Let's start right with the pron-o-graphy:
As my fellow cronies, you know this was inevitable. Surprisingly, it took me until today to make another rig purchase. (Thanks for the refund, Uncle Sam.) As soon as the Streamliner came to market, my inner Butthead helped me realize that any amp I could refer to as the Cleveland Steamer would have to be added to the arsenal. So, what took me so darn long? Well...these new Focus LT cabs. The Steamer and LT's are like chocolate and peanut butter....Starsky and Hutch...pacifiers and paddles. Wait...was that my outside voice?
Anyway, you get the hint. While I'd liked this amp with a lot of cabs, I never loved it...until now.
So, a quick review...then some sound clip torture. Not a whole lot to say about the amp...everyone knows it well by now. For me it was a matter of choosing the 600w or 900w version. Ultimately, give me the option for more power, and I'll take it. Slight concern with these cabs, and I'll get to that in a sec. Otherwise, total "dig" on the amp.
These cabs have been one of those poorly kept secrets that marketing guys love. I got to hear a 112 a bit over a month ago, and was really impressed. I played through it without knowing the weight, or the price point. When I lifted it, I assumed it had a neo driver. Wrong. It's ceramic. This thing is LIGHT. And it sounds really good. Getting back to price...holy cow. This thing is an AMAZING value. It goes deep, hits hard and strong, offers slightly (to my ears) compressed mids, and the highs are pleasantly smooth. This is a great cab at list price, let alone street.
However, at that price point, there are inevitably compromises. Here's my list, in no particular order...
- It's only a 200w driver. If you're pumping serious air, this is not the cab for you. I've gotten one - and two of 'em - pretty darn loud...certainly much louder than I expect to get on gigs. No choking or farting...but that 200w number is certainly in the back of my mind.
- The covering is cheap and it's got a top-mounted strap handle. I'm not much on this covering anyway, but make sure your expectations are in-line. One little ding going through the doorway will tear it. The handle? I've never been a fan, although I have to say that carrying this thing is a breeze. That said, the feet on the Steamer (nor on my Shuttle 9.0) aren't tall enough to clear it. You need to lean the amp back for any sense of stability...and at that, there's not a lot because the covering is slippery. Worst, for me at least, is that there's no real option to route the instrument cable to protect both it and the amp. I'll probably craft something to fix that, as it's my biggest worry. On tight stages, where someone stepping on or kicking the cable is always a risk, I'm afraid of something going flying.
- Back panel controls. There's only one Speakon connector, and the tweeter has only a three-way switch. The latter isn't really a big deal for me, but something to keep in mind. Actually, the same applies to the speaker jack. If your amp only has one jack, you're limited to using a single cab (or going 1/4" on one end, I suppose.)
- Form factor. Weight aside, this is actually a pretty big cab - both deeper and taller than my Berg HT's. The front port is awesome, but if you are trying to position one or two on a really tight stage, it may be worth looking elsewhere.
- Stacking is a concern. I haven't removed the feet from one cab to test if the corners interlock, but short of that, such a setup consists of those smooth feet on a smooth surface. This worries me a bit, especially with the concerns mentioned above.
So...all those concerns, why buy? Well, back to the sound. This thing sounds really, really good. The weight makes load-in/out a pleasure instead of a headache. The cost takes away any (huge) worries about theft or damage on a gig. Since so many of the gigs I do are casuals, all of these factored in to my decision. Even though I don't expect to get really loud, the reason I bought two is so that I can hear myself more easily. Those small stages mean I tend to stand about 1'-2' in front of my rig. Gauging volume with a single 112 on the floor isn't easy, and as we all know, it sucks not hearing yourself on a gig.
There you have it. Since I had my recorder out for a little cable test anyway, I decided to mess around with one of my favorite standards with the new rig. Same setup as in the pic above. As always, forgive the bassee.
Invalid Link Removed
As my fellow cronies, you know this was inevitable. Surprisingly, it took me until today to make another rig purchase. (Thanks for the refund, Uncle Sam.) As soon as the Streamliner came to market, my inner Butthead helped me realize that any amp I could refer to as the Cleveland Steamer would have to be added to the arsenal. So, what took me so darn long? Well...these new Focus LT cabs. The Steamer and LT's are like chocolate and peanut butter....Starsky and Hutch...pacifiers and paddles. Wait...was that my outside voice?
Anyway, you get the hint. While I'd liked this amp with a lot of cabs, I never loved it...until now.So, a quick review...then some sound clip torture. Not a whole lot to say about the amp...everyone knows it well by now. For me it was a matter of choosing the 600w or 900w version. Ultimately, give me the option for more power, and I'll take it. Slight concern with these cabs, and I'll get to that in a sec. Otherwise, total "dig" on the amp.
These cabs have been one of those poorly kept secrets that marketing guys love. I got to hear a 112 a bit over a month ago, and was really impressed. I played through it without knowing the weight, or the price point. When I lifted it, I assumed it had a neo driver. Wrong. It's ceramic. This thing is LIGHT. And it sounds really good. Getting back to price...holy cow. This thing is an AMAZING value. It goes deep, hits hard and strong, offers slightly (to my ears) compressed mids, and the highs are pleasantly smooth. This is a great cab at list price, let alone street.
However, at that price point, there are inevitably compromises. Here's my list, in no particular order...
- It's only a 200w driver. If you're pumping serious air, this is not the cab for you. I've gotten one - and two of 'em - pretty darn loud...certainly much louder than I expect to get on gigs. No choking or farting...but that 200w number is certainly in the back of my mind.
- The covering is cheap and it's got a top-mounted strap handle. I'm not much on this covering anyway, but make sure your expectations are in-line. One little ding going through the doorway will tear it. The handle? I've never been a fan, although I have to say that carrying this thing is a breeze. That said, the feet on the Steamer (nor on my Shuttle 9.0) aren't tall enough to clear it. You need to lean the amp back for any sense of stability...and at that, there's not a lot because the covering is slippery. Worst, for me at least, is that there's no real option to route the instrument cable to protect both it and the amp. I'll probably craft something to fix that, as it's my biggest worry. On tight stages, where someone stepping on or kicking the cable is always a risk, I'm afraid of something going flying.
- Back panel controls. There's only one Speakon connector, and the tweeter has only a three-way switch. The latter isn't really a big deal for me, but something to keep in mind. Actually, the same applies to the speaker jack. If your amp only has one jack, you're limited to using a single cab (or going 1/4" on one end, I suppose.)
- Form factor. Weight aside, this is actually a pretty big cab - both deeper and taller than my Berg HT's. The front port is awesome, but if you are trying to position one or two on a really tight stage, it may be worth looking elsewhere.
- Stacking is a concern. I haven't removed the feet from one cab to test if the corners interlock, but short of that, such a setup consists of those smooth feet on a smooth surface. This worries me a bit, especially with the concerns mentioned above.
So...all those concerns, why buy? Well, back to the sound. This thing sounds really, really good. The weight makes load-in/out a pleasure instead of a headache. The cost takes away any (huge) worries about theft or damage on a gig. Since so many of the gigs I do are casuals, all of these factored in to my decision. Even though I don't expect to get really loud, the reason I bought two is so that I can hear myself more easily. Those small stages mean I tend to stand about 1'-2' in front of my rig. Gauging volume with a single 112 on the floor isn't easy, and as we all know, it sucks not hearing yourself on a gig.
There you have it. Since I had my recorder out for a little cable test anyway, I decided to mess around with one of my favorite standards with the new rig. Same setup as in the pic above. As always, forgive the bassee.
Invalid Link Removed
