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Double Bass MAS 46

Zombie thread resurrection. Night of the living cab…

I recently picked up what might be Mike’s last ever MAS 46. I know several DB cats really loved this cab. I wanted something that had more low-end weight than my Doubleshot (which I love). The MAS definitely delivers the low end, but I’m stunned that with 4 3” tweets plus the 4 6” drivers, I’m not getting more clarity. I’m curious to hear from folks about their experiences EQing with this cab, particularly those who have driven it with Acoustic Image heads.
Try elevating the cab -- on a stand, if you have it, or something else that'll get it a foot or two off the floor. Mike would usually play the cabs this way, I think -- at least he told me that was his preference with many of them (including the 46, though my experience is with an earlier model than yours). If you can't elevate it, try tilting it up on a wedge or even setting it on its side (though the dispersion won't be quite as good that way).

What I suspect you're hearing is an excess of coupling with/reinforcement from the floor, which would mask your mids and highs. I felt this way with my 46 sometimes (and Mike always advised me to elevate it). On the plus side, the MAS cabs don't get neutered in the low end the way most do when elevated. I think that you'll find you still have plenty, with much better clarity, if you try that. (Note: I am assuming that you have the rectangular, "2x2" profile 46, not the column version, which I've not played but would imagine is to be set on the floor -- other cabs, like my MAS 112, do fine on the floor, too.)

The other possibility that comes to mind is that maybe you have too much cab for the gig/room -- I don't know this, of course, but, if you're playing at very low volumes with the MAS cabs, they don't really open up and do their thing properly -- the rear wave/vortex contribution isn't in its sweet spot (which, to be fair, is pretty broad) and, again, the lows will mask the mids (at least that's been my experience).

To put this into perspective, the effect isn't that much more than with a lot of standard cabs that need just a bit of volume to "wake up" and sound and feel right -- and the tradeoff seems to be that the MAS cabs stay more dynamic (less compressed) and open toward the top of their volume range than most cabs do, but it can be a thing -- that's why I no longer practice through my MAS 112 in my apartment: it's nowhere near itself at apartment-practice levels. Even my 46, when I had it, wasn't quite there (again, apartment practice levels). This is something I discussed with Mike and he told me that the more recent cabs were more small-space/low volume friendly than mine -- and those I tried at his place gave me that impression -- but I've only gigged the ones I've owned.

The 210 Flex Mod (run with and without its sub), MAS 46 (run with and without the sub from the Flex Mod), and MAS 112 I've had (still have the 112) were all more clear in loud, busy mixes than any other cabs I've played, but I did have a frustrating experience with the 112 (which would be like a 66 in terms of output), once, bringing it to a too-small gig, and I could see situations where a 26 or 18 might work better than a 46.

I've never used an AI head with the MAS cabs, but they always seemed to pair well with Mike's EA Doubler.

Don't know if any of that helps -- hope something in there does!
 
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...but I’m stunned that with 4 3” tweets plus the 4 6” drivers, I’m not getting more clarity
I want to say that mine (pictured) had three mid drivers (not sure if 3" or 4") and a single tweeter. Does yours look like this?
img_20190605_191951479-2-jpg.3787515
 
I've owned Mike's 1x6 and 2x6, and I doubt the problem is the cab. What pickup are you using? Do you get the clarity you want with it through other speakers or PA?

I suspect that whatever pickup you're using isn't putting out a lot of clarity to begin with, but it could also be that the EQ on the AI isn't quite what you need.
Zombie thread resurrection. Night of the living cab…

I recently picked up what might be Mike’s last ever MAS 46. I know several DB cats really loved this cab. I wanted something that had more low-end weight than my Doubleshot (which I love). The MAS definitely delivers the low end, but I’m stunned that with 4 3” tweets plus the 4 6” drivers, I’m not getting more clarity. I’m curious to hear from folks about their experiences EQing with this cab, particularly those who have driven it with Acoustic Image heads.
 
Zombie thread resurrection. Night of the living cab…

I recently picked up what might be Mike’s last ever MAS 46. I know several DB cats really loved this cab. I wanted something that had more low-end weight than my Doubleshot (which I love). The MAS definitely delivers the low end, but I’m stunned that with 4 3” tweets plus the 4 6” drivers, I’m not getting more clarity. I’m curious to hear from folks about their experiences EQing with this cab, particularly those who have driven it with Acoustic Image heads.
Unless there is a problem with the tweeters/the wiring to them?
And one more thought: in the port of my 18.5, there is an attenuater/potentiometer for the tweeter level. If your cab has it and its turned down, it could be an explanation. I discovered mine by accident
 
I appreciate everyone's input!

