• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Bag End Club.

#1,321
So a good friend turned me on to an S12 that just showed up at the guitar center he worked at. He said it had a Genz Benz speaker in it. Looking at the back it turns out that it is a Faital GNX 12350 Which is far as I can figure out are the speakers that avatar bought after GB went defunct.

That thing sounds good! I think it actually sounds closer to an E 12 than the speakers that Bag End is using now. It has a really nice sound. Something about it isn’t quite as harsh I think I actually like it better than the stock neo Faital drivers I got for the 212
 
  • Like
Reactions: Murch, wave rider, BasturdBlaster and 1 other person
#1,323
One of the cabinets I picked up a while ago was a used S15D with an “eminence speaker” in it. It was quiet and didn’t sound awesome compared to a standard E15. But it was cheap. The driver turned out to be a C15B95. An oddball, but probably OEM for fender or similar.

Anyhow, after the success of putting neo drivers in my D12 (Bag End F12/Faital 12PR300) and S12 (Genz Benz/Faital GNX 12350) cabs, I decided to try a neo in this new to me 15. I wasn’t sure if BE was using Faital 15PR400 speakers in their new neo cabs, but it seemed likely based upon photos of the drivers in situ. It’s definitely what’s in the Mesa Subway cabs, but it’s a different box.

With nothing to lose I ordered one and threw it in yesterday & compared it to one of my cabs with the E15. Not quite the high mid bite of a Bag End E15, but certainly articulate and musical sounding. A bit smoother but not at the expense of clarity. More low end but not as tubby sounding as the Mesa 15. Maybe a couple dB quieter but only in that higher midrange.

Final assessment was a win. It sounds awesome, just a bit different, but nothing a tiny bit of EQ can’t adjust. Final cabinet weight was 34.8 lbs for the S15 compared to the 47 & 44 lbs for my two with E15 drivers.

The S12D cabinets ended up at 29 lbs with neos and the S12C cabs were substantially heavier at 33.8 & 34.2 lbs with the same Neo drivers.
 
  • Like
Reactions: wave rider, BasturdBlaster, coyoteboy and 4 others
#1,324
Achievement unlocked. 810 cabs run in fear.
9D0A7AAC-A454-417F-827B-9FF403570042.jpeg
 
  • Like
Reactions: In The Bassment, John D Harris, Riff Ranger and 19 others
#1,330
I used the S15-D and S15X-Ds for quite a number of years during and after college. I always loved their compact form, reliability, and warm sonics. When I sold my car and moved to NYC I switched to 112s almost exclusively. I've been very happy with the Trickfish 1K and TF112s but I have always been wanting to try some powered cabs, mainly for larger venues and outdoor festivals. I came across a local seller offloading his big powered Bag End rig consisting of the PQ10BX-N and IPS18E-N. I'm going to go check it out on Wednesday. Does anyone have impressions on these cabs?

I've gotten very used to the round and punchy voicing of the TF112s and I'm very interested to see how the 410/118 combo will sound with my basses. I'll be taking my Noble tube pre as a demo front end but if I pull the trigger I'll also be pairing them with the Millennia TD-1 and Acme MTP-66.
 
  • Like
Reactions: BasturdBlaster, wave rider and Murch
#1,331
Brad Maestas said:
I used the S15-D and S15X-Ds for quite a number of years during and after college. I always loved their compact form, reliability, and warm sonics. When I sold my car and moved to NYC I switched to 112s almost exclusively. I've been very happy with the Trickfish 1K and TF112s but I have always been wanting to try some powered cabs, mainly for larger venues and outdoor festivals. I came across a local seller offloading his big powered Bag End rig consisting of the PQ10BX-N and IPS18E-N. I'm going to go check it out on Wednesday. Does anyone have impressions on these cabs?

I've gotten very used to the round and punchy voicing of the TF112s and I'm very interested to see how the 410/118 combo will sound with my basses. I'll be taking my Noble tube pre as a demo front end but if I pull the trigger I'll also be pairing them with the Millennia TD-1 and Acme MTP-66.
Click to expand...

first of all, that sounds like an insane rig. Noble or millennia into a powered BE 410 and 18. Heck yes.

in my experience with the trickfish 1k and 112, which is warm, punchy and relatively neutral, I’d expect the BE setup to be quite a bit wider, deeper and extended on the top. Whether it’s still punchy in the same way will be interesting to see. I think of the BE voicing as much more hifi and extended in all directions with leaner mids out the gate, but they certainly take eq well enough. If the noble doesn’t allow you to push the mids appropriately, the parametric on the TD1 surely will. I would love to blast through that rig!!
 
