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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club
- Thread starter Stumbo
- Start date
Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
I need a bass like the one in your Avatar. I don't think I'd make it to the gig.....
But(t) she seems to be missing a G-string!
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Pbassmanca
In the pocket n' thumpy. So woody, so greasy...
You should be excited. Now the interminable wait begins, made a bit more bearable with the knowledge that a box of thunder will soon be on it's way : )
The Great SC vs One10 Shootout
I did a personal comparison between an SC, my pair of One10's, a Quilter Bass Block 800, and a GK MB800. Shout out to Travis (Steelbed45) for loaning me his beautiful SC cab! [Also, I have posted this same review on the Barefaced Owners Group Facebook page]
The biggest takeaway for me was finally understanding what people mean by the term "transparency" of the SC. I have been totally bewildered by all the metaphors others have used to explain what the Barefaced 12" cabs do: words like "transparent", "PA-like", "uncolored", yadda yadda. I will give you the EXACT moment I knew the difference between the SC and the One10 (and what those terms above actually mean ...to me of course!)
I was noodling back and forth between the cabs, even creating a loop on my Ditto so I could focus on the sound. At one point I hit the sixth fret on string #2 (E) using the One10 stack and got a very annoying resonant buzz. It wasn't a fret buzz or a faulty grill, it was simply a resonant frequency (at the volume and eq I was using) that the little guy just couldn't seem to handle.
I imediately swapped the cable over to the SC and it sounded perfectly fine, no volume or eq change. It just sounded, well, perfect.
Combine that with the Quilter BB800, a very "uncolored" head, and the result, though initially underwhelming, became quite overwhelming when I thought of the fact that what I was hearing (SC with Quilter set dead flat) was the actual sound of my P basses (one with rounds and one with flats) without anything mucking it up. It was a very empowering moment to know that the SC was offering me a totally clean canvas to craft a sound. Maybe an DSM Omincabsim for a pre using the Quilter as power amp?
Suffice it to say, I will be ordering an SC, then selling one of the One10's (I'm definitely keeping one) to help finance a second SC.
Overall, I am blown away by the capabilities of the SC. Of course all of this is just my observations based on my personal taste, but day-um Alex, I am digging these cabs!
Overall, I am blown away by the capabilities of the SC. Of course all of this is just my observations based on my personal taste, but day-um Alex, I am digging these cabs!
As a former One 10 owner, I would like to know if you tested which setup would handle more without 'farting out' (for lack of a better term)?
I have a couple of different 1x12 cabs, so I know how a One10 compares to each of those head to head. But I'm curious how a pair of One10's compares to a 1x12 like the SC as far as sheer output before giving up.
Had a similar "resonant buzz" frequency with my stack of two One 10s a few weeks ago, and around the same note (it was a B). Isolated it to one cab and simply tightened up the grill bolts and it went away. I then tightened up the other cab for good measure too. Problem solved and I can crank them with the D800+ no issues at all. The difference between the two you notice fits into what I would expect from the website, never having tried a Barefaced twelve. Alex seems to have done a pretty good job of catering to all tastes with these two speakers.
The Great SC vs One10 Shootout
I did a personal comparison between an SC, my pair of One10's, a Quilter Bass Block 800, and a GK MB800. Shout out to Travis (Steelbed45) for loaning me his beautiful SC cab! [Also, I have posted this same review on the Barefaced Owners Group Facebook page]
The biggest takeaway for me was finally understanding what people mean by the term "transparency" of the SC. I have been totally bewildered by all the metaphors others have used to explain what the Barefaced 12" cabs do: words like "transparent", "PA-like", "uncolored", yadda yadda. I will give you the EXACT moment I knew the difference between the SC and the One10 (and what those terms above actually mean ...to me of course!)
I was noodling back and forth between the cabs, even creating a loop on my Ditto so I could focus on the sound. At one point I hit the sixth fret on string #2 (E) using the One10 stack and got a very annoying resonant buzz. It wasn't a fret buzz or a faulty grill, it was simply a resonant frequency (at the volume and eq I was using) that the little guy just couldn't seem to handle.
I imediately swapped the cable over to the SC and it sounded perfectly fine, no volume or eq change. It just sounded, well, perfect.
