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Avatar Owners Club Pt. 2
- Thread starter J. Crawford
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I bought an Avatar b210 cab with ceramic magnets, red tolex ans a slip cover in December 2011 and it rocks with my Carvin BX1500 bass head. Now, I've just ordered a second one to beef up my volume. When other bands come on stage to jam, I notice the bass head clips and stays in the red. NO MORE !
Hi guys I have 2 (2X10) Neo that I got about a year and a half ago.
toady I got GAS for a 410 neo and I noticed that they have the choice of Eminence or Celestion; both NEO.
does anyone know the difference between this 2, besides the wattage?
I have no idea what came on my 2X10 since there was no choice of speakers.
cheers
and BTW i'll post some pics of my rig as soon as i can.
toady I got GAS for a 410 neo and I noticed that they have the choice of Eminence or Celestion; both NEO.
does anyone know the difference between this 2, besides the wattage?
I have no idea what came on my 2X10 since there was no choice of speakers.
cheers
and BTW i'll post some pics of my rig as soon as i can.
I'd recommend that you call Avatar, they can answer your questions.
I'm pretty sure that up to the point where Avatar started offering Celestion Neos, they only used Eminence, and ones custom made for them with increased Xmax (excursion).
Avatar has been selling some 12" Celestion bass speakers on ebay for dirt cheap. I've heard on TB that they are very poor sounding speakers. I'd suggest going with Eminence. I have a 2x12 Neo with Eminence and she sounds great.
Avatar has been selling some 12" Celestion bass speakers on ebay for dirt cheap. I've heard on TB that they are very poor sounding speakers. I'd suggest going with Eminence. I have a 2x12 Neo with Eminence and she sounds great.
Actually I take that back, the Celestions they are selling on ebay are 10" bass speakers. I was looking for possible replacement for my SWR Goliath Jr, and some TB threads were very negative. Go Eminence!
I ordered one of those 410 cabs with the neo Celestions and it sounds great!!!! Very happy with it. I also have 2 sb112 cabs with neo Eminences. Can't go wrong with either speaker.
I sent 3 E-mail to Avatar trying to buy the 410 that is on sale and I never got a reply since last week.
The 2 times I bought cabinets from them was all by e mail and I remember they replied right away.
it`s been a week or so since i sent them an e mail.
So I guess this is the sign that tells me to not buy the Celestion 410.
I have nothing against the phone call suggestion.
but I have bought almost all my stuff by sending e mails.
I got a GK head from bass central doing the whole transaction by e mail.
Avatar 2 times
pedulla strings by e mail
Replacement parts from dunlop by e mail
Just a few examples.
Dont get me wrong, I`m not criticizing your advice; but I`ve been using the e mail method and feel comfortable with it.
I have nothing against the phone call suggestion.
but I have bought almost all my stuff by sending e mails.
...
Dont get me wrong, I`m not criticizing your advice; but I`ve been using the e mail method and feel comfortable with it.
People have computer problems, ISPs have problems, etc.
Since it seems out of sorts that you haven't received a response from Avatar via email, best to call 'em and see if they did receive your messages.
They could be swamped with orders from people in the US getting their tax refunds back and spending it on new Avatar gear...could be a bunch of other things.
As they used to say "Let your fingers do the walkin'..."
And, if you'd be so kind, let us know that Avatar's take on Eminence vs. Celestion neos is!
I have a 2x12 Neo with Eminence and she sounds great.
+1
Never tried a cab with Celestions, so can't really comment on those.
5sg.
I have a B212 with ceramics in it which I power with a Genz Benz Shuttle 9.0. I should have pics once I get my head back from getting fixed and a new bass to stick in the photo.
A number would be awesome, unless I need a photo first
A number would be awesome, unless I need a photo first
LoveThatBass
Supporting Member
Hello, everyone. Though I am an Avatar owner only in principle, I thought I should post.
I just talked with Dave for the second time in two days. It's true: he is a great guy and is easy to work with. We finalized my cabinet order. The invoice paid, now I'm waiting for my first Avatar cabinet, an SB112:
Originally I asked for blonde Tolex and nickel corners, to evoke the look of a ca. 1962 Fender Bassman cabinet run vertically (my rough simulated image is attached here). But Dave explained that his cabinets were made to completion and stocked in every finish, pending speakers, wiring and grille; and since the radius of his bass cabinets' corners was for fitting the stackable black plastic corners, even if I wanted to swap on nickel corners, they would not fit.
So I viewed photos of your cabinets here and saw I could like the black corners with black Tolex. I already own a real 1967 Bassman, so I need to get over it.
The look will evoke a 1966 Bassman cabinet run vertically, with the logo moved up (simulated image attached here.)
The Acoustic Image amp I'll use with the SB112 makes 800 watts at 4 ohms. Though I'll never push the amp near capacity, I think that its power in reserve will make it a good match for this 4 ohm 500 watt cabinet. If ever I add a second 4 ohm 500 watt SB112, the amp's 1000 watts at 2 ohms should be perfect. I play only 4-string now and will use the amp's tunable low cut filter to cut everything from 30 hz down. Maybe 40 or 50 hz down, but I will have to hear the stack.
