Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
I can testify that a pair of MAS 112 cabs, no super tweeter, powered by a Glockenklang HR II out doors or inside an airplane hanger is more than enough.
Play nice sound person likes you.
Get aggressive they turn you down in the mains.
Get greedy and manipulate the Vortex they bounce you out.
Then the smile starts,
As they realize the bass sounds better alone and they have gobs of headroom to tame the kick and keys.
I no longer play out on a regular basis but fondly remember the exhilaration realized when I unleashed the vortex.
Play nice sound person likes you.
Get aggressive they turn you down in the mains.
Get greedy and manipulate the Vortex they bounce you out.
Then the smile starts,
As they realize the bass sounds better alone and they have gobs of headroom to tame the kick and keys.
I no longer play out on a regular basis but fondly remember the exhilaration realized when I unleashed the vortex.
Last edited:
Finally got the 16 assembled (thanks to MA for all tthe help with tbis order) and with a quick hookup to my new pjb D400 and pow! Louder than I envisioned based on my memory of the 26. I think that perhaps the walkabout wasnt a good match for the 26. Definately more bass than the basscub, and its likely louder in the room. The cub, however, has magic mids that really boost its usable volume. More to come.
Last edited:
Thought I'd update on my MAS109 since I've had it now for for about 8 months and it has been gigged in a bunch of different rooms (and outdoors) with a bunch of different bands. Anyone who has followed my exploits here knows that I've cycled through a bunch of gear over the past 6 or 7 years searching for...something. Part of it is an evolution of my playing following a tear down/start from scratch approach, the other is honing in on what I think works best for my technique in my gigs (which often change - complicating things).
The MAS109 has stayed in the house, and is my first-call cab for any bigger/louder gig. I still keep my H1203 in the back of the car and for very tight stages or small gigs that cab gets used. But if I've got the space, the MAS comes out, and for the times when I need a bit more, I run the H1203 on top of the MAS109 (about a perfect fit). I find the MAS109 doesn't sound perfect at home - a small room is not its friend, nor is trying to sound "pretty" with just bass alone. But I have consistently found that on gigs the bass can be heard deep into the house with no FOH - without being overwhelming on stage. It also has rather magically dealt with some problematic rooms.
Is it perfect? Well, nothing is. There are some occasions where I can get some odd fighting with keys (especially if they play a lot in the left hand) - phase cancellation or something. But it is rare. And of course I wish it was about half the size, but then it wouldn't do what it does.
The overkill in me still wants to get a second one and run that stack (vertical) for larger gigs. But for the past 8 months, no rig changes and none on the horizon.
The MAS109 has stayed in the house, and is my first-call cab for any bigger/louder gig. I still keep my H1203 in the back of the car and for very tight stages or small gigs that cab gets used. But if I've got the space, the MAS comes out, and for the times when I need a bit more, I run the H1203 on top of the MAS109 (about a perfect fit). I find the MAS109 doesn't sound perfect at home - a small room is not its friend, nor is trying to sound "pretty" with just bass alone. But I have consistently found that on gigs the bass can be heard deep into the house with no FOH - without being overwhelming on stage. It also has rather magically dealt with some problematic rooms.
Is it perfect? Well, nothing is. There are some occasions where I can get some odd fighting with keys (especially if they play a lot in the left hand) - phase cancellation or something. But it is rare. And of course I wish it was about half the size, but then it wouldn't do what it does.
The overkill in me still wants to get a second one and run that stack (vertical) for larger gigs. But for the past 8 months, no rig changes and none on the horizon.
I was already set on eventually getting an MAS112, but the new powered version could also remove my need for a new amp as well (I use an external preamp already).
Anyone have one of the powered 112's? How do you like it?
Also, I'm sure this question has been answered, but how do the different driver options compare? I know the Faital and the 18sound have been covered, but how does the custom Eminence stack up?
Anyone have one of the powered 112's? How do you like it?
Also, I'm sure this question has been answered, but how do the different driver options compare? I know the Faital and the 18sound have been covered, but how does the custom Eminence stack up?
Call Mike Arnopol and ask him. He explained it really well when I called. Why not go to the source?
Regarding that:
Yesterday and again just now I played bass guitar through my MAS-112 with a rather warm and dynamic overdrive into slightly wow-y digi-tape echo mixed in at about 35%. Think old Eno-esque, moody chord fragments in simple changes; lots of space, harmonics glowing from sustained notes and splintering away as fingers move from and to frets; wooly organ bass under hints of melody escaping during movement between sustained chords.
