Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia

[Ewo]

What are some of the more proven amps with the 112? I'm thinking about a Reiner VHF700 but wanted to compare to other ideas.

As always, depends on one's personal tone goals...

I'm getting compliments (BL, musos who come to hear us, music-savvy fans) on my Sadowsky Will Lee 5 (with singles) into a Mesa D-800. The voicing control on the Mesa works great with the cab's even mid response.

(Boutique amps are out of my price range. Of the mass production amps I've used with the 112, I like the Mesa best.)

 

[Coolhandjjl]

What are some of the more proven amps with the 112? I'm thinking about a Reiner VHF700 but wanted to compare to other ideas.

Demeter VTBP-M800-D
But JGR makes top flight stuff. Hard to beat.

 

[Gab124]

As always, depends on one's personal tone goals...

I'm getting compliments (BL, musos who come to hear us, music-savvy fans) on my Sadowsky Will Lee 5 (with singles) into a Mesa D-800. The voicing control on the Mesa works great with the cab's even mid response.

(Boutique amps are out of my price range. Of the mass production amps I've used with the 112, I like the Mesa best.)

Demeter VTBP-M800-D
But JGR makes top flight stuff. Hard to beat.

I have been looking at the Mesa, and have always been interested in the Demeter stuff. Thanks!

 

[MrBEAR]

Don't discount the Warwick LWA 1000.

I did a quick hitter, last minute sub call, last year.
Took one MAS-112 and the LWA.
Very pleased, as was their drummer.

Yes you have to engage the compressor if you need volume but it sounds very nice and plays well with the Big E technology.

Priced in the Mesa Subway ballpark.

 

[Wild Rice Chris]

From what I've owned/used with the 112, I like the Mesa D-800 best. My blonde Bassman sounds great when set right with vintage styled for strings, but doesn't have the support for low B. I like the Tecamp Puma 900 a little more with the 109. Mike's 2DI4 is incredible, and I'd say it's game over when the full amp comes out.

 

[Gab124]

From what I've owned/used with the 112, I like the Mesa D-800 best. My blonde Bassman sounds great when set right with vintage styled for strings, but doesn't have the support for low B. I like the Tecamp Puma 900 a little more with the 109. Mike's 2DI4 is incredible, and I'd say it's game over when the full amp comes out.

Yeah - Mikes amp makes my head spin when I look at the faceplate and dials, and then over to the price tag . It is 5-6 bills higher than the VHF700 I am also considering. To be honest the gear whore in me wants the boutique stuff and the quality that comes with them, but the gigs I actually do are more in line with mass market gear and price range - there are still some astounding things on the market in the sub K price range though.

I really need to look at that Mesa more though, keep hearing really good things about it.

 

[Gab124]

Don't discount the Warwick LWA 1000.

I did a quick hitter, last minute sub call, last year.
Took one MAS-112 and the LWA.
Very pleased, as was their drummer.

Yes you have to engage the compressor if you need volume but it sounds very nice and plays well with the Big E technology.

Priced in the Mesa Subway ballpark.

I read about the LWA last night some - I will admit I was put off by the compressor thing - I usually don't like to use them unless absolutely necessary. But/would you say it is fairly transparent?

 

[MrBEAR]

I read about the LWA last night some - I will admit I was put off by the compressor thing - I usually don't like to use them unless absolutely necessary. But/would you say it is fairly transparent?

Unless you are really trying to pour on the coals yes it is fairly transparent. I have a light touch on the strings and it takes some serious digging in or spankings to notice a tonal compression change. Most players wouldn't even blink hearing one in a live band let alone out front.

I'd love to try it next to the D800.

Two channels, yes you can engage both at the same time, makes fretted/fretless gigs easy peasy.

 

[5StringPocket]

New MAS112 arrived! I agree with MarkA that the eminence driver sounds thicker than the 18sound. Mike added an option for a bit hotter mids on mine, and it is exactly what I was hoping for. Just a fantastic Cab. My Muck through the Reidmar 750 sings!

Nice score. Mike has done a series of tweaks and refinements with the MAS-112 and with the new Eminence driver and mid options seems to have really dialed this cab in. Kudos.

