So I've been following the Bergantino threads with great interest- I've been gigging the HD 410 for a few years now- absolutely fantastic cab but the schlep has been killing me. Been looking for months to replace but couldn't decide- then came the threads about the new CN line- sounded PERFECT!! I have three gigs this weekend so this morning I jumped on-line and saw that Gelb Music (one hour away) had the new line- off I went to buy myself a CN 212.
So I get there and start off with the CN212- man, what a great sounding cabinet. I've never played Neos before though so I think to myself- right next to it is the HD410 which I am very familiar with- let's AB the two and see what's what and get a frame of reference. Should have never done that
For my taste it was instantly apparent the major differences between the ceramic and neos, especially once I AB'd it to an HD212. The CN sounded great- very articulate, great low end although it came across a bit pillowy compared to the ceramics- for a lack of a better term the ceramics had a donkey punch to them that the CNs don't have (this particular cab has many hours of play on it- well broken in).
But- the reason I was there was to get something easy to move- I've got some impending hip surgeries on the horizon and 90lbs of HD 410 needs to stop. So I start playing the CN212 again- digging it but can't get the HD tone out of my head. Oh wait- what's that little bugger over there?? Oh, its an HD 112. Let's give it a whirl. And we have a winner. Times 2. I a/bd the HD112 vs the CN212 for a good half an hour- realized that one HD can handle about 30% of my gigs and am fairly sure that 2 of them stacked should handle all but the largest gigs (of which I can drag my 810 fridge).
I gotta tell ya- I went there to buy the CN line, and although I would rave about it on it's own, for my tonal preferences it doesn't stand up to the HD line. So I figure I split the difference- two smaller, easy to move boxes, and for my tonal goals a better match. I'll know more after the next few days of gigs- proof is always in the pudding. I'll report back if anyone is interested. I'll be using my Ampeg 7 Pro and Fender Jazz and P basses. No pedals. For reference my playing style is pocket player, 95% fingers, no effects- I play everything from Americana, old school country, blues, rock, reggae, swing, etc. I dig a thick, clean, warm tone- I drive my tubes a bit but don't go for total breakup. I play in three bands- an Americana/roots rock/country band with drums, electric guitar, lap steel, pedal steel, mandolin, and acoustic guitar plus three vox, and two party style pro cover bands covering everything from Sublime, to the Meters, The Stones, Greenday, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard etc....
Cheers-
So I get there and start off with the CN212- man, what a great sounding cabinet. I've never played Neos before though so I think to myself- right next to it is the HD410 which I am very familiar with- let's AB the two and see what's what and get a frame of reference. Should have never done that
For my taste it was instantly apparent the major differences between the ceramic and neos, especially once I AB'd it to an HD212. The CN sounded great- very articulate, great low end although it came across a bit pillowy compared to the ceramics- for a lack of a better term the ceramics had a donkey punch to them that the CNs don't have (this particular cab has many hours of play on it- well broken in). But- the reason I was there was to get something easy to move- I've got some impending hip surgeries on the horizon and 90lbs of HD 410 needs to stop. So I start playing the CN212 again- digging it but can't get the HD tone out of my head. Oh wait- what's that little bugger over there?? Oh, its an HD 112. Let's give it a whirl. And we have a winner. Times 2. I a/bd the HD112 vs the CN212 for a good half an hour- realized that one HD can handle about 30% of my gigs and am fairly sure that 2 of them stacked should handle all but the largest gigs (of which I can drag my 810 fridge).
I gotta tell ya- I went there to buy the CN line, and although I would rave about it on it's own, for my tonal preferences it doesn't stand up to the HD line. So I figure I split the difference- two smaller, easy to move boxes, and for my tonal goals a better match. I'll know more after the next few days of gigs- proof is always in the pudding. I'll report back if anyone is interested. I'll be using my Ampeg 7 Pro and Fender Jazz and P basses. No pedals. For reference my playing style is pocket player, 95% fingers, no effects- I play everything from Americana, old school country, blues, rock, reggae, swing, etc. I dig a thick, clean, warm tone- I drive my tubes a bit but don't go for total breakup. I play in three bands- an Americana/roots rock/country band with drums, electric guitar, lap steel, pedal steel, mandolin, and acoustic guitar plus three vox, and two party style pro cover bands covering everything from Sublime, to the Meters, The Stones, Greenday, Elvis, Johnny Cash, Merle Haggard etc....
Cheers-
