Cabs in America

[MrLenny1]

My preference, GK Neo 1x12 times two is a great setup.
Very versatile, ight & loud.
Don't know where their made but very good
bass cabs.

 

[murphy]

Then you may prefer GK.

Yuk...I always loved my Eden cabs
GK cabs always sounded and sound like a step down to me

 

[Killing Floor]

Come on, people! A simple search on "cabs in America" will yield plenty of results.

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Thanks! I was on the fence about saying Cabs in America is my favorite Kim Wilde song.

 

[707GK]

Ive played though the Mesa SW cabs, 15 and 210. They are great but for me, I couldn’t find the “special” quality that sets them apart from my Greenboy Bassics.

I like the way GK woofers sound but I’m not a fan of their HF drivers. I tend to use the trick to disable the horn by putting the cab into bi-amp mode and then only using a 2-pole speakon to bypass the HF driver. Doing this, I think GK cabs can have a nice, even tone all up and down the spectrum. Still not like a Greenboy cab, but they sound good.

 

[DJ Bebop]

Nobody else thought about the Kim Wilde song when they saw this thread title?

I did but I though I was too silly to say anything. But now that you've opened the door...

 

[BOOG]

Fortunately, Roger Baer answers emails, can speak to his cabinets specifically and is a super good dude. (FYI...IIRC, he is a sound designer who works on a syndicated TV show you would know.)

The thing for me is the "ML" mid-loaded 6" driver and not a tweeter. It just punches with no harsh upper frequency artifacts. The low end fundamental is present and not muddy or chocked.

If a tweeter is paramount in your Bass sound? Then the ML112 V2 is not for you.

My other cabinet is a Reeves 4x10" sealed that has no tweeter, either. I have no need for what a tweeter does - good or bad.
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These are also something that you do not see often. ($1200 Direct USA 65lbs, the two guitarists I play for will not allow me to sell it!)

On the ABM...its new, UK made and replaced a lighter Thunderfunk 750/800 mod. I put an old GE 12AX7 (from a Baldwin organ tone generator) into the front end and the drive sounds amazing. Waiting to pop an old 60's Mullard in next.

I am an outspoken lover of Ashdown!

Love my Ashdown gear! I have a CTM-100 into an Ashdown 410 (American made)

 

[BtaylorTheRogue]

Nobody else thought about the Kim Wilde song when they saw this thread title?

I did but I though I was too silly to say anything. But now that you've opened the door...[/MEDIA]

Didn't you ever watch "An American Tale: Feifel Goes West" as a kid?

There are no cabs in America.

 

[BOOG]

Have to say I do too. I have a Mesa rig with WD800 & (2) 115 Subways. It is nice. I also have a Markbass LMII with (2) Eden D410XLT cabs. It is equally nice but different. If the 410s weren't over 2X as heavy as the 115s I would call them the winners. I'm not gigging so I don't have to move them around and they see as much use as my Mesa gear. I would say if you like the Eden tone seek out a pair of used D210XLts. They're out there and they're relatively inexpensive compared to other options.

I had one of the 210XLT cabs that I bought used and it didn’t work out. I will probably not buy another used cab as, I don’t want to chance my money on something that I don’t know if it’s been abused and I want it to be covered with warranty.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I keep forgetting that I too have an Eden cab I play through. I forget cause the sticker fell off.
It's a CX 110
The top one...


I know, that does nothing to help with what is going on here.

 

[PhatBottomBass1]

Love my Ashdown gear! I have a CTM-100 into an Ashdown 410 (American made)

Probably this one...?

I think for myself, the Ampeg, Trace Elliot and Ashdown years of use/design never really used a tweeter. The large box TE 1158 cabinet used a FANE driver designed with extended top end response suitable for a Pedal Steel application. TE offered the "Bright Box" with 4 x 5" speakers, but I never used one. The 1048 cabinets didn't get a tweeter until Gibson owned the brand, except in the 3 quft boxes with 2x10 or 1x15. The TE/Ashdown combos I've owned did not have tweeters.

