Does anyone here still use Acme cabinets?

[micguy]

Acme's are great for clubs with a not stupid loud band, or if you have enough power, and enough cabs, they can work for a loud band. Acme is the only bass guitar cab manufacturer who's products really do justice to the fundamentals of a low E on a standard tuned 4 string bass guitar. Everyone else gives up low frequency extension for size and efficiency - there is a 3 way tradeoff in the design of speaker cabs, and if you want low frequency extension, and decent efficiency, the cabinet will not fit in your car.. If you want them to be loud, you need enough of them, and enough power to drive them to that level - as they are less efficient, that means you need more power than with other cabs.

In today's world.....at least in my part of it, I have no need for an amp. The PA's I get to play through all have subs that will all do justice to a low B on a 5, and with a few tens of kilowatts driving them, there is plenty of low end.

 

[Keith Guitars]

I use B-1 cab or cabs for almost all my gigs. They are great for upright but also work well for electric in mid-volume situations. They are smoother and more “polite” than some cabs but I love the sound. I run them with an Acoustic Image Clarus 2. BTW they also sound pretty good with my pedal steel guitar!

 

[winston]

I've never owned an Acme but I've been very impressed by the ones I've played/heard. A fellow bassist in an experimental jazz project let me play her B2, it reproduced the low end of an upright bass most excellently.

And one of my favorite bassists, Dan Rathbun used two B4s in Sleepytime Gorilla Museum (they were Tony Levin's favorite band while they were still together)! Dan played a Music Man 5 and an 8 foot or so wooden beam strung with piano strings and tuned wayyy down low. That setup shook the room thanks to the Acmes!

 

[TheArchitect]

I was intrigued by Acme Low B cabinets when they first came out, but never tried them.

Eventually, I kind of decided the cocnof low sensitivity outweighed the pro of extended range.

But now I'm in a smaller and quieter band, and Acme's product line has grown. As expressed in my recent post about my mixed feelings about my Phil Jones cabs, I'm possibly seeking something different. Small footprint is paramount. Modular capability is desirable.

There are so many great manufacturers these days who all claim their innovations are the best. You don't hear a lot about or from Acme - they do very little, if any advertising. I'd love to hear what TBers have to say.

Only the ones sold to me by Wyle E. Coyote... The rest are just not on the same level.....

 

[alexclaber]

I really liked my Acme cabs, played them for years, definitely learnt a lot about loudspeaker design in practical applications from them. If I'd been quieter (and not so keen on FX or dirt or slap) I'd probably still be using them!

 

[REV]

Four of 'em. Have mercy!

 

[ad9000]

I bought a couple of B2's back around 1999-2000. They sound amazing alone, maybe the best test bench or "living room" cabs I've ever owned, but they tended to disappear in the context of a band. I did use one or both of them for upright bass on a couple of gigs, and without a lot of volume to compete with they did well for that purpose. I was able to return one to Acme since it was within the trial period, and I sold the other one.

 

[zortation]

Great cabinets if you have the wattage; and you're not a slapper

 

[brianrost]

Count me as another former owner. My amp was clipping before the B2 was loud enough for gigs. It did sound great, though.

 

[fishdreams]

I have a first gen 2x10 that I swapped the drivers from (the ones that you get from Andy) and I use it still for recording - that low end is very real and with the AI Clarus amp you get this exact image of what your bass sounds like from the low b to the high c string. It’s also great for double bass. Big and transparant at the same time. If you don’t need to cut through loud Guitars and drums in busy mixes, and also don’t have to schlep them everywhere, they give me something no other bass cab I have , can do.

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

Had a B-1 briefly years ago. Distinctly recall it sounded dark to my ears. And it was physically HEAVY. Wooooshed it away with no qualms.

 

[BassinCT]

I used a B2 for about 12 years for low-medium volume gigs on both upright and electric. Everything sounded great through it, as long as I was mindful of the volume limitations and I didn't boost the lows much at higher volumes.

 

[zombywoof5050]

I use a Barefaced Super Twin these days with the Clarus+ or a Quilter BB800, but at home (where I don’t have to move them around) I like to use the two B2’s separated in stereo with an Alembic F-2B/Carver for the amp.
Here’s the pair of B2’s with the Clarus+ on top:

 

[otto B]

I have the 212 it's a beast of a cab, super loud and a ton of low end and clarity. I recommend these cabs for any type of gigs.

 

[Zooberwerx]

I have the 212 it's a beast of a cab, super loud and a ton of low end and clarity. I recommend these cabs for any type of gigs.

What are you using amp-wise? Did you go 4 or 8 ohm?

Riis

 

[groove pump]

Thabks. This is very helpul and supports my suspicions. "Punchy" is high up on my dream tone goals.

I haven't played through 20 or 30 different rigs, so I don't have much to make for comparisons.

When I upgraded from my so-so pair of SWR Workingman's 2x10's several years ago, I looked at the used marked and found great deals on both an Acme Low B2 and an SWR Goliath Jr III. Although I knew that mixing different cabs is somewhat discouraged 'round here, these were both rated at 8 ohms and 350 watts RMS, so I hoped that they might be compatible... and it didn't hurt that each one was priced at $200 in very good/excellent condition.

They've worked together fine for me using either a GK MB 500 or a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0. Although my current band does classic rock and dance covers, I've never had a need to really turn this rig way up, even when playing a semi-cozy outdoor setting without PA support for my sound. I like to play them in a vertical stack with the Acme on top. And if we're indoors in a tighter setting where I'm completely fine with one cab, I prefer the Acme.

I think that I've always liked a "punchy" personality from my amp setup, but it's hard to quantify that. Some of that personality could be the response of the amp components when I play through them and not entirely the character of the actual tones they produces for me. I've just always had the impression that I can expect some inherent "punch" with 10" speakers and if I have several of them working together, they can produce a nice full sound for me.

If I wanted to try for a little extra punchy-ness in a different cab, I know that I've been a little curious about trying Hartke's newer HD210's. I saw Zebra do a show in a not-too-big theater last year (they were fun!!) and the openers were a more local trio that did their own stuff and toured a little bit a decade or two ago. The bass dude had a pair of those Hartke's on stage and I was pretty sure that it was the sound from those that was reaching my ears and filling the room. They sounded NICE!!

 

[bwoodman]

Has anyone / is anyone running a B2 with a B112FR/FW?

 

[Pep]

I did a while back. The B112 couldn’t keep up with the B2 and started breaking up.
I’ve used B2s in combinations of 1, 2, and 4. They’re the best cabinet Andy makes.
I’m actually selling two of them in mint condition with Tuki padded covers. I’m going smaller as I get older.

 

[Pep]

Four of 'em. Have mercy!

Yep four of them and they killed it!!!