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Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
I would never discourage anyone from scratching an itch, but I would humbly suggest the sealed 8x10 cabs are a heavy large item I would only buy to cop that historic tone. Mike could tell you which cab can get close to that and many other tones.
Way back in the first thread, Norcal Dog who was an early adopter of the 48 said he took his 48 into his friend's music store, a Fender dealer. He played the Super Bassman I believe through both the Fender 8x10 and the MAS48 side by side. He and his friend agreed the 48 was louder and of course had better dispersion. I have played the Sbassman through the 48 too. Awesome. Next gig that is big enough room I will put the SBassman on the 2x10 flex. My band should be back in gigging health shortly.
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The Ampeg fridge was originally an upgrade from my GK fridge, which I had up for sale on CL but wound up trading for some other cabs, including the 410. I really liked the big sound I got from it, not really searching for a specific tone.
However, I'm often drawn to the unique, the obscure, etc. and find Mike's cabs very attractive. The 410 I have meets my needs, the 810 is overkill but awesome, and the 215 is my dream cab. It's the replacement for the Trace AH1200 and BFC cab I was gassing for not long ago.
Eric
A 2x15 from Mike? I'll "settle" for a 1x15 and be stupidly happy whenever they are ready (assuming that will still be an option in 2015). 1x15 will kill, a 2x15 would probably replace most major sound systems
It's funny because everyone's circumstances differ. I am in your camp right now but since I am not a pro and play everything from neighborhood bars to block parties, I have my small-med club 46 and then go up from there. If I get a big venue with quality sound system this year, as I am told, I will relinquish control, but until then I choose to stay out of the PA and bring it by myself. My little thumbnail avatar shows blue skies above and the pacific ocean
Oops Pacific below just to the right of the drummer. 2500 feet up and 5 miles away as the crow flies . Acres not suburban parcels. Lots of people spread out. I was using a 1515/66. I could see owning a MAS1515 but could do fine with my 48 for such bring your own band stuff. I have yet to find the limits of the 48, and in truth the 46 and now the 2x10 flex will probably cover 99 percent of anything I will ever play.
Funny! If I was gonna chase my tail I would buy em all. But I do have a mortgage etc. For the record the 46 covers all moderate volume scenarios of old school variety. I simply could not resist the 210 flex being sold second hand at a killer price. I am not going anywhere from here with 12's or 15's. They are, I am sure wonderful and an easier load than the 48 which is a woofs and tweets no mids cab. The magic is in the MVW design. All of em kick! Just different flavors of delicious!
MA109 Gig Report:
Finally got a gig in a big room I know well. Your typical strip mall BBQ joint (with awesome pho!) with a 90 - 100 capacity. Box shape, glass down one side and bar / kitchen on opposite wall. This is the first doubling gig with the 109. We were on a well built elevated stage. Any riser makes me nervous, especially with upright, so two Auralex Gramma pads went under the 109 to handle any end pin feedback loops. Had about 3 or 4 feet between the bass and the cab (nice!).
Very pleasantly surprised during the first set. Tons of volume and was able to keep up with band dynamics all night. It's usually a struggle volume wise with my current bass to keep up with the blues and roots projects I work with. In this nice open room the big box really shined well. Super nice, controllable low end from the 109 and all the mid range I needed for intonation was there. I run guts and dead synthetics on my bass, mid-range is not real prominent by design. I'm normally getting, "hey Al you got anymore from the upright?", not with the 109 in this room. Fun! 51 P-bass with flats just killed. No issues and the tone and response were just super. Again, can't believe it's a 1x10. This was a very experienced band and all were very happy with the low end.
Good stuff Mike and Big E! Looking forward to the next run...
Finally got a gig in a big room I know well. Your typical strip mall BBQ joint (with awesome pho!) with a 90 - 100 capacity. Box shape, glass down one side and bar / kitchen on opposite wall. This is the first doubling gig with the 109. We were on a well built elevated stage. Any riser makes me nervous, especially with upright, so two Auralex Gramma pads went under the 109 to handle any end pin feedback loops. Had about 3 or 4 feet between the bass and the cab (nice!).
