help with cab choices

[wotnwhy]

ok, i've almost come to the end of my new rig quest. all i've got left to do is decide on and buy the cab. i have a sansamp RBI pre-amp and a gemini 1600 power amp (300w a side at 8ohm, 500w a side at 4ohm). currently the main runner is a Glockenklang 2x12, 500w at 4ohm.

the trouble is, the cabs are built to order. so i can't try it until i buy it. and i'm worried that, despite being a 500w cab, it will struggle in louder gigs. also, i like a LOT of bass, and i use a 5 string, and that adds to it.

so i guess my question is. keeping the price under 1000 pounds (about $1500), what other options do i have. noting that i DON'T want a 4x10.

for those who saw it. i did start a thread asking about 2x12 cabs, i started this one because i'm not just asking about 2x12, but also about any other possible configs.

Tom

P.S. also note that i CAN'T get hold of these brands:
Ernie Ball
Aguilar
Avatar

 

[soundoholic]

If you want a ton of bass look into acme. Sorry they only make 10's but they sound like 18's moving really fast.

 

[wotnwhy]

i am not comfortable ordering something from across the pond. i've heard a few horror stories from other musicians whove orderd from america. guitars being dismanteld and not put back together. HUGE import charges etc. so i'd rather not go for something from america.

Tom

 

[IvanMike]

i would suggest the epifani 212 which takes 700 watts and is probably the coolest cab i've heard or the bergantino ht322 (i dunno if i got the name right, it's 2 10's a 12 and a tweeter)
i wouldnt suggest the bergantino 212, i just thought it lacked definition compared to the epi

 

[zoran]

If one 2x12" is not enough you can always add another cab in the future. Try aguilar 2x12" (they must have dealer in uk) or ebs. I know that epifani can be order in U.K. (if money is no object

 

[Mcrelly]

Read "The Rules" in my sig. and don't make the same mistake I did... My mistake when I bought without hearing it first CLICK HERE

 

[zoran]

I agree, but sometimes (in my case always) it's impossible to hear all gear that you consider to buy. So only solution is to spend hours and hours in front of your PC discussing with talkbass members about it Look at the bright side, If you cannot hear other gear exept what you bought you have nothing to compare with

 

[wotnwhy]

there are NO importers for aguilar cabs. a couple of places do the pre/power and onboard amps. but none of them can get hold of the speakers, the only place i could get them from is america. and i've already said about how i feel about that.

the epifani interests me, and i would be able to try it out first. but it's extremely expensive. and it would cost me a LOT of money just to go somewhere to try it. but i'm still looking into it.

Mcrelly. i understand the risks of buying without trying. i myself have paid the cost of this in basses AND amps. but unfortunatly, i live in the middle of nowhere. and the nearest place that has gear i could try involve very long journeys and finding overnight accomadation. and costs a LOT.

zoran pretty much hit the nail on the head with this problem, the best way is to do a LOT of talking with a LOT of people who have a LOT of knowladge and try and narrow down the field.

Tom

 

[steve_man]

what type of bass are you playing?

also what are your playing styles?

try and match an artists sound


If one thing I will say though is many of the brands metioned a great brands but for dishing out that much money for a decent rig go with something you can hear and something you like to hear at that!

 

[wotnwhy]

what type of bass are you playing?

currently a 5string yamaha RBX 765A, soon getting a fretless 5, i've had many defferent basses before, and i'll many different ones after.

also what are your playing styles?

absolutely everything. trebly nasal pick-style punk. full on bassy roots reggae/dub. super punchy funk. mellow, soft solo classical stuff, and everything else inbetween

try and match an artists sound

i can't



i'm starting to lean more towards the epifani, the glock is rated at 500w @ 4ohm, and looking at the manual for the power amp, if i'm only running 1 side of the power amp in stereo and not 2, then it actually puts out 600w. so the epifani has the added bonus of headroom. and, when going into that amount of money i really would want to try first. which although expensive, i suppose really is neccesarry when spending this much money...

Tom

 

[steve_man]

I've been hearing lots of good stuff about accugroove

 

[CS]

We have to mail order Accugroove from Germany. UK or English culture is to try stuff first.

The main contenders IMHO are Bergantino, Eden EA and Epifani. Here's my 2p. Bear with me as you (wotnot) need to know what the circumstances were in each case...

Scenario 1

Me Matthew Foote

Gear his Smith 4 Bad_Boy's Evo 500 and EA CXL 1x12
Amazing sound really clear pronounced mids but in a hi fi way.


Scenario 2

Bassalone me John (owner) and TBer Jared Morante.

Gear Warwick 5 string Roscoe LG3005 Ashdown Evo 300 and a Bergantino 2x12 AB'ed with an Epifani 1x12.

