• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join freeLog in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Cabs, what's your favorite and why?

Favorite 1x15
Favorite 2x10
Favorite 2x12
Favorite 2x15
Favorite 4x10
Favorite 4x12

And why? Go.

The only cab configuration on your list that I own is a 215. I have owned other cabs configurations that are on your list, and while they are ok, they dont compare to the cabs I have now.

The 215 that I have is a greenboy DuallyT. It kind of has an oldschool tonal vibe, but is a little deeper than you would normally attribute to that school of tone, and it is equipped with a tweeter to cover some of the top end that I like.

The rest of my cabs configurations are not on your list.
 
I mainly use 4X12 cabinets loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's, although I prefer Celestion G12H 30 watt bass cone (55hz) speakers. But, the G12H's are fragile for bass and you can easily deform the paper voice coil formers. But, the midrange presence, thickness, and projection is pure bliss.

1) Carvin V412A 4x12 with British Celestion Vintage 30's, covered in Ozite gray/black carpet...my main cabinet from 1989, also my loudest and sweetest...and favorite!
2) Carvin PB215 2x15 cabinet with mid '90's Peavey 1502DT Black Widows...GREAT midrange bite, my first cab, my 2nd favorite
3) Peavey 810tvx 8x10 tweed cabinet with Celestion Vintage 10's, crossover bypassed (no tweeter!)
4) Marshall 1069WSP 1997 35th Anniversary Celestion Greenback loaded white/cream 4x12 cabinet
5) Marshall 1960A "Orange Crunch" 4x12 cabinet with 70's Celestion Blackback G12H 55hz 30 watters
6) Two (2) Orange PPC412 cabinets with Celestion chinese Vintage 30's
7) Orange PPC212 cabinet with Celestion chinese Vintage 30's
8) Peavey 3620 with dual 18" Black Widows and two 10" Scorpion Plus drivers...a MONSTER cab :)
9) Peavey 412S 4x12 cabinet, late 70's, loaded with 1201 aluminum dome Black Widows
10) Peavey 215D-BW 2x15 cabinet, loaded with 1501 aluminum dome Black Widows
11) Marshall VBC810 8x10 cabinet...stock Eminence speakers for now...
12) Marshall 1960ASL limited edition silver 4x12 cab with Celestion Heritage G12H reissue 30 watters
13) Marshall 1960BSL limited edition silver 4x12 cab with Celestion Heritage G12H reissue 30 watters
14) Carvin G412T 4x12 cab, custom made, tweed covering, stock speakers for now...
15) Carvin G412B 4x12 cab, custom made, tweed covering, stock speakers yet again for now...
16) Carvin G412T 4x12 cab, custom made, silver tolex, stock speakers for now...my "portable" cab
17) Carvin G412B 4x12 cab, custom made, "country western" paisley brown tolex...stock speakers
18) Marshall MG412A Purple limited edition mini 4x12 cabinet, purple tolex...kind of a project cabinet
19) Marshall MG412A Silver limited edition mini 4x12 cabinet, silver tolex...another project cabinet
20) Fender Bassman "large" 1969 2x15 cabinet...empty at the moment...given to me
21) Two (2) Peavey 412FC 4x12 "flight case" style cabinets with Scorpion Plus speakers
22) Two (2) Peavey 410FC 4x10 "flight case" style cabinets with Scorpion speakers
23) Two (2) Peavey 412S beat up old 4x12 cabinets with square magnet old school Eminence original silver dustcap/black dot speakers
24) Marshall 1960TV cabinet retrofitted with British Celestion Vintage 30's & wired for stereo...can't believe I forgot this one!


...and to complete the setup, I'll round everything out one day with an Orange OBC810 8x10, a Mesa Powerhouse 8x10 in purple with Celestion G10 Vintage speakers, and lastly a Fender blonde/oxblood 8x10 with both matching Super Bassman 300 and 100T heads both in blonde/oxblood.
 
I seem to gravitate towards 15's, and I currently use a Greenboy Bassic 15 for small gigs. A few years ago I had a 212/horn cab built with lightweight drivers and materials by LDS, and have been using that for larger gigs. But, my all time fave is a a 215 loaded with JBL K140 15's.
 
  • Like
Reactions: stevecaronna
:D yes YMMV... obviously you're not agree with thousands professional bassists in the world who mic'ing the Ampeg 810 cabs (with outstanding results) in studios for their bass sound -alone, for example when overdubbing. Fine... I like different opinions from different people... I appreciate that.
 
you're not agree with thousands professional bassists in the world who mic'ing the Ampeg 810 cabs
It's not that I don't agree. It's just that I have my point of view with my own experience. And I don't care if 90% of bass players play the 810, I just stick to what I like.

You couldnt give me an ampeg 810, others would step over their grandma for one.
Lol, true ;)
 
Favorite 1x15: None, although I've owned a couple none have really made me excited. I will be taking an old 115 box, bracing and insulating the inside and putting a good 15" in it with a good tweeter and see how it works out.

Favorite 2x10: Acme LowB2. Mine's a first generation tank.

Favorite 2x12: None. But I did like the HyDrive 112 that I had until it died 2 songs into rehearsal. Sounded great. Just ran a string of bad luck with them.

Favorite 2x15: I loved my old Peavey 215D. Was thunderously loud at 2ohms with my Peavey head back in the day.

Favorite 8x10: Believe it or not, my Acoustic B810. I liked it for its transparency, even up against an Ampeg 810E. The Ampeg felt too colored for my liking.
 
