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fEARful Part Eleven (11)
- Thread starter Kelly Lee
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I'm about to take the plunge into two fEARful cabs, but since there's no way for me to try them out, I'm not sure which way to go.
It's down to a 15/6/1 + 15sub, or two 15/6/1 cabs.
Can anyone provide a decription of the sonic differences of these two set ups?
Will the mids and highs be lacking if I go with the sub? Too much high end with two identical cabs?
I'm looking for thunder, punch, and shimmer... rich with harmonic content - something like a mix between The Ox and Jaco.
I'll be driving the cabs (at first) with an Eden WT-800 head, and sometimes sending overdrive (via a Sansamp RPM) to one cab only. (My current set-up is a 115 and a 210+tweeter; when I engage the overdrive, I send it to the 15 only, keeping the 10s clean.)
Also, I've been looking around, but I can't seeem to find any spec sheets on fEARful cabs - sensitivity, frequency response, etc. Any links?
Thanks in advance!
It's down to a 15/6/1 + 15sub, or two 15/6/1 cabs.
Can anyone provide a decription of the sonic differences of these two set ups?
Will the mids and highs be lacking if I go with the sub? Too much high end with two identical cabs?
I'm looking for thunder, punch, and shimmer... rich with harmonic content - something like a mix between The Ox and Jaco.
I'll be driving the cabs (at first) with an Eden WT-800 head, and sometimes sending overdrive (via a Sansamp RPM) to one cab only. (My current set-up is a 115 and a 210+tweeter; when I engage the overdrive, I send it to the 15 only, keeping the 10s clean.)
Also, I've been looking around, but I can't seeem to find any spec sheets on fEARful cabs - sensitivity, frequency response, etc. Any links?
Thanks in advance!
I can't say which will suit your needs the best. Burning Skies has the 15/6 with a 15Sub, so he'd know better how those two work together. I only have a 15/6 (no horn).
You can start here...[Invalid or Expired Link Removed] and then start browsing through the fEARful threads. Someone here will probably have more info and/or more direct links pertaining to your particular questions.
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,518
- 19,954
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- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
I hate to sound like a broken record, but I would strongly suggest that you consider a 15/6/1 and 12/6cube/1 setup as one of your options. The two pair up very well together, and you can knock down walls with those two cabs. But it also gives you two different sized cabs that are fully capable on their own. The 12/6cube/1 can handle a lot on its own - you'd be very surprised at what it can do as a stand alone. If you need a bit more volume/heft, take the 15/6/1. When you want to pummel the drums/guitars into submission, take both. 
Thanks, Sundouge.
I've been studying the fEARful site and the threads here at TB for a few months now - but still haven't seen any specs.
And, yes, I was hoping that Burning Skies would chime in - it's his rig which caught my eye for a 2x15 set-up.
The whole problem is I can't hear these cabs before I build/own them, and I'm trying to narrow my options... But, yeah... your 15/6 + 12/6-cube is pretty awesome.
Hmmm... perhaps I should narrow to a 15/6/1 + 15sub or a 15/6/1 + 12/6/1cube...
How to decide?
I know that greenboy had published measured specs, including waterfall plots a while back. Not sure when or where I saw them. These designs have been years in the making.
It seems to be the opinion of many that if you think you might want the horn, add it in as you can always dial it back if you find you don't want that content. But you can't dial it in if the horn ain't there.
I've never liked content that high up, but that's me. So mine doesn't have it and the 18Sound mid goes up plenty high for me. But again, that's me. If you have the slightest idea that you might want it...put it in.
Consider what you are after in your sound. If you like more of a bright content, build a 15/6/1 with a reverse baffle 12/6/1 Cube to match, ala Tom Bowlus' rig.
If you play with a deeper sound and want really strong lows and not as much highs, build the 15/6 with a 15 Sub, ala Burning Skies.
If you aren't sure, or you think you fall somewhere in between, then go with Tom's rig and just dial back the highs when you don't want them and dial them in when you do.
The only difference between the 15/6/1 and the 12/6/1 is output as tonally they are identical. And like Tom mentioned, having both gives you lots of options and modularity.
If I built another fEARful to go with my 15/6 it would be a 12/6 cube.
