From 15s to 12s

[LouieLouie16]

I'm pondering the idea of downsizing my current setup, which right now is a gk 700rb mii, and 2 avatar tb-153s.

If I was to switch to 2 12s, what are my pros a cons? Has anyone made a switch to this type of rig?

I love the beef that I bring with my 153s. The lows will dislodge your brain. Just most of the time it's a pain to bring both for an on stage gig(half the time the sound guy is telling me in overpowering his subs), but using just one doesn't fill a gig where there's no pa support. If I switch to 12s am I going to lose the volume and that rumble?

More or less I'm trying to run my amp at 4 ohms consistently because we added a second guitar and 8 ohms ain't cutting it anymore. I guess I'm looking for portability as well.

Thanks for any advice!

 

[JimmyM]

The pros and cons vary with each cab. Forget speaker size and concentrate on the tones. The only thing you can tell about a cab by the speaker size is the size of the speaker. There are some cabs with 12"s and 10"s with disemboweling lows just as there are cabs with 15"s that'll do it.

 

[OzzyGreg]

.
I built a fEARful 212 a few years back.
It's the cab I use more than any of the others I own.
Plenty of volume, plenty of booming bass, nice upper mids and top end sparkle (ok, I cheated and added a small horn).

 

[rogypop]

Go for two 12/6 fearfuls with eminence alpha mid. Basically, its *that* tone you got used to, just less sensitivity and displacement.

 

[LouieLouie16]

Anyone ever use the avatar 112s? I'm thinking about getting those

 

[orangejulius3]

I have an Avatar SB112 with a ceramic speaker @ 4 ohms.
I love it! I messed up though, I should've purchased an 8 ohm instead so I can add another.
It's a well balanced cab that can produce great lows.

 

[Jbassrockboy]

My response is a bit left field and possibly not great help but I offer it anway

I agree with Jimmy in that it really does come down to the individual cab add to that the amp how you play etc

But I do know from my own experience that moving from a 15 " ev in a Marshall cab plus a 1 x 12 Eden and then a 1 x 12 markbass and now to 2 x 12 mark basses that the definition of the twelves can be pretty good. Obviously that's a subjective statement

I often think about changing to 15's , or tens or 8's and it just becomes a complex hassle to sort out

Money is an issue , tone, venue sizes and variations, types of gigs and style of music

Even if I owned a shop full of gear I would still find something else I wanted

I often go back to why I went down the line of using 12's in the first place

The reality is, I went this way because I like them and I have not experienced a situation where a band member has said oh by the way I don't like your tone or your twelves..

So I figure if you want to go twelves it's a good chance you will be happy

2 twelves can give a great tone and deliver some punch but treat them as twelves and don't expect 15 tone...

They are what they are... Not as big as 15's not as small as 10's

Good luck

rossa

 

[rekesbass]

I'm an old school guy that was brought up in the 15 camp..I used 2x15 cabs forever..eventually I ventured into trying other cabs only to come back to using 15" loaded cabs..that is until I tried my Genz NeoX 2x12..todays modern cabs are nothing short of amazing(especially with neo speakers)..I don't miss anything about a 2x15 other than the weight and size and that is something I can do without..you need to go out and try some to really get a feel for them..I think you'll be pleasantly surprised by what a modern 2x12(or even a 2x10) will deliver.

 

[CL400Peavey]

Anyone ever use the avatar 112s? I'm thinking about getting those

Whole thing is, they are not built around the 3012LF which is analogous to the woofer in your current cab. So you would need a LOT of them to match the displacement of your current cabs. Two would be a massive downsize.