I think a tweeter became a thingy of marketing, the prevalence of slap and interest in studio monitor Bass cabinets.

That's my take on it anyway.

 

[Altitude]

Frankly I think this business is pretty competitive and efficient, and these days many companies have outstanding offerings.

My good experience lately has been with Audiokinesis. I have two of the 1x12 Changeling cabinets. They use the long-excursion woofers that came out 5 or 6 years ago and have found their way into many new cabinet designs.

There are a few things about these in particular that I like:

• Each one weighs only 30 pounds or maybe a touch less.
• They use a midrange driver instead of a horn tweeter. I'm not a no-tweeter guy but I do think horn tweeters can sound a little clicky. This midrange, with the crossover points and quality Duke uses, sounds really musical for a bass guitar.
• That midrange driver has its own little enclosure inside the cabinet with a port on the top of the cabinet - which allows some sound to escape in the direction of my ears. I can hear this cabinet better on stage than I have heard others.
• There is a second midrange driver that faces rearward. This is a really interesting innovation - it splashes the back wall with some sound, but not low end that could get caught and rumble around back there. The result is a livelier sound on stage and my bandmates say they can hear me better for it. This driver is defeatable and Duke has a similar model that omits it entirely for a little less $

My only complaint is that I'm not gigging much right now, and the only active band I'm in uses IEMs, and I don't even take these to the gigs anymore. So I hardly get to use them!

Here they are with my GK MB Fusion. I also have a Mesa D-800 that is somewhat louder. I can play a lot of gigs with that amp and only one of these cabinets, they are able to play very loudly without sounding strained.

 

[BOOG]

View attachment 4361967
Probably this one...?

I think for myself, the Ampeg, Trace Elliot and Ashdown years of use/design never really used a tweeter. The large box TE 1158 cabinet used a FANE driver designed with extended top end response suitable for a Pedal Steel application. TE offered the "Bright Box" with 4 x 5" speakers, but I never used one. The 1048 cabinets didn't get a tweeter until Gibson owned the brand, except in the 3 quft boxes with 2x10 or 1x15. The TE/Ashdown combos I've owned did not have tweeters.

I think a tweeter became a thingy of marketing, the prevalence of slap and interest in studio monitor Bass cabinets.

That's my take on it anyway.

Yep, that’s the one.
I’m not a tweeter user. I don’t mind them installed in the cab but I keep them switched off.

 

[BOOG]

Frankly I think this business is pretty competitive and efficient, and these days many companies have outstanding offerings.

My good experience lately has been with Audiokinesis. I have two of the 1x12 Changeling cabinets. They use the long-excursion woofers that came out 5 or 6 years ago and have found their way into many new cabinet designs.

There are a few things about these in particular that I like:

• Each one weighs only 30 pounds or maybe a touch less.
• They use a midrange driver instead of a horn tweeter. I'm not a no-tweeter guy but I do think horn tweeters can sound a little clicky. This midrange, with the crossover points and quality Duke uses, sounds really musical for a bass guitar.
• That midrange driver has its own little enclosure inside the cabinet with a port on the top of the cabinet - which allows some sound to escape in the direction of my ears. I can hear this cabinet better on stage than I have heard others.
• There is a second midrange driver that faces rearward. This is a really interesting innovation - it splashes the back wall with some sound, but not low end that could get caught and rumble around back there. The result is a livelier sound on stage and my bandmates say they can hear me better for it. This driver is defeatable and Duke has a similar model that omits it entirely for a little less $

My only complaint is that I'm not gigging much right now, and the only active band I'm in uses IEMs, and I don't even take these to the gigs anymore. So I hardly get to use them!

Here they are with my GK MB Fusion. I also have a Mesa D-800 that is somewhat louder. I can play a lot of gigs with that amp and only one of these cabinets, they are able to play very loudly without sounding strained.

View attachment 4361982

I am interested. A couple others mentioned them and until now, I had not really considered them. There’re so many options that it’s going to take me awhile to come to a decision. This current hunt for upgrading has already been going strong for six months.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I am interested. A couple others mentioned them and until now, I had not really considered them. There’re so many options that it’s going to take me awhile to come to a decision. This current hunt for upgrading has already been going strong for six months.