My assumption is that the specs for Avatar's version of the Delta speaker are similar enough to the (link to PDF) [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
Also, I will drive the SB112 with my modified 1973 Fender Vibro Champ. Because 4 or 5 watts of good tone can sound mighty mighty.
Anyway, thank you for your comments and photos in this thread! They were very helpful. When I get my SB112, I will post photos with my impressions.
Best,
Snaxster
I just talked with Dave for the second time in two days. It's true: he is a great guy and is easy to work with. We finalized my cabinet order. The invoice paid, now I'm waiting for my first Avatar cabinet, an SB112:
Impedance: 4 ohms
Speaker: 500 watt Eminence Delta LF 12 ceramic
Covering: Black Tolex
Grille: Wheat cloth, nickel screws
Piping: None
Logo: Large, in the upper left corner when the port is on the bottom
Speaker: 500 watt Eminence Delta LF 12 ceramic
Covering: Black Tolex
Grille: Wheat cloth, nickel screws
Piping: None
Logo: Large, in the upper left corner when the port is on the bottom
Originally I asked for blonde Tolex and nickel corners, to evoke the look of a ca. 1962 Fender Bassman cabinet run vertically (my rough simulated image is attached here). But Dave explained that his cabinets were made to completion and stocked in every finish, pending speakers, wiring and grille; and since the radius of his bass cabinets' corners was for fitting the stackable black plastic corners, even if I wanted to swap on nickel corners, they would not fit.
So I viewed photos of your cabinets here and saw I could like the black corners with black Tolex. I already own a real 1967 Bassman, so I need to get over it.
The look will evoke a 1966 Bassman cabinet run vertically, with the logo moved up (simulated image attached here.)The Acoustic Image amp I'll use with the SB112 makes 800 watts at 4 ohms. Though I'll never push the amp near capacity, I think that its power in reserve will make it a good match for this 4 ohm 500 watt cabinet. If ever I add a second 4 ohm 500 watt SB112, the amp's 1000 watts at 2 ohms should be perfect. I play only 4-string now and will use the amp's tunable low cut filter to cut everything from 30 hz down. Maybe 40 or 50 hz down, but I will have to hear the stack.
My assumption is that the specs for Avatar's version of the Delta speaker are similar enough to the (link to PDF) [Invalid or Expired Link Removed].
Also, I will drive the SB112 with my modified 1973 Fender Vibro Champ. Because 4 or 5 watts of good tone can sound mighty mighty.
Anyway, thank you for your comments and photos in this thread! They were very helpful. When I get my SB112, I will post photos with my impressions.
Best,
Snaxster
Attachments
Hmm... This thread is looking pretty dead.
But I said I would follow up, so here it is. Maybe my first impressions will be useful to someone.Today my Avatar SB112 with 500 watt Eminence Delta LF 12 ceramic speaker arrived, on time and very well packed. The carton was solid. The inner packing had a cottage industry feel to it, which I like. It was a refreshing reminder that quality goods and services don't have to be 'corporate slick' to be functional and done well.
Configured as it was for me, the SB112 looks great, both up close and at a distance. To my taste, the faux vintage styling of the grille makes up for other, more modern trappings. And it's just darn handsome!
Very close inspection revealed a few minor flaws in fit and finish (slight misalignment of hardware, mostly), but nothing worrying.
First I drove the SB112 with a Nordy vJ4 (Big Singles and 2-band Nordstrand preamp) played through a Tech 21 VT Bass into an Acoustic Image Focus 1 Series III amp. Then I switched to a 1969 Fender Precision Bass played through the same amp, then through a 1973 Fender Vibro Champ.
With the SB112, the Vibro Champ was... well, it was a real champ.
Probably useful for recording and certainly for practicing, this setup missed the point of of the vintage amp package: the sound of the driven speaker interpreting the tube amp.In contrast, the VT Bass and AI amp were the real deal with the SB112. Though I didn't play very loud, I was at the practical limit of volume for my music room at home. It was my "bedroom sound" for sure, but it was instructive.
My key observations about the Avatar SB112 sound:
1. Bass distortion. Using the amp's low cut filter to cut from 30 hz down made a dramatic difference. The cabinet still produced thick low midrange and bass, but bass distortion was greatly reduced, letting most of the spectrum relax and come into focus. I highly recommend this tweak for the SB112 if you have a filter (high pass, low cut, etc.) and probably with many full range bass cabinets.
2. UPDATE: I take back this point. Please see my revised observation in this later post. [DEL]A midrange peak. With or without the low cut filter, there was a resonant peak whenever I played C# on the fourth fret of the A string, or equivalent positions. Octaves and tenths of that note exhibited some of the peak, too. Switching the amp's filter from cut (> -18 dB) to notch (-12 dB/octave), I was able to tune out the offending peak.
