Note:
I've been writing this off-and-on for a week or more. It's gotten out-of-hand. Instead of letting it go like a sensible person would, I've attempted to finish it. So, I'm posting what follows in two parts. The first gives some background (I talk about my childhood and the influence of Saturday morning cartoons) and relates impressions of some of the early/prototype Big E cabs. You can skip this part entirely if you want to and miss nothing about the current cabs. A sensible person would probably do this. The second part talks about the cabs I played the other day at Mike's.
There are more experienced players with more time on these cabs than I have. I claim no special qualifications aside from being detail-oriented and a little OCD. I was also lucky enough to be one of the first TBers to stumble across the Big E cabs. (I can't take credit for that -- it was my guitar-playing younger brother who found and contacted the guys in Piper City, IL -- but it means that I've gotten to sample these cabs, however briefly, at various stages of their development.)
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I.
The first time I played through these cabs -- summertime, a little over two years ago -- I nearly pooped my pants (translation: I was positively impressed). And I think that they've come a long way since then.
Those first cabs I played were prototypes in various stages of development. While impressive in respects, they were still kind of rough-around-the-edges. The 25s were lively sounding and louder than they looked, but didn't give the impression that they could be pushed very hard. The 26 was this brash little beast, roughly the size and shape of a ghetto-blaster, with a tweeter that looked like something out of
The Rocketeer and a shockingly clear slap-sound. A couple of them would have made a neat rig, but that proto-26 sounded (in contrast to the current sixes) somewhat thin underneath its big tweeter -- and I forgot about it once I heard the next cab. The Faital-loaded 2x8 was the roughest-looking of the bunch, with sharp edges and bulbous, metal corners (to be fair, I don't think Mike built that one), but it had the most organic, warm, growly midrange I'd ever heardout of an electric bass rig (and this through Mike's EA Doubler). While the other cabs had something neat going on with the dispersion, the 2x8 was a jaw-dropper. String players sometimes talk about “playing the room instead of the instrument.” Playing through this cab was like that. My brother was with me on that trip and I remember the two of us looking at each other after I played the first notes through that cab – the mids growled like something alive, and the sound seemed to come from everywhere at once. It felt more responsive to my right hand than anything I'd played before – the cab and the room felt like an extension of the bass. I felt like I was playing an acoustic instrument. Thing is, it (the cab) was awkward. Set horizontally, it was low and wide. Set vertically, it didn't sound or feel the same. Mike told me that they were going to try different drivers in it (the OEMs in mtngrown's 4x8, I think), since the Faitals didn't go as low as he'd like. Playing that cab was a rush, but I wasn't sure about these unknown drivers-to-come or the form-factor. Then summer was over and there were other things to tend to. It would be some time before I got a Big E cab of my own, but the memory of playing that 2x8 stayed with me and is in large part responsible for my interest in the cabs since then.
The following summer, I
visited Mike again. We took an 85, a 25, a first-gen 46, my Dr. Bass 212, and an early Flex 110 outside and pushed them hard enough that the Dr. Bass and the 85 started to show signs of stress. Summary:
- 85 – prettiest and most efficient with the most natural-sounding mids.
- Flex – funkiest and baddest down low.
- 46 – less midrange personality than the other cabs, but more low-end than the 85, more portable than the Flex, and the best all-around for (no, not “for metal”) making the most of a 500-watt micro.
The 5” and 6” cabs were leaps and bounds ahead of what I'd heard just a year before. The Flex was exciting – the mids were very good (though I still had the “magic mids” of the 2x8 in my head) and the bottom octave articulation was insane – but it was an 8 Ohm cab (I was hoping for 4). The 46 was less thrilling, but seemed more practical...