Try elevating the cab -- on a stand, if you have it, or something else that'll get it a foot or two off the floor. Mike would usually play the cabs this way, I think -- at least he told me that was his preference with many of them (including the 46, though my experience is with an earlier model than yours). If you can't elevate it, try tilting it up on a wedge or even setting it on its side (though the dispersion won't be quite as good that way).

What I suspect you're hearing is an excess of coupling with/reinforcement from the floor, which would mask your mids and highs. I felt this way with my 46 sometimes (and Mike always advised me to elevate it). On the plus side, the MAS cabs don't get neutered in the low end the way most do when elevated. I think that you'll find you still have plenty, with much better clarity, if you try that. (Note: I am assuming that you have the rectangular, "2x2" profile 46, not the column version, which I've not played but would imagine is to be set on the floor -- other cabs, like my MAS 112, do fine on the floor, too.)

Thanks, Mark. Mine is like yours, the 2x2 profile. I have experimented with placing it on my amp stand (on your recommendation) and standing it on end. It definitely seems like an excess floor coupling situation resulting in the lows masking the mids+highs. When stood on end, it's a good compromise and better balance between the lows and mid+highs without having to drag along the stand.

I want to say that mine (pictured) had three mid drivers (not sure if 3" or 4") and a single tweeter. Does yours look like this?

Mine is a little bit of an odd-ball/one-off. It has four of those mid drivers and no tweet. It also has his latest crossover, but the Eminence 6" drivers, rather than the Ciares he later used. It was made from the components he had on hand before his recent move. From his facebook postings, I gather it's the last one of these he'll make.

I've owned Mike's 1x6 and 2x6, and I doubt the problem is the cab. What pickup are you using? Do you get the clarity you want with it through other speakers or PA?
I suspect that whatever pickup you're using isn't putting out a lot of clarity to begin with, but it could also be that the EQ on the AI isn't quite what you need.

I get plenty of clarity with my pick-up and setup (Fishman Full Circle) with my DoubleShot or Aguilar SL112 (single or pair) and my small stable of heads and preamps. With some of my favorite preamps, the MAS still lacks the clarity I like to have. Whether it's the AI head or my Grace preamp, I find that with the MAS 4x6, I tend to crank the bass and low mid to about 9:00, upper mid and highs to 3:00, and roll the HPF up around 90-100Hz to get the clarity I have closer to flat on the DoubleShot or Aguilar SL112.

All that said, it worked great on a recent outdoor gig. And then the DoubleShot worked great on another outdoor music fest gig this past weekend. So who knows... It may just come down to what I prefer to lug on a given day. :laugh:
 
The 46 is such a killer cab. Mine is 10 years old with 3 mids and a tweeter and the way it sends out sound reminds me alot of these giant vintage JBL speakers I have ...which have two huge 15's under a 3 foot wide 90 pound horn and two bullet tweeters between them. Both the 46 and JBL's reproduce sound in a unique way: all these distinct elements of the sound (treble mids bass) coalesce about 3-10 feet out from the speaker. They stay distinct and articulate but they blend a few feet out to make one incredible 3Dimensional sound. It is magic to hear and to play out of. I love playing a blended signal out of the 46 because it deals with air in that unique way. I lprefer the 46 to my much newer (and according to Mike better) MAS18p which has a much more focused and mixed sound and point sourced rather then spread out. The 46 is just so much fun to listen to when you are the bass player and there is some furious rhythm you are contributing to, because you can get lost or peek out or dominate. Placement is key. UP.
 
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The 46 is such a killer cab. Mine is 10 years old with 3 mids and a tweeter and the way it sends out sound reminds me alot of these giant vintage JBL speakers I have ...which have two huge 15's under a 3 foot wide 90 pound horn and two bullet tweeters between them. Both the 46 and JBL's reproduce sound in a unique way: all these distinct elements of the sound (treble mids bass) coalesce about 3-10 feet out from the speaker. They stay distinct and articulate but they blend a few feet out to make one incredible 3Dimensional sound. It is magic to hear and to play out of. I love playing a blended signal out of the 46 because it deals with air in that unique way. I lprefer the 46 to my much newer (and according to Mike better) MAS18p which has a much more focused and mixed sound and point sourced rather then spread out. The 46 is just so much fun to listen to when you are the bass player and there is some furious rhythm you are contributing to, because you can get lost or peek out or dominate. Placement is key. UP.

Thanks for that insight. Its sound definitely belies it’s size. So… which do you prefer with this cab’s placement? Horizontal or vertical?
 
I always use it Vert. It works great on a pole horizontal, but I almost never have that much space available. I often kick it back against the wall or put it on a chair. I also made a stand out of an old drum throne (with a piece of plywood instead of the seat) which works great and puts it at the exact right height. The dispersion is so wide that even just kicked back on an Ampwedge works great for me.