• 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 free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Considering a new direction in cabs (lightweight content)... need advice!

ishouldbeking

ishouldbeking

Feb 5, 2007
2,090
32
#1
I'm sure similar questions have been asked. I searched, read plenty, and yet I'm gonna go ahead and ask anyway.

I love the tone of my current rig... Ashdown ABM 500 w/ a VT pedal through an LDS sealed tweeterless 610... I'm in an indie pop band with a classic rock kinda vibe and i basically go for a grindy, driven SVT type of tone, and i play a Ric with a pick. Sometimes kick on some OD or fuzz for a solo, but its basically a nice '70s kinda rock tone. Here's the thing... the 610 is a beast. Its about 115 lbs and takes up my entire back seat; i can deal with it for local shows, but as my band does bigger and better things, I'm thinking of what will be useful and convenient for touring. The fact that I'm the only one in the band with a giant/heavy hunk of gear doesn't help things either.

Now I don't know a ton about cabs... I've had a GK 410 for awhile, and then really just this thing, and then what i read on TB... what I'm wondering, is there a lightweight 410 that would fit the bill for me or do those cabs have a noticeably different tone? The Avatar stuff sounds like it'd be a good starting place. Schroeder also looks intriguing, but the price point is steep, and the only things i've heard through them are like, crazy over the top slap stuff, which might sound good, but honestly I can't even judge. Bergantino looks similar to that. The new Epifunky 410 sounds interesting (especially considering that price), but again, I have no idea how it'd work for my application. Yes, i know anything CAN theoretically work for any kind of music, but I'm wondering if there's any lightweight stuff that'd be particularly good for more classic tones, and conversely, anything that would be less likely to work, and I should avoid.

Primarily thinking of 410's as I can't sacrifice too much volume, but I'm open to suggestions. Really anyone with experience or thoughts on the above, feel free to chime in. Thanks!
 
#4
B-string said:
Have you looked into the G-K NEO 410 yet?
Click to expand...

nope, i probably should. i'm actually not as knowledgeable on all the various lightweight production cabs as I should be... seems like I know more about the crazy boutique-y things cuz i spend too much time around these parts, haha.

EDIT: actually checking out the specs, a 78lb 410 doesn't seem all that light, there seem to be quite a few non-neo cabs clocking in around that weight.
 
#8
the fearful 15/6 sounds like a cool cab, but it doesn't really sound like what i'm looking for... my 610 is only 34" tall, the 15/6 is about 30". I'm sure it'd be lighter, but wouldn't really help save a whole lot of space, even if it is a little narrower. And my build skills aren't there, and while I love my current LDS, I'm not exactly itching to deal with another custom build... even with Don who is at the top of his game, its kind of a pain... takes a while, and there are hiccups you encounter along the road which I'd rather avoid this time around. (Not knocking LDS, they're great... just not in the mood to deal with custom and all it entails.)

BTW, i'm not looking to replace my current cab... I'd keep it for big shows and local gigs where space and weight aren't as big a deal. Merely looking to add something lightweight to the arsenal for when we're out of town in either in a minivan w/ a trailer.
 
#9
I know my original question was a little, uh... "verbose", but really all I wanna know... would any of these lightweight cabs sound "normal" for the kind of rock and roll I wanna play? I mean that nice punchy low-middy goodness that an SVT fridge absolutely nails... that's the ideal tone, obviously any 410 isn't gonna nail it and i'm ok with that, I'm not looking for perfection, I just don't want to be horribly disappointed. My old GK 410RBH sounded fine (I actually got rid of it because it was horribly awkard to move), and Ampeg 410's sound passable (if a bit mushy)... played an SWR (goliath III, i believe) once that sounded ok, though I don't exactly remember the tone. What I don't want are weird super deep ultra-BASSY sounding cabs, or anything super pristine and hi-fi to the point where it sounds sterile.

Actually curious about the new SWR Golight 410's... I see they have a regular ported cab as well as a sealed version... wonder how that might sound?
 
#10
You need more watts to get the 15/6 as loud as the 6x10 so I would skip that unless you want to buy a new amp too.

With the VT bass pedal, I would say as long as your cab has adequate mids and low end extension you will be fine copping an SVT sound - that's my opinion though. The VT does some 10" driver sim that ought to make it work.