You know, while the weather was great and Mike was gracious, that cab trial happened under less than ideal circumstances
for me. My ears were ringing due to a loud concert the night before, I'd foolishly brought along instruments I was less than familiar with, and, honestly, I was still chasing the memory of a sound and looking for a not-very-clearly-defined combination of tone, feel, and modularity. (In other words, I had an aural hangover and didn't know what I wanted.) Listening to the cabs next to my 212 (which I
was familiar with and
knew I liked – just not that day!), I could tell they were performing well – I could hear how much more open the 85 sounded and how crazily articulate the Flex was in the bottom octave – but nothing “clicked” for me like I expected it to. While I mulled this over, summer ended again. More Big E developments were in the works (Mike mentioned a “210 Flex” among other things), so I waited. Eventually, I decided that, whether or not it ended up being “the one” (like a cab has to be forever), I needed to get a Big E cab of my own. I wanted to experience the “Big E thing” at my own pace – check it out, live and at home, and confirm for myself whether the transformative experience I'd had playing that early 2x8 was “for real” or a fluke. I snagged a 2nd gen. 66 in the classifieds a few months ago and have been playing it alongside my familiar 212 since, comparing the cabs at home and taking them out in turns. (You can read my impressions of that cab
here and
here.)
At this point, I know that the Big E cabs do things that my Dr. Bass 212 doesn't, but I keep it around because 1) It's a good cab. I really do like it more than most of the other stuff I encounter. 2) It works well with my smaller amps – 4 Ohms, mid-forward, and efficient makes it a good match for a Walkabout, and an F500 can push it admirably. 3) It gives me a frame of reference: The mid-loaded/mid-forward thing works well for me – harmonics pop, chords are clear, and there are no “holes” in the bass sound. It can be improved on, sure, but having it around for now helps me make sure I don't lose sight of what I like about it as I chase something new.
With cabs, there is how they're voiced and how they present the sound. I know that there's some controversy surrounding the Big E cabs on the latter front. I won't pretend to settle it (and the ground's been covered already) but here are my observations:
These cabs do not magically reconfigure the space around you. I took my 66 and a borrowed 45 into one of my least favorite rooms for electric bass, a big room that's mostly hard surfaces and echoes. It was still hard surfaces and echoes with those cabs and, when I left, still one of my least favorite rooms for electric bass.
However, my 66 seems less prone to certain spatial anomalies (Star Trek, yo) than other cabs I've used. I've intentionally put it into corners and in spots on stage that have resulted in pronounced, note-specific boom with other cabs and the effect has been minimal with the 66. I've walked around at jams, listening while others have played through the cab, and the sound through the 66 has been more even than that of the other instruments through the PA, let alone through their amps on stage.
Whether or not the Big E cabs sound “better” than your favorite cab depends on you. I like the upper mids on my 212 more than on the 2nd gen. 66, but another local player is crazy over how “deep” the 66 sounds. Of the current Big E cabs, I like the voicing of the 5-inchers more than that of the 6-inchers. In some contexts, I can't think of a better sound than an 810 pushed hard – Mike might have a cab that will do that, but I know that my 66 won't – I don't think it will, anyway! I can't say what you'll like. I can say that these are the least “boxy” sounding cabs I've heard (this can be expressed better), that my 66 opens up with power in a way I haven't heard other cabs do, and that staccato notes in the bottom octave are handled extremely well. More subtly and more subjectively, locking in with a kick drum is easier, a busy mix seems more open, and, yes, unevenness in my right hand attack is easier to detect. That said, when other bassists have played through my cab, their reaction hasn't been, “What is this alien technology?!” but, “Dude, I like your rig. What is it – one of those Phil Jones deals?” There's nothing weird going on – it's just solid and easy to play.
I like that Mike's constantly pounding on and tweaking these things himself, that he avails himself of the expertise of people like Duke, and that he's in communication with folks who are gigging his cabs. I like, too, that the developers of the technology, while deeply involved, are smart enough to listen to someone who's got a feel for its application (bass playing, in this case). From what I can see, the current cabs all build on the strengths of the earlier ones while systematically addressing their weaknesses (voicing, IMO, keeps getting better) and I don't get the impression that development is going to stop anytime soon.
) and if I can get close to the sense of immediacy I have playing those instruments when I play electric bass, I'm happy. Last and most subjective: Do I like the sound I'm getting?
