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Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia

#3,522
I have a dilemma, but not really...
First gig with a new jazz quintet, modern electric stuff. Also my first gig in a while. Not a very big venue. The MAS109 is more than big enough to handle it... as is the FlexTop.
Or do I bring both (my 109 can be run as a sub for the FlexTop, making it a SuperFlexMod)? I don't want to be the Guy Who Brings Too Much Rig...
But I think I'll do it anyway. After all, it's only a 210... :bassist:
 
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#3,523
kesslari said:
I have a dilemma, but not really...
First gig with a new jazz quintet, modern electric stuff. Also my first gig in a while. Not a very big venue. The MAS109 is more than big enough to handle it... as is the FlexTop.
Or do I bring both (my 109 can be run as a sub for the FlexTop, making it a SuperFlexMod)? I don't want to be the Guy Who Brings Too Much Rig...
But I think I'll do it anyway. After all, it's only a 210... :bassist:
Click to expand...
If one is more efficient than the other, I'd take that one.
 
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#3,528
3rdcurve said:
Soooo, how many Bodai 15 users do we have out there? Any gig and/or tone reports? Comparisons to other cabs (MAS or otherwise)? I have done the 10s and 12s.......just curious as to how the 15 acts in a manipulated waveguide context.
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thumbs&fingers said:
I have one. Everything you like about the 12 just bigger and fuller. Honestly I like my Bodai 12 for practice/really small rooms. The 15 for medium/large rooms and obviously outside venues. I don’t have as much gig time with it as I would like but I played them back and forth with mike when he was developing them and again after I had both with MarkA. I thought the 15 would be overkill when mike first started talking about developing it, it’s a one cab all you need can that you can always turn down or feed less power.
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Dude, I've played some decent-sized rooms with my 112. It has more juice (though is a bit less efficient) than my old, mid-loaded 2x12, especially if you consider that it stays clean and dynamic pretty much all the way up. Everything's relative, though. ;)

I only played the Bodai 115 at thumbs' place. We couldn't push it in that space, but I remember it being more efficient -- at least at the volumes we were playing at -- than the 112 (which I expected) and the 48 (which I didn't, necessarily). The Bodai 112 is pretty efficient, actually -- close to the 48 at lower volumes -- but the 115 was noticeably louder at the same knob settings with the same amp. Tonal profile and feel were, to my ear, a little different than the 112, too -- a little bigger, looser, more open in the bottom end -- not loose, just more relaxed than the 112. I think it would be great for making the most of a tube amp or a lower-wattage solid state head -- don't know what the power handling is on it. Wouldn't mind hearing that one wound up a bit with a band.
 
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#3,529
MarkA said:
Dude, I've played some decent-sized rooms with my 112. It has more juice (though is a bit less efficient) than my old, mid-loaded 2x12, especially if you consider that it stays clean and dynamic pretty much all the way up. Everything's relative, though. ;)

I only played the Bodai 115 at thumbs' place. We couldn't push it in that space, but I remember it being more efficient -- at least at the volumes we were playing at -- than the 112 (which I expected) and the 48 (which I didn't, necessarily). The Bodai 112 is pretty efficient, actually -- close to the 48 at lower volumes -- but the 115 was noticeably louder at the same knob settings with the same amp. Tonal profile and feel were, to my ear, a little different than the 112, too -- a little bigger, looser, more open in the bottom end -- not loose, just more relaxed than the 112. I think it would be great for making the most of a tube amp or a lower-wattage solid state head -- don't know what the power handling is on it. Wouldn't mind hearing that one wound up a bit with a band.
Click to expand...

This makes me think the 112 is the Goldilocks cab. Have you done any outdoor shows with it?
 
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#3,531
I moved the Bodai to the left of the flex for a few reasons. 1) The Flex is a little warmer in the upper bass region whereas the Bodai is noticeably more neutral and it makes more sense to put the more neutral speaker nearer the corner. 2) This puts the Bodai nearer to my worship leader who should be able to hear me better. 3) I can use an additional (trash can) pedestal to support it. I'm going to play this configuration for a while. The only thing I may experiment with on down the road is to make an amp stand with a shelf on top to set the Flex on which would put the mid/high sections of both speakers at the same height...

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#3,535
Been doing some rambling with this cab...lh1000 or minimega for head...just an interesting experience as we move from place to place...its like it's producing a field that is everywhere and at first I feel like it's everywhere except right where I am...very spacious sounding...one bass player who's ears I trust was at a show and he said it sounded like I ran my bass through foh setup with subs because it blended so well...were running Yamaha cbr10s for mains with no subs in an acoustic very aggressive folk band lol

I have grown to love it...just needed some experience setting live volume and what it feels like and sounds like at those levels...i believe it is probably a unique experience for the listeners whether they recognize it or not as I feel I can carry the whole room and the rest of the music seems to just ride on it...cab is more than capable of dominating any room I've encountered on about half volume for either head...

