Did I miss something? Is the Min E Filter the retrofittable pressure-regulator doohickey that was discussed a few weeks back, or something else entirely?
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Big E Speakers Part 4 - Quadraphenia
- Thread starter kesslari
- Start date
Did I miss something? Is the Min E Filter the retrofittable pressure-regulator doohickey that was discussed a few weeks back, or something else entirely?
Yeah--that's its new technical (not) name. They're weird, though. The 46 uses a larger one than the 110 Flex or sub, but the 109 uses one the same size as the one in the 46. It's kindof a matter of listening and tuning.
The top module (same as 110 Flex) is 26 wide by 20 1/2 high and 14 1/2 deep. It weighs about 49#. The bottom section is 26 x 13 x 14 1/2 and weighs around 32#.
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,125
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
And the more I play my Flex Mod, the more I'm digging it.
You MUST be having fun, you haven't been on TB 'singing its praises'...
- Dec 21, 2007
- 15,233
- 45,125
- Disclosures
- Lark in the Morning Instructional Videos; Audix Microphones
True in part.You MUST be having fun, you haven't been on TB 'singing its praises'...
I blew out my back in a major way May 4 (and missed the GTG -
)That had me out of sorts for a week. Plus I have been in a no-gig zone for a bit, and have also been on a bit of a "practice more, type less" kick. Add in a very intense month in my day job...
But it's time for a review. Maybe not so exciting because it's not a gig report.
First the backgrounds/caveats.
I play 5 string fretless almost exclusively and I like a nice bump around 400 hz. You can hear examples from the links in my sig.
I've been playing through BFM (Bill Fitzmaurice) Omni 10's for years now. They suit my style beautifully, and I've become accustomed to their sound. My one complaint has been the low end - even with judicious EQ I couldn't get the real visceral "booty shaking" low end that I wanted in my funk band. I tried a fEarful and while it had the low end I was never truly in love with the overall sound I got. My current amp is a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.2. Caveat - as I said, I'm in a low spot for gigs and haven't gigged the Flex210Mod yet.
So - that's me, my background, and my biases.
Now the Flex210Mod. BTW, I want Mike to have a logo for the Flex Mod. I propose this:
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When I first fired up the FlexMod my first reaction was "wow. THERE's the lows". Tight but full, and very visceral. If you're an old guy like me and remember the old Wendy's (hamburger chain) ads "Where's the beef?" Flex Mod says "I got your beef right here, baby". My wife described the overall sound as "richer".
The FlexMod arrived literally minutes before I had to leave for the weekend (which included an impromptu gig playing Doumbek and bass for a bunch of bellydancers). I did a "does it work?" test with the FlexMod. I was pretty happy with the sound right off the bat, with the FlexMod switches in the default setting and the settings on my Shuttle very similar to what I used on the Omni 10 (with the exception of the bass boost I used for the Omni) so I grabbed the top (essentially a Flex110) for that gig - where it was absolutely great. Tight, focused low end, lots of presence, and the slightly-grindy mids that I like. Rich and delicious. This was an "acoustic volume" gig so I didn't push things at all hard, but boy, was this sweet. The eye candy at the gig was pretty delicious as well... but no photos so by TalkBass rules it didn't happen...
When I got home I had the time to play through both halves of the FlexMod, and to start to learn the switching options. Playing through both cabs the sound was very rich and full. With the default settings and my mids set where I liked them on the Omni I found the sound much richer. The low notes on the B string were fuller and much more defined - much more to my liking, and I found I could use them as a real part of the bass' range rather than as a bit of color (limited by the fact that they just felt "weaker" than notes above E with the Omni). The "out of phase" sound didn't grab me, but I suspect that I will find it useful in boomy rooms, as others have reported. It's nice having it in the toolbox for that.
When I switched to "bright" I got close to the mid-bump that I loved in the Omni, and realized that I had been missing it a bit (though I was luxuriating in the lows too much to have noticed it). Over some playing time I found myself preferring the "bright" mode, and decided to go back to default and start to play with my amp settings. A bit more boost on the sweepable mids (roughly 400) on the Shuttle dialed in the sound I love on the "default" FlexMode setting, leaving "Bright" for when I want "extra grind".
My goal in getting this rig was 3-fold.
I wanted to keep the mid-range character that I loved in the BFM Omni 10
I wanted a more extended, visceral low end than I had in the Omni 10
I wanted a modular rig so that I could take a single cab that weighed under 50 lbs to my smaller gigs (which is most of them, these days) while having a second cab that created a "bringin' the thunder" rig when I play funk or dance gigs.
210 FlexMod - Mission accomplished. Every time I play I smile.
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So very sorry to hear about your back injury. 
I hope you heal quickly! Thanks for taking the time to post a review. I predict that you will like this cab more and more as you go along. When I first tried the out-of-phase setting in my living room, I thought that I'd never use it - wrong. I only play one room presently and it is not particularly boomy. Lately, I find myself using the out-of-phase setting more often than not. I am so spoiled with the tonal flexibility these cabs bring to the table. 
I hope you heal quickly! Thanks for taking the time to post a review. I predict that you will like this cab more and more as you go along. When I first tried the out-of-phase setting in my living room, I thought that I'd never use it - wrong. I only play one room presently and it is not particularly boomy. Lately, I find myself using the out-of-phase setting more often than not. I am so spoiled with the tonal flexibility these cabs bring to the table. 
