fEARFUL the solution to everything

[JimmyM]

I'm not sure which authorized builder applauded your choice of JBL _140's, but I like him more already

A new friend and recent customer of ours spent hours with me on email and in person recalling our shared love for the first cabs that really got us closer to 'our sound.' In this case it was EV 15L's, but the awesome JBL's came into play as well. For the record, greenboy lists JBL as the primary innovator for bass cabs, PA cabs and studio monitors.

There's a reason studios keep those two speakers around for recording...they are highly efficient and sound very thick and full at low volume with smaller amps, which tends to translate better to recordings.

This shared love of vintage designs/speakers is what led gb to come out with the Bassic and Dually. The Faital 15PR400, though not 'quite' as efficient is still very efficient, and gives one the ability to get 'that' sound, with deeper lows, higher SPL and great dispersion.

Sorry for the derail! If I had a point, it was to say that there are many ways to skin a (musical) cat. Some of us feel that greenboy is the best at meeting those needs. I certainly hope I've never come off as smug or judgmental of others gear preferences

The real stuff was before you ever got here, Mark. Oh man, you should have seen them all get so wound up over it! Lovers and haters both.

Personally, I think what gets people wound up is the scientific stuff behind designs like the fEarful and the Bill FM stuff and whatnot. It's as if someone who designs cabs according to good science practices can't have ears. And in retaliation, the fans of the newer designs think those who reject the science are plebes who believe the earth is flat.

Me, I embrace both the science and the hoodoo. To this day, nothing I like better than a good simple 810 or 215 rig and no tweeter, but learning a little about the science has enabled me to understand how audio works and how to get the best out of my gear and fix many of the problems I used to have with boundary cancellation and over-propogation of lows in boomy rooms and things of that nature. And it also tells me that the stuff people say about mixed rigs and horizontal rows of speakers beaming is 100% true. But it doesn't dull my love for my favorite bass rigs.

So the science pushers need to realize that not everyone cares, and the science rejecters need to remember what Neil DeGrasse Tyson says: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you want to believe it or not."

 

[CL400Peavey]

... But fdeck, upright sounds fantastic through a fEARful...

 

[SactoBass]

thanks to forums -- predominantly TB -- we are now able to crowd-source a remarkably high level of design knowledge and playing experience, on par with some of the best commercial speaker designers.

Big +1 !!!

 

[dukeorock]

The real stuff was before you ever got here, Mark. Oh man, you should have seen them all get so wound up over it! Lovers and haters both.

Personally, I think what gets people wound up is the scientific stuff behind designs like the fEarful and the Bill FM stuff and whatnot. It's as if someone who designs cabs according to good science practices can't have ears. And in retaliation, the fans of the newer designs think those who reject the science are plebes who believe the earth is flat.

Me, I embrace both the science and the hoodoo. To this day, nothing I like better than a good simple 810 or 215 rig and no tweeter, but learning a little about the science has enabled me to understand how audio works and how to get the best out of my gear and fix many of the problems I used to have with boundary cancellation and over-propogation of lows in boomy rooms and things of that nature. And it also tells me that the stuff people say about mixed rigs and horizontal rows of speakers beaming is 100% true. But it doesn't dull my love for my favorite bass rigs.

So the science pushers need to realize that not everyone cares, and the science rejecters need to remember what Neil DeGrasse Tyson says: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you want to believe it or not."

Love that quote, Jimmy! I've been watching this the whole time, but didn't feel the need to chime in...to some the only thing worse than a greenboy fan is a greenboy builder

I think everyone needs to find their own mix...I play greenboy cabs, which has not been thrilling news to my endorsers, and I suspect many find them to be too 'modern' (whatever that means). I also mostly play upright at stupid volumes, so I feel these designs are very helpful to me. My electric basses are all passive 4 strings, totally outdated. When I'm honest my playing probably has more in common with Dee Dee Ramone than Victor Wooten, even though I was shooting for JJ Brunel and Willie Dixon! My amps are mostly Genz Benz...I think they're awesome, but I sometimes pine for a Sunn 200s.

