New Bergantino Neo Line; Pt. 2

[GRoberts]

My next cab will be the CN112 to pair up with my HD112. The HD112 w/the tweeter off and sitting under my HD210 is a great match but I'm still thinking I'd like to give the CN112 a go. And really, can one have too many Berg cabs.

Good call. Thy play well together and make an elegant and deceptively large sounding stack tat are oh soooo musical!

 

[pfschim]

FWIW, I am making good progress balancing my WA+CN212 rig. General tweaking has basically resolved any mids-highs challenges, but I still had some work to do on the low end of this combination.

So, first I redid the bass/mid/high section, and the level of my various VT Deluxe presets, which is where I thought the main blooming low end issue started. Then I started from scratch on the WA EQ settings. I set the low EQ selector to 30hz and cut perhaps 10db, nothing down there that I really want anyway. Left the rest of the WA EQ section zeroed out (no cut/no boost). I pushed the bass just a touch, set the great WA mids to about 10:00, treble pushed just a touch. Sounds better already. dropped the CN212 tweeter attenuator to -1db and got the snap pretty much where I want it. This is all starting to come together really well.

Last revelation on the gig last night (~150 person private party, out doors, but the band had a backdrop and set up next to a building, so it was not total "open air") Just brought my Lull M4V, but I used it in passive mode all night. WOW, what a great result, the whole rig just sounded killer, as in the way a rig should get out of your way and provide a tone that just makes you want to play it all night. Very cool.

So, I think the key things for me were to pretty much flatten the WA EQ other than the 30hz range. Bring some of the VTD tone settings down a bit, Cut the CN212 tweet by -1db, and use my Lull in passive mode. Nice. I love it when a plan, and a tone comes together.

 

[pfschim]

ha! seems as if the Fender Studio Bass amp has re-emerged.
Going to snag it today and be done with it.

I'm hoping its a bit different animal than the Buster 200. But either way, if it does not work out, for the price, I should have no real problems getting my money back in a sale.

 

[rodl2005]

Good stuff! Let us know what you think:sly:

 

[Virgil]

Hey Virgil, please don't misunderstand. I don't think the CN112 or stack of Berg 1x12's is boomy. I was trying to say I felt like the low mids were perhaps a bit more authoritative compared to a stand alone CN212 cab. The CN212 was actually more midrange oriented, but had PLENTY of low end for my wants and needs. That was the point I was trying to make. The CN1x12 or stack of CN112's can be very articulate. But for some reason, I felt like you can get maybe even MORE supportive low end. Does that help clarify the point I was trying to make? For that matter, I imagine you can EQ the stack to be nice and articulate and sweet.

All Good. Just different flavors.

That's what it is all about. Can't wait for your review.

 

[Munjibunga]

So I switched the Blue Soul with the MB Fusion 800 on the CN212 in my practice room today. The CN212 definitely likes the MB better. I was playing my Sadowsky UV70/Pope Flex Core through it. That combination is the definition of punch. The Blue Soul is a little light in the high mids, so it has a little less tonal definition than the MBF800. I played the MBF800/CN212 rig last weekend, and it really kicked.

That said, I'd be fine gigging either head with the CN212.

 

[gkbass13]

Any reports on how the puma heads pair with the CN cabs? My CN 2x12 will be arriving tomorrow, and although I live my Aguilar TH350, I will be shopping around for a different tonal option as well as something with more headroom and was thinking of giving the puma 900 a look. Thoughts regarding that and oter heads aside from MB an the blue soul?

 

[GRoberts]

So I switched the Blue Soul with the MB Fusion 800 on the CN212 in my practice room today. The CN212 definitely likes the MB better. I was playing my Sadowsky UV70/Pope Flex Core through it. That combination is the definition of punch. The Blue Soul is a little light in the high mids, so it has a little less tonal definition than the MBF800. I played the MBF800/CN212 rig last weekend, and it really kicked.

That said, I'd be fine gigging either head with the CN212.

