So.....what I’m wondering is, are there plans for a new MAS cab in the works with 6” speakers?
Since you asked
I think I'm cool with the CUP rules on this
These are prototypes and in development
People complain that "why should I buy one now since in 6 months it will be obsolete?""
Actually I had my line down and was pretty happy. MAS16, MAS18 &28 MAS110, MAS112 and Bodai 28, 110 and 112. I felt pretty solid. Of course there would be little improvements here and there, but the models were cool.
Then Eminence changed their policies because of new management. Instead of buying 50 drivers I had to buy 100. On the Kappalites minimums went from 12 to 25, but would go up to 50. I just don't have access to the cash to do this. I was pretty sure that I would have to close my door.
Then Ciare---the high end of pro sound drivers was going under and was bought by 18Sound. Then 18Sound was bought by B&C. B & C is HUGE. They wanted Ciare to be the absolute highest end drivers. The US distributor is a friend. He asked me for the specs on my drivers. He sent them to Ciare and they handily beat them on the 5's , 6's and 8's. Better all around. The engineering and construction is second to none. Meyer used to use mostly Ciare and had to stop because of Ciare's problems. These new drivers are WAY better than the ones Meyer was using. They cost more. Maybe around 30% more. But that only brings the cab price up by 15%. It's worth it. Oh--and they added my drivers to their standard catalog. (I told them that I preferred this}.So--I can buy them in any quantity. A HUGE weight off of my shoulders.
I feel that the past 5 years were preparatory in terms of solidifying my knowledge and that it all led to this moment. We have learned how to really use this wonderful technology. I have clear knowledge of the goalposts I'm shooting for. I don't worry about competing with other manufacturers---I'm now just competing with myself. A problem with the Ciare 5's and 6's is that they're really flat. My cabs roll off much less than others--a good and a bad thing. Good because I can get more bass weight and extension. Bad because by comparison the mids sound depressed. They have WAY more weight and power than my other speakers. But they cab sound dark because of it. With the Bodai's---no problem because the mids are a completely separate entity and can be easily manipulated. But--the MAS line is my bread and butter. What I needed was a 3db/octave crossover--which doesn't exist. I called up Steve R. and told him the problem . Off the top of his head he came up with a unique idea and said "try this". I did and it worked perfectly. The mids did a gentle upward slope from the point I wanted. I called Duke--he's by far the best crossover guy around. He said " I think I can model this on my software. Duke is a Southern gentleman and never cusses. He ran the modelling and said " Steve is a MF." It modelled like a perfect 3db/octave crossover. That parts the clouds for me. I can't manipulate the woofer from the bottom to 250hz. This is the most important part for me. Thr Ciare's have more weight , impact and extension than any speaker I've tried. Especially the 5's and 6's. They WASTE my other speakers. I can now manipulate the mids and highs to get anything I want.And they are more efficient. The drivers are about 2db more efficient and the new cabs are actually another 2db more efficient. And when you multiply the drivers yo wind up with cabs approaching 100db efficiency. The 18 is only about 95db efficient--but that's 2db better than the previous one. And all of the drivers are available in 8 and 4 ohms.
In the picture are prototypes I'm working on
On the left is a 4x6 Bodai tower on top of a MAS26 tower. I LOVE the towers---clarity, clarity, clarity. Some guys don't like that their amps "muffin top" on them. So I also will have the MAS46--empty cab on the right. A MUCH better version of the original 46. On either the Vd goes up to 750cc's. Much louder than the original 46. A nice thing about the Ciare's is that the Xlim--the point where you're past the Xmax where your drivers will "hit the wall" is much higher.Next to that is a MAS25 on the bottom topped by a Bodai 45 tower. The 45 is around 500cc's. While the original 45 wasn't very good for 5 string, this is better than any previous cab for 5 string. Radbass, Leland Crooks, And Big Red heard this against a Bodai 28 and a new Bodai 110 and all thought that it easily wasted them. For those who don't like towers is the new 45 next to it. It's missing the tweet. I'm not sure if I'll stick with the towers or the cross-firing ones. Each has its advantages.
Ok--next comes the "personal journey" part. Feel free to skip it
As many know, the past year has been incredibly challenging for me. Lots of health challenges that after being resolved led to a much healthier me. Two small strokes and devastating prostate stuff. (I know---too much information.) Well I've now gone from 6 bathroom trips to one. But the biggest breakthrough was last week. My sisters and I have a really hard time falling asleep. My 3 sisters take Ambien every day. Instead, for the past 40 years I've smoked or vaped to get to sleep. Never during the day, NEVER when I'm playing. Well--also---I'm always in a hurry so if I can't find my dust mask--I do without. Which was most of the time. 11 days ago I was going to bed and took one vape hit (I have a prescription) .I immediately started coughing uncontrollably. And my lungs seized in an acute asthma attack. I don't have asthma normally, but do have an inhaler on hand. I couldn't breathe at all. Three puffs and 3 Benadryls got me past the critical point. I called my doctor in the morning--A bass player and friend and head of medicine at a major Chicago hospital. He put me on serious steroids. No more vaping---ever. I decided no edibles or tinctures either.
I was petrified---I hadn't gone to sleep without in 40 years. I'd bring Ambien on the road if needed.
My son had me watch a Joe Rogan podcast with a sleep expert from Stanford. He said that if one uses cannabis, alchohol, or sleep aids that you bypass REM sleep and go directly to deep sleep. He said that you don't dream, or dream very subtlety but likely not at all. He said that you are constantly sleep deprived. I realized that I'd been sleep deprived for 40 years. In the past 5 years I've felt like i was "swimming through Jello" as far as life. I was always super fatigued and clinically depressed. I had to take a nap every afternoon. My concentration was crap. Everything was crap.
Well--it's been 11 days and I feel like I've awoken from a bad dream. Which was my life. My dreams are INSANELY powerul. Like in Technicolor. I can remember every detail from a dream a week ago. I wake up happy and hopeful. Sounds corny--but true. My depression has gone away. My sinuses are open. My allergies are gone. I've never felt this good. I'm now super excited about my speakers and am determined to become an expert at filter design and am confident that I can improve them to a level that I couldn't imagine. I no longer have to nap. I played a gig a few days ago. I can't remember playing better. It's like I had ten minutes between each note to make decisions.
I know this sounds like I'm totally nuts but I feel like e very different person. I'm just sharing this (way too much information) because I'm more than a little embarrassed as to how I've behaved on this forum in the past. I'm not making excuses---I've been a real weenie a lot of the time. I'm super stoked about going forward. It's pretty embarrassing sharing this, but I feel that all of those who have my cabs are good friends. I now feel like I can be a good friend back.
