Last night I rushed home from work to head down to Hickory Corners. I was on a mission to pick up my new fEARless F212 from Dave Homer at Invalid Link Removed. A couple months back I had the opportunity to play Dave's F212 demo. I was hooked. In less than 24 hours I had my pair of fEARful 12/6/1's up for sale, and when they did sell I rolled that money into the order for this one.
I had Dave do a few things special for me. I requested an "on/off" switch for the tweeter, as I do with all my greenboy cabs. I tend to run the tweeter all the way up, and control the top end from my amp. For my sound it works really well to have it dial in, and then be able to engage it as it is set. Additionally I requested some unusual handles, and placements. The three top corner handles make this a breeze to lift, no matter what angle you have to carry it at. They also play very nice with the kick back wheels, making this cab an easy roller over flat surfaces. The vertical side handle had Dave a little skeptical at first. It's placement is perfect though. Makes this an easy one hand carry suitcase style, and it balances front to back and top to bottom perfectly.
I also had Dave be a little more subtle with the aesthetics of this build. Both he and Mark have built cabs for me, and historically they have indulged my crazy ideas on colors. This time I wanted something I could sneak in anywhere. Jazz brunch gig, check. S/D show with guys toting vintage gear? That grill cloth and chrome corners will fit right in. I did have Dave build me a spare grill frame, so in the future if I want to add a little outrageousness to the cab I can bounce between the two looks. As great as this cab looks, it is tiny. I included pictures of it next to my DuallyT which isnt a big cab. The F212 is smaller in stature, and even with all my extra hardware weighed in at 62 pounds.
Now the important part: the sound.
As a disclaimer, I have not yet had this cab to a band practice, or a loud gig. I have only had the chance to demo Daves cab a bit, play mine in his shop for about an hour last night, and a little time at home last night before it got too late to make noise.
What I can tell you is that greenboy knocked this one out of the park. I have a bit of experience with his designs, and have played 12/6/1's, F112's, a 1212/6, and a multitude of 15" based cabs as well. This design sounds so good that I couldnt get past it. I sold my 12/6/1's and knew I had to have it. Out of the box with the tweeter and mid range driver on full this is all greenboy. It is a little smoother than his fEARful line, but with tweak of EQ I can get it just as authoritative as I am used to. Pull back the tweeter or pad back the mid, and this becomes everything I want for an old school thump sound. Originally designed for upright use, the mid pad pulls you back just enough to not jump to the top of the mix. Very plug and play for those wanting a traditional sound out of their cab. The true beauty of this design is having the mid on full IMHO. It lets you be present in the mix with out crushing it (if you dont want to). The lows are of course big, and very full, but the mid driver gives you presense so you can actually dial your volume back, while not disappearing.
I am still learning about what this cab can do, and it paces equal to my 12/6/1's in volume. I will have more to say after some time with the cab, and a gig or two under my belt with it. Over all I am beyond pleased.
I had Dave do a few things special for me. I requested an "on/off" switch for the tweeter, as I do with all my greenboy cabs. I tend to run the tweeter all the way up, and control the top end from my amp. For my sound it works really well to have it dial in, and then be able to engage it as it is set. Additionally I requested some unusual handles, and placements. The three top corner handles make this a breeze to lift, no matter what angle you have to carry it at. They also play very nice with the kick back wheels, making this cab an easy roller over flat surfaces. The vertical side handle had Dave a little skeptical at first. It's placement is perfect though. Makes this an easy one hand carry suitcase style, and it balances front to back and top to bottom perfectly.
I also had Dave be a little more subtle with the aesthetics of this build. Both he and Mark have built cabs for me, and historically they have indulged my crazy ideas on colors. This time I wanted something I could sneak in anywhere. Jazz brunch gig, check. S/D show with guys toting vintage gear? That grill cloth and chrome corners will fit right in. I did have Dave build me a spare grill frame, so in the future if I want to add a little outrageousness to the cab I can bounce between the two looks. As great as this cab looks, it is tiny. I included pictures of it next to my DuallyT which isnt a big cab. The F212 is smaller in stature, and even with all my extra hardware weighed in at 62 pounds.
Now the important part: the sound.
As a disclaimer, I have not yet had this cab to a band practice, or a loud gig. I have only had the chance to demo Daves cab a bit, play mine in his shop for about an hour last night, and a little time at home last night before it got too late to make noise.
What I can tell you is that greenboy knocked this one out of the park. I have a bit of experience with his designs, and have played 12/6/1's, F112's, a 1212/6, and a multitude of 15" based cabs as well. This design sounds so good that I couldnt get past it. I sold my 12/6/1's and knew I had to have it. Out of the box with the tweeter and mid range driver on full this is all greenboy. It is a little smoother than his fEARful line, but with tweak of EQ I can get it just as authoritative as I am used to. Pull back the tweeter or pad back the mid, and this becomes everything I want for an old school thump sound. Originally designed for upright use, the mid pad pulls you back just enough to not jump to the top of the mix. Very plug and play for those wanting a traditional sound out of their cab. The true beauty of this design is having the mid on full IMHO. It lets you be present in the mix with out crushing it (if you dont want to). The lows are of course big, and very full, but the mid driver gives you presense so you can actually dial your volume back, while not disappearing.
I am still learning about what this cab can do, and it paces equal to my 12/6/1's in volume. I will have more to say after some time with the cab, and a gig or two under my belt with it. Over all I am beyond pleased.
