer of the Crazy 8 let me just say that the MAS18 goes as loud as two Crazy 8's and extends much lower. Better fidelity, better thump.
 
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#275
basstinker said:
Hallo dear TBr's.
I've read this whole thread and I'm impressed by how high You Guys value this Crazy 8/88 cab. Are there any sound or video samples/ tests of this cab available anywhere. I've found on youtube only Fearless 112 test which is very impressive and encouraging, but nothing about Crazy 88.
If any coud say something how Crazy 8/88 compares tonaly to MBs Traveler 121h (that I presently have) for DB sound.
best regards to Every One here.
Click to expand...

Ric Vice said:
Bass Stinker,
You might want to take a look at the MAS 1/8 thread. That's the Cabinet that Mike Arnopol is building now. It's the "new" crazy 8. This thread hasn't been active since 2013.
Click to expand...

Mike Arnopol said:
s the designer of the Crazy 8 let me just say that the MAS18 goes as loud as two Crazy 8's and extends much lower. Better fidelity, better thump.
Click to expand...

It's been several years, but I did get to hear a Crazy 8 and 88 next to a couple of very early MAS 25s. I recall thinking that the Crazy 8 sounded nice -- it had easily better fidelity, more volume potential, and a more open sound than most store-bought cabs/combos in that size range -- but the 25s compressed less when pushed (i.e. stayed more dynamic at volume) and sounded a little more open and 3D, yet, than the Crazy 8/88. Other details of how they compared escape me at the moment, but I can say that the MAS 18 stomps those early 25s by a good margin in most respects -- it is certainly more authoritative in its presentation and handles more real low end than either those 25s or the Crazy 8/88 did.

Re. the CMD 121H combo, I can't speak directly, only infer from my CMD 121P and the other Markbass cabs and combos I've tried (some with the horn, some with the little piezo tweeter). The 121P is an impressively loud little box, voiced to be heard in a busy mix, but it's not in the same league as any of the cabs being discussed if a natural sound is what you're after. Your 121H would, I assume, be better than the 121P (more full in the bass and less boxy-sounding by virtue of its bigger cab, with a more pleasing high-end and less of a hole in the mids by virtue of having a horn tweeter instead of the little piezo) and I don't doubt that you can achieve a good sound with it and your DB, but no Markbass cab I've heard approaches the MAS 18 for low-end extension, openness of sound, or detail.

For DB use, I think the 18 would benefit from the tweeter Mike offers. I would check out the other thread, though: MAS 18 Review
 

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