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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club

#9,221
socialleper said:
Am I kidding myself if I think I can get the sort of clear definition in a live amp/cab situation that you hear on a studio recording or live recording from the board. Is that a false expectation?
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No, you just need a good room, to have line of sight to the cab, and a to have a large format PA-style horn driver rather than a tweeter (or nothing in the SC's case). The Big Baby/Twin will do that kind of sound for you if you want it from Barefaced, there are some other great choices too.
 
#9,222
socialleper said:
I know it wouldn't be a 100% accurate representation, but it points me in the right direction. When I was looking at the sound wave coming out of a Mesa M9 in EQual the high end transients went well above 4 or 5K. They are at a low db, but still there. Even with a smoother taper on the LPF I lose something.
When I bought my ST I was playing a different style of music. I was using fuzz and was more concerned with getting an SVT sound in the smallest package possible. The ST achieved that. My new situation calls for something else. I'm still playing pretty loud, and I need a little more zip on the highs than what a P bass would typically offer. I'm using a Spector 5LX with EMG electronics and playing pretty fast.
The best test would be to try out another cab. Really good 212 cabs in stores are a rare thing these days.
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What's an example of the bass tone you're aiming for (perhaps from a known bassist)?
I like a bright, aggressive top end to the point of it being too much for a lot of trad bassists (similar to Shellac, Multicult, Jesus Lizard), and there are very few modern or lightweight amps that'll get you there. But it's pretty easy to achieve with pedals. I use a Barefaced 610 as one of my two main cabs and with either an Aguilar DB750 or Mesa M9 I never want for top end bite and clank with a passive bass and this cab because I add a pedal with a bright, tight tone. Both your amps respond great to pedals going into their front end.
Tech 21 and Darkglass are easy places to start, but the Rusty Box or Brimstone XD2 work well also.

If I use an active bass (Spector or Zon) and want to get that tone without pedals I use the Tech 21 dUg amp or the Darkglass 900 and again into the Barefaced 610 they both dish out ridiculously good tone for aggressive music with lots of high end bite. And the Barefaced never feels limited in the highs (note this is also a cab without a horn in it).
 
#9,223
I am currently trying playing a Spector Euro 5LX with active EMG electronics, Mesa D800, Super Twin, and a DG B7K on the board. I just bought an X7 but I've tried it yet.
The 610 has a slightly higher roll off point. That cab is a little big for me. The ST did great when I was going a stoner\doom thing, but now I'm going something faster and more aggressive.
I'm trying to get something in the neighborhood of Alex Webster with Cannibal Corpse, Nick Schendzielos on Sun Eater or Conformicide, or Adam Biggs on Where Owls Know my name.
 
#9,224
socialleper said:
I am currently trying playing a Spector Euro 5LX with active EMG electronics, Mesa D800, Super Twin, and a DG B7K on the board. I just bought an X7 but I've tried it yet.
The 610 has a slightly higher roll off point. That cab is a little big for me. The ST did great when I was going a stoner\doom thing, but now I'm going something faster and more aggressive.
I'm trying to get something in the neighborhood of Alex Webster with Cannibal Corpse, Nick Schendzielos on Sun Eater or Conformicide, or Adam Biggs on Where Owls Know my name.
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Those guys all have relatively clean yet aggressive tones with a bit of top end bite. I'm surprised you don't find it easy to get there with a B7K and Spector. My #1 Spector has EMG pickups as well but an Aguilar ODB3 preamp which sounds shockingly similar to the classic Haz pre in the mix. It has a ton of top end bite. Do you find whatever pre is in your Spector to have enough top end through other amps and cabs?

I've never used the D800 with a band but I used the D800+ and was able to dial it in pretty close to the M9 (ie. bright and biting). Using low action would help you get closer to Webster's bite. That's something Entwistle did too, use low action to add a certain clack and zip to his tone.