I am trying to decide whether to get a MBF 800 or TH500 for my CN212. Even though I played them both at Bass San Diego, They were both great, but different flavors. The GK much more clear and bright, but very tuneful and punchy. Felt like the TH500, while not an amp that makes you jump and down, lived right in a very musical sweet spot. Hmmm

 

[Munjibunga]

I am trying to decide whether to get a MBF 800 or TH500 for my CN212. Even though I played them both at Bass San Diego, They were both great, but different flavors. The GK much more clear and bright, but very tuneful and punchy. Felt like the TH500, while not an amp that makes you jump and down, lived right in a very musical sweet spot. Hmmm

For me, the choice is easy. If you like a more vintage vibe, then the TH500 is the way to go. If you like it cleaner with loads of punch, then the MBF800. The MBF800 can give you a tubey vibe on Channel B with the gain cranked, so I consider it much more versatile than the TH500.

 

[gkbass13]

A pretty awesome (and gloriously light!) box to receive on a rainy day. About to plug in and tackle that "break in period". Impressions to follow later. Woohoo!

 

[gkbass13]

First Impressions: My god!

 

[GRoberts]

First Impressions: My god!

..yeah I know .... Right?

 

[ted burik]

Any reports on how the puma heads pair with the CN cabs? My CN 2x12 will be arriving tomorrow, and although I live my Aguilar TH350, I will be shopping around for a different tonal option as well as something with more headroom and was thinking of giving the puma 900 a look. Thoughts regarding that and oter heads aside from MB an the blue soul?

Hey gkbass13:

I use a pair of CN112s with a Puma 900. Great sound, articulate, complex mids, vibrant lows that are well controlled via the Taste pot, and a very warm hi end. These cabs just punch with the Puma 900, and the frequencies of each of the tone controls on the Puma work very well to adjust the cabs' voicing to meet acoustic challenges of different rooms. I couldn't be more happy with the pairing of my Puma 900 and CN112 cabs.

 

[Jerry Ziarko]

Felt like the TH500, while not an amp that makes you jump and down, lived right in a very musical sweet spot. Hmmm

I'll start by saying I've been a GK user since the 80's with an occasional delve into Eden etc. While not an 800, I've been using a Fusion 500 almost since they hit, so I do know that basic tone signature very well. I also had a MB500 that I traded for a TH500. The MB and the Fusion seemed so close, letting go of either was no big deal. I immediately started a good working relationship with the TH. I paired it with an Epifani UL310. While it was no GK, it was a nice change of pace. I also picked up a AE212. That box loved the GK, but the TH, not so much. Now let's fast fwd. After all the hoopla over the CN212, I was hooked and picked one up. I stayed with the TH, and the combination was magic. For grins, I played the GK and the CN at home, and the combo sounded even better. I had a, "rare for these days" outside gig, and decided to bring the GK for some enhanced magic. I fought that amp I know so well, all night. The night ended, and I still was lost trying to capture the vibe I have going on with the TH500. The funny thing is, vintage is far from the tone I use. I'm playing a Sadowsky Modern, which is anything but. Maybe I've stumbled onto a perfect combination, but the TH500+CN212+ Sadowsky Modern=

 

[Munjibunga]

I'm playing a Sadowsky Modern, which is anything but. Maybe I've stumbled onto a perfect combination, but the TH500+CN212+ Sadowsky Modern=

The Modern is going to restore some of the high mids into the TH500, making it more palatable to me. I could imagine that rig sounding pretty decent. I guess I'll try it out.

 

[gkbass13]

Thanks Ted. I'm loving the TH350 with the CN2x12 after about 2 hours of playing. Eventually I will seek out another tone option in a second micro head and will definitely consider a puma. I lived my markbass f-1 that I use to pair with epifani cabs, so something along those lines could be cool too.

For now though, I'm excited about playing and gigging this cab. It has an addictive punch in the mids that made my Fodera even more difficult to put down before work today!

Grady

 

[ted burik]

Thanks Ted. I'm loving the TH350 with the CN2x12 after about 2 hours of playing. Eventually I will seek out another tone option in a second micro head and will definitely consider a puma. I lived my markbass f-1 that I use to pair with epifani cabs, so something along those lines could be cool too.

For now though, I'm excited about playing and gigging this cab. It has an addictive punch in the mids that made my Fodera even more difficult to put down before work today!

Grady

I know what you mean, Grady-this stuff is addictive (in a good way)!

