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Bag End cabs

#2
This is one for a search. There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of posts talking about these cabs.

The little 15 cube stack (15x/15) is by far the most popular, and it's warm and punchy.

In general, the small cabs are heavy, warm sounding, and high quality. The large cabs are so heavy as to be ridiculous, warm sounding and high quality:D
 
#6
PSPookie said:
I wouldn't call 44 lbs for a 1x15 heavy.
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Again, relatively heavy but not to the point of being a problem for the smaller cabs, particularly that popular 115 cube model. The 115 with tweeter is listed at 50 pounds, and the 210 at 70 (OK, that's 14 pound heavier than my 410!). That's on the heavy end of things for cabs of that size, but per my post, not 'ridiculous' at all for the smaller cabs... just on the heavy side compared to cabs that put out equal volume in 2009.

Again, if that weight is OK, no problem. These designs are now probably 20 years or more old. Much has happened in the last 20 years:D:bassist:

Also, the lack of a tweeter attenuator in the tweeter loaded models is and continues to be... well... interesting.
 
#7
I have a S15B-D
The size is ridiculous... the sound is incredible for a 1x15...warm... fast... efficient=loud.. tight lows yet large... this particular cab is not the smaller cube 1x15... it is the deep cab...the cab is 24 inches deep.... Invalid Link Removed

but the bass response is full and very even to the mids that sounds very smooth throughout its usable freq range... to me it is the best sounding 1x15 that i have played..
Although i would like to have one of the bagend Coax 2-way 1x15 in that cab.. that would be a nice full range cab then... maybe someday i will swap out the speakers and add the BE crossover... time will tell
 
#8
Aw c'mon. The UL 115 is 43 lbs and is generaly regarded as a light cab.

IMO/IME the coax tweeter is unnecessary in the S15 and regardless of the age of the design, these are very sweet sounding cabs.

I realize that you are referencing all of their small cab designs and I agree that the 210's are a bit on the hefty side. I'm pretty much just talking about the S15.
 
#10
PSPookie said:
Aw c'mon. The UL 115 is 43 lbs and is generaly regarded as a light cab.

IMO/IME the coax tweeter is unnecessary in the S15 and regardless of the age of the design, these are very sweet sounding cabs.

I realize that you are referencing all of their small cab designs and I agree that the 210's are a bit on the hefty side. I'm pretty much just talking about the S15.
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+1 I wouldn't really compare the little Bag End cube to the quite large and fully voiced Epi though. The closest thing I've heard to the Bag End S15 is the new Schroeder 115L+. Not quite as warm, but louder, punchier, smaller, and around 30 pounds (and comes in 4ohm version for stand alone).

However, neither the little Schroeder nor the little Bag End cube are representative IMO of full size 15's like the Epi, the Mesa (that is a WONDERFUL stand alone 115... even though it's a bit of a horse), the larger Bag End that Kirk talks about, etc. Apples to oranges there IMO!

Again, no big deal. If you like a midrange tone without a lot of top end, that little S15 is very nice! I used the S15/S15x stack for YEARS, and really dug it at the time. When you used the S15/S15x together, the tweeter was very balanced. It was a bit much when using the s15x as a stand alone.
 
#12
CosmicRay said:
Hey Now - would anyone who uses or have used Bag End cabs please let me know what you think/thought of them...I presently use Epifani cabs, they're getting old and I would like to see what the general opinions are.
Thanks-
Ray
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I think Bag End makes some of the best sounding and durable bass cabs out there. I used to own a S15D/S15XD stack, I also own a pair of TA2000/S18s for a PA system (that I don't have to carry) and it kills. I've also played the 4x10 (deep version), 2x10 and 2x12 quite a bit they all sound great and a most weigh a ton.

That all being said if your looking at the 15" cubes nice! The other cabs can be as much as 2x the weight of some new designs out there especially the 96lb. 4x10 (which sounds great BTW)

Good luck...
 
#13
KJung said:
Again, if that weight is OK, no problem. These designs are now probably 20 years or more old. Much has happened in the last 20 years:D:bassist:

Also, the lack of a tweeter attenuator in the tweeter loaded models is and continues to be... well... interesting.
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That tweeter isn't very efficient as tweeter drivers go. It is also padded way down on the crossover itself. I think that Bag End's design goals were fundmentally different than the typical Bass Cab company - from their perspective, coming from the fixed installation/touring sound system biz - My guess is that they anticipated the use of their cabs in bi, tri and quad amped systems.

