Just had my first gig with my brand new Super Twin last night, my first Barefaced cab (and apparently, the first one to make it's way into Mexico). After a long period of g.a.s.ing, I finally chose the Super Twin over the new Audiokinesis Hathor 212 and a Fearless F212...
All I can say is WOW!!!
I think I made the right choice.(although I'm sure either option would have been excellent)
Right out of the box, the tone and low end I was getting at home volume were amazing: the sound was great, with deep lows, just enough low mid thump, clear and smooth hi mids, and tons of volume even when you feed it with just a few watts. The efficiency of this cab is like none other.
Definitely they have nothing to do with the other brands of cabs I've tried or owned before, including GK, Hartke, Ampeg, Mark Bass, SWR, Eden, Bergantino, Aguilar, Schroeder, etc. (it was quite revealing to find out the amount of deep low end I was missing without realizing it, with my previous loud gig cab, a Schroeder 21012L).
Even at home volume, the whole house was rattling as if Godzilla were jumping around my living room...jeje(I can't even imagine what the Big Twin must be like!!!)
The fact that this little box can produce so much low end and SPL is just astonishing, especially considering you can carry the cab with one hand so easily.
I used to think the Schro was super light (at around 51lbs.) but this thing is a dream to carry.
I honestly don't understand how the cab doesn't just bounce or roll away when I play a low D on the B string at full volume and with some bass boost through my Puma 900.
After some initial playing at home, I played a 25hz sine wave through the Puma to break it in faster, and the amount of air being pushed through the ports was amazing, it seemed as if there were a giant fan inside the cab. The excursion on this speakers is definitely something else.
I can't wait to hear how it's gonna sound when it is fully broken in...
So, last night's gig was in a big bar with no P.A. , with a rock covers band with a pretty loud drummer. We played everything from Creedence to Judas Priest to System of a Down, and the Super Twin had no problem keeping up and delivering all the eq, tone and technique changes very faithfully, from a warm deep blues tone to a Steve Harris kind of attack (the Taste knob on the Puma is excellent by the way), and everything while filling the whole place with deep and very defined bass.
All the band members commented on how clearly they heard the bass and how deep and solid the low end was, without getting muddy at all.
The drummer hadn't realized I changed the cab until we started the first song and he felt the unexpected thump of this cab.
He was shocked, and said it sounded as if there were big P.A. subwoofers in the bar, but without the mud this room usually delivers.
My only concerns before buying this cab were:
- If the 4khz freq. response would be bright enough for my playing style ( I do slap on a few songs, and I often require some high end sparkle like Steve Harris' attack for metal tones) ; and, if the strap handles were tough enough to handle some abuse, but I'm glad to say it is excellent in both matters: plenty high end definition for slap tones, and the handles are super sturdy, I doubt they will ever break.
Actually the whole cab's construction and finishing seems very tough, and perfectly designed, so I'm not even concerned about gigging it without a cover for a while, although I do intend to get one later.
Another point I'd like to share, is that the customer service was excellent! Both Alex and Harry were very helpful, they answered all my questions, and the waiting time from the moment I ordered it to the moment they finished it was less than 2 weeks!! All in all, it was a great customer experience.
So in conclusion, I'm really happy with this purchase, I believe it was worth every penny, and to anyone doubting about all the hype here on Talkbass, and the claims on the Barefaced website, I tell you: BELIEVE IT!!
It really does all the things they say it does!!
My G.A.S. is finally cured (at least for big cabs jeje).
So, to anyone looking for the best one cab solution, with the SPL of an 8x10, the low end of a P.A. subwoofer, all in a compact 40lbs. one-hand carry package (with wheels as if they were necessary!), and with flawless construction, I can confidently say THIS IS IT!!
As Tolkien said, "One rig to rule them all" jeje.
Congratulations to Alex and everyone at Barefaced, keep up the good work!
I prefer 12's.