Thought you guys would enjoy some pics of a trouble making 38 out in the wild

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#3,536
^^^ Yee-haw! That's good to hear.

golfnsubie said:
...its like it's producing a field that is everywhere and at first I feel like it's everywhere except right where I am...very spacious sounding...one bass player who's ears I trust was at a show and he said it sounded like I ran my bass through foh setup with subs because it blended so well...
Click to expand...
Yep, that's the "Big E/vortex" stuff happening. It's still not entirely PC to mention in certain circles on this forum but, in my experience, it is unique to these cabs. There might be other ways of achieving it, but I haven't heard it from a simple bass-->amp-->cab setup apart from these. Your experience mirrors my early experience hearing these.

I have grown to love it...just needed some experience setting live volume and what it feels like and sounds like at those levels...i believe it is probably a unique experience for the listeners whether they recognize it or not as I feel I can carry the whole room and the rest of the music seems to just ride on it...
Click to expand...

This also mirrors my experience -- takes a little while to get used to the presentation and you'll most likely have to set your amp differently than you're used to, but both in a good way, in my opinion.

On a different note, how deep is your rack? Do you feel that it's very stable atop the 38? It's not the primary consideration for me, but it is a consideration. I'm finding that lots of the cabs/stacks I favor are of the taller, thinner variety while the amps I favor are bigger and heavier, often rack-mounted -- not always the most elegant combination, but that's the way it is at the moment.

Thanks for the report and the photos.
 
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#3,537
Yes! I still remember my first gig with the 48. I went wireless. Set up at one end of the room with the band, and did not worry how close I was to the drummer who normally liked my other cabs to his immediate left. Walked to the bar to get a beer at the other end of the room and plucked a few notes. It seemed that the cab was right behind me not 50 feet or more away. Later during the gig I went to a cubby area way behind the rig and it was there clear as if out front. I don't use drugs either! Love the vortex!
 
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#3,538
MarkA said:
^^^ Yee-haw! That's good to hear.



On a different note, how deep is your rack? Do you feel that it's very stable atop the 38? It's not the primary consideration for me, but it is a consideration. I'm finding that lots of the cabs/stacks I favor are of the taller, thinner variety while the amps I favor are bigger and heavier, often rack-mounted -- not always the most elegant combination, but that's the way it is at the moment.

Thanks for the report and the photos.
Click to expand...

Definitely an interestingly shaped cab...heres a few pictures...the gator case with lh1000 measures 20 inches wide by 16 deep...the mini mega is 12 inches wide by 10 deep...the rack case does sit on there fine without wobbling but it doesn't have feet on the bottom and I think that's where maybe the player would need to create their own solution...a larger micro head like d800+ or such would probably have one foot off without some form of adaptation
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And yes the last pic with minimega on top is how it sets so front is flat with cab...cab is 36 inches tall so it's not a small cab but at like 16 inches wide and shaped like a wedge it seems to fit anywhere fine....like when I carry it in i feel like I'm carrying this HUGE cab but once I get it set up it seems very unobtrusive and almost petite looking...technically smaller footprint than my gk mbe115 cab which is my small light carry around
 
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#3,539
golfnsubie said:
Definitely an interestingly shaped cab...heres a few pictures...the gator case with lh1000 measures 20 inches wide by 16 deep...the mini mega is 12 inches wide by 10 deep...the rack case does sit on there fine without wobbling but it doesn't have feet on the bottom and I think that's where maybe the player would need to create their own solution...a larger micro head like d800+ or such would probably have one foot off without some form of adaptation
View attachment 2852701
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And yes the last pic with minimega on top is how it sets so front is flat with cab...cab is 36 inches tall so it's not a small cab but at like 16 inches wide and shaped like a wedge it seems to fit anywhere fine....like when I carry it in i feel like I'm carrying this HUGE cab but once I get it set up it seems very unobtrusive and almost petite looking...technically smaller footprint than my gk mbe115 cab which is my small light carry around
Click to expand...

Thank you so much! Very helpful photos and angles.
 
#3,540
3rdcurve said:
This makes me think the 112 is the Goldilocks cab. Have you done any outdoor shows with it?
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To be clear, my 112 is the MAS 112 (18Sound version), not the Bodai. I have not played it outside, though I did play the 66 outdoors at a small festival when I had it and the max volume for it and the 112 is, I think, about the same. The Bodai 112 should be in the same ballpark, which is to say max volume roughly equal to that of a "super" 2x12. Outside and able to turn up, the cab (66) was in its happy place, and I received multiple remarks about how well and clearly the sound carried. There was a nice crowd dancing, too.

That said, while I'd expect the Bodai 112 to sound more detailed and more 3D than my MAS 112, I wouldn't expect it to go quite as loud or sound quite as big as the 210 Flex or two of the Bodai 110s. I think, generally speaking, the cabs would be great outside -- both in terms of getting by without much PA support and (based on indoor experience) playing well with the PA when you have it -- but it would depend on how big/loud the outside gig was. I'd expect the 15 to be a good deal louder and "bigger" sounding than the 12.
 
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