My take on the BE tweet, actually an Eminence compression driver is that it provides for a very smooth transition from the speaker to the tweet and the hi's while present, are fairly laid back - particularly on the 2x10 cab. A little less so on the 1x15 - they use the same crossover for both which is a little odd, 1 being a 4 ohm cab and the other an 8...

I have the S15D-X now and while it's a little clanky on bass guitar, that can be dialed down with the treble control on my amp - no big deal. For acoustic guitar it sounds great with just a smidge of bass dialed down. So the one cab will do both bass & guitar for some low volume duo gig's - pretty sweet.

The 2x10 is 'ridiculously inconvenient' - hey, yer both right! - to move at 70 lbs in spite of it's small size. BE really needed to get on the neo wagon a while back. I doubt they survive in the musical instrument portion of the biz much longer. Much as I like Bag End - they've been resting in their laurels for too long, it would be a real long shot for me to be buying them new today with cab's like the Epi 310 or 115 or 112 around.
 
#15
I recently picked up a new GK800RBII and it kills with my S15-D/S15-D stack. Indeed, these amps and cabs have been around for a long time, but they still hold their own VERY well. I dig this rig as much as anything else I currently own - I was comparing it side by side with my Fathom/NV412 this weekend and it stacked up surprisingly well in terms of tone, volume, and punch. Bag End is top notch and retro cool! ;)
 
#16
KJung said:
This is one for a search. There are hundreds and hundreds and hundreds of posts talking about these cabs.

The little 15 cube stack (15x/15) is by far the most popular, and it's warm and punchy.
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Cosmic- here's my S15-D/S15X-D thread for starters. Lots of pictures and good discussion there. We tried to get IvanMike to turn it into a megathread, but no go.

They are fine little cabinets, albeit with limitations due to size, but if you accept the limitations for what they are, they are indeed very musical, and even powerful, cabinets, especially stacked. They are also generally an excellent bargain, especially used, and are built like tanks.

Ken misses his, don't let him kid ya.. ;)
 
#17
I found BE in 91 and was rig GAS free for a long while. I sold off my bass gear when going back to school otherwise I'd still be using that stack. In the next few years coming back to bass, I went through a bit of the newer & more buzz worthy cabs. I'm finally back to BE and have no intentions of ever leaving again... they reproduce my tone better than anything on the market and have never skipped a beat on the reliability front.
 
#18
I've got a S15-B and use it for old school sounds although it sounds good on everything. It doesn't need a tweet or horn in my opinion. Gets enough highs as it is.

Also, at 18" square and 15" deep it's very compact, yet efficient. It's between 45lbs and 50lbs and that's easy to carry. That beats the heck out of the 100lb monsters I used to haul around...barefoot...in the snow...uphill...both ways.
 
#19
I'm currently using two S12's and I'm pleased with them. At low volumes or with one cab, I want to boost the bass a bit...but once I do that, I'm golden. I don't miss the tweeter, but I haven't used tweeters for a couple of years. I've played both electric and upright through them (well, upright through 1).

To my ears, my rig sounds pretty different from some of the Epi cabs I've played through, which were "wider" and "sweeter" sounding but didn't have the same "punch" and "definition" (yes, I know how vague these terms can be...).
 
#20
Yeah, search is a wonderful thing. 100s of threads.

I've never considered them to be too big and heavy. On the contrary, I think they're really compact. They're heavy, but small. My s18bd is one of the most managable 18s on this planet, and it's good on its own!

I have pretty much every config except a 15. They are sooooo good. Some really good observations here though. They are not voiced like other bass cabs. They are much more accurate. They are the only bass cab out there that I know of designed to be studio flat.

I disagree that BE has been sitting on its laurels. The ELF system alone buys them 25 years on not having to invent anything.

But, have you tried their powered cabs? Realllly nice. And their 21" drivers sound SO SO SO big and fantastic. Laurel resting? Naw. I'm sure they'll offer some neo designs soon, but it ain't broke!
 

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