Lightweight Cabinet rec?

[Nickthebass]

I play a P Bass with flats, and go for an old school soul/Motown/blues type sound.

It sounds like you and I are aiming at a similar sound.

I can’t recommend Barefaced highly enough. I have a modular 1x12 and 1x15 set up (from their older lines) that I’ve been running for ages (10 years at a guess). I’d only swap them out for another Barefaced rig.

They have two lines one which aims at just giving you the sound of the amp and the other which is more coloured (think Ampeg 8x10 type thing).

You could get the sound you want going down either route.

Alex not only had a great product but is also a great ambassador for it. Deal with him and his gang with confidence.

Two massive thumbs up for Barefaced.

 

[wintremute]

GR Bass carbon fiber cabs are the lightest today, by far, stock but hard to find in the USA

The first response in this thread was the best response.

 

[dan1952]

I have a Fender Rumble 210, weighs 37 pounds, and power it with an old GK RB400. The cab is rated at 700 watts rms, and doesn't groan at all at fairly high volume. I love it!

 

[Mark_70]

Take a look at RevSound - you won't find them in stores, built and sold by the designer/owner in New Hampshire. I use a 112 (21 lbs) and a 115 (25 lbs) but really only need one of the cabs. His 210 cabinet is very popular and is likely all that you'd ever need. They're built to order, so that might not work for you, but you could call David Luke, the owner, and see if he's got anything that he can get out to you.

Bass Cabinets | RevSound

+1 on Revsound. I wanted a small cab to bring to practice. He built me a very nice 1x8" that sounds surprisingly well for it's size and weight.. Highly recommend his cabs.. If I ever need another cab, I'm calling David again!

Regards
Mark

 

[Aledal]

Firstly, this thread is just top, top, TB-ing. Great work everyone.

I am firmly on the 212 side of the ongoing argument but would also point out that weight isn't the only consideration in the case you are suddenly attacked by a case of stairs. Handle position and weight distribution is key, always bend the knees, take a deep breath, make sure your vitamin d and iron levels are as they should be etc.

If you have $1000 to spend then this 112 32lb delight should be on the list https://jadfreeraudio.com/prodotti/112-minerva/

Apologies if anyone's beaten me to it but as an old-ass bass holder I find that TLDR is my mindset 84% of the time.

 

[agedhorse]

I have a Fender Rumble 210, weighs 37 pounds, and power it with an old GK RB400. The cab is rated at 700 watts rms, and doesn't groan at all at fairly high volume. I love it!

350 watts RMS, 700 watts program.

 

[smogg]

Hi!

I have been playing guitar for over 30 years, and started playing bass a few years ago. Up until now, my bass playing has solely been in the studio, never live. Well, I finally lined up some live gigs and need a rig.

I play a P Bass with flats, and go for an old school soul/Motown/blues type sound. I bought an Aguilar AG700and I like it so far. But I don’t have a cabinet yet.

I want to get something lightweight, portable, yet full sounding. Budget allows me to buy a quality cabinet.

I was looking at an Aguilar can to match my amp, but they seem heavier than I was hoping for.

Can I have some recommendations for a cabinet that I can use live, tht is lightweight and sounds great? I would like to be able to have enough volume to play with a controlled, dynamic drummer. But I don’t need to peel paint…..I can send a di to the pa if I need more output. Ideally looking for a 1x12for compactness and fullness of sound. I’d be open to other options, but I would prefer to keep it to a single cab for the rig. Ideally, the cabinet is a regular stock item, and not something I will need to wait weeks/months for…

thanks!

If you truly want to start with a 112 cab I recommend take a hard look at The Genzler Bass Array cabs. Start with the slant and if you end up needing to move more air you can always put a straight version on top. Absolutely amazing cab imo. The series 2 only weighs 30 lbs and is rated @ 400w @ 8ohms. It's a great time to be a bass player with so many great options out there. Have fun & let us know what you decide on please.
Bass Array2-112-3SLT - Genzler Amplification
I use an original series 1 BA 12-3 on top of my Genz 212 every chance I get. This stack simply crushes imo.

 

[Alexander]

Check out the new Bergantino Ref II Series. Revamp of the originals with ceramic mag speakers ( old school) and lighter weight cabinets. They currently make a 112 and a 115. Not bargain priced, but you said you had the budget.
Edit: The 112 has a tweeter but the 115 doesn’t. The range and sound on the 115 is amazing, might be perfect for your style of music. If you’d like PM me your email, I’ll send you a lengthy video John Fox made of the 15 for my friend, who bought the cabinet immediately.

I'll send you my email - as I have a Ref II 15 being delivered tomorrow and I couldn't find any video of it. I did see some of the 112 on YouTube and it was the best sounding 12 I've ever heard (at least online).

I am a big fan also of the Bergantino NX series. I got a 410 and it is the best cab I've ever owned. I plan on getting a 212 for my house in Tucson.

 

[smogg]

Firstly, this thread is just top, top, TB-ing. Great work everyone.

I am firmly on the 212 side of the ongoing argument but would also point out that weight isn't the only consideration in the case you are suddenly attacked by a case of stairs. Handle position and weight distribution is key, always bend the knees, take a deep breath, make sure your vitamin d and iron levels are as they should be etc.

