OK, here's my review:
First, let me get one negative off my chest: the cab has Speakon inputs only! WHY?! I showed up at the gig with the cable I had been using (1/4" - 1/4"), assuming you could put a quarter inch through the middle of the Speakon jack (as in every other cabinet/head these days). I tried and tried, and either the input is too small, or there's no 1/4" capability. Thankfully, the gig was only 4 blocks from my apt, so I grabbed a Speakon cable...but STILL...why wouldn't they make it both?
OK, that was the one negative...a little frustrating, but I got over it. Now for the actual review:
For your reference, I was using an old (probably 100 yrs) Czech bass with a Realist pickup.
The EA cab worked equally as well as the Yamaha BBT110s I had been using for this gig...and that cabinet is a decent bit bigger (16-15/16"W x 14-5/8"H x 14-15/16"D, 32 lbs, as opposed to Wizzy's 15”H x 12”W x 11”D, 16 lbs). I believe that's a feat in and of itself. Volume was not a problem, although the venue admittedly is relatively small. Still, I don't think I've ever played an upright gig that required more than a 10" woofer for a volume bump.
The main difference with the Wizzy is there's a bit of a mid-push with everything left flat on the amp, whereas the Yamaha was even from top to bottom with no EQ. This was most likely due to the difference in cabinet size. The mid-push was the main reason the person I bought it from was selling it...he had been using it with an AI Clarus, and couldn't tame the mids (and also felt like it was missing lows). This was easily compensated for, however, with the LMII's VPF, and/or EQ controls. I experimented a little, and found I could get similar results with EQ flat, and VPF between 9:00 - 12:00, or VPF flat and cutting the mids (or any combination thereof). There was a nice synergy between the LMII's controls that I had never noticed because I hadn't needed it with electric bass.
One slight problem was a little bit of a peak with the open G string, but again that was fixed with a bit of mid-cut/VPF. Also, if you're one of those players that uses a gut G-string, I don't think that would be a problem. My strings on this bass are D'Addario hyrbids.
I think that, like the guy selling it, if I was a Clarus user, I would not be happy with this cab. We tried it in his apartment with both electric and URB, and with the 'cleanness' of the AI, it tended to be very 'peaky' in the mids. With the LMII set flat, it sounded way better than even the EQ'd Clarus, but still a little on the midrangey side. But with some minor EQ adjustments it sounded absolutely perfect.
I should also point out that in some circumstances, the midrange could work to your advantage, such as in a larger ensemble where you need to cut through. But since this gig was with just a hollowbody Gibson, and a guy playing snare with brushes, I preferred EQ-ing out the mids for a more natural sound.
My one gripe (besides the stupid Speakon-only) is that I wish the Wizzy was 8 ohms. I do get nervous pumping 500 watts through it (and I'm normally a guy that likes a lot of headroom, especially for EB). But as long as I keep an eye/ear on the volume, I think I'll be fine. Oddly, I'm perfectly comfortable cranking the Yamaha cab, which also contains only a 10"...maybe it's because I get nervous with the small size of the EA.
Overall, though, I'm very happy with the sound and volume I was able to get out of this tiny box. AND...I didn't even need to wheel it on a cart...I just carried it like a briefcase with no problem. Total rig weight: 22 lbs.
Oh, I snapped a quick shot of the rig with the guitar player's camera...so when he emails me the pics I'll post them up here.
Cheers,
Aram
