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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club

#11,461
Greetings. I have been feeling a lack of low in my Super Compact lately. I think it's actually low mids that I want (not looking to reproduce 30hz or anything -- more oomph and thump if that makes sense). At first I thought it was my amp, so I tried a different amp and achieved pretty similar results (my amp is an Orange TB500, I tried a Quilter 202 straight in, and in FRFR mode with a Line 6 modeller in front of it). Then I tried a different cab: a 1x15 with a 5" midrange -- lots more low mids. And together they sound huge but very bright. Am I just getting more implied low end from the 15" being on the floor and the Super Compact up closer to my ears? Or could there be something wrong with it? Or is this just the "mid forward sound" everyone talks about and somehow I'm just noticing now after a few years of using it? TIA!
 
#11,466
JES said:
Greetings. I have been feeling a lack of low in my Super Compact lately. I think it's actually low mids that I want (not looking to reproduce 30hz or anything -- more oomph and thump if that makes sense). At first I thought it was my amp, so I tried a different amp and achieved pretty similar results (my amp is an Orange TB500, I tried a Quilter 202 straight in, and in FRFR mode with a Line 6 modeller in front of it). Then I tried a different cab: a 1x15 with a 5" midrange -- lots more low mids. And together they sound huge but very bright. Am I just getting more implied low end from the 15" being on the floor and the Super Compact up closer to my ears? Or could there be something wrong with it? Or is this just the "mid forward sound" everyone talks about and somehow I'm just noticing now after a few years of using it? TIA!
Click to expand...

That's certainly a possibility. If you're placing the SC higher than you used to, I think what you're noticing may be the higher mids that were always there but you didn't hear enough of due to cab placement.
I don't think a cab suddenly change its ability to reproduce a section of the spectrum just like that.
 
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#11,467
A few days ago I used my SC with an Aguilar AG700 and PJ5. No lack of low end, low mids or any other frequency.

IMO your 15 will be a big influence. The SC is more neutral and likely to be just reproducing the sound of your bass and amp.

If you've been happy with your sound for a few years, has anything in your signal chain changed?
 
#11,468
Play by play..
Cab cleared customs... it's in my state... but dhl doesn't do weekend deliveries. Hopefully Monday.

Screenshot_20220805-100625_Chrome.jpg
 
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#11,474
RobertAuCoin said:
Very nice. Does anyone happen to know whether the "top hat" option can be retrofitted on a BB3?
Click to expand...

That would be an alex question. I wouldn't be surprised if there is additional bracing inside as the enclosures are pretty thin. I haven't popped a driver out of one to peak inside yet. :) He did say it had to be ordered at the time purchase. Depending on bracing, it could be a super easy aftermarket mod. Have you had the chance to look inside one of your cabs yet?
 
#11,475
RobertAuCoin said:
Very nice. Does anyone happen to know whether the "top hat" option can be retrofitted on a BB3?
Click to expand...

If you're willing to do the woodwork then you could (the base panel needs reinforcing) but it wouldn't be something we'd get involved in or provide support for. And it's not something we'd do retrospectively because it's a lot more time consuming to do well after the cab has been built, than for us to machine the cab to fit a top-hat and build it with one (we run a different file on the CNC machine at the start of the production process).
 
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#11,476
Initial testing completed with a car audio track. Cell phone to an xls-2502 amp (stereo, 440w per channel into 8 ohms). They sound incredible. Regular music sounds awesome. Not harsh at all like cheap cabs with a tweeter. Very soft at the top, not tinny or harsh.

Running bass directly into the 2502, they sound like running direct in my daw to a good set of cans. Should have my pedalboard done shortly to give them the "as intended" use. Worth the almost 18 week wait.

The low end isn't over the top as some have reported. It is what I would expect from an frfr enclosure. I have a 30hz hpf enabled on the power amp and additional filters on my board. Part of tuning one's sound with an frfr rig should include an hpf and lpf of sorts, b or, a cabsim.
 
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#11,480
Played a pretty small pub gig last night, took my old Compact & ran a Terror Bass into it (so 250w at 8ohm). The support band borrowed the entire rig, and had the volume maybe at half way - while they were soundchecking, our drummer commented 'oh, they decided to DI the bass then?'. Nope, all cab.

Most gigs we've had in recent years have had robust PA support, so it was nice to just go through the Compact. Forget just how loud it can get, even after well over a decade of owning it.
 
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