You might find this useful, a demo vid by our own @kringle77 through the Super Twin using a Tech 21 VTRM. See if his tone gets close to what you're after at any point in this vid:

 
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#9,225
andrew said:
Those guys all have relatively clean yet aggressive tones with a bit of top end bite. I'm surprised you don't find it easy to get there with a B7K and Spector. My #1 Spector has EMG pickups as well but an Aguilar ODB3 preamp which sounds shockingly similar to the classic Haz pre in the mix. It has a ton of top end bite. Do you find whatever pre is in your Spector to have enough top end through other amps and cabs?
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I'm not after super distorted, just aggressive.
I can nail the tone in my recording software with a SVT4 Pro sim, or my D800, with a Aguilar 810 IR. Although I starting to think recorded tone and live tone aren't the same thing.

andrew said:
I've never used the D800 with a band but I used the D800+ and was able to dial it in pretty close to the M9 (ie. bright and biting). Using low action would help you get closer to Webster's bite. That's something Entwistle did too, use low action to add a certain clack and zip to his tone.
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My action is pretty low. I'm using DR Hi Beams as well. I was thinking about going with a D800+ since I don't think I can trust the M9 I am trying out. I tried a DB751 since that is what Webster and Schendzielos use. It is a nice amp, but for the money it isn't blowing me away. I would think for that kind of cash I'd have a religious experience. It is really nice.
 
#9,226
socialleper said:
I'm not after super distorted, just aggressive.
I can nail the tone in my recording software with a SVT4 Pro sim, or my D800, with a Aguilar 810 IR. Although I starting to think recorded tone and live tone aren't the same thing.


My action is pretty low. I'm using DR Hi Beams as well. I was thinking about going with a D800+ since I don't think I can trust the M9 I am trying out. I tried a DB751 since that is what Webster and Schendzielos use. It is a nice amp, but for the money it isn't blowing me away. I would think for that kind of cash I'd have a religious experience. It is really nice.
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Might be worth trying the DSM Omnicabsim pedal in your live rig.

For me the charm of the Aguilar is I find it easy to add a pedal for top end bite and grit but the Aguilar naturally keeps a heavy girth in the low end and feels really powerful.

If you're getting the tone you like with an SVT4 sim maybe the answer is to try a ss Ampeg head in your live rig (SVT3, 4 or 5)? or pick up an Ampeg SVP preamp to run with your amp. Have you tried the Tech 21 VT pedal(s)?
 
#9,227
socialleper said:
I'm not after super distorted, just aggressive.
I can nail the tone in my recording software with a SVT4 Pro sim, or my D800, with a Aguilar 810 IR. Although I starting to think recorded tone and live tone aren't the same thing.
Click to expand...

My experience is similar in that there are amazing recorded bass tones that i would love to emulate, but when i've seen the bass player live who is responsible for the tone it never sounds as good.
Studio is often a mix of pure DI, wet DI, and 1 or 2 mic's which isn't possible to nail completely live, IMO. I'm sure you can get pretty close though. You could try a similar approach live: mixing a straight DI'd signal with the live tone of your amp...just a thought. Pure DI tends to sound a bit too clanky and bright
 
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#9,228
alexclaber said:
It isn't a frequency cut off. The cone rolls off around 4kHz, it doesn't stop dead. The central dome rolls off around 10kHz. Crank the highs and you'll get a lot of treble extension out of the 12XN drivers.
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This is my experince too...been really surprised at how bright 2x12" speakers can get, with no horn/tweeter etc once i crank the top end. I expected the ST to be slightly "warm" but its the flattest sounding cab i've ever used
 
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#9,230
socialleper said:
Am I kidding myself if I think I can get the sort of clear definition in a live amp/cab situation that you hear on a studio recording or live recording from the board. Is that a false expectation?
Click to expand...

I can totally get that on my BT2.

I also tried what Alex said, turning off the tweeter and cranking the highs on the preamp.
I know it's stupid I didn't think of it before, but since the highs sound so un-harsh on this cab (unlike any other cab with a tweeter I had before) I never felt the need to cut the tweeter.

I was rather surprised with the result, because it sounded absolutely fantastic.
However if I'm totally honest the highs you get are more like high (high) mids, they' re not super high "hi-fi" highs - for these you need at least some tweeter.
Not whether this is really needed for a Websterish sound is another question of course :)
 
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#9,234
Type-55 said:
I just missed 2 Barefaced one ten cabs with covers in mint shape from Guitar Center for $299.00 per cab.
Somebody got a great price on these cabs. Missed them by 20 minutes.
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Even without the covers that'd still be a steal of a deal. Yeah, a no-brainer for whoever saw them - and knew what they were (I'd guess the typical GC shopper might not).
 
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#9,238
BB2 PA rig doing duty at rehearsal today.

3F58EE34-A438-4D45-8C56-A29CBD7948E7.jpeg
 
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