  • Like
Reactions: peterpalmieri, Brad Maestas, BasturdBlaster and 1 other person
#1,332
It was kind of hard to properly demo where the seller had them set up, at the open end of his garage facing out, nearly free field. But he is moving and had a bunch of stuff in there so I couldn't really move it around. I was able to get some good impressions though and I ended up buying them. I went straight to a rehearsal after that, in a proper indoor space and I was very impressed.

I think you're exactly right on the voicing. This BE rig is very hi-fi and well extended on both the bottom and the top. I don't usually like much sizzle up there but the horn (and crossover) in the 410 is stellar because I don't sense any harshness, just presence and bit of air. The Noble has spare EQ with no mids but I either set it flat or had the highs boosted ever so slightly and it was quite punchy and potent when it needed to be. Midrange resolution and rubberiness (think Steve Swallow) was excellent and once I dialed in my Sadowsky NYC 24-5 PJ either flat or slightly towards the bridge, I was in heaven.

Now that I have it home I am very much looking forward to comparing it side-by-side with the setup I've been using for quite a while now, the Trickfish BH1K and 112/112 or 408/112 cabinet combos.

Pics at rehearsal
IMG_2612-1.jpg


IMG_2620-2.jpg
 
  • Like
Reactions: In The Bassment, mindwell, Riff Ranger and 11 others
#1,333
Hello Bag End lovers!

Just checking: No one around the Southeast U.S. is trying to get rid of two matching S15's, or S15+S12, right? :) Could even do with one S12 or S15 for now, as long as they're in good condition.

I've got a big tour coming up in a couple weeks and am becoming desperate to find a decent sounding rig for it, and I really miss my old 2x S15's... If anyone happens to be looking to let one or two of theirs go, I'm in Georgia and willing to drive, or possibly pay shipping if it comes to that.

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but figured I'd go ahead and shoot my shot.
Thanks for reading
- zzzzzz
 
  • Like
Reactions: markwrob
#1,334
LushPuppy said:
Hello Bag End lovers!

Just checking: No one around the Southeast U.S. is trying to get rid of two matching S15's, or S15+S12, right? :) Could even do with one S12 or S15 for now, as long as they're in good condition.

I've got a big tour coming up in a couple weeks and am becoming desperate to find a decent sounding rig for it, and I really miss my old 2x S15's... If anyone happens to be looking to let one or two of theirs go, I'm in Georgia and willing to drive, or possibly pay shipping if it comes to that.

Not sure if this is the place to ask, but figured I'd go ahead and shoot my shot.
Thanks for reading
- zzzzzz
Click to expand...
I hear ya, zzzzzz. May I suggest checking CL and casting the search parameters wide. There are a few that show up in TN, FL, TX and GA. Not all the time though. Go to each major city and then check all the surrounding area boxes for the search. Good luck! I only have 1, S10X myself.
 
  • Like
Reactions: zzzzzz
#1,335
markwrob said:
I hear ya, zzzzzz. May I suggest checking CL and casting the search parameters wide. There are a few that show up in TN, FL, TX and GA. Not all the time though. Go to each major city and then check all the surrounding area boxes for the search. Good luck! I only have 1, S10X myself.
Click to expand...
I just checked about 8 cities in the SE. Boy its dry out there. One PQ10X in FL and a Big Ben in Carolina(?) Sorry.
ETA: one S15 in Wichita. That's getting to be way too long a haul.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: zzzzzz
#1,338
LushPuppy said:
Wow, thanks for all the research, markwrob! I think Pennsylvania is a bit too far but we'll see, I may be crazy enough to drive the 10 hours there and back if I don't find some in the next week or so, ha.
Click to expand...
Sure! Take the best driver in your entourage :cool: along with and dont forget to get some scrapple while you're there! The second stack sounds exactly like what you're seeking. Best of luck
 
#1,339
I might have to get in on the Bag End action. As memory serves the old deep red cabs got along well with the GK 800RBs and their boost knobs back in the day, so I presume the coaxial speakers can handle at least a little overdrive, but will gnarlier distortion toast the high frequency compression drivers in the old deep red S15X-D cabs? I generally play with noticeable grit but occasionally go full Lemmy. I do typically run an LPF at 4–5khz anyway, if that matters.

(I did try searching for an answer and didn’t find much; please feel free to point me toward any existing threads or comments on the matter, with my thanks.)
 
  • Like
Reactions: Murch

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back