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The Barefaced is a good option, but hard to find in the states, and, aside from low end response, there are better cabs for overall response for similar price. The Fearless F110 is really small, full range and has a surprising output, but will cost you. The AudioKinesis Hathor 1203 will have as much output as the other two, will only be slightly bigger than the Barefaced, and is one of the best bangs for the buck on the industry. The Genzler bass array combo is a 10 inch version of their popular 12/3 array, but comes with an amp, and is pretty reasonable being about the same price as just a Fearless 110. Now these are the modern uberish cab options.
You could always get and Ampeg pf50-t with a portaflex flip top 12 or 15 cab for a modern take on a b-15. The Ampeg BA210 combo is also good. My other favourite readily available combo is the newest Fender Rumble 15. Though I think overpriced, I also like the Markbass Jeff Berlin combo.
There are plenty of options out there. Some of the uberish options will even come close to a 4x10 in output given enough power, especially the Hathor 1203. They will also allow you to be heard more easily in the mix and on the stage.
You could always get and Ampeg pf50-t with a portaflex flip top 12 or 15 cab for a modern take on a b-15. The Ampeg BA210 combo is also good. My other favourite readily available combo is the newest Fender Rumble 15. Though I think overpriced, I also like the Markbass Jeff Berlin combo.
There are plenty of options out there. Some of the uberish options will even come close to a 4x10 in output given enough power, especially the Hathor 1203. They will also allow you to be heard more easily in the mix and on the stage.
- Nov 24, 2008
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- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
Thank you for the mention, but just for the record, I WOULD NOT claim that any of my 112 cabs are close to a 4x10 in output (my 115s, maybe). Roger Baer's 112 is louder than mine (he uses a more efficient woofer and a more efficient mid), and I'm almost positive Greenboy's are as well (same woofer as me but in a much bigger enclosure, plus a more efficient mid).
Those are things I try to do, via cab voicing and/or dispersion.
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Got to admire this amount of honesty/modesty. The fact that Duke praises and promotes his direct competitors speaks volume about the levels of integrity you get from not only the gear, but from the manufacturer. Best in the biz (imo).
That's not correct. My current 15" is a Markbass 115 Traveler, and I have the attenuator turned way down because I find the highs too crisp.
These days there are so many great 1x12 and 2x10 options. While you might see a great need for a super small and light 1x10, the slightly larger and heavier 1x12 may well serve you in a greater over all capacity. A really good modern 1x12 can cover nearly everything you throw at it and in nearly every venue size too. So for a few extra inches in size, a few extra grams in weight and a few extra sheckles more...a 1x12 might be better over all.
Correct - within the Ampeg Rocket Bass/Diamond Blue/whatever series it was not the B-100R (nor the B-50R for that matter) but the higher-powered (220W RMS) B-200R combo that had one 12AU7 tube in the preamp.
IIRC from reports here, the latter was the worst-received of the three, though (tended to develop a vibration problem, or something like that).
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See my latest review of the Trace Elliot Elf ... I'm playing it with a Hartke HyDrive...
Sounds to me like you are looking for a small full range cab. I would think that something like a Greenboy fEARLESS F112 which is a 3 way cab with a 12 inch sub-woofer driver, a 6 inch mid-range, and a tweeter. It has a high quality crossover and is pretty light weight. You have these built by a custom builder. All the information is available on line.
greenboy fearless - Saferbrowser Yahoo Image Search Results
greenboy.us speaker enclosures
greenboy fearless - Saferbrowser Yahoo Image Search Results
greenboy.us speaker enclosures
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In the used market, The Ampeg B100R - as several people have mentioned - is a very good all-rounder that meets your needs. An SWR Workingman's 15 is also a good all-around performer which can be found used for pretty cheap, but probably wouldn't be as good a choice as the Ampeg, IMO.
As for new gear, the market is loaded with small rigs that perform really well. If I read your original post completely literally and consider good tone, coffee shops and low profile, my immediate thought is Phil Jones. This is exactly what Phil Jones does, and he does it really well.
I mix and match a lot of gear, but for small rooms I usually use an Aggie TH500 with either an Aggie SL112 or a LDS 112. Sometimes I pair the LDS with an old Eden WT400 instead. Both rigs are small, easily carried and fill a medium-sized room without breaking a sweat.
Really, ANY micro head paired with most modern small cabs - the full range cabs from the boutique makers, especially - will do everything you need it to do. To narrow it down further would really require you having access to some of them so you could plug in and listen. It would be really hard to to tell you that a DNA is "better" or "worse" than a Baer or a fEarless or one of Duke's cabs, for instance. They're all really great once you get into that arena. It just becomes a question of which one blows your hair back. Even less expensive cabs like Avatar's stuff can do really well for what you want.
As for new gear, the market is loaded with small rigs that perform really well. If I read your original post completely literally and consider good tone, coffee shops and low profile, my immediate thought is Phil Jones. This is exactly what Phil Jones does, and he does it really well.
I mix and match a lot of gear, but for small rooms I usually use an Aggie TH500 with either an Aggie SL112 or a LDS 112. Sometimes I pair the LDS with an old Eden WT400 instead. Both rigs are small, easily carried and fill a medium-sized room without breaking a sweat.
Really, ANY micro head paired with most modern small cabs - the full range cabs from the boutique makers, especially - will do everything you need it to do. To narrow it down further would really require you having access to some of them so you could plug in and listen. It would be really hard to to tell you that a DNA is "better" or "worse" than a Baer or a fEarless or one of Duke's cabs, for instance. They're all really great once you get into that arena. It just becomes a question of which one blows your hair back. Even less expensive cabs like Avatar's stuff can do really well for what you want.
