Bergantino Cabs

I played a gig about amonth ago where a I had to play ot of another guys rig. He had an Ashdown 500 watt head and a 60's SVT head and HHB Compressor split into a Bergatino 2-12 and a Bergantino 3-10. All I can say is awesome. The amps were a little dirtier than i'm used to(sm400-s).But man, those cabs pushed a lot of air. Really nice lows , mids really cut through and highs were less harsh than SWR cabs.

 

I don't mean to rain on anyone's parade here, but play through the cabs first!

Now that I'm past that, I will say that I have heard some pretty positive things about the Bergs. You may need more money to pay for the power needed to drive them, but it's hard to find a better value than Acme cabinets, IMHO.

 

Much easier said than done, Danny. Bergantino cabs are not available in probably 90% of anyone's area. You'd have to try while buying.

From where I am near DC, I can either go 200+ miles to Virginia Beach, VA or 200+ miles to NYC or 200+ miles to Scranton, PA. 120 miles to Camden, DE is starting to look good

 

I got my Berg 210 Cab with tweeter yesterday and it sounds awesome paired with a deep back Bag End 15", but yes, I was lucky enough to get to try a few of them first..

I orginally wanted a Bag End, but also wanted an 8 Ohm cab which BE doesn't make (std) in a 210. I ordered mine from a East Coast Dealer and it was drop shipped directly from Bergantino. It cost only a little bit more than a new Bag End D10BX.

Call some of the dealers on the Bergantino website...their prices vary a LOT and maybe they have trial periods.

Good luck!

 

You got that right, Brad. Out of 8 cabs I would like to try out only ! 2 ! are available for testing in Atlanta. The rest are 4-8 hours away.

 

I played through a Bergantino 3x10 and a Bergantino 2x12, side-by-side-by side with an Eden 4x10, which is what I own, so I could compare and contrast. I liked the 2x12 better than the 3x10, and I liked the Eden better than both of them. The Bergantino was a little tighter in the low end, but it didn't have as much balls, IMHO. This was with a Mesa Boogie 400+ head, by the way.

 

Sorry, Ricardo - forgot to mention where you can check the Bergs out. A shop up here in Dallas called Larry Morgan Music carries Bergs and other high-end basses and amps. Check out their website: www.larrymorganmusic.com

Traveling from Waco up to Dallas is a pain, but I am going to travel down to Austin to check something out!

*Elmer Fudd whisper on*
Be vewy, vewy quiet. I can't say what it is, because someone might beat me to it...
*Elmer Fudd whisper off*

Hope this helps

 

I've played the 3x10, 2x10, 1x15, and the 1x12 (by itself and two of them together).

In order of my subjective preference:

3x10 -- all around fav
1x15
two 1x12s
2x10
1x12

That said, the Bergantino 3x10 was simply the best bass sound I've ever heard in my life: played with a standard Fender Jazz Bass and through an SWR Bass 750 amp. It had a fullness through every register of the bass and range of sound--that's the best I can describe it. Not necessarily "flat" or "hi-fi" but simply a full sound through the lows, low mids, mids, high mids, etc... I loved it.

Compared DIRECTLY next to an Eden D-410XLT through the same amp and bass, the Bergantino had fuller low end while the Eden seemed to have a pronounced grunt in the low mids. I've always liked the sounds of the 410XLT, and had never really paid much heed to people who say they don't like Edens due to their pronounced mids, but this was the first time I heard it, and next to the Bergantino, the Eden sounded downright honky.

Of course, I currently have an Ashdown combo amp, and even if I sold it and got every dime I've spent on it back, I'd still be about $100 short of hte Bergantino 3x10. Then I'd have to buy a head!

Best,
Ryan

 

come on guys.

Let's face it. There's nothing that different here. Bergantino is not coming to us with some new radical design or that much better a mid/hi horn than anyone else. It's a little tweak here ... a little hype there...a little ego here. If you like 'em and you can afford 'em, buy 'em. I played through EA cabinets before I bought them. I new what I was getting.....a small cabinet that needs a lot of power to push 'em, that sounds great....to me, my bandmates, and the people I know who have come to hear us play, along with the minidisk recording we've done live. Still doesn't make it right for you. I have not heard any comments on any boards about how Bergantino's or any other make "blows away" the competition. Doesn't make 'em bad. Doesn't make 'em better. Doesn't make 'em anything except expensive!!

Is there any real justification why they're and Epifani's are retailing and selling for double Aguilar or Edens or Acme's? Component wise and/or complexity of construction, Acme and EA have just as much if not more going than anyone else, but again I've argued this point several times on this site,

With all cab/amp/axe combinations, beauty is in the ears of the player, his bandmates, and his audience. The supposed "high end" speaker cabs will not make a bit of difference to 99% of your audience, may make a difference to your friends that come hear you, a probably will make some difference, compared to a Crate or Fender cabinet but not compared to one another to the bands you play with every gig. My changing to EA's from SWR did exactly that. My back noticed more than most. I sounded "good" to them before, and still do, but now I don't break my body to do so.

