So, 2 days after I wanted to post a review of the MAS 115 prototype, I finally am getting around to it (insert bass player timing joke here)! Since I get impatient with these things, let’s start at the end.
Overall Review:
A well-built, serious cab for large volume needs. I really hope this makes it into production as it is a serious beast. It projects evenly everywhere and adds some real force to notes. That being said, as Mike and Steve have warned, this is not a cab for small rooms. It needs to really get going to sound its best. It doesn’t sound bad at low volumes, but it really comes alive once you let it put out some volume. I am probably going to order another smaller cab at some point so I don’t scare every venue that we go to. I'm not sure if I can disclose how much I payed for it since it was just a prototype, but Mike described what it would sell for if it were produced normally and I think it is a very reasonable price point. These cabs, in my opinion, very much live up to their hype regarding their performance. Also, for anyone thinking about the 215…. You’re crazy. I can’t even fathom what double the volume of this thing would sound like.
Construction:
¾” ply shell, 6 cross firing Faital mids, 1 18sound 15”, tilt back handle, casters, 3 t-bone handles, partial grill, duratex coating. This cab feels very solid. The finish is excellent and everything feels like it is well secured and nicely put together.
Form Factor:
Dimensions are 19” wide (just a hair shy of rack width), 42” tall, and 24” deep and it weighs 90 pounds. These are admittedly a bit on the odd side. I don’t think I’ve played a cab that was deeper than it was wide, but it works out much better than I had expected. With the tilt back handle bar, it is super easy to move around, however it will have a tough time with some corners as with any large cab. The weight is really shocking considering the size of the cab. 90lbs is by no means featherweight, but it is still manageable if you need to lift it by yourself. I was able to just barely fit the MAS115 in the backseat of a 97 Honda Accord with a lot of effort.
Sound Up Close:
This thing is scary with how well it takes to loud volumes. The more volume I gave it, the better it sounded and it showed no signs of stress when the clip lights started to illuminate on my Crest Pro Lite 2.0 (bridged). It sounded pretty mid forward when I was right on top of the cab, but not at all in a bad way. There is some really scary low end potential in this cab. We play one song where I have to tune my Ric to a low B. I have never heard the low B sound anywhere near as solid as it did going through this cab and, considering that my Ric isn’t particularly good at being tuned that low, I am seriously impressed. Even going further up the fret board, the notes feel like they have more weight than they ever did before. It also has some outright astonishing clariy. Each note is much more distinct and it takes fuzz and dirt like a champ. I could really hear a lot of the nuances of my different dirts better than I have been able to with other cabs. The cab also took to the EQ on the Monique very well. Like Mike’s other cabs, the 115 has that uncanney ability to conquor a really difficult and boomy room. It made practice much more enjoyable. It never felt like it was trampling the mix, no matter how loud it got. So. Cool.
Sound Further Away:
So, Friday I ended up backlining the cab for the entire night. The first bassist using the cab was playing a Fender Jaguar with a pick into my Monique / Crest rig. The bass was pulled from the PA and the MAS115 carried the entire room with ease. Given Alex’s bass and style, it worked out being a very mid range punchy sound. The sound stayed even throughout the room. The next bassist used an SVT Classic with the MAS115. He also rotated the cab so it was at a 45 degree angle to blast directly at him on the other side of the stage. He was playing a Fender Jazz with his fingers. His tone is more low end focused than mine and he does get a great sound. The MAS115, even at an angle for pretty much the entire audience, dispersed very evenly throughout the room and kept his mid range much more intact than it should have been. The bass was very present and even throughout the entire room. Again, even with a bassier tone at an angle, the MAS115 kept a ton of clarity in the room.
This thing will be residing in Jersey City and will be out on the road quite a bit this year for anyone who wants to check it out.
Originally, I was thinking about a 109 to get me closer to the performance of the Flex 110 to replace the single E140 cab I'd been using for playing at home. Having enjoyed a pleasant diversion with the 112, I'm looking forward to Plan C, being able to play through my new 'reference' speaker in the sanctuary and my living/bass room. 
