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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club

#5,861
Anybody tried the various Barefaced cabs with a Tech21 VT Bass through a clean amp (or just a Tech21 VT amp)?

I like the way the VT sounds through monitors, so was thinking a BB2 would be a good pairing... But then again the VT has a natural high end speaker sim rolloff, so maybe the horn would be wasted on me and the Super Compact could be a better choice? I'm currently using a pair of Ampeg SVT210AVs and enjoy the tone I am getting from them, but would like more low end and better power handling, hence I'm also considering the Retro line of cabs!
 
#5,862
monsterthompson said:
How's that power section? Is it more like tube watts, solid state watts, British watts, some other kind of watts? 250 @ 4 seems light to me, if running an 8 Ohm 12" cab.
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With the modern Class D amps, it's hard to say because they usually have some dialled in dynamic compression which kind of obscures direct A:B testing of class D to the older lead sleds. The compression is designed into a lot of class D amps to assist the amp's current under heavy loads or transient spikes. I think the TCe RA series comes to mind here, there was a lot of controversy when it was discovered that both the RH250 and the RH400 both used the same Class D power amp module, with the only difference between them was the tweaking of the baked in compressor.
In the old world, Trace Elliot used to massively over size their power transformers and under quote their power ratings, so their bass heads were very conservatively rated. These days amp makers are usually over quoting their wattages, so it's hard to make a direct comparison (Bugera is a good example). Considering TE are now owned by Peavey and this new Elf amp is an entirely new design...it's going to be it's own thing and not related to old TE except by name and colour. Mr Gooday (TE's designer) left TE a long time ago and the company has changed hands many time. Who knows who has designed this little amp.
I'd really like to try a TE Elf, but a TE without a 7 or 12 band graphic isn't really a TE at all in my book. So I look upon the Elf as a new thing and not in any way related to TE's past. I think the closest thing to a modern TE is the Ashdown Retroglide 800, but with out the compressor and TE EQ button.

After saying all this...a TE Elf mated to a BF One 10...now THAT is small and light....
 
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#5,863
dave64o said:
NCD for me today! :hyper:

I picked up my second BB2 yesterday but didn't get home until really late so I didn't even open the box. It was tough waiting until I got home from work tonight, but I opened it after I got home and plugged it in. Instant smile! I'm not in a band right now so I don't know when I'll get to really put them both to the test, but I think I'm ready for anything now. I can't imagine ever needing more than this pair of cabinets.

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Nice looking rig!
Just put a deposit on a BT2 so I gotta ask how long was the wait?:D
 
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#5,864
I can answer your question, but it's not going to be what you wanted to hear. ;) I bought them used. There was no wait for the first one because I bought it in person and I waited a week while the second one made its way from Oregon to New Jersey.

I can hardly call the second one that I just got "used". The previous owner bought it new, got it, and put it up for sale the next day because it was a lot bigger than he realized it would be. It was cheaper for him to take the small loss on this one by selling it than to return it, so we both kind of made out on the deal.
 
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#5,865
GMC said:
I'd really like to try a TE Elf, but a TE without a 7 or 12 band graphic isn't really a TE at all in my book. So I look upon the Elf as a new thing and not in any way related to TE's past. I think the closest thing to a modern TE is the Ashdown Retroglide 800, but with out the compressor and TE EQ button.

After saying all this...a TE Elf mated to a BF One 10...now THAT is small and light....
Click to expand...

I just got an ELF a few days ago and am still in the process of trying it out and playing around with it... limited time so far. Not that you are, since you acknowledge that the ELF and old TE are two different things (and I agree) but it would miss the point to think the ELF is diminished by not having the old TE multiband EQ ( I still wonder why more companies don't still use a 7-10 band EQ though). It's its own thing for sure. So far so good: incredibly light/small, good utility features (DI, phones, full size knobs, reg. power supply rather than wall wart, gain AND volume), sounds good (in my family room home test). I'll need to gig it to find out what the limit is in terms of band situations.

My family room rig, which can travel via the right-sized cajon bag I have, is the ELF on a One10.

I didn't really NEED an ELF-- I have a GK MB200 so I only lost maybe a pound, but also several inches in dimensions. But I plan to have the ELF live in my gig gear bag as a backup, and use it for small gigs. The MB200 can then stay home as my family room rig. Until plugging in the ELF yesterday, the last month or so my family room amp has been an Ampeg PF-50T, which is not small but also not huge. With the ELF currently sitting beside it, it looks HUGE.

Only thing to be aware of w/ the ELF is that the speaker out is 1/4" not Speakon. So, in addition to the amp I'll need to be sure to carry the 1/4"-to-Speakon adapter in my crisis gear or else the "emergency gig amp" won't be of much service.
 
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#5,867
Plutonium244 said:
I just got an ELF a few days ago and am still in the process of trying it out and playing around with it... limited time so far. Not that you are, since you acknowledge that the ELF and old TE are two different things (and I agree) but it would miss the point to think the ELF is diminished by not having the old TE multiband EQ ( I still wonder why more companies don't still use a 7-10 band EQ though). It's its own thing for sure. So far so good: incredibly light/small, good utility features (DI, phones, full size knobs, reg. power supply rather than wall wart, gain AND volume), sounds good (in my family room home test). I'll need to gig it to find out what the limit is in terms of band situations.

My family room rig, which can travel via the right-sized cajon bag I have, is the ELF on a One10.