 

[mntngrown]

Don't own one, have not tried one, but some good reports for the affordable Peavey miniMega on threads where people who own the Mesa and others also call it a winner. Under 500 bucks on Amazon.

 

[Gab124]

Don't own one, have not tried one, but some good reports for the affordable Peavey miniMega on threads where people who own the Mesa and others also call it a winner. Under 500 bucks on Amazon.

I went back and read some of the Peavey thread - I originally wanted a mM but it took forever and I eventually forgot about it, though it really is getting some good reviews along with the MESA. I can say that my DB751 does not sound good through it, at least without the empress pareq - it really is lacking somehow and sounds muffled. That head Matches amazingly well with all my other cabs so no worry there. Right now my PF800 sounds very good through it. Anyone heard the Peavey mM through a mas?

 

[mntngrown]

If you ever see a Kustom KXB 500 go up for sale on the classifieds here, by someone not trying to strike it rich because they are out of production, snag it. MarkA who has a very discerning ear and a few MAS cabs, likes how the KXB plays with MAS. I love mine through the 46. Still not right on point for you but trying to help anyway.

 

[kesslari]

Did they discontinue the KXB 500? Dang, from what I'd read here you'd think it was the Second Coming at half price or less! :-(

 

[mntngrown]

Yeah, a lot of people over in that thread said the company should be payin attention to little ol Talkbass, and start makin em again.

 

[coyoteboy]

First gig with the latest powered pedalboard using an undermounted Stewart PA100B bridged into the MA109. Sounded really great!! Basically just the Aggie Tonehammer to the Stewie. Both basses sounded great, especially the honky mid pup in the BigAl. Hot gig!

 

[mntngrown]

That looks like all kina musical fun.

 

[Gab124]

That looks like all kina musical fun.

x2 on that. What nifty idea!

 

[kesslari]

Cool to see someone else using an M-brace and a MAS!

 

[esoxhntr]

Second gig in the infamous "problem room." Different drummer tonight - much heavier player even though he's mostly a straight jazz guy. Same result as last time with the MAS109 - zero boom. Drummer agreed, and it was great to be able to hear much better what was going on. Especially when three women (two of which were smoking hot), showed up to "sing." Adventures in being the house bass player...

The MAS109 is the real deal. A second one will be forthcoming. Still keeping the one Hathor 1203, but the TC112 will be up for grabs.

This caught my attention - if you had to guess, what particular frequency/range was causing the rumble? This is EXACTLY the type of $h!7 I'm trying to get rid of...

 

[MarkA]

This caught my attention - if you had to guess, what particular frequency/range was causing the rumble? This is EXACTLY the type of $h!7 I'm trying to get rid of...

I can't comment on what frequency range was giving nostatic trouble, but when I got my first MAS cab, I deliberately put it into spots on stages where I'd had trouble before with multiple cabs and the difference was marked. One corner, in particular, where I'd gotten huge boom with the house 410, my trusty 2x12", and my little Markbass combo, I had no problems with my 66 (the first MAS cab I got). I even tried shifting it around to get that boom and couldn't. Didn't do anything special with the amp. Tried again the next time out there to be sure, with the same result. Similar results when listening to someone else sitting in and walking around the room -- bass is much more even in the crowd. More even, in some cases, than everyone else's instruments in the PA. Definitely more even than the sound coming from their amps on stage. Instead of the bass dropping out in one part of the room and being overwhelming in another, you notice that it's just a little quieter here, a little louder there. Not a magic pill, but a huge improvement nevertheless. Works well with and without PA support.

That's not to say that the MAS cabs are immune to room issues -- too much cab, turned up too high, in too small a room can overload the room maybe a little more easily than a conventional cab can, and a school gym will still sound like a school gym -- but they do seem better able to deal with hot/cold spots and less prone to booming on specific frequencies. My 46 needs to be elevated, otherwise there's too much bass clouding the mids (I probably should've elevated the 66, too, when I had it, but I didn't think to do that) but, all in all, I've not worried about where I put my cab (not for sonic reasons) since I started playing the MAS stuff.

EDIT: The cabs kill outdoors, by the way.