Doing this today, finally settled into a pocket, playing that same music throughout, I engaged the MAS-112's tweeter and played; then I disengaged the tweeter and engaged the mid boost and played. Overwhelmingly I preferred the tweeter for these textures, hearing it emphasize the spatial, dimensional quality, whereas the mid boost made the space seem busy and smaller.
Particularly with the tweeter, the MAS-112 sounded quite big, clear and hall-like presenting these textures. Once again, very impressive.
Though I still have yet to play it at truly loud volumes, the harder I hit the MAS-112 with the amp, the better it sounds. Also I should say that now I am using a HPF after the preamp, then two bands of a parametric EQ to tame room resonances. Playing 4-string solo, at least, with this cabinet's low end extension I don't miss any bass when using the HPF.
Hello. When Mike explained it to me, I came away remembering that the order was Faital, 18 Sound, Eminence, from darkest to brightest, and from least to most open-sounding. Also I recall Mike saying that blues or classic rock players, for example, favor the voice of the Faital woofer comparatively.
I've not played the Faital version. I own the 18 Sound version and I've played the custom Eminence version. (Mike used to make a version with the 3012 HO as well, but I think that's been more-or-less shelved in favor of the custom Eminence driver.)
The 18 Sound version is the "driest" cab I've ever played in the sense that there is almost no overhang to the notes. (That's what I mean by "dry", here.) Even moreso than the other MAS cabs, which seem to have less overhang than most ported cabs. Some of this depends on the amp, of course.
The 18 Sound is also pretty "lean" in that it doesn't really have a bump in the bass/low mids. Mids-to-upper mids the response rises slightly. The cab takes to EQ really well -- you can boost the bass quite a bit and it handles it well -- and plays well with a wide variety of amps. Low end extension is good, but it's not as deep as some of the other MAS cabs. Low end response is more square-edged -- it's a hard kick. Some people like this (I do), where, for some, it's a bit much. I posted earlier that for twisty, organ-like, modern R&B lines (I'd say for gospel, too) I feel the 46+sub, with its rounder bottom end and slightly more relaxed response and hi-fi tone, is a more natural fit than the 18 Sound 112. Takes some of the edge off. Funk, Afro-beat, chordal stuff, the 18 Sound is great. Great for Rock, too, though that's less in my wheelhouse.
The Faital -- again, haven't played it, just talked to Mike about it -- is supposed to go a bit deeper and be bigger/rounder down low. I get the impression that Blues guys would prefer it to the 18 Sound, though it certainly wouldn't be restricted to that.
The custom Eminence version goes, I think, deeper than either the Faital or 18 Sound. It's a bit less dry than the 18 Sound but still very articulate. A bit "rougher", too, in the mid-mids (which I think I'd like well in a live mix). I get the impression that the Eminence would growl a bit lower than the 18 Sound (which has more of a grind in the upper mids), but not quite as low as the 6" mid drivers in the Flex. Voicing of the Eminence strikes me, in some ways, as being in-between that of the 18 Sound and the Flex (it does have a bit of upper-bass bump like the Flex, but spread out more). I like my 18 Sound 112 but think now and then about trying an Eminence version.
Finally, the Eminence version is a couple dB or so more efficient than the 18 Sound version. A non-issue with my GBE 1200, but if I were looking at a cab to use with a low-to-moderate power tube head or to get the most out of a "500 Watt" micro amp, I'd lean toward the Eminence version for that reason.
The 18 Sound version is the "driest" cab I've ever played in the sense that there is almost no overhang to the notes. (That's what I mean by "dry", here.) Even moreso than the other MAS cabs, which seem to have less overhang than most ported cabs. Some of this depends on the amp, of course.
The 18 Sound is also pretty "lean" in that it doesn't really have a bump in the bass/low mids. Mids-to-upper mids the response rises slightly. The cab takes to EQ really well -- you can boost the bass quite a bit and it handles it well -- and plays well with a wide variety of amps. Low end extension is good, but it's not as deep as some of the other MAS cabs. Low end response is more square-edged -- it's a hard kick. Some people like this (I do), where, for some, it's a bit much. I posted earlier that for twisty, organ-like, modern R&B lines (I'd say for gospel, too) I feel the 46+sub, with its rounder bottom end and slightly more relaxed response and hi-fi tone, is a more natural fit than the 18 Sound 112. Takes some of the edge off. Funk, Afro-beat, chordal stuff, the 18 Sound is great. Great for Rock, too, though that's less in my wheelhouse.