I didn't really NEED an ELF-- I have a GK MB200 so I only lost maybe a pound, but also several inches in dimensions. But I plan to have the ELF live in my gig gear bag as a backup, and use it for small gigs. The MB200 can then stay home as my family room rig. Until plugging in the ELF yesterday, the last month or so my family room amp has been an Ampeg PF-50T, which is not small but also not huge. With the ELF currently sitting beside it, it looks HUGE.

Only thing to be aware of w/ the ELF is that the speaker out is 1/4" not Speakon. So, in addition to the amp I'll need to be sure to carry the 1/4"-to-Speakon adapter in my crisis gear or else the "emergency gig amp" won't be of much service.
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That's really good info, thanks for posting. I really do NOT need an Elf either (since I have an MB200 also) but the size alone made me curious. Really curious. I saw one pop up in the For Sale forum the other day and I came close to pulling the trigger and, for the most part, I'm glad I hesitated and someone else bought it.

I did some thinking and realized that they're both really attractive little amps but that they each have features the other doesn't. The Elf has both a gain and a master volume and it's probably as small an amp as can be made and still have the jacks and knobs that it does. But the MB200 has the four band G-K EQ that I love (it's on all six of my G-K heads and combos :D) and it has a Speakon jack. So I concluded that, because I already have the MB200, getting rid of that one to get the Elf wasn't worth it. If I didn't already have it, then I probably would have been tempted enough to buy the Elf.

That being said, it still wouldn't surprise me if I see another one pop up for sale and pull the trigger on that one. Why? ME: "Hi, my name is Dave, and I'm a GASoholic". TB: "Hi, Dave!"
 
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#5,868
I am in the unfortunate position of wanting to have a dedicated amp hooked up for everywhere I go. TH500 + Aggie SL112's in my office/music room. MB200 + One10 in family room and micro gigs. ELF in the gig bag for whether the unexpected happens. Fender Super Bassman amp and Four10 for rock gigs. GK MBF800 + Barefaced SM or BB2 or both for most gigs. Then there's the Eden WT800 that doesn't get much run any more. Finally, the nappy Fender combo amp+15 in the basement. Yes-- I guess I must have a GAS issue. But I have made a new rule so as to justify the ELF: I can't make any purchase that is larger than a bread box. Under that, all's fair.

The GK MB200 is a nice little amp, I really do like the sound. It's just so large though.... ;) I wouldn't get rid of my MB200 to buy the ELF... but I don't mind adding the ELF to the MB200.
 
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#5,869
Plutonium244 said:
...
The GK MB200 is a nice little amp, I really do like the sound. It's just so large though.... ;) I wouldn't get rid of my MB200 to buy the ELF... but I don't mind adding the ELF to the MB200.
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I did NOT need to read that. :facepalm:

EDIT. But, yeah, I may end up doing the same. Being able to slip an Elf into just about any pocket in any gig bag seems too hard to pass up and it could end up being like a "Nifty Fifty" prime lens for me (you photographers, especially Canon people, should understand), something you just gotta have. Just because.
 
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#5,873
svtb15 said:
Nice choice.. Im thinking of a Big Twin 2. .too.. .
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I'm buying based on reviews I haven't actually heard a BT2. Funny I used SVT's for better than 30 yrs it was the only amp I would even consider on those days lol. So many great options these days. Based on my means of transport, and needs I sold both SVT's and cabs nearly 10 yrs ago. I've been through a 410, a 610, and current cab last four yrs. is a Berg AE410. This will be the lightest cab I've ever owned. It sounds (from the reviews) like it could be the last cab I buy. But then I think wheres the fun in that! If I had more money and more room I'd have a lot of cabs everywhere!!!
 
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#5,875
lomo said:
1st world "problem" if ever there was one. Happy Friday :)
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No man, a real first world problem would be having several dedicated amps hooked everywhere you go, and then starting to have anxiety and panic attacks about which one to use and then suing your insurance company because they deny you coverage for therapy to treat the disorder, and then plastering it all over social media.......:smug:
 
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#5,876
sok monkee said:
I'm buying based on reviews I haven't actually heard a BT2. Funny I used SVT's for better than 30 yrs it was the only amp I would even consider on those days lol. So many great options these days. Based on my means of transport, and needs I sold both SVT's and cabs nearly 10 yrs ago. I've been through a 410, a 610, and current cab last four yrs. is a Berg AE410. This will be the lightest cab I've ever owned. It sounds (from the reviews) like it could be the last cab I buy. But then I think wheres the fun in that! If I had more money and more room I'd have a lot of cabs everywhere!!!
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It's interesting how inertia drives purchasing (and not just in the bass world). After playing Barefaced for a few years, and having played Greenboy Audio and AudioKinesis and Bergantino and others for several years before that, I'm pretty much in an "anything but Ampeg" mode now. I realize there are many players who love Ampeg, and that's fine for them. But my experience is that's the biggest rut of all.
 
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#5,878
BigEarl said:
Facial Tissue = Kleenex
Photocopy = Xerox
Bass Amp = Ampeg
FIGHT THE POWER!
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I was working at a venue when someone had posted something along the lines of "how come everyone says that Ampeg is the most popular brand for touring acts and provided back lines? I don't think it's true, I see plenty of different brands of amps at live events" Afterwards I systematically took a picture of every bass amp to hit our stage and a good 85 - 90% of the time it was an SVT.
 
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