Yeah kesslari, hope you are functioning well know. With reports from you spiritbass, nomatic and more, it appears the 10 based cabs are the deal! I love nomatic's story. Someone on an upper floor of a separate bldg of the hotel where he was playing, complaining about the bass! Just like what Leland experiences at his shop from complainants across the tracks and blocks away. Sorry if I butchered anyone's moniker. Spiritbass, if you get any nicer/positive I am going to have to search out local praise music posts for bass players! Wish I was such a positive energy guy!
What a compliment! Thank you.
I do my best every day to live in peace with everyone.
Diggin' that -- it's got me thinking about my Walkabout. I was on the verge of getting rid of that amp awhile ago, but some tube-swapping and revised EQ has me liking it a lot these days. How much available volume do you have on tap with the 4 Ohm 2x6 and the WA? Reference points with which I'm familiar: Markbass CMD 121P combo (the little 112 -- mid-forward and bumpin' for its size), an Epifani PS 112 (a little louder and lower than the MB, but more mid-scooped), an Ampeg 112 combo (not in the league of the other two interms of volume on tap before fart-out)... don't have any time with any of the "super" 112s (Duke's, Rogers, Greenboy's, etc.), which I imagine have more on tap, but if it could hang with the Epi, that'd be cool. If it could hang with one of the "supers", that would be superb.
Also curious, with the 4 Ohm cab, if you feel it or the WA run out of steam first. Looking primarily at electric bass use, secondarily at acoustic (cello, possibly upright) use.
At this point, the 26 is going to bottom out first, but the WA is getting gnarly too. Got a tube swap im going to try after vacay. Havent had a 12 for a long while, so no reference there. Gonna need some more time to get a good volume reference point.
Time to pump the thread up! Since I'm pumped up. Somethin left Chicago,(today), but it's NOT bound for New Orleans..tee hee. If you get this reference keep reading. It's comin to the left coast. And I have a plan. I pretty much am in charge of the band PA except my guitar player brings, or I bring for him these obnoxiously heavy but very capable EV 15" PA mains. A pain to lift up on the poles. I plan on bridging my little PA board/amp combo into the Mighty MAS48 and let it do the duty all by itself. I have power monitors too which I hook up to the PA. I will be playing through the new 46,(enroute) and will run DI out to the PA too, just in case. So my amp signal will be running into the MAS 46, and DI to pa into MAS 48, along with vocals and drums. Keep in mind that the 48 has greater output capacity than any production 8x10. And has the dispersion magic goin on. This is a party hosted by old school friends of the guitar slinger, and whenever we bust out Hendrix or SRV the appreciation is Big. The host told some funny stories about when he worked for Bill Graham productions, and the guests are super appreciative too. So the second reason I am jacked, other than the MAS46 on the truck headed my way, is the Fender Japan mid 80's P-bass I just got from a TB'er. E series serial number. Lived mostly in a closet for what I can see. I went full Monty and strung it with La Bella Jamerson 52-110 flats. Oh yeah, that's what, or like what I was playing in the 60's before I slowly got out of playing in the mid 70's. Duck James and Phil Chen. No dead spots on this baby. La Bellas should be sorta calmed down by the party. And I talked our harp friend who can tear up any old school blues tune like he was Little Walter James Cotton Paul Butterfield all rolled into one, into playing it with us. Man I'm jacked.
Pumped likewise, another something should have left Chicago on Tuesday also bound for the left coast. Soon to be unleashed in the bay area blues/roots scene...
*Sigh* Good thing I'm a patient chap or it would be much harder to follow this thread. I really am enjoying it though, learning a lot and looking forward to getting my own Flex 210 one day. At least I'm getting closer to that goal - just started a new job, when I roll full time I'll be eligible for a bonus next March. And I did get a Mesa 400 (non +) that I think will serve me well. That said I'll get there one way or another.
Until then I'm thinking of picking up an old Acoustic 301 for a silly low price. A folded horn is at the furthest opposite end of the spectrum but it'll be interesting to try out, wanted one back when I had a 370 head for a brief stint....
Raz
Until then I'm thinking of picking up an old Acoustic 301 for a silly low price. A folded horn is at the furthest opposite end of the spectrum but it'll be interesting to try out, wanted one back when I had a 370 head for a brief stint....
Raz
Dude, a Mesa 400 through any competent cab is awesome. MAS when you can get there is icing on the cake! I would gig any of my local clubs with a 400 and a Diesel 2x15, (which I once owned but lost when my house burned downed). Mesa rocks. When you get the means check one of these MAS out. Extra special but don't stress. I would gig a Mesa 400 and any powerhouse cab, or many others. It's you and your fingers, then the bass, then the amp then the cab. IMHO.
Pumped likewise, another something should have left Chicago on Tuesday also bound for the left coast. Soon to be unleashed in the bay area blues/roots scene...
Sorry, man. It did go out Tuesday. Along with six other cabs. I'll get you the tracking in the AM. And thanks for all of the nice comments to all. I'm a bassist first, a bass gear nerd second, and a manufacturer third. I'm in such a weird position here on TB because I have to hold back comments on my personal experiences. I'm one of the very few manufacturers here that is a professional working bassist first. But I get so excited when something enhances my playing experience that I have to remind myself that it may be unfair to the other manufacturers to go on about it. The TB CUP policies are fair.
It's just so rewarding hearing the experiences of y'all!