If you have $1000 to spend then this 112 32lb delight should be on the list https://jadfreeraudio.com/prodotti/112-minerva/

Apologies if anyone's beaten me to it but as an old-ass bass holder I find that TLDR is my mindset 84% of the time.

I for one would like to state for the record that I do not "argue" on TB. I do however indulge in enthusiastic discussion and willing to compare and contrast. Are we not civilized after all? (that's my story and I'm sticking to it)

 

[agedhorse]

There are plenty of gigs and rehearsals where a 112 would be a very acceptable solution and there are plenty of gigs where a 212 would be a better solution. There’s also the 2 x 112 solution, which offers more options than either a single 112 or a 212.

It’s not necessarily an either/or thing, different solutions for different needs.

 

[lethargytartare]

Another vote for Barefaced. They'll even talk you through picking the right cab or cabs.

 

[lethargytartare]

More modular: less to carry at once and gives you the option for stereo. Also you might have a smaller vehicle and it might be easier to load two 1x12s...Or it lets you leave one cabinet at a rehearsal space...

Literally my setup and reasoning. Plus they're easy to get -- I actually have two NYs and the cmd, and use one at rehearsal, one at home, and throw all three in the car for shows (two to play, one backup). If I needed to fix one, it'd be easy to buy another used one. Loud, light and practical. (But to note my other comment, if I were starting over and was flush with cash, I'd be all barefaced)

 

[buldog5151bass]

Depends on your budget. Consider Revsound. @dawind99 is a member here.

 

[Bob_Ross]

GR Bass carbon fiber cabs are the lightest today, by far

Let me preface this by saying: I am absolutely not endorsing, recommending, or otherwise suggesting that anyone give their hard-earned money to the ass-clown who runs this company.

However, as someone who did give their hard-earned money to the ass-clown who runs this company, I'm at least aware of the company's existence...and so, whenever I see someone claim that "So-and-so makes the lightest bass cabinets available!" I always double-check the published weight...

...and they never come in lower than these: Custom Built Speaker Cabinets | Flite Sound Innovations

 

[gtirard]

Let me preface this by saying: I am absolutely not endorsing, recommending, or otherwise suggesting that anyone give their hard-earned money to the ass-clown who runs this company.

However, as someone who did give their hard-earned money to the ass-clown who runs this company, I'm at least aware of the company's existence...and so, whenever I see someone claim that "So-and-so makes the lightest bass cabinets available!" I always double-check the published weight...

...and they never come in lower than these: Custom Built Speaker Cabinets | Flite Sound Innovations

ok, good to know

do you have one? how does it sound?

 

[Bob_Ross]

do you have one? how does it sound?

I have two, a 1x12 that's 25 years old (from back when Flite was run by a different clown) and a 1x15 that's ~15 or 20 years old, built by the current clown.

They sound pretty good. Not great; if it's a critical gig, or a situation where I know I'll definitely need a lot of stage volume and/or low frequency extension I'd still rather bring my much larger, much heavier Eden David-series cabinets. But my Flite cabs definitely sound good enough to gig with and not feel like my rig is in any way a hinderance to sonic excellence.
Note, both of my Flite cabinets were purchased unloaded, and then I installed my own drivers in them. So I don't know how they compare sonically to the new loaded Flite cabs.

 

[Djadja]

I’ve heard the GR ultralights at the last NAMM and there, they sounded killer. Picking them up, I thought they forgot the speakers. I have serious GAS for one and more than a little concern for how they do with rough handling.

I was surprised that it was page 3 before anyone mentioned Genzler Bass Arrays. They are very, very, very good and the current generation BA12-3, a 112 with 4 3 inch mid/treble drivers, weighs 30 lbs. Don’t purchase anything else without checking them out. I have the first generation 12-03 and it has been enough for a guitar based pop band, church bands, a boomer rock cover band, and as a side player for various singer/songwriters as a duo up to a quartet with drums. I do sometimes add a Genzler BA110-3 because I have it. FWIW, from what I read about the series 2 bass arrays, you may want to check out the BA110-3 Series 2. It may be enough for your needs. Ask around on the Genzler thread, there are tons of fans of that little cab there.

I would also recommend checking out the AudioKinesis Hathor 1203. Depending on the version they run 26 or 28 lbs

 

[N. Kentucky Bass]

I’ve heard the GR ultralights at the last NAMM and there, they sounded killer. Picking them up, I thought they forgot the speakers. I have serious GAS for one and more than a little concern for how they do with rough handling.

Yeah, I'm wondering about how robust the GR cabs are, too. Those tiny corner inserts held by two tiny screws look pretty wimpy. How stable are two of these cabs stacked together? The corners don't appear to have any "locking" capability like you get with some molded rubber corners.

And what kind of force would it take to create this kind of damage? Could it happen easily even if the cab has a padded cover?

 

[mmbongo]

Yeah, I'm wondering about how robust the GR cabs are, too. Those tiny corner inserts held by two tiny screws look pretty wimpy. How stable are two of these cabs stacked together? The corners don't appear to have any "locking" capability like you get with some molded rubber corners.

And what kind of force would it take to create this kind of damage? Could it happen easily even if the cab has a padded cover?

I don't know. Seems like every used GR cab I've seen has busted/broken corners.