Very pleasantly surprised during the first set. Tons of volume and was able to keep up with band dynamics all night. It's usually a struggle volume wise with my current bass to keep up with the blues and roots projects I work with. In this nice open room the big box really shined well. Super nice, controllable low end from the 109 and all the mid range I needed for intonation was there. I run guts and dead synthetics on my bass, mid-range is not real prominent by design. I'm normally getting, "hey Al you got anymore from the upright?", not with the 109 in this room. Fun! 51 P-bass with flats just killed. No issues and the tone and response were just super. Again, can't believe it's a 1x10. This was a very experienced band and all were very happy with the low end.
Good stuff Mike and Big E! Looking forward to the next run...
I've been using the TH500 since it first came out a couple years ago, and yeah--my settings are evolving to be different with the MAS112 from what I used with previous cabs (Baer ML112, Patterson 12/6/1, Berg AE212). I've been running the gain lower and the master higher, for one thing.
That amp is unique in my experience, the way the gain control is effectively a "wooliness" control (it's not just for gain matching), and the way the drive control in its first half is more about shaping the amp's top and bottom response (doesn't sound like it's introducing distortion until it's cranked pretty high). Another thing I've noticed is that with the other cabs bumping the bass EQ tended to make them sound boomy, too big on the bottom. With the MAS112, the "size" of the bottom notes on my fiver stays consistent, and I can season the bass EQ to taste.
And many times I'd want to dial in a bit of midrange bite to enhance the articulation. Maybe this is the most interesting thing to me about switching to the MAS112: it just _is_ articulate, no matter what tone I dial up on the amp.
Bottom line for me is that I'm moving away from setting the amp to accommodate the room or mix, and toward setting it for the tonal character I'd like to get. Still exploring (and I don't mean this post to get long-winded), but def play around with a different approach to the Aggie's front end.
I find that this is a universal observation for all Big E models with all different amps, and even basses. Even amps with minimal eq capability become more versatile since you don't have to dial out trouble frequencies most cabs have. Small changes are more noticeable with this design like string choice, pickup selection, hand placement, etc.
Oh man, was I havin' some fun "getting my vortex on" this morning! 
I just got my Flex110 back from the BigE lab this past Tuesday. I did electronic repair for a number of years and never ran across anything like this failure. It was up there with the time Mike accidentally nicked a wire in a 2x6 with a brad. Apparently, a wire was accidentally kinked as Mike was wiring the crossover. As I was sending juice through it during use, the wire began to straighten and strands began to break. Steve was able to spot discoloration of the insulation caused by heat at the site of the kink. Weird AND kinky. 
As 3rdCurve was observing, I love the pronounced difference of where and how you attack the string - so fat and full close to the neck and serious aggression close to the bridge. I'm a pleased and happy camper once again. 
I just got my Flex110 back from the BigE lab this past Tuesday. I did electronic repair for a number of years and never ran across anything like this failure. It was up there with the time Mike accidentally nicked a wire in a 2x6 with a brad. Apparently, a wire was accidentally kinked as Mike was wiring the crossover. As I was sending juice through it during use, the wire began to straighten and strands began to break. Steve was able to spot discoloration of the insulation caused by heat at the site of the kink. Weird AND kinky. As 3rdCurve was observing, I love the pronounced difference of where and how you attack the string - so fat and full close to the neck and serious aggression close to the bridge. I'm a pleased and happy camper once again. 
I've been hooking up the 110 sub with the 112 and running both vertical next to each other....Amazing!! I don't know if it's the extra juice being run or the extra bottom end from the sub but man does it kick even more! I can really crank the bass eq and the rig just loves it. This is the best rig to date.
For two years Mike has been trying to satisfy my tonal goals and beat my berg for me and I can now say this has done it.