Try to hear as many in person as you can!

 

[BOOG]

Try to hear as many in person as you can!

I do but this isn’t Nashville or LA so, the music stores don’t have the kind of stuff we’re talking about, usually. I attend a fair amount of live music venues but again, the stuff we’re talking about tends to be on the rare sighting list.

 

[jeff7bass]

@BOOG , ultimately it does not matter what anyone else thinks. Doing the research may narrow down your choices a bit, but ultimately the best thing to do is hunt down and try cabs till you find the sound you are after.

Lot's of people love the Subway line, but IMHO that's no guarantee that you will love it.

As an example, think of the millions of people who consider the SVT and 810E the ideal bass rig. The first bass rig I ever bought was a brand new MTI era SVT and 810. I had it special ordered after reading tons of glowing reviews. When it came in, I actually wondered if it was damaged or counterfeit as I thought it sounded awful. For the record, every SVT and 810 I have played since then sounded pretty much the same.

The SVT and 810 is obviously an exceptional rig because people have loved it since 1969, but it's not my sound.

I had the same experience trying one out at Guitar Center. Once I cranked it up, then it came to life but the help was getting pissed so that was that.

 

[Al Kraft]

My preference, GK Neo 1x12 times two is a great setup.
Very versatile, ight & loud.
Don't know where their made but very good
bass cabs.

I'm relatively sure that all GK cabs and heads are currently made in the US (and have been for some time). It's also interesting to note that GK makes its own speakers. I have been very happy with my two Neo 112 II's. Quite frankly comments/reviews by Tom Bowlus and Chef are what got me interested in trying them out in the first place.

 

[jeff7bass]

Frankly I think this business is pretty competitive and efficient, and these days many companies have outstanding offerings.

My good experience lately has been with Audiokinesis. I have two of the 1x12 Changeling cabinets. They use the long-excursion woofers that came out 5 or 6 years ago and have found their way into many new cabinet designs.

There are a few things about these in particular that I like:

• Each one weighs only 30 pounds or maybe a touch less.
• They use a midrange driver instead of a horn tweeter. I'm not a no-tweeter guy but I do think horn tweeters can sound a little clicky. This midrange, with the crossover points and quality Duke uses, sounds really musical for a bass guitar.
• That midrange driver has its own little enclosure inside the cabinet with a port on the top of the cabinet - which allows some sound to escape in the direction of my ears. I can hear this cabinet better on stage than I have heard others.
• There is a second midrange driver that faces rearward. This is a really interesting innovation - it splashes the back wall with some sound, but not low end that could get caught and rumble around back there. The result is a livelier sound on stage and my bandmates say they can hear me better for it. This driver is defeatable and Duke has a similar model that omits it entirely for a little less $

My only complaint is that I'm not gigging much right now, and the only active band I'm in uses IEMs, and I don't even take these to the gigs anymore. So I hardly get to use them!

Here they are with my GK MB Fusion. I also have a Mesa D-800 that is somewhat louder. I can play a lot of gigs with that amp and only one of these cabinets, they are able to play very loudly without sounding strained.

View attachment 4361982

Are they still building?

 

[jeff7bass]

I'm relatively sure that all GK cabs and heads are currently made in the US (and have been for some time). It's also interesting to note that GK makes its own speakers. I have been very happy with my two Neo 112 II's. Quite frankly comments/reviews by Tom Bowlus and Chef are what got me interested in trying them out in the first place.

The new NEO IV's are more powerful and built for higher volumes. A lot of people may never need that but it's there if you do.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I do but this isn’t Nashville or LA so, the music stores don’t have the kind of stuff we’re talking about, usually. I attend a fair amount of live music venues but again, the stuff we’re talking about tends to be on the rare sighting list.

What are you saying?

Yeah, for Oregon we have two Mesa dealers in the state. Better than some. Then Guitar Centers, you know how that goes. You really have to hunt to find the good stuff