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Bass Cabinet Setup

I'm looking for a bass Cabinet setup that is going to be loud, clear, booming, defined, and massive. i have seen alot of people just using a 8x10 stack or one 4x10 and one 1x18 together, or a 2x10 and a 1x15. pretty much i am just trying to figure out what set up is good for what? what frequencies they cover? how loud they are? which one are more defined? will you get too "muddy" of a sound using 18" drivers? or does it really matter at all?
 
Others will chime in, but I say go with all 10s. If you like back pain then get an 810...I'd reccomend a pair of 410s if you want a big rig, but a pair of 210s or a single 410 will still push enough air for most gigs.

What head are you using/looking to buy?

What's your budget?
 
i personally dont think you are going to get any big massive sound from an 8x10 unless your 2 feet away from the cabinet. the 18"s that have the slow muddy reputation is mainly because they used to make the cone so heavy to handle the stress, it was sluggish. nowadays cone materials are stronger and lighter. note- any cabinet with a port or vent has poor transient response compared to a sealed cab. so they automatically dont sound as tight. ( but they are not as loud as a ported cab, so its a tradeoff.) i use evx 180 18 inch speakers in sealed cabs. slow? well we just recorded a record and the producer johnny k (mainly known for producing disturbed) preferred the mids from the 18" over the svt cab. we used the treble from the 10" though. a real "svt" bass rig consists of two 8x10 cabs. look at the old advertising. the guys with one svt cab are half steppin it. 2 svt cabs at a bar gig with 300-600 people is darn respectable. the difference between 1 and two cabs is not twice as loud. it almost seems to be 3 times as loud. im not knocking anyones killer 4x10 rig, but you asked for massive , booming , and defined. if i had to make a new bar rig, it would be 2x18, 2x10, and a jbl horn. and yes it will destroy an svt cab in fidelity and massiveness and tone, and dispersion. side by side the svt sounds kinda like a toy, it dies off sharply below 80 hz. the 2x18 is flat to below 30hz. the 30-63 hz region is where the massiveness comes in, the stuff you feel but dont hear. unfortunatly its expensive to have it made. johnny a. staind.
 
Personally when I play gigs, 410 cabs are the way to go. They don't absolutely murder your back toting them around and they really give you plenty of punch for most gigs, and if you need more they are plenty for you on stage then you can run a DI.

The only alternative I have been considering myself is a TE 1015 cab. I have played through one a few times and I absolutely love it. It has a 15, 2 10's, and a horn. I don't know how people here feel about em, but I have enjoyed most TE cabs.
 
This cab will do everything described in the OP:


IMAG0126.jpg
 
This cab will do everything described in the OP:


IMAG0126.jpg

Including breaking your back ;)

Try out a bunch of cabs and see what you like. I also recommend doing some research and paying attention to potential choices' efficiency ratings. All other things being equal (which, of course, they never are) 2x power, 2x speaker surface area, or +3dB cabinet efficiency will all get you the sameincrease in volume.
 
I use 3 cabinets (total of 4 speakers) of all 12's and I run my rig at 2.6 Ohms. I get huge big tone that I love. However, some bassists that have used my rig think I have it set to muddy and not enough high end. They are right, I have my 2 horns turned almost off and the 80Hz boosted through my parametric.