THe Berg was wonderful, huge naterual transparent all that garbage. If I had the cash and back strength I would get one. THe Epifani in comparison was not as good but impressive for such a small cab. I left the shop trying to work out how to get it on the plane.

Scenario 3

Bass Gallery me Matthew Foote and Bad_Boy and Alex(of the gallery)

Gear Musicman Stinngray 5 Eden WT400 Epifani 1x10 2x10 1x12 EA VL208. Also Matthew tried the Epifani's with his Sei fretless 7 with piezo's and extra frenzy.

Matthew preferred the Epifani's especially the 1x10. Twin Epi's sounded wonderful. The VL208 had the least coloured sounded but worked well with the Epi 1x10 or 1x12.

Scenario 4

Me Alex VL208 Epi's my Trace V4 Stingray 5

We AB'ed various cabs and the Epi's sounded muddy with the V4. THe VL208 sounded good and I added a CXL 1x10 for a laugh (bright top end less lows than the other cabs). I bought the VL208. However when I gigged with it I was disapointed. Kept addign my Hartke 4X10 to firm up the mids and eventually sold it to TBer Paul A.

Scenario 5

Me my mate Chris Nick of the basscentre

Gear Trace Elliot AH300GP12SMC SWR300 Wawick Pro something VL208 (mine) Eden CXM 1x10 SWR Son Of Bertha. Also tried an Ashdown EB150 2x10 combo. Basses were Stingray 5 with dead strings Stingray 4 with maple neck and a fretted Thumb thru neck.

The warwick was a non event as was the SWR with the VL208. We hooked up both basses with the AH with the VL solo and with the Eden (solo and with th e VL) and the SOB (with both cabs).

The SOB was flabby. The AH worked well with the VL (bought it gigged it the next day and love it). THe Eden CXM was a real suprise. What a cab, 36hz to 20k 29lbs and only £350, I want one.


NOW THIS IS IMPORTANT

I have kept away from trying to objectively describe the cabs and combinations and kept them to like/dislike. I have been descriptive on occasional but and its a big but each cab sounded different in each situation, the bass and amp make a big difference. In some cases the bass made all the difference.

I hope this helps but you really are going to have to decide if the decision is Epi/EA or Berg/EA and then go to the dealer (ie the Gallery in London or Overwater in the lake district).


Good luck

 

[wotnwhy]

CS, thanks VERY much for the reply

in answear to your last statement

decide if the decision is Epi/EA or Berg/EA

i think my decision is epi/berg more than anything there was someone selling an EA rig on ebay (iamp 350 head and 2 of the 12" cabs) and it wasn't selling, so i e-mailed the person asking if they would be interested in selling the cabs seperatly, but then the rig sold. and EA is just to expensive to buy 1st hand, so i'll leave them out.

i had seen the bergs on overwater before, but ruled them out because i wasn't planning on spending that much, and then i forgot about them, but looking at them now, well, they look quite inviting (apart from that 85lbs, phew! i'll have to budget for a dolly as well then!)

and the accugrooves are looking very appealing too!

this just gets more and more complicated

Tom

 

[tombowlus]

You are talking about a bunch of great cabs, there. Ultimately, it will come down to personal choice, of course. I have two Epi T-112's and an Epi T-110UL, and while the two 1x12's sound very good together, I prefer the sound of the T-110UL with one of the T-112's. The sum of the whole is much greater than the parts, in that case. Or, if you have an amp that doesn't mind a 2.67 ohm load, all three together are fantastic.

Now, I also happen to have a bunch of EA cabs (VL-210B's, VL-208's, Vl-110, CX-310, Wizzy WZ-112), and they are great, too. However, with the exception of the Wizzy (and the newer CxL series), they really need a good bit of power to come alive. However, you can really throw a lot of power at them without them breaking up, especially the VL-210B's.

I have also tried mixing and matching EA and Epi cabs, and in truth, they go together a good bit better than I would have thought. Oh, and by the way, the Epifani cabs will also take a lot of power. It's just that they also sound pretty darn good with lower powered amps, whereas the VL-series sound noticeably better with more headroom. The Epi's are more colored, for sure, but I tend to like their sound, and their tweeters are most excellent. The EA's are pretty darn uncolored, which is great if all the rest of your gear is up to snuff.

Now, that said, I have also auditioned Accugroove cabs, and they are absolutely incredible. You really must hear them to appreciate them. Of course, they aren't cheap, and it sounds like they aren't right around the corner for you. But their cabs are very, very uncolored, have tremendous frequency and dynamic range, and their tweeters are just as good as Epifani's, in my opinion.

Hope this helps, Tom.