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fEARFUL the solution to everything

#101
Something I can say is I've played and gigged tons of cabs, and played and gigged fEarfuls (and my Thunderchild) quite extensively.

That's a lot more than I can say for people accusing fEarful fans of being kool-aid drinkers and otherwise. The number of folks who tried them on gigs and didn't like them - maybe two or three stories I've heard and they were from people I could have told wouldn't like them before they tried'em.

What I'd say is make a serious effort to check one out before you write it off as kool-aid.

If a fEarful, Baer, Barefaced, or Audiokinesis cab doesn't do it for you I would be seriously shocked. I think anyone's tone palette would fit with one of those builders, and I think they'd get far more SPL per pound out of it too.
 
#102
This forum is full of people who have played like 1-3 different amps and maybe 2 different cabs in their life. The most expensive or oddball gear is for these guys.

Then you get the guys who can afford to buy out a music store and have played everything.

Then you have the endorsed artists who guess what, push what endorses them.

Very little factual information gets spread around this forum. Just likethis post.
 
#103
I've been here a while too. I just don't get all the junk about using a cab with relatively flat (not actually flat of course, so don't getcher panties twisted up over that) response having anything to do with "not sounding like a bass rig".

Or comments on a fEARful 12/6 derived via playing a Baer. (Different cab, different woofer, different mid, different crossover, yet "Fearful derived"? Uh... lol-whut?)

Or all of the thin skin that can't handle discussion of how side-by-side drivers behave, and some of the drawbacks without getting bent out of shape. My buddy played his SVT & 810 last night and it sounded bad-ass. More bad-ass on axis than off... but that didn't mean there was anything wrong with it, or that it didn't sound good anyway.

And I played my fEARful rig in two different bands afterward... he told me it sounded badass too (and wasn't the only one to comment on it either). I might've had a hard time with his rig, cuz for the second band I played on the opposite end of the stage from my rig... I could hear it fine, while with an 810 I probably woulda missed my mids.

Different strokes, they both get the job done, in different ways. If someone asked him for rig advice, he'd point to his and say why. If someone asked mine, I'd point to mine and say why.

So what? Why would anyone have a problem with either, or whine about the fact that either of us might have something to say?
 
#108
thudfromafar said:
Not really, because the cabs rpsands listed get more SPL per pound than the ones you listed. And I wouldn't want to use any of those cabs you listed.
Click to expand...

Of course you wouldn't. But many people would. As a matter of fact, most people would. Most bass players don't need a cab that can handle a gigawatt by itself, and most would love the tone of one of the cabs I listed.

There's a reason that EV stopped making 3-way bass cabs. There's a reason Accugroove went out of business. There's a reason the GB three ways don't sell well.
 
#109
I think it's great that people will recommend a Fearful (or other super cab). Because strangely enough, despite their relatively rarity and high cost, it's far, far easier to get a straight answer on what they actually sound like. Setting aside the higher specs on paper, the designers of these cabs will actually tell you that their creation might NOT be what someone is looking for. I can actually figure out whether it's worth the trouble of tracking one down to try it out.

Take any of the mainstream cabs, and all you can find on Google is the manufacturer's regurgitated speil which attempts to convince you that the cab does EVERYTHING, or random handles answering every question with "My cab sounds awesome".
 
#111
I've built three fEarfuls and very much enjoyed the process and community. Yeah, they are amazing sounding cabs, and I love them. I got to try quite a few different cabs, and built other, more conventional, designs. Turns out the fEarfuls did everything I wanted and then some. ( my inherited male pattern baldness is gone, and the other claims are true too)

But there is a dark side. Mine have taken to roaming around with other bass players. They've made a name for themselves I clubs I haven't gotten to play yet. ***? I gave birth to these beasts. Sweated it out in the garage if it was hot. Brought em in to keep them warm enough for gluing if it was freezing out there. Worried over crossover details, hollered for help, and shared the pain with the community of fEarful pioneers.

Now they are out there in the spotlight without me! Especially that cheeky 12/6 cube, which only cost me $300 to build. Folks leave their 4-10's at home and take the cute little one out to play. This week the 15/6/1 is out on a lark. Hopefully, it'll be home tuesday.

I got to play out with the 12/6 last night. After hearing it with other amps and players in the room I played, I knew exactly how good it was going to sound out in the room. Fun stuff.

But they are not for everyone. You need to like sharing.
 
#115
g4string said:
Its not always about SPL.
Click to expand...

You are absolutely correct! I built my 12/6/1 not only for the enjoyment [and some frustration] of a DIY project, but to to also meet the needs of filling a difficult room with the bass sound I wanted . . . at a low to moderate volume I might add.

I play in a church p&w band without PA/mains support [due to an aged and lacking sound system]. The best mainstream cabs that I tried/liked were an Epifani 210 and 310. But there were still dead spots, boomy sounding spots [under the balcony], weird off axis stuff going on, etc . . . that didn't sit well in the mix. My 12/6/1 solved that problem . . . sounding nearly the same from all areas of the room. And we have to keep our levels at or below 80db or we hear about it afterwards. I'm driving my cab with an EBS Reidmar that's rated at 125 continuous watts at 8 ohms, and it's barely turned past 1. The cab works perfect for me in that setting. I've played out with it in larger rooms and an outside gig with much higher volumes and it can be dialed in quiet well for that also.

On the other hand, I can't stand my MB F1 through the cab. Just the wrong stock mid freq. center points on there to get my sound. But I love, love, love my Epi cabs with that head.

I wouldn't call myself a fanboy, but I researched on TB and GB for a cab that would work for what I needed, the 12/6/1 was spec'd to work, and it delivered in spades!! I couldn't be happier, YMMV.
 
#116
ChuckTrucks said:
This forum is full of people who have played like 1-3 different amps and maybe 2 different cabs in their life. The most expensive or oddball gear is for these guys.

Then you get the guys who can afford to buy out a music store and have played everything.

Then you have the endorsed artists who guess what, push what endorses them.

Very little factual information gets spread around this forum. Just likethis post.
Click to expand...

you forgot the guys that can play through just about any rig and get a sound they can deal with given they are using their bass...
 
#119
Funny thing. I had taken the fEarful 15/6/1 to jam nights before. I put it up there for the evening and everybody plays through it. Usually, we use the host bassist's AI head.

The club has a decent FOH sound. The other bassists were not at all impressed at the start. The stage volume was low and the house system was doing the heavy lifting. Even I was not impressed. The room was filled with the usual muddy, undefined, bass.

One by one, guys went up for their turn and came back with a totally different story. Then the cab went out and about in Portland to rooms that did not have PA support for anything but vocals. Guys came back with glowing reports and lots of questions.

Now we frequently ask the sound guy at jam night to pull the bass out of the house and let the cab carry the room. (it's a pretty casual and friendly scene) Without the stage volume getting much louder, the bass sound in the whole room improves. Turns out the club's subs are not that happening. The fEarful by itself is much tighter sounding. You can feel the bass better and it's clear, bottom to top.

We're lucky to have a nice little community of bass players in the area. The TB GTG's are very cool. Keep an eye out for the next Seattle GTG. There's very little of the "mine's way better than yours" vibe that can start to happen once things get as big as TB overall.

It probably does get tiresome to hear guys always talking about the fEarfuls, but for the most part you are hearing from guys who actually went to the trouble of putting one together for themselves, and are eager to share just how cool things turned out.

They aren't a bunch of wingnuts like those Dingwall, slanty fret lunatics. Talk about drinking the cool-aid!
 

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