I play lots of gigs, bars, weddings, huge theaters, auditoriums, my bedroom, outdoor gigs with huge line arrays, just lots of different places. This is what I do full time. I've used swr, gk, epifani, bergantino (almost every model) fender, fearless, polytone, acoustic image, Phil jones, audiokinesis, the list goes on, and now I've finally found what I've been looking for. Now it's just a question of how many do I need!
I've found my sound in the mas112 it makes me want to buy another, but the 110 sub is a fine addition. Thanks mike for all you do, after two years, you've nailed it for me, I'm glad I didn't stop buying after the first model!
For two years Mike has been trying to satisfy my tonal goals and beat my berg for me and I can now say this has done it.
I play lots of gigs, bars, weddings, huge theaters, auditoriums, my bedroom, outdoor gigs with huge line arrays, just lots of different places. This is what I do full time. I've used swr, gk, epifani, bergantino (almost every model) fender, fearless, polytone, acoustic image, Phil jones, audiokinesis, the list goes on, and now I've finally found what I've been looking for. Now it's just a question of how many do I need!
I've found my sound in the mas112 it makes me want to buy another, but the 110 sub is a fine addition. Thanks mike for all you do, after two years, you've nailed it for me, I'm glad I didn't stop buying after the first model!
Wow nice testimonial! And I must say, I have a new paranoia. I almost always bring two heads to a gig and have been happy that I do once. Head failed, backup to the rescue. Now I have to worry about a kinked wire slowly wearing out? I have a hard time wrapping my head around that. I have been involved in 110 and 220 house wiring service drop wiring, pulled through conduit over 50 feet. I thought wire was tough. Hmmm rescue small cab to all gigs now. Unless the PA is up to it.
Hey, just wanted to compare notes with my fellow Arnopol cab aficionados.
I've never been a big user of effects pedals, but from time to time I've had good results putting a compressor pedal in front of the amp's input. I'd been doing that with the cabs I used just before the MAS112 became my rig of choice. Sometimes the compressor gave me a touch of girth I'd been missing, sometimes it tamed a top end that got a bit harsh with slapping, the usual kinds of things compressors can usefully do in a live setting. And the pedals I used were very good boxes: an OvniFX Smoothie or an FEA Labs DE-CL.
But it seems like I'm happiest onstage without any compressor, using the MAS112. Feels like the compressor is getting in the way of me exploiting the cab's wonderful sensitivity to my touch--while the cab doesn't have any of those shortcomings the compressor used to address.
Thoughts?
I've never been a big user of effects pedals, but from time to time I've had good results putting a compressor pedal in front of the amp's input. I'd been doing that with the cabs I used just before the MAS112 became my rig of choice. Sometimes the compressor gave me a touch of girth I'd been missing, sometimes it tamed a top end that got a bit harsh with slapping, the usual kinds of things compressors can usefully do in a live setting. And the pedals I used were very good boxes: an OvniFX Smoothie or an FEA Labs DE-CL.
But it seems like I'm happiest onstage without any compressor, using the MAS112. Feels like the compressor is getting in the way of me exploiting the cab's wonderful sensitivity to my touch--while the cab doesn't have any of those shortcomings the compressor used to address.
Thoughts?
Have you tried raising the threshold a bit on both the limiter and comp sides of the FEA? I've found that a little goes a very long way with that box.
Roger that. Yeah, I'm not squashing the signal. But I'll try that.
One thing I'm pondering is how best to get the compressor to play nice with the volume control on the bass. My habit is to keep a bit in reserve on that pot, so if a tune requires it I can bump the volume a bit, or if I have a slap solo I can step up a bit. But if I set up the threshold to just begin to work at the usual volume, then opening the volume pot on the bass doesn't give me as much bump as I'd like...
Hmn...well then, maybe I oughtta back off the _ratio_ on the comp engine of the FEA. Not that I had either the threshold low or the ratio high, but that might bring back some responsiveness...
Anyway, thnx for the suggestion! I'll def play around with it some more...
The DE-CL? Def, a fine compressor! Quiet, clean, transparent. The adaptive release works well, IMHO. Haven't heard it pumping at all.