Combine that with the Quilter BB800, a very "uncolored" head, and the result, though initially underwhelming, became quite overwhelming when I thought of the fact that what I was hearing (SC with Quilter set dead flat) was the actual sound of my P basses (one with rounds and one with flats) without anything mucking it up. It was a very empowering moment to know that the SC was offering me a totally clean canvas to craft a sound. Maybe an DSM Omincabsim for a pre using the Quilter as power amp?
Suffice it to say, I will be ordering an SC, then selling one of the One10's (I'm definitely keeping one) to help finance a second SC.
Overall, I am blown away by the capabilities of the SC. Of course all of this is just my observations based on my personal taste, but day-um Alex, I am digging these cabs!
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I can't imagine that the SC (or any of the BF 12" line based on my SC experience) wouldn't give you the flexibility to produce any sound you could feed it. I was also knocked out that it wasn't sterile at all but could reproduce the sound in your head if you tweaked the signal appropriately. The one gripe I've had with the Quilter was it's subtly on the tone shaping end. The MB800 had it best in that regard but unfortunately the "GK growl" was still there and the SC faithfully reproduced it and in fact even enhanced it. I am going to use my BDDI for a while to see if that will shape my tone effectively.
MM, I tested both at limits my bedroom (and wife) could stand. Unfortunately these were not near a true "load" level (i.e.: onstage, large room, with a full band) but I did get them loud enough to hear some breakup in the One10's that when switched over was not there in the SC. That said, I do believe these are traits of the sound colorings of the 10's by design. A little grind in the speaker at higher volumes like the BF website hints at. That is why they were called "retro". About this I will say that the SC met my expectations as there was literally zero breakup when I switched over at the same volume and tone settings, which is EXACTLY what I was hoping for.
Tim, you could be right, I will keep an eye (and ear) open moving forward. I will try each speaker individually and see if it was a physical issue or truly a threshold of the One10.
I will say this though I LOVE my little One10 stack! I have done a couple dozen gigs with them, all moderate volume, and the only thing they lack for me is the righteous, buttkicking low end that I like. For clarity, precision and the beautiful way they sit in the mix I have no regrets!
The other point to consider is that the 2 x 10 stack (= Two 10) is rated on the Barefaced website as 98db sensitivity for a maximum output of 125db , whereas the SC is sensitivity of 97db for 127db.
Therefore, and I stress I am no expert, you will be driving the ten stack harder than the SC with the volume set at the same level.
EDIT: I am sure that Alex did not intend his specs to be used in this way and fully expect to be corrected or slapped on the wrist shortly
Note to self: I must get across to Marty and hear his SC soon.
Therefore, and I stress I am no expert, you will be driving the ten stack harder than the SC with the volume set at the same level.
EDIT: I am sure that Alex did not intend his specs to be used in this way and fully expect to be corrected or slapped on the wrist shortly
Note to self: I must get across to Marty and hear his SC soon.
True AND at 4 ohm versus 8 ohm for the SC. I took that into consideration when testing. Using the stack, whichever amp I used would be seeing less resistance with the stack and more resistance with the SC. I think the Quilter is rated at 450 watts into 8 ohms and the full 800 watts into the One10 stack. I'm sure this didn't "help" the One10's in the comparison.
I will also say one more positive thing for the One10's, when either amp was set flat the One10's ran circles around the SC which knocked me out. It is a testament to BF engineering that the voicings of these two speaker sizes are so radically different! The One10's took very little to produce a pleasing tone (but without the shaking lows) where the SC was a very boring vanilla ..until you added some sauce to the tone at input, then Lordy did they shine!
[EDIT] I too am concerned that I'm sounding somewhat "qualified" but in actuality I am a technical dunderhead. And I too am awaiting a head slap from Alex.
However inarticulate and untechnical my comments are, they do represent one user in an ever-increasing sea of BF users, so all my comments are to help build the vast TalkBass Barefaced database for others to review. BigEarl means no harm!
On the cloth grill 210, there is velcro and a rubber gasket all the way around that fits snugly.
Hmmm, vexing that I get a resonant buzz on my cloth One10's on a certain frequency. Gonna have to get medieval on this and try to figure out if it was something loose (and which cab?) or what!