 

[Virgil]

Any reports on how the puma heads pair with the CN cabs? My CN 2x12 will be arriving tomorrow, and although I live my Aguilar TH350, I will be shopping around for a different tonal option as well as something with more headroom and was thinking of giving the puma 900 a look. Thoughts regarding that and oter heads aside from MB an the blue soul?

I don't have a Puma head, but I do have a Black Jag 900 that I use with two CN 112's, and they sound incredible together.

 

[KJung]

I'll start by saying I've been a GK user since the 80's with an occasional delve into Eden etc. While not an 800, I've been using a Fusion 500 almost since they hit, so I do know that basic tone signature very well. I also had a MB500 that I traded for a TH500. The MB and the Fusion seemed so close, letting go of either was no big deal. I immediately started a good working relationship with the TH. I paired it with an Epifani UL310. While it was no GK, it was a nice change of pace. I also picked up a AE212. That box loved the GK, but the TH, not so much. Now let's fast fwd. After all the hoopla over the CN212, I was hooked and picked one up. I stayed with the TH, and the combination was magic. For grins, I played the GK and the CN at home, and the combo sounded even better. I had a, "rare for these days" outside gig, and decided to bring the GK for some enhanced magic. I fought that amp I know so well, all night. The night ended, and I still was lost trying to capture the vibe I have going on with the TH500. The funny thing is, vintage is far from the tone I use. I'm playing a Sadowsky Modern, which is anything but. Maybe I've stumbled onto a perfect combination, but the TH500+CN212+ Sadowsky Modern=

Hey Jerry! Yeah, the GK MB tone (I agree the fusion and the 'regular MB' are close enough that it really doesn't make a huge difference once you get into a mix), and the Aguilar tone are very different. There is something about that Aguilar TH voicing and the CN that just really works amazingly well. The only thing it wont do is upper treble sizzle, but I am WAY done with that.

The TH500 hits so hard (it uses a much more powerful ICE module than the GK 500 series), so it is very 'effortless' when pushed. It emphasizes the upper midrange/lower treble top end of a bass guitar, which works really well in a mix, putting the top end articulation of your instrument under the cymbals, which is key to me for the 'clarity' of a bass to muscle through a busy mix (unless you have a massive rig that can throw that 'super low/super sizzly' thing out into the audience.

Also, +1 to the Sadowsky Modern and the TH500. I recently picked up a Roscoe with Bart electronics, which has a somewhat similar voicing to the Modern (i.e., that 'big soap bars stacked close to the bridge sort of low mid/upper bass wump). I thought that bass would be a match in heaven with my Glockenklang, but it was kind of 'too much of a good thing'. With the CN212 and the TH500, it is a punchy, warm and growly machine.

Truly one of the great amp/cab combinations I've run across in the past 40 years of playing and 30 years of being a gear geek. Again, if you like an uber modern tone with lots of super deep bass and lots of upper treble, the TH would NOT be for you. But if you have moved to a more 'what a bass sounds like in a pop recording on a well mastered CD' sort of tone, it is really something. And the power (at least given its wattage rating) is stunning (ditto for the 350).

It can take a while for your ears to adjust to the more meaty, natural, tone of the TH if you have been used to a more 'modern' voiced amp, but for me, it was a very good thing. Also love the rock solid construction and the 'professional simplicity' of the front end. No 'boost buttons' or 'channel switching', etc. Just a very usable, powerful tone stack, and what seems like uber reliability and 'road worthiness'.

It just SITS in a mix with the CN212!

 

[gkbass13]

Well said as usual ken!

What I have always been after tone wise, is the ability to reproduce the tone of my instrument unplugged. The sound of an unplugged, resonant bass with good strings is a beautiful thing to my ear, and the TH/CN combination seems to achieve this better than anything else I've played through. The key IMO is that natural, snappy instead of sizzle high end. It is a perfect pairing to calm the treble and high end of a "modern instrument" like a sadowsky, roscoe, MTD or Fodera. The tone always remains consistently gratifying as you increase the volume, which is crucial fr that natural reproduction of the instrument tone goal of mine. Lots of other combinations of equipment have lost "it" when things get louder, while the TH/CN just seem to give me more of what I want. Loving it!

Grady