The point is, it's years of experiences and influences that make us who we are, and frankly, I love that there are many points of view I can learn from.

 

[dhsierra1]

The point is, it's years of experiences and influences that make us who we are, and frankly, I love that there are many points of view I can learn from.

+1

 

[fdeck]

... But fdeck, upright sounds fantastic through a fEARful...

I'm a believer, but I'm not going to let anybody else have all the fun of designing my speakers for me.

 

[dukeorock]

I'm a believer, but I'm not going to let anybody else have all the fun of designing my speakers for me.

There goes my trade offer

 

[pete rallis]

Read the whole thread..(and yes i have no life)...Been in and around music a fair amount of time..and in my experience, every room I play in is different...concrete floors/walls, wooden floors/walls, outside, high ceilings, low ceilings..concert halls, dives with glass everywhere.and some with chicken wire..the sound is going to be different in every one of them.the paying audience is going to affect the sound too as the crowd gets bigger /smaller...my point is the setup the crowd hears will change for everyone of these..unless you just play at home in your room. it takes a good ear to adjust for the variations, and that comes with practice..not just equipment. So one fitall amp/cabinet just does not seem possible..Of course I could be wrong...

 

[dukeorock]

Read the whole thread..(and yes i have no life)...Been in and around music a fair amount of time..and in my experience, every room I play in is different...concrete floors/walls, wooden floors/walls, outside, high ceilings, low ceilings..concert halls, dives with glass everywhere.and some with chicken wire..the sound is going to be different in every one of them.the paying audience is going to affect the sound too as the crowd gets bigger /smaller...my point is the setup the crowd hears will change for everyone of these..unless you just play at home in your room. it takes a good ear to adjust for the variations, and that comes with practice..not just equipment. So one fitall amp/cabinet just does not seem possible..Of course I could be wrong...

Well, you did just describe one huge benefit to greenboy designs Much better dispersion throughout the room is a nice plus.

 

[pete rallis]

Well, you did just describe one huge benefit to greenboy designs Much better
dispersion throughout the room is a nice plus.[/QUOTE


I have been cabinet hunting, which is why I read this thread..thats what I, and most others, need to hear. not that its just better by design and its the greatest thing since sliced bread, but what it actually does...thanks!

 

[CL400Peavey]

Well, you did just describe one huge benefit to greenboy designs Much better
dispersion throughout the room is a nice plus.

I have been cabinet hunting, which is why I read this thread..thats what I, and most others, need to hear. not that its just better by design and its the greatest thing since sliced bread, but what it actually does...thanks!

You dont have a location listed. The link in my signature has a map that lists a lot of fEARful owners. I would bet that just about anyone on that list would be willing to let anyone curious come and try out their fEARful cabs.

 

[dukeorock]

I have been cabinet hunting, which is why I read this thread..thats what I, and most others, need to hear. not that its just better by design and its the greatest thing since sliced bread, but what it actually does...thanks!

Glad to help, brother! Feel free to PM me and I'd be glad to talk about this stuff with you. And it doesn't matter to me whether I sell you a cab or not as there are really some other great choices out there. I'm a musician first, not a salesman

The really good point about 410 and 810 designs is that from a technical point of view, placing speakers side by side isn't the best way to fill a room. Those cabs can sound AMAZING a few feet behind you, but often sound totally different to someone 30 feet away...it's all about phase, comb filtering, dispersion... that sort of stuff. If you look at most great PA designs, or high end audiofile home systems, you'll notice the drivers are usually stacked vertically for this very reason. I even tried using PA bins for a minute, but they aren't really designed with just the bass in mind. I went down the rabbit hole and it led me to greenboy cabs. Now that he's a close friend, I love building the cabs even more. He's just some dude that wanted bass players to love their sound and have the audience hear what they were hearing onstage. Great guy and dear friend.