The Faital -- again, haven't played it, just talked to Mike about it -- is supposed to go a bit deeper and be bigger/rounder down low. I get the impression that Blues guys would prefer it to the 18 Sound, though it certainly wouldn't be restricted to that.
The custom Eminence version goes, I think, deeper than either the Faital or 18 Sound. It's a bit less dry than the 18 Sound but still very articulate. A bit "rougher", too, in the mid-mids (which I think I'd like well in a live mix). I get the impression that the Eminence would growl a bit lower than the 18 Sound (which has more of a grind in the upper mids), but not quite as low as the 6" mid drivers in the Flex. Voicing of the Eminence strikes me, in some ways, as being in-between that of the 18 Sound and the Flex (it does have a bit of upper-bass bump like the Flex, but spread out more). I like my 18 Sound 112 but think now and then about trying an Eminence version.
Finally, the Eminence version is a couple dB or so more efficient than the 18 Sound version. A non-issue with my GBE 1200, but if I were looking at a cab to use with a low-to-moderate power tube head or to get the most out of a "500 Watt" micro amp, I'd lean toward the Eminence version for that reason.
Once again I find myself staring at a MAS cab in wonder.
The perfect test bed for really being able to "hear" exactly what is going on in an amp.
Darkglass Microtubes 900 vs. the others on hand.
I have two personal nits/niggles regarding the DM900. One not worth sharing and the other being a latency issue with the Microtubes on/off switching.
If one performs in the popular karaoke/cover crew situation it can be nigh onto impossible to nail the 1 during the clean to dirt transition.
Other than that I like it significantly more than the TH 500, LWA 1000, GK 800, or Subway D800.
MAS cabs are uncanny in their revelatory capabilities.
The perfect test bed for really being able to "hear" exactly what is going on in an amp.
Darkglass Microtubes 900 vs. the others on hand.
I have two personal nits/niggles regarding the DM900. One not worth sharing and the other being a latency issue with the Microtubes on/off switching.
If one performs in the popular karaoke/cover crew situation it can be nigh onto impossible to nail the 1 during the clean to dirt transition.
Other than that I like it significantly more than the TH 500, LWA 1000, GK 800, or Subway D800.
MAS cabs are uncanny in their revelatory capabilities.
Last edited:
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,227
- 45,062
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
Uncanny... 
Not a word you hear often describing speaker cabs.
Is that a Jerzy Drozd in your avatar?
Not a word you hear often describing speaker cabs.
Is that a Jerzy Drozd in your avatar?
quick update on my latency comment on Microtubes channel switching,
The change occurs upon release of the button, not the initial stomp.
The change occurs upon release of the button, not the initial stomp.
That combination in the photo I posted above in a bar environment is a potent combination to reckon with.
As gaga nutz as many are over the Microtubes side the clean side and a MAS112 just kills.
I wimped out and only helped out on the first two sets of a fill in. Somehow I conned another bass player to do the last two. Newer tunes I've never heard and 1:30 end time. I don't play live, I don't play live, help me out here Toto, I don't play live in bars anymore.
Sound hound loved the combo and when I stopped by to thank him for the assistance and opinions he gave me a funny look. I understand why you split the duties but dude.... now I have to listen to his rig. That's just cruel.
The names and initials of the inferior have been suppressed.
The Vortex Rules.
As gaga nutz as many are over the Microtubes side the clean side and a MAS112 just kills.
I wimped out and only helped out on the first two sets of a fill in. Somehow I conned another bass player to do the last two. Newer tunes I've never heard and 1:30 end time. I don't play live, I don't play live, help me out here Toto, I don't play live in bars anymore.
Sound hound loved the combo and when I stopped by to thank him for the assistance and opinions he gave me a funny look. I understand why you split the duties but dude.... now I have to listen to his rig. That's just cruel.
The names and initials of the inferior have been suppressed.
The Vortex Rules.
Popped up on my FB timeline this morning as "Leaked from the Skunkworks". This is gonna be killin'...
Looks like a 12" woofer combined with the mid section of a Flex.
Looks like a 12" woofer combined with the mid section of a Flex.
- Apr 29, 2003
- 9,077
- 9,799
- Disclosures
- Contributor- Bass Musician Magazine | Marketing Manager- Trickfish Amplification
Man the 109 with addition of the crossfiring vortex mids has the potential to be incredible.