1X15.

I play more "groove" than "solo" style bass. Most 1X15 cabs have a roll-off starting @50 Hz in a fairly small cab. That may appear to be a detriment, but it isn't. It is a good thing. Even 2X15 cabs are structurally isolated, essentially the same as two 1X15 cabs stacked.

To get a small cab with the roll-off to save cone excursion, the trade-ff is usually a slight broad hump in the output peaking between 100 and 150 Hz. This is what most people perceive as bass, and gives solidity and breadth to the tone as the primary 2nd, 3rd & (on the low notes) 4th partials of the fundamentals, which we perceive as harmonically consonant, and slightly rolling off after that.

The physics of overtones, especially as sum and difference tones when the partials are combined, as first explained by Giuseppe Tartini in 1754, can make the bass sound actually broader and deeper and have more character than if the tone was just the fundamental, and do its job better of knitting the percussion to the upper voices.
 
  • Like
Reactions: b-b-b-bass
1 x 15 Ashdown ABM range - was ok. Worked better as a partner with the 2 x 10s (below)
2 x 10 Ashdown ABM range - was a very good all rounder but lacked bottom when it wasn't partnered with the 1 x 15
2 x 12 Barefaced Big Twin 2 (3rd Gen) - after getting used to the audible difference, due the height of my old set up (which was a stacked 1 x 15 & 2 x 10s), the Barefaced has been nothing short of brilliant !!

Not used any other configs

adios
 
I'm pragmatic:
I don't care about my gear and different brands.

The rig has to be cheap, loud, reliable and movable.

The same for the Basses, i don't mind if it's a Gibson, Fender, Squier, my SX or something else.

For me they sound all the same in the band mix.
As long as the Bass sound goes "Boom, boom, boom...." it's ok for me.

I keep my Amp-EQ flat and play heavy gauge strings (Daddario 055-110) and heavy picks (Dunlop Gator 2.0mm).
 
  • Like
Reactions: John E
2X10 - Eden D210XST - Tight, punchy response with massive low end. I use 2 cabs running @ 2ohms.
2X10 (small footprint) - Carvin MB210 Combo Amp. One you dial in a sound you like, this little guy is fierce. For the price, it has tons of features. They also sell a 2x10 extension cab for it as well.
 
I dig my tecamp M212. 47lbs. Excellent for an old man. I like it so much I'm buying one of their super cabs, 1-10, 1-12, 3 tweeters. I like hi-fi, articulate sounding cabs that are also light in weight. This fits the bill. With FOH support these turn into a hi-fi sounding stage monitors and their pricing has been revamped where they are now affordable. Alone they sound excellent as well. I know Tecamp is not the only decent cab out there but it's my money, my choice. They work well with Brubaker basses.
I'm just getting ready to order the S2x12 tecamp cab (probably a 2nd one in the spring). I use the Puma 900 head
 
  • Like
Reactions: phillybass101
Favorite 1x15
Favorite 2x10
Favorite 2x12
Favorite 2x15
Favorite 4x10
Favorite 4x12

And why? Go.

My very favorite cab doesn't fit, but I'll list it anyway.

Favorite of all time: Bergantino NV610. IME it has all the goodness of the venerable Ampeg 8x10, but in a smaller, lighter, louder package. The NV610 was discontinued for awhile, but I believe it's been re-released with a tweeter as the NV610T.

I thought I read that the Bergantino NV412T will become available (see NV610T above). File this under favorite 4x12

Favorite 2x10: Bergantino HS210. It's discontinued, but the Bergantino HD210 is just as good or better. I also look forward to the new Bergantino CN210 (lightweight, neo speakers)

Favorite 1x15: Bag End S15D. I also loved the Bergantino HT115 (discontinued)

My favorite 2x12 is actually a pair of Bergantino CN112 cabs. Nice punchy tone, only 28 pounds each. (Berg also makes a CN212 box, which is cheaper than a pair of CN112)
 
I'm gonna throw in the BE S15-D as a very versatile and fine sounding cab. To me it throws out the tone of a slightly more modern B15, voiced a little bit higher, and with more volume. Stack two of them and IMO it does everything I want on a stage, with plenty of volume. With my heads, this little stack when driven hard gets me into a tone world reminiscent of a hybrid of an SB12/B15 with a little bit of SVT thrown in. With a P-bass this always puts a smile on my face. I've gone through a lot of cabs, and these easy-to-load cubes are my favorite mix of tone, volume, portability and ruggedness.

I was never happy with the tone of the several Eden 210's I had, and grew tired of the Berg NV215.

Enjoyed immensely my Ampeg 8x10's, in particular the 70's square back cab I had, but in the end, they were more than I could use 95% of the time and I'm not into the whole posing as a rock star thing, plus shlepping them around and scaring the small venue places got old. Still do a ton of outdoor festivals, but my BE's get the job done very well there, particularly given good FOH support.
 
Favorite 1x15 - Bullfrog from the 90's, much louder than the rating
Favorite 2x10 - never had one
Favorite 2x12 - never had one
Favorite 2x15 - Mesa Road Ready...sounded great, plenty loud
Favorite 4x10 - Trace Elliot 80's - no tweeter, just 4 nice speakers with smooth sound
Favorite 4x12 - Schroeder 412R, not sure if he is still making them, but amazing boom for small space it occupies...I can hang with the marshall full stacks and then some.
 

Latest posts