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Best cab(s) for GB Streamliner 900

S

StickBass

May 27, 2011
48
0
#1
Viva the lightweight revolution! Gotta love a 900W tube amp that weighs 6.5 lbs! Now I'm looking for the ideal cab(s) to go with my awesome new Genz STM 900. I'm at the gear paradigm crossroads. I play primarily rock of different flavors, fingerstyle and pick with occasional slapping. The main reason I chose the STM over comparable featherweight amps like the TC RH450 is the girth of the sound and the ability to drive the tubes to overdrive. I use quite a bit of drive in my sound at times, to the point of "full face melt," as Ed Friedland put it in his review of the STM 900. I like a pronounced upper-mid grind and some aggressiveness in the highs. But I also like to be able to tame it down to flattish hi-fi tones. I play active 5-string basses with pretty hot output. I have to compete with loud guitarists using Mesa Boogie and Peavey 5150 amps, and loud drummers.

My other criterion is weight. I'm not into the 100 lb 4x10's anymore. Just sold my Eden D410XLT. I want a loud, lightweight cab that can grind. A one-cab solution would be awesome, but a modular rig that would be scalable for different sized gigs would also be great. I already have an 8 ohm Avatar 1x15 neo with tweet (which i turn off because it's crap with overdrive). It's nice and lightweight, but I'm not sure the 15" sound on its own is right for me. I might keep it and add a 2x10, or if I find the right one-cab solution, I'd get rid of the Avatar.

Right now my candidates for the one-cab concept include the Epifani UL-310, Schroeder 21012, Accugroove Whappo Jr. I'm not really looking for a polite upper-mid and high. I see a UL-310 on Ebay for about $550, and that seems like a great deal if it's the right cab for me. My concern is that it might not be loud enough at a loud outdoor gig--I've heard the low B can fart out on the 310 if you push it very hard.

Another option is to go with 2x210's, or a 210 & 212. I've been hearing good things about the TC Electronic RS210 & 212, and they're lightweight, inexpensive and stackable. But I also hear the 210 is pretty polite on the top end. And some say when stacking cabs it's important to stick with the same size driver--i.e., 2x210, or 2x212--rather than mix driver sizes. What about a lightweight 4x10, like a Schroeder 410L?

What do y'all think? :confused: Any input is appreciated.
 
#4
I have the Genz Benz GBE1200. I might migrate to the line of Genz benz cabs they all look great. I am sure others here would agree. The XB2 series seems to match up with your streamliner. I say call them up and you'll get the correct information. Good luck :cool:
 
#6
I spent some time last night researching the Epi cabs, and I think I'm NOT gonna buy that UL-310 that's coming up today. It sounds like it's not quite enough cab to be a one-cab solution for every gig, and with the oddball 5.3 ohm impedance, you can't pair it with anything else. I might still consider a UL-410 if one comes around at a decent price, but the "scooped mids" that people describe in the Series I Epi UL's doesn't sound right for me, so I'd prolly hold out for a Series II. But it sounds to me like Berg or Schroeder would be more my thing.

I'm starting to gas for the Schroeder cabs, especially their one-cab solutions like the 21012, or the 101215. That 21012 looks like 1,000W of love at 48 lbs. My whole rig would be 54.5 lbs!! That's what I'm talkin' about. Does anyone have any experience with those and an STM 900? Tell me again why one shouldn't combine different sizes of speakers?? Some say it should be all 10's, all 12's, or all 15's.

One thing I forgot to mention in my original post is that I also play the Chapman Stick. So I need a full-range cab solution, preferably one that involves 10's or smaller to cover the high end of the Stick's range. I tend to play the Stick in mostly a bass role, or "bass-plus," like Tony Levin. Many in the Stick community go for flat, hi-fi, full-range, PA-type rigs, and the Phil Jones Bass gear is especially popular--many of them buy into PJB's theory of many smaller drivers instead of a few larger ones. I've only heard the small PJB combos like the Briefcase, and I was impressed with the efficiency. I think they may be onto something there, but I'd need a lot more volume than a tiny combo like that can provide. Has anyone here had any experience with their bigger cabs, like the SixPack, 6B TravelBass, 4B, etc? They're pretty spendy new, and hard to find used, but they look really promising. And no bullet compression tweeters!

On the other hand, those Genz Benz cabs do look good. Waleross, what IYO makes the XB2 a good match for the Streamliner, as opposed to say the XB3 (lighter weight at 53 lbs) or the Uber (even lighter at 50) or even the Shuttle extension cab (37 lbs, and no tweeter)? I was actually looking at that extension cab as a good option.

What say y'all?
 
#7
and second the Berg AE210 with the 900. I gigged one last night playing R&B outdoors on a tennis court with minimal PA support - warmth, clarity and massive headroom. I could see adding a second AE210 or buying an AE410 for the very largest stuff, but I must admit that my years-long gear search is pretty much done now.
 
#8
babebambi said:
AE410

btw the 900 is a hybrid amp with tube pre
Click to expand...

Thanks, I'm starting to narrow it down. I live where it's not very likely I'll be able to play any of my top cab alternatives; I might have to take it on faith, and the strength of my research. Berg and Schroe are starting to emerge from the pack, with GB coming in at #3. Berg and Schroe are a bit scarce on the used market, so I may have to be patient.