 

[pete rallis]

Thanks again...i'm in Vernon,Texas...2 weeks from any where..

 

[dukeorock]

Thanks again...i'm in Vernon,Texas...2 weeks from any where..

Nice! There's an AMAZING builder prolly a little closer to you. jHawk Customs. Great dude and as good a cab builder as you're ever gonna find.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

I'm very interested in the fEarful cabs because I want a light, high powered cab. Maybe a composite. Why? Because my insanely colored tone I get from Peavey is not available in an ultralight cab from Peavey. So, are fEarfuls good for those of us who like a growly midrange tone say ohhhh vintage 80's Peavey stuff? Just thinking out loud here.

The cabs look very cool and very professional. Just don't think there's one within a thousand miles of Alaska though...

 

[Balog]

The thing I liked about the fearful designs was that the benefits were concrete. Great dispersion, very responsive to eq tweaks, high power handling and spl/lb etc. When other cab types were described it was all variations on "I really like it, it sounds good" followed by a string of wildly subjective adjectives.

 

[makohund]

I'm very interested in the fEarful cabs because I want a light, high powered cab. Maybe a composite. Why? Because my insanely colored tone I get from Peavey is not available in an ultralight cab from Peavey. So, are fEarfuls good for those of us who like a growly midrange tone say ohhhh vintage 80's Peavey stuff? Just thinking out loud here.

The way it pretty much works is... if you can get a sound in your signal before it hits the power section of your amp, that's what you'll get from the cab. So... it depends. I very often go for growly (depending on one's definition of growly, of course), and get it just fine. So I say yes.

But if you are dependent on getting your growl from speaker breakup modes (inherent to your drivers and the cab they are in), it ain't gonna happen. So someone else might say no. In which case, the bassic/dually line would be more up your alley.

How 'bout link to a clip of what "growl" means for you, and we can tell you a bunch of different ways to get there with various bits of gear, starting with what you already have, and where you might want to tweak? Both the fearful and traditional routes? That's always fun.

 

[dukeorock]

Best Idea I've heard this entire thread!!!

 

[alaskaleftybass]

The way it pretty much works is... if you can get a sound in your signal before it hits the power section of your amp, that's what you'll get from the cab. So... it depends. I very often go for growly (depending on one's definition of growly, of course), and get it just fine. So I say yes.

But if you are dependent on getting your growl from speaker breakup modes (inherent to your drivers and the cab they are in), it ain't gonna happen. So someone else might say no. In which case, the bassic/dually line would be more up your alley.

How 'bout link to a clip of what "growl" means for you, and we can tell you a bunch of different ways to get there with various bits of gear, starting with what you already have, and where you might want to tweak? Both the fearful and traditional routes? That's always fun.

Thank you makohund, very objective positive advice. I'll be back with a clip of "growl" lol.

 

[Brad Johnson]

The real stuff was before you ever got here, Mark. Oh man, you should have seen them all get so wound up over it! Lovers and haters both.

Personally, I think what gets people wound up is the scientific stuff behind designs like the fEarful and the Bill FM stuff and whatnot. It's as if someone who designs cabs according to good science practices can't have ears. And in retaliation, the fans of the newer designs think those who reject the science are plebes who believe the earth is flat.

Me, I embrace both the science and the hoodoo. To this day, nothing I like better than a good simple 810 or 215 rig and no tweeter, but learning a little about the science has enabled me to understand how audio works and how to get the best out of my gear and fix many of the problems I used to have with boundary cancellation and over-propogation of lows in boomy rooms and things of that nature. And it also tells me that the stuff people say about mixed rigs and horizontal rows of speakers beaming is 100% true. But it doesn't dull my love for my favorite bass rigs.

So the science pushers need to realize that not everyone cares, and the science rejecters need to remember what Neil DeGrasse Tyson says: "The good thing about science is that it's true whether you want to believe it or not."

Agreed.