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My new FRFR setup! It's amazing.

Michal Sarnecki

Michal Sarnecki

Mar 8, 2018
11
29
Bielsko Biala, Poland
downtotheheaven.bandcamp.com
#1
img_20200428_175846.jpg


Long story short, I've been playing in two very different bands, one being pop/funk/rock/jazz mixture (standard tuning), and the other djent/metal (drop A tuning with distortion, 2 loud as shag guitarists and drummer with hammer instead of sticks) . For the metal band I used ABM 500 head and two 4x10 ABM cabs, and for the pop band Kustom groove bass 2x10 combo. While both setups sounded good, I was never perfectly happy with the sound and I hated the size and weight (Kustom weights 51 kg and Ashdown is 13kg for head + 2x33kg for cabs).

So I bought used active Electro Voice setup - ELX 118P sub and 2x ELX115p tops (sub has a crossover at about 130 hz, the rest of sound is handled by tops). Combined with helix it can sound modern or vintage or whatever you like. Low end is just monstrous, I have to tame it with eq a little bit. I can replicate my studio tones 100%. Just wow. It's 31 kg for sub and 2x22,5 kg for tops . For my pop band i just use one 115p, for metal - sub + 2 tops, but realistically one top would be enough. I think my GAS for anything gear related is over for a long time.
I will post some sound clips later (unfortunately no rehearsals right now becouse of coronavirus) :bassist::bassist::D
 
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#7
Michal Sarnecki said:
View attachment 3812851

Long story short, I've been playing in two very different bands, one being pop/funk/rock/jazz mixture (standard tuning), and the other djent/metal (drop A tuning with distortion, 2 loud as shag guitarists and drummer with hammer instead of sticks) . For the metal band I used ABM 500 head and two 4x10 ABM cabs, and for the pop band Kustom groove bass 2x10 combo. While both setups sounded good, I was never perfectly happy with the sound and I hated the size and weight (Kustom weights 51 kg and Ashdown is 13kg for head + 2x33kg for cabs).

So I bought used active Electro Voice setup - ELX 118P sub and 2x ELX115p tops (sub has a crossover at about 130 hz, the rest of sound is handled by tops). Combined with helix it can sound modern or vintage or whatever you like. Low end is just monstrous, I have to tame it with eq a little bit. I can replicate my studio tones 100%. Just wow. It's 31 kg for sub and 2x22,5 kg for tops . For my pop band i just use one 115p, for metal - sub + 2 tops, but realistically one top would be enough. I think my GAS for anything gear related is over for a long time.
I will post some sound clips later (unfortunately no rehearsals right now becouse of coronavirus) :bassist::bassist::D
Click to expand...

Congrats on the awesome rig!

There's a saying: With great power comes great responsibility.

IMHO it's very important to see how it sounds in the distance. What may happen with a rig like this is players may dial in a super sweet bedroom tone up close to the amp. The extended low end can be addictive and gives the sound a nice smooth liquid feel that creates a sense of immense power. Unfortunately out in the audience, the sub-bass can really dominate, so the audience hears a woofy, unfocused mess instead of the sweet HiFi tone the bass player hears.

I have a Boss DD7 that works pretty well as a looper (holds loops up to 40 seconds in mono). I can play a short loop and then set the bass down and go out into the house to see what it sounds like. Something similar would work well for you; IMHO, even better than playing on a wireless as we perceive sound a bit different when we are playing versus listening.
 
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#9
Wasnex said:
Congrats on the awesome rig!

There's a saying: With great power comes great responsibility.

IMHO it's very important to see how it sounds in the distance. What may happen with a rig like this is players may dial in a super sweet bedroom tone up close to the amp. The extended low end can be addictive and gives the sound a nice smooth liquid feel that creates a sense of immense power. Unfortunately out in the audience, the sub-bass can really dominate, so the audience hears a woofy, unfocused mess instead of the sweet HiFi tone the bass player hears.

I have a Boss DD7 that works pretty well as a looper (holds loops up to 40 seconds in mono). I can play a short loop and then set the bass down and go out into the house to see what it sounds like. Something similar would work well for you; IMHO, even better than playing on a wireless as we perceive sound a bit different when we are playing versus listening.
Click to expand...
Thanks for usefull advice, I'm gonna check it
 
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#10
Michal Sarnecki said:
The sub has set crossover point so I can't change it, but why should I have it around 90?
Click to expand...

Per the Spec Sheet, (-10dB) frequency response is listed as 32-130hz, but the crossover is actually 100hz. 100hz is fine. All of your speakers are designed specifically to work with each other. The ELX115P has a switch labeled "Full Range/With Sub". When the switch is in the "With Sub" position, a 100Hz HPF is enabled to create a complementary crossover with the ELX118P sub, and you're good to go.

I do think if you push you system to the limit, the sub will run out of headroom first. The ELX115P and ELX118P both have listed max SPL of 134db.
 
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