15/6/1 cab by music industry standard specs:
102db@1w1m, 35hz to 17khz +/- 1db, 900w
15/6/1 cab by reality:
98db @ 1w1m, -3db @ 45hz, -10db @ 35hz, top end depends on your horn choice I think
, 450 watts thermal, 900 watts RMS, and peak displacement for most use
102db@1w1m, 35hz to 17khz +/- 1db, 900w
15/6/1 cab by reality:
98db @ 1w1m, -3db @ 45hz, -10db @ 35hz, top end depends on your horn choice I think
, 450 watts thermal, 900 watts RMS, and peak displacement for most use
- Apr 3, 2003
- 35,518
- 19,954
- Disclosures
- Editor-in-Chief, Bass Gear Magazine
Please post a link, if you find them. And, yes, I totally trust the cab design; I know that a lot of thought and analysis has gone into them.
I'm tending to think I will use it, but I'm really not sure.
I got hooked on that top-end brightness in the '90s when I put a 4x5 "bright box" on the top of my 2x15/4x10 Trace Elliot rig - I noticed (and liked) the difference immediately.
When that band broke up, and I no longer had use of the communal van, I had to downsize and get cabs that would fit into my car. I basically cut the rig in half and went with a 1x15 and a 2x10, but the 2x10 had the "bullet" tweeter.
I know that overdrive can damage some tweeters (which is one of the reasons I keep my 10s clean and send the OD to the 15); are the tweeters in the fEARful cabs also succeptable to damage from overdrive?
I'm not sure if I want the tweeter, but I'm thinking that I might miss it after 20-odd years of having it.
More decisions...
Thanks, rpsands!
Where did you find these specs?
Do you have specs for the 12/6/1 and the 15sub?
Flippin' awesome, Tom!
Would a 15/6/1 + 15sub function well in this "somewhere in between" scenario? The sound I'm trying to get is not unlike a really fine woman:
full, round bottom - tight mids - perky top
(too much?
)As I mentioned, Entwistle was a big influence on my tone, and he used *a lot* of top end, but I don't think he ever used tweeters...?
Any clues as to how the output differs? This is why I want to find some spec sheets...
Why would you choose the 12/6 instead of the 15sub? More mid content?
Thanks!
I own a 15/6+1 w/15sub stack & a 1515/66+1 fEaridgerful. If I didn't have the dual 6's in the fEaridgerful to compare it with I'd think the single mid in the sub/stack was all I could want... BUT having two of those 18sound 6's makes a super silky vibe available in the fEaridge. With this in mind I second Tom's suggestion - his 15/6+1 12/6+1 combo seems to me a clever combination of modular versatility and total potential.
That said - you can't go wrong with a 1515/66+1 with a BMS horn, high power xover parts and more amp than you'll ever need - if it'll fit in your vehicle.
With regards to rpsands frequency response notes...One needs to also look at what they are down from...
Note the decibel level of the fEARful variants at various Hz when driven with enough watts. Need more down low? Look at the decibel level of two 3015LF's in the 1515/66 (equivalent of a 15/6 and 15 Sub) down to even 35Hz.
Note the decibel level of the fEARful variants at various Hz when driven with enough watts. Need more down low? Look at the decibel level of two 3015LF's in the 1515/66 (equivalent of a 15/6 and 15 Sub) down to even 35Hz.
Would a 15/6/1 + 15sub function well in this "somewhere in between" scenario? The sound I'm trying to get is not unlike a really fine woman:
full, round bottom - tight mids - perky top
(too much?
As I mentioned, Entwistle was a big influence on my tone, and he used *a lot* of top end, but I don't think he ever used tweeters...?
Note that Burning Skies has his 15/6 upside down to keep the mid lower than in direct earshot. You could probably build the same (with the horn for more top end) and keep the 15/6/1 oriented upright.
See my above post with greenboy's output graph. The only reason why this graph is more important is because the mid and high content is identical from cab to cab variation. Only the woofer's output changes. And the 18Sound mid matches the woofers output (as in a single 3015LF with a single 18Sound mid). If you want it balanced then build two 15/6 cabs instead of one without. Depends on your own tonal desires which are highly personal and subjective.
Yes, because I don't only want to add another woofer. I don't like the extreme highs of a horn, but I do like upper mid content. And the 12/6 would give me a smaller cab for some gigs than my 15/6.
They're based on tongue in cheek pokes at the MI amplification industry (first one) and driver specs and modeling (second one).
If you think you will use it, then put it in. Better to have it even if not desired, than to not have it when you do want it.
And don't confuse the horn and crossover in the fEARful designs with the crap crossovers and tweeters in a lot of other commercial cabs (especially older ones). Those really suck (until they blow
).
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