+1 on the Acme comment, had two of 'em and couldn't wait to get rid them. Not even in the same league as BF!
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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club
- Thread starter Stumbo
- Start date
I'm not sure I can explain it in a way that can convey what I really mean... but, even if I know I'm going to fail, I'll give it a try
The 12" driver equipped cabs that they sell today all seem pretty even in their frequency response, they seem to just reproduce whatever you send to them, with minor colouration (of course there's always some). This means they can often be more mid-rangey than many other commercial cabs that may be slightly scooped at various points in the spectrum.
My experience with them (BB2 especifically) is that you can get pretty much anything you want from them... but you may need to work at it depending on what it is that you want.
The 'Retro' series with the 10" drivers has a definite colouration to them. There's still plenty of treble and plenty of everything... but it has a 'favour'. It is a flavour that suits me, personally, very well, which is why I own a couple of the Two10 cabs and I love them. I just get the sound I want very easily with them, minor amp tweaking, and even when I don't get it right I never get a bad sound out of them (except the obvious ones due to a player having a bad day
). They have a very tight bottom end and just never get too brittle or ugly... Used with either a MarkBass LMIII or a Mesa D800+, they sound great, and those are pretty different amps. Both types are good. But the 10" series suits ME better.
Just a shout-out to say that if you haven't seen the Barefaced Facebook live videos, you're missing out! Alex is a great teacher. Looking forward to parts 2 through 27 of 'your sealed 8x10 doesn't sound tight because it's sealed' 
Looking like the plan will be for me to buy a SM, then contrast it with my BB2, and ultimately decide which cab I want a pair of.
Why do I feel like I'll end up with a pair of SM's and a BB2 sub
... edit. I really do plan to flip one when I decide on a pair of the other. Alex seemed to think this was a reasonable approach.
Why do I feel like I'll end up with a pair of SM's and a BB2 sub
... edit. I really do plan to flip one when I decide on a pair of the other. Alex seemed to think this was a reasonable approach.
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BTW, if everyone in this thread isn't follow Barefaced on Facebook and watch Alex's live videos, you are missing out. I'm a nerd and I love nerds because they can actually explain what they are doing; or worse, explain what someone else is doing wrong.
Looking like the plan will be for me to buys SM, then contrast it with my BB2, and ultimately decide which cab I want a pair of.
Why do I feel like I'll end up with a pair of SM's and a BB2 sub
... edit. It really do plan to flip one when I decide on a pair of the other. Alex seemed to think this was a reasonable approach.
Sometimes I get dizzy reading Monster Posts. I laugh, too -- because for nearly a year I've been enjoying Monster's original SM that was passed through other hands. And in addition to making TBers feel happy with used finds in Classifieds, Monster is helping fuel a wonderful boutique business in the UK. Winners all!
Ha. Well, my goals keep shifting. When I first started with BF, I was gigging with an industrial metal project, on bass, and early in my paralysis recovery, so size and weight was a big issue for me. Then I went to play more computer synth/samples in another project. All the while, I have an occasional rock project I jam on bass with. Now, I'm making ambient noise, and need a PA-quality sound rig (the PA we borrow is overkill), but I can't have bass cabs and PA cabs in my apartment.
The thing I like as a constant is the BF sound. I briefly was considering Duke's Thunderchild cabs, which I am sure are wonderful. The rear firing tweeter option would really be nice in my current active project. However, I want to stick with what I know. I consider the cost of flipping the cabs a rental fee for the time I hold them, which makes it an easier pill to swallow
Yeah, these are great! Hey, Alex, where can I get one of those 'DecaferaB' tee shirts?
C'mon, Monster, you're already thinking it so you might as well give in! SM/SM/BBII whadda PA! (i trust you ordered top hats on those SMs)Looking like the plan will be for me to buy a SM, then contrast it with my BB2, and ultimately decide which cab I want a pair of.
Why do I feel like I'll end up with a pair of SM's and a BB2 sub
... edit. I really do plan to flip one when I decide on a pair of the other. Alex seemed to think this was a reasonable approach.
Haven't ordered yet. Top Hat for sure. Debating cloth or metal grille. I like the look of the metal, but cloth is lighter and seems to be more interesting at resale.
I have a top hat in my SM.... for use to elevate the cab for bass but also for the future prospect of 2nd to make a PA of sorts. I like having that option. I have metal grill for max durability, it's 2 pounds difference 23 vs 21. But I have and really like the cloth in the 2 cabs I have that have Alex's 10s in them... more vintage sounding so it fits. No factual basis for this but for the bigger cab fronts and cone size of 12s I wanted a harder more rigid grill material.
I have metal grilles in all three of my BF cabs. Never regretted it on either looks or practicality basis. My next BF cabs will be the same.
My two Ones10's have cloth, but I ordered my SC with the metal. I have a pet peeve about the cloth on a 12" BF cabs looking off center due to the vent. All-black cabs look more uniform to me. Yeah, weird, I know.
Yeah I find the off-center thing to be, well, off-center myself
Wow! That looks sweet. I'm considering that amp as well. It looks the same width as the cab. I thought it was wider?Check out my new amp! Noble 1000W. Looks sweet with the black grill cloth on the Big Twin II. Turn away if you don't like piping
Hello Barefaced fans! I was wondering what your opinion is of using Barefaced cabs (either the 12" driver cabs or the Retro 10" driver cabs) with an all-tube amp that has a low damping factor. I prefer the clean tube tone sound, not "driven into hard distortion" sound). Classic rock player here (Eagles, Led Zep, Boston, Journey, etc.)
Any input is appreciated!
Any input is appreciated!
Barefaced SC with a Mesa Buster was possibly my favorite tone ever.Hello Barefaced fans! I was wondering what your opinion is of using Barefaced cabs (either the 12" driver cabs or the Retro 10" driver cabs) with an all-tube amp that has a low damping factor. I prefer the clean tube tone sound, not "driven into hard distortion" sound). Classic rock player here (Eagles, Led Zep, Boston, Journey, etc.)
Any input is appreciated!
Thanks Monster. Any idea what the damping factor was on that Buster amp? Any issues with over excursion (or loose floppiness) on the lower notes with the Super Compact using the Buster?
No idea on the factor. I never got to push that pairing hard in a band setting. I wasn't jamming much while I owned those two. I have never had a problem pushing the SC with other heads, in terms of excursion, nor any other attribute.
I have a Four 10 which I use regularly with an all tube amp, four in fact - Ampeg V4B, Fender Super Bassman 300, Orange AD200 and Trace Elliott V4. It sounds superb with all of them, in fact I believe it was designed to emulate the sound of a sealed cab which is especially suitable for tube heads. I should also say it sounds pretty good with a Mesa D800+ and TC Classic 450 too, but that is not your question. You can use the retro tens confidently with tubes, and be assured they are a fine match. My current favourite is the V4B pairing but a couple of months ago it was the Orange - it handles them all well and allows the different nuances of each head to come through. Honestly, I would not worry about a "low damping factor" of all tube heads regardless of the cabinet. It is just part of what tube heads do, but the Barefaced retro tens stay nice and tight regardless if that is what you like or they respond wonderfully to tone tweaking if you want something different.Hello Barefaced fans! I was wondering what your opinion is of using Barefaced cabs (either the 12" driver cabs or the Retro 10" driver cabs) with an all-tube amp that has a low damping factor. I prefer the clean tube tone sound, not "driven into hard distortion" sound). Classic rock player here (Eagles, Led Zep, Boston, Journey, etc.)
Any input is appreciated!
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