The amp doesn't have precise markings throughout the range of its filter's frequency adjustment; but if the sweep is linear, the setting I chose obviously is not at 69.3 hz (the fundamental of C#, 4th fret, A string), and is about twice that. Maybe it is a prominent harmonic and not the fundamental.
I changed the acoustical space by opening all doors (they were closed at first) and playing again, but the peak and its reduction were reproducible. Likewise when I switched basses. So I believe the SB112 has this undesirable midrange peak.
This cabinet is not a one-note wonder, not by far; but I believe that its usefulness is so improved by correction of the peak, that with the SB112 I will use the AI's filter for notch instead of cut. If someday I can add a Thumpinator or similar to this rig, I may try it, to have both the notch and cut improvements.[/DEL]
3. The adjustable tweeter. First I played with the tweeter completely off. The sound was good, and articulation was useful and sweet, if not with very high frequencies, as expected. Then I added some tweeter and found the setting that sounded most natural to me. (I'm not a tweeter in bass amps kind of guy, though I owned and loved the first SWR Redhead back when.) Perceptually, there is a gap between the highs of the 12" speaker and the tweeter's range. I think that if you crank the tweeter, the gap will be quite evident. But used just a bit, the tweeter lends a very believable "tasty" articulation to the 12". I like it!
4. The thickness. This cabinet's got back. Haha! People, it's not about bass in your trunk, but about the fat, sweet, enveloping, caressing thickness: the nuanced low midrange that opens with ease into the lowest fundamentals the bass guitar is producing. Sonically, here is the secret area between body punches and sex on the beach. The SB112 goes there and likes it. At least with a 4-string bass guitar it does. I no longer have any low B basses. But I would guess that the SB112 does a fine job down to low B (albeit maybe with a bit less authority.)
In conclusion, I think the SB112 is a very good-sounding and useful full range bass guitar cabinet. It gives excellent value for money, with a level of performance that will please most working musicians and enthusiasts alike. Yet it will not leave them wishing they could have spent several hundred dollars more on a boutique cabinet. And that is the sweet spot. If you need head-crushing, mercilessly accurate hi-fi in a bass cabinet, look elsewhere. But if you want a sweet, strong bass guitar cabinet with traditional leanings (with the ceramic Delta driver, at least) that you can live with every day, the SB112 is a good bet.2. UPDATE: I take back this point. Please see my revised observation in this later post. [DEL]A midrange peak. With or without the low cut filter, there was a resonant peak whenever I played C# on the fourth fret of the A string, or equivalent positions. Octaves and tenths of that note exhibited some of the peak, too. Switching the amp's filter from cut (> -18 dB) to notch (-12 dB/octave), I was able to tune out the offending peak.
The amp doesn't have precise markings throughout the range of its filter's frequency adjustment; but if the sweep is linear, the setting I chose obviously is not at 69.3 hz (the fundamental of C#, 4th fret, A string), and is about twice that. Maybe it is a prominent harmonic and not the fundamental.
I changed the acoustical space by opening all doors (they were closed at first) and playing again, but the peak and its reduction were reproducible. Likewise when I switched basses. So I believe the SB112 has this undesirable midrange peak.
This cabinet is not a one-note wonder, not by far; but I believe that its usefulness is so improved by correction of the peak, that with the SB112 I will use the AI's filter for notch instead of cut. If someday I can add a Thumpinator or similar to this rig, I may try it, to have both the notch and cut improvements.[/DEL]
3. The adjustable tweeter. First I played with the tweeter completely off. The sound was good, and articulation was useful and sweet, if not with very high frequencies, as expected. Then I added some tweeter and found the setting that sounded most natural to me. (I'm not a tweeter in bass amps kind of guy, though I owned and loved the first SWR Redhead back when.) Perceptually, there is a gap between the highs of the 12" speaker and the tweeter's range. I think that if you crank the tweeter, the gap will be quite evident. But used just a bit, the tweeter lends a very believable "tasty" articulation to the 12". I like it!
4. The thickness. This cabinet's got back. Haha! People, it's not about bass in your trunk, but about the fat, sweet, enveloping, caressing thickness: the nuanced low midrange that opens with ease into the lowest fundamentals the bass guitar is producing. Sonically, here is the secret area between body punches and sex on the beach. The SB112 goes there and likes it. At least with a 4-string bass guitar it does. I no longer have any low B basses. But I would guess that the SB112 does a fine job down to low B (albeit maybe with a bit less authority.)
Best,
Snaxster
Attachments
Good review Snaxster . Your cabinet does look very cool . I also had an SB112 with the 4 ohm DeltaLF speaker and think your tone observations are spot on . Very nice old scool type of tone , not that hi-fi with the tweeter turned down but a nice thick low mid . I used mine with an Eden 210XLT and the pair really did a great job at gigs , the Edens mids cut through and the 112 added some good low end .
Congrats ,those are very nice speakers .
Congrats ,those are very nice speakers .
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