In the meantime, I fired up my Stick through the 900 and the Avatar 1x15 for the first time, and boy freakin' howdy!! For small to medium gigs I think that's gonna be okay for now. I sum the Stick's two sides with a small Behringer Eurorack mixer, which I'm running into the input jack on the 900. The headroom is ridonculous!! I had to turn the 900's pre volume down to 9:00, with the gain switch off and gain knob also at 9:00, and set the master volume at about 8:00--and my daughter complained it was too loud for her to concentrate on her homework two rooms away! I had to reduce the mixer's master volume to 9:00 (where noon is zero and dimed is +15). The Villex pickups, combined with the extra gain stage of the mixer (which I think has a 12AX7 in it) is giving me silly amounts of headroom at 8 ohms. I didn't even have the tweeter on, and I could probably roll it up a bit with the normally clean tone I get with the Stick... If I open this thing up to a 4 ohm load with another cab, I might not want to stand in front of it! :D :cool:

But my question still remains: Single-cab solution ala Schroed 21012 etc and sell the Avatar, or add a 2x10 to the Av 1x15 and go modular? I do like the idea of schlepping just one cab in all situations. And the headroom from one cab sounds pretty good so far. (I haven't had it in a full band situation yet though.) More food for thought.

Yes, of course you're right the 900 is a hybrid, but it's a different beast than most other hybrids out there. Much "tubier" tone, IMHO. The overdrive-ability really sets it apart. With the 6-stage, 3-tube, Class A pre, it seems to me the SMPS power amp comes into play mostly with the master volume knob. Interesting interaction between that and the preamp volume knob. A hot input from the instrument can really juice up those tubes!

I might have to play with running my bass through the Behringer into the 900 as well, bringing the Behringer's level back up to zero and dropping the channel levels. I could heat up the level from the bass cleanly, driving the 900's input harder for even better overdrive... hmmmm... I hope I'm not in danger of having too many gain stages! hahaha

Thoughts? :help: :)
 
#10
wateroftyne said:
I use a pair of Berg HS210s.

It's like an alignment of the planets, or something... perfect. The Streamliner is so punchy I just use one cab for most gigs these days - I used to take two by default.
Click to expand...

I've been using the same thing. Usually just one cab on a stand for monitoring purposes, but sometimes I like the vertical stack arrangement for larger gigs. I'm actually picking up my seconds HS210 here in just a few minutes. Lovin' it!
 
#12
Thanks, Longhorn, I'd be very interested in that. I've been using my old Avatar neo 1x15, and I recently got a Schroeder 210 PL. The Schro on its own won't hang with my Warwick FNA's B-string, though the problem may lie more with the bass than the cab. And the Av on its own doesn't have that trebly grind I like. Together they sound great, and that also allows me to use the Schro's tweeter, which sounds quite good even with overdrive (but only when I use both cabs).

Since I got the Schro the trouble I've been having is that on stage (even with both cabs) it sounds trebly, so I tend to bring the bass up to about 12:00, but then out in the house it's super boomy. I still haven't completely dialed my live tone yet. I've only used this rig in medium sized clubs so far. Got another gig tomorrow, and I'm gonna bring my old wireless so I can get out in the house and check out how it sounds out there. I'll prolly end up cutting the bass to about 9:00 - 10:00. I might also try setting the mids at 200 and cutting some there, since I'm thinking it might be the lo-mids causing the problem, not the bass. I get no PA support. My friends tell me my bass is cutting through fine in the house, plenty loud, articulate and punchy, but also boomy and bottomy. I think it's that the Schro really blooms at greater distances from the cab. The notes have a lot of impact through that cab.

Let me know how that XB2 works with the 900.
 
#15
I just started playing the Streamliner 900 with any combination of cabs that I own (Mesa Boogie 115 Diesel, Avatar B210 Neo, and just recently added the Avatar b410 Neo). All have there flavors with that head (a testiment to how great it really is), but I find the Avatar B410 is the best for my style. I don't play a stick, but your tone goals and gigging style seems to fit with mine. As for the $$, I think you'll be hard pressed to beat the Avatars. I got my 410 on their overstock site (I hear Neos are going up in price soon). Good luck with what you end up choosing.
 
#16
Two Berg AE210’s. One for small gigs, two for big gigs. Big price though. Looks like many suppliers are sold out! Too bad, sweet cabs.

If not available or costs too much, consider a pair of Avatar B210’s. Nice cabs.
 
#18
StickBass said:
Stonetazz, what style(s) do you play? Are you going for a bright trebly tone, or a beefy bottom end thing? Overdrive?
Click to expand...

I play mainly Texas Country/southern rock, and it works well for it. I like to play with a slightly overdriven beefy tone. The Bag End stack sounds natural to me and does not seem to color the sound in anyway. Just what I like.
 
#19
I use a Avatar TB153, 4ohm or GB Neox 212T with my 900. Either one works great. Good thing you did not choose the UL310 untried first. I have tried to use my 900 with single UL410 and it was all boom in the room. The P5 w/flats prolly did not help.

Later I did use the 900 with two UL410's but with my active 55-02D in a new country gig. That worked real nice. Just that I don't care to be luggin two large cabs around, esp in this heat we're having. So I mostly use a single cab with any amp right now, I get no PA support.

But the UL410 cab(s) work great with my Markbass heads, LMII or F1, so I keep them around. My two TC RS210's stacked vert work with most any of my heads very well.

Though I do think we are going for a different tone goal. I play new country in one band and blues/rock/R&B/Soul in 3 other bands. :bassist:
 

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