Thanks for listening.

LKaye
"old man"

 

I agree, Larry. I've tried the Berg's and heard nothing special. They were ok but a little muffled sounding. They sounded sort of like they had a blanket on them.

 

Isn't it great that we all hear things differently? That's what keeps all these bass companies in business.

I was able to test out the 3x10 and the 2x12 Bergs at Bass Northwest. I was playing a Modulus J-type 5 string through an Eden WT-800. I compared the Bergs to the Eden 410xlt, Aguilar GS410, Epifani 3x10 and the Bag End Q10BX-D.

I found the same thing that Ryan stated. The Berg 3x10 was by far the fullest sounding cab. Fat tight lows that thundered. I really thought that they captured more of the old school tone than the modern tone of the Epifani/EA cabs. I found the 2x12 a little on the bottom heavy side. I prefer my Bag End 2x12 over the Berg. I would buy a Bergantino 4x10 in a heartbeat, if they made one in an 8 ohm configuration.

The closest cab I've found to the Berg 3x10 is the Aguilar GS410. Not as clear sounding but definately strong on the low register. I've been told that Jim Bergantino designed the Aguilar speakers. But that might be urban legand.

I do agree with Larry that the price does seem a bit too steep when you can get other top line speakers for about 30% less.

 

You're unique!! You're one of the first people to agree with anything I've said (preached!).

I've not been one who has felt over the years that I've gotten some great bargains. Barely used new at an additional 20-40% off getting exactly what you want has not come my way in my bass playing life more than a couple of times!!

My EA cabinets, in spite of the extra labor to assembly a transmission line cabinet (per article in bass player a couple of issues back) are still VERY expensive for what you get: 2 8" speakers, 2 5" speakers, 1 tweeeter, cross over, attentuation for 2, a $2 grill, $10 of lumber and glue, if you know what I mean.

I'm paying for weight/portability vs sound. You definitely aren't doing that with almost any of the SWR's, Edens, Bergs, Epif's, Acme's, Ag's etc, except for their 110 or 112 type models. Now you're back in my EA territory. The Ag 112 is $349. I haven't seen the Berg for less than $500+. Come on guys. 66% more? Epifani - 75% more. It might be the absolute greatest 112 cabinet EVER, but again only the absolute smallest minority of people will notice the difference in sound between the Ag, Epif, and Berg 112. That's not to say that there very well might be a big difference in their sounds to a specific set of ears.

Buy what you like, pay what you want, but I'm going to absolutely look at every possibility I can to spend tons less, but, will spend what I have to get the sound I want.

I hope everyone buys American!!


LKaye

 

I hope you mean, buy national.
Not everyone here is from the U.S., and I won't buy any of those cabs when I can get a Glockenklang, S.A.D., Hevos or Tech Soundsystems cab for the same price or even less.

 

I realize this is a global site. Therefore I apologize if I was not politically correct in encouraging readers to buy USA products.

My more sensitive political stance is that everyone should consider supporting your own national brands too, but if you want to buy a Lakland or Sadowski because it's what you like or want, none of us Yankee dogs will be upset, just as you wouldn't if we decided to buy a Beemer or a Benz. I bought a Chrysler 300M. Chrysler is owned by Mercedes. I'll have to live with that!!

Go glocks.

 

No apology necessary...

But honestly, I've yet to see a cab that beats a Glock.

 

Ears of the beholder. Let's be politically and musically correct now!!

 

Ok, you got me there

 

With all due respect, JMX. I have yet to find a cab that costs more than a Glockenklang, too.

When I was at BassNW I purposely avoided playing through the Glocks and the Wayne Jones. My level of bass playing most does not warrent a cab of that level of cost. But yet I had no problem saving my pennies to get my Sadowsky. I feel that my level of bass playing most certainly warrents a bass that plays easier than any other bass I've played.

I have played through an EA 2x8 and instantly said to myself that this would be the cab if I were playing a upright bass. It was so clean and big sounding. But I was comparing it to a Bag End 2x10, which I purchased that day because it was a $100 cheaper and had the tone that I was looking for. It has colorations that I found appealing. I am still very thrilled by this cab and it is not a whole lot heavier or bigger than the EA.

In comparing all these cabs I have to agree that there is VERY LITTLE DIFFERENCE between them. It is not night and day. I just sold my Eden cabs to one of our fellow Talkbass buddies and he wrote me back and said that he was impressed how little difference there was between the Edens and his Carvins. At first I was a bit surprised but then I remembered that day at BassNW when I got to compare all those cabs.

Yes, I also find it difficult to accept that a cab should cost more than a $1000. But there is one important thing that any piece of equipment may do for us bass players is that if we think that it sounds good it will certainly inspire us to play better and enjoy it more. (sorry for the run on sentence).

 

Well that's what import can do to you...

A Glockenklang Take Five is actually cheaper than an Eden 410 XLT over here in Germany.

You don't want to know what a Bag End or sth. similar costs over here.