Great feedback, as mentioned I am typically not a 10s fan, but might need to revisit. Thanks for the heads up on the SC, from the initial feedback, I am leaning toward the BB, but its great to have optionsThe Super Compact vs. BB2 is more than just the tweeter/horn/driver. The BB2 is a bigger box and it gets more low end extension. It's a noticeable difference at low volumes. I haven't had a chance to push the BB2 at high volume yet. The SC produces plenty of lows, but the BB2 produces more.
The SC is pretty small and portable. The BB2 is a couple of inches deeper and it makes it seem noticeably bigger than the SC. It's not crazy big, but if you stack them next to each other, the BB2 does seem "big" by comparison.
The 210 might be a way to go. It isn't extremely voiced, but it is more traditional sounding and very complimentary. It gets as loud as the Super Compact, according to Alex. It gets more highs than the SC, but nothing crazy high. I had a 110 and loved it. I only sold it to upgrade to the 210 (pending).
If you decide on the SC, there are three in the classis right now (one is mine, two are from map and he has upgraded cloth grilles), and BF might still have the holiday pricing on the new ones. It's a good time to buy a SC
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Official Barefaced Bass Cab Club
- Thread starter Stumbo
- Start date
Of course everyone has their preferences; I will say I don't think you can go wrong with any BF cabinet. My ideal "modular" Barefaced rig would be a BB2 (which I have) and a Super Midget (which I don't have). Alex at BF says they'd be a good pairing.
If you like 12's and want a very modular set-up, with the ability to have a modern or vintage sound depending on your horn setting, that might work for you.
They are both 12's with BF's custom driver (same driver in both); both have tweeters (albeit different kinds). The Super Midget is like 23 pounds, and very small box-wise. The BB2 seems to be more than enough for most any situation and seems to cover as well as my two Aguilar SL-112's. But if I ever needed more, the Super Midget would add right on, and it otherwise a great stand-alone cab for most gigs, with super easy transport. The fact that the BB2-SM combo is one of five combinations Alex officially "recommends" is very reassuring to me. Guy knows his cabs.
If I had to have just one BF cab it would be the BB2.
What about "10s" don't you like?
I'd say the BF 10 cabs aren't worlds apart from the 12. They are voiced differently. However I wouldn't say the differences is as 10 vs 12 thing. Alex is a firm believer in the size of the woofer not determining the sound, and I'm with him. Obviously, the woofer size can dictate the cab size which will have an effect on the tone. Different things generally sound different. The bigger picture is that these were designed around what Alex wanted to hear.
I am very impressed with the tone and sound of the One10 and I think it easily does what other 12''s do.
If I had to boil down to one thing about the BF BB2 that stands out to me as different that other cabs is that they (especially BB2) sound like you have PA reinforcement on the low end. Makes the room vibrate without seeming too loud.
I wasn't a fan of the SM and BB2 stack. I liked the SC BB2 better. To be fair, it was a low volume test. I'm thinking the BB2 is going to shine at higher volumes. For the lower volume practicing I'm doing, the BB2 lows and output are a tad much, and I miss my SM for that purpose. I do find myself liking the BB2 Mesa Buster pairing better at lower volumes than my Demeter VTBP 800 head with the BB2. On the other hand, I like both heads pretty equally with the SC. The difference isn't gargantