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Baer Amplification Megathread!

#5,163
Jazz4 said:
I'll bet that YB sounds great thru those 112's. I wish I still had mine. Looks as if it's in great shape.
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It's all good and original on the inside. When I got it 25 years or so ago, it was missing the front panel, logo and the original knobs were a little road worn. Paid $125 for it and an old Peavey 215. Sold the 215 a few years ago for $100, so killer amp for $25. Now they go for $500-600. It sat in my basement unused for years while I played through SS amps. Finally brought it out of hibernation when I got my first ML112 and......Wow. So I had a faceplate made (it's Fender cloth now but I have some Traynor cloth and a retro logo to re-do it) and some newer retro style Traynor knobs and I think it sounds awesome with the cabs. Real warm and vintage tubey vibe. Thick and very punchy. Can't believe I let it hibernate for so long. Very happy that I kept it all these years though.
 
#5,164
McFarlin said:
Any comments/thoughts about the Baer stack vs. your 212 (sound, feel, max output)? You and I made a transition from the same cab, using similar amps.
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I haven't had the chance to use both cabs at the same time outside of my basement yet and I have a 1 year old so chances to turn it up have been sparse. That being said, I'm not sure about louder but at I find note definition to be more crisp with these cabs without my tone getting overly sterile. I've also noticed (probably as a result of the above) that effects sound great through the rig... from OD to filters.

My one experience live with a single cab was great. It's a 6 piece band (drums, guitar, second guitar/mandolin/slide, pedal steel, acoustic guitar) which is sometimes hard to stay out of each other's frequency range. No problem that night though... low end was there, with plenty of mids to cut through. I didn't havea problem hearing myself at all, despite the cab being at knee level, which I was pleasantly surprised with.
 
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#5,165
j0616bass said:
...That being said, I'm not sure about louder but at I find note definition to be more crisp with these cabs without my tone getting overly sterile. I've also noticed (probably as a result of the above) that effects sound great through the rig... from OD to filters.
My one experience live with a single cab was great. It's a 6 piece band (drums, guitar, second guitar/mandolin/slide, pedal steel, acoustic guitar) which is sometimes hard to stay out of each other's frequency range. No problem that night though... low end was there, with plenty of mids to cut through. I didn't have a problem hearing myself at all, despite the cab being at knee level, which I was pleasantly surprised with.
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That's really the concept behind these cabs summed up quite nice. Having spent many years in studio control rooms, I learned that the most important thing to achieving a good mix is finding the right sonic space for each instrument and getting the right bass tone is critical for this. For me, the best way to achieve a good sonic balance on stage is to make the low end compliment the kick drum (not bury it), push the upper mids a bit, and get the high end out of the cymbal territory. This helps slot the bass nicely in the mix and usually results in hearing yourself better at lower volumes.

The sound where you have super deep lows, relaxed upper mids and bright highs may sound great at home, but I find it makes the bass too "big" in the mix without delivering the needed definition you need to hear yourself well. Without the proper definition, the only way to be heard is to turn up. Now, you've made it harder for the drummer to hear his kick, so he subcousiously starts to play harder. Now everyone turns up and the volume gets out of hand. Slot the bass just right and it really does help everyone in the band ease into their space without having to resort to turning up the volume knob. This is what we've tried to achieve with these cabs.
 
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#5,166
R Baer said:
That's really the concept behind these cabs summed up quite nice. Having spent many years in studio control rooms, I learned that the most important thing to achieving a good mix is finding the right sonic space for each instrument and getting the right bass tone is critical for this. For me, the best way to achieve a good sonic balance on stage is to make the low end compliment the kick drum (not bury it), push the upper mids a bit, and get the high end out of the cymbal territory. This helps slot the bass nicely in the mix and usually results in hearing yourself better at lower volumes.

The sound where you have super deep lows, relaxed upper mids and bright highs may sound great at home, but I find it makes the bass too "big" in the mix without delivering the needed definition you need to hear yourself well. Without the proper definition, the only way to be heard is to turn up. Now, you've made it harder for the drummer to hear his kick, so he subcousiously starts to play harder. Now everyone turns up and the volume gets out of hand. Slot the bass just right and it really does help everyone in the band ease into their space without having to resort to turning up the volume knob. This is what we've tried to achieve with these cabs.
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^^^ This is why I don't like tweeter loaded cabs. They just don't do upper mids as well as a paper cone. And I don't want the extended highs that they do produce well.
 
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#5,168
R Baer said:
That's really the concept behind these cabs summed up quite nice. Having spent many years in studio control rooms, I learned that the most important thing to achieving a good mix is finding the right sonic space for each instrument and getting the right bass tone is critical for this. For me, the best way to achieve a good sonic balance on stage is to make the low end compliment the kick drum (not bury it), push the upper mids a bit, and get the high end out of the cymbal territory. This helps slot the bass nicely in the mix and usually results in hearing yourself better at lower volumes.

The sound where you have super deep lows, relaxed upper mids and bright highs may sound great at home, but I find it makes the bass too "big" in the mix without delivering the needed definition you need to hear yourself well. Without the proper definition, the only way to be heard is to turn up. Now, you've made it harder for the drummer to hear his kick, so he subcousiously starts to play harder. Now everyone turns up and the volume gets out of hand. Slot the bass just right and it really does help everyone in the band ease into their space without having to resort to turning up the volume knob. This is what we've tried to achieve with these cabs.
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Well stated. I copied and sent this to my bandmates. Maybe now they won't give me such a hard time about the gear-flipping quest that led to owning a pair of ML112s.
 
#5,169
nostatic said:
^^^ This is why I don't like tweeter loaded cabs. They just don't do upper mids as well as a paper cone. And I don't want the extended highs that they do produce well.
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Get out your CD collection and really listen to the tone of the bass tracks. On the vast majority of recording you hear, there is very little, if anything, happening above about 7k on the bass track. It's simply not necessary to have a ruler flat 30Hz to 20kHz frequency response to make your instrument sound great in the mix. In reality, we want want to fill as much space as possible without stepping on the kick drum, guitars, vocals, key, horns, cymbals etc.... To achieve this, you need to push some frequencies and relax in others. I think the ML cabs do this very well.
 
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#5,170
That was exactly what I did. As soon as I got my ML112 and played with it for quite a bit I remember right after popping in Chili Peppers "Stadium Arcadium". The authority in Flea's tone with that shell pink 60's Jazz bass was not achieved using any of those scooped sonic profiles of almost every other cab I had ever had. A little boost in the upper mids, some fresh nickels on my single coiled Lakland, a bit of digging in....and the tone was nailed. Not just that tone. I quickly stumbled through recordings of bass players 'lines I always cherished...all achievable dependent on technique and specific bass type, but no longer did I have to think about what amplification type I would need to carry out the job. The most addictive cab I've ever had, and it is true....a little time breaking it in and the upper mids do become a bit more balanced, it really does fit perfect in a mix!
 
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#5,172
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@25th St Recording in Oakland, CA. Just awesomeness all around. I'll post the video when it's done.
 
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#5,179
So this rig is sounding pretty killer... Ampeg PF350 into an ML112. Its fat and growly. I think this is definitely going to be the small gig rig. I really like how the ML112 sounds with light overdrive. It grinds without the shrill top end from a tweeter. I also like how that upper mid range just sits so perfectly under the cymbals. Really really nice sounding cabinet!!
 

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