If it were me I would call LDS and ask him for a pair of 1x12s in 1.75 cubic feet tuned to 48hz with a 3012HO and a horn. That ought to be a ridiculously simple build with no snags, and will perform as well or better than anything you could get on the open market.

A 4x10 is going to be as big as a fEarful so I see no point in that.

If you're going with cabs on the open market, I would get a pair of these: http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...er-Neo112II-1x12-300w-Bass-Cabinet?sku=580261

Not much better for the price and the dimensions are insanely convenient.
 
#11
ishouldbeking said:
I know my original question was a little, uh... "verbose", but really all I wanna know... would any of these lightweight cabs sound "normal" for the kind of rock and roll I wanna play? I mean that nice punchy low-middy goodness that an SVT fridge absolutely nails... that's the ideal tone, obviously any 410 isn't gonna nail it and i'm ok with that, I'm not looking for perfection, I just don't want to be horribly disappointed. My old GK 410RBH sounded fine (I actually got rid of it because it was horribly awkard to move), and Ampeg 410's sound passable (if a bit mushy)... played an SWR (goliath III, i believe) once that sounded ok, though I don't exactly remember the tone. What I don't want are weird super deep ultra-BASSY sounding cabs, or anything super pristine and hi-fi to the point where it sounds sterile.
Click to expand...
Wow, that's a tough question to answer. They CAN sound that way, most definitely. But when I mic or speaker DI an SVT into a PA system, it still sounds like an SVT to me. If you use a VT, it's got all the required frequency cuts that warm up the sound so that will help tame them down some on both low and high end. Also, the ports can be tuned for varying low end response. And if you use a mid driver that cuts off at 4 or 5k, that also helps.

If you want to go small, loud, and heavy sounding, though, that's really the only thing I've seen that'll do it. A 15/6 design will actually move air comparable to your 610. Maybe not quite there, but certainly as much or more than a 410. I recently played through a little 212 cab made with Kappalite 3012LF's and mid driver that put out almost as much air as my 810. It's a little disconcerting at first to have mids and highs that spread out over the stage like they do, but I got used to it very quickly, and with a little EQ, it can sound very vintage indeed.

That isn't to say you'll like it for sure, but again, if you're looking for small but deadly, nothing delivers like those types of cabs.
 
#12
JimmyM said:
" I recently played through a little 212 cab made with Kappalite 3012LF's and mid driver that put out almost as much air as my 810.............
...............but I got used to it very quickly, and with a little EQ, it can sound very vintage indeed."
Click to expand...

i agree. the little 2x12 Vox cab that i built up last week loaded with two 3012LF's and an Alpha 6a (mid) has really surprised me at how loud and full a small lightwieght cab can be. its not quite as big as my ampeg fridge in sheer brute force, but it has about 90% of that, plus it has a bit more articulate highs. its definitely becoming my 'throw it in the car and go' cab, yet it doesn't make me feel like i'm compromising at all.
 
#15
::::BASSIST:::: said:
This might be a possibility:

Invalid Link Removed

SWR golight™ 4X10 4 ohm 56LBS
Click to expand...

Yeah, the sealed Marcus Miller version of that cab has me really intrigued. I'd have to hear it, obviously, but the idea of a lightweight sealed 410 sounds good at least in theory, even though I assume some efficiency is lost due to the sealed design. (Which never bothered me on my 610!)

As far as volume goes, I don't need to match what my current cab can pump out. As it is, I never turn up more than a 1/4 of the way up with this cab, and I've shared backline 410's enough to know they're plenty loud enough for my band. From all that you guys are saying though, I could probably go with a lot of the choices offered up in this thread. Thankfully I'm not super picky, as long as it sounds good I'm down. (I save my supremely picky tendencies for actual basses, haha)
 
#18
JimmyM said:
A 15/6 design will actually move air comparable to your 610. Maybe not quite there, but certainly as much or more than a 410.
Click to expand...

No, it's 'quite there", Jimmy. With a big enough amp it'll do "610" and have more low frequency extension and potential as a bonus. With enough watts it'll come very close to an 810, and depending on one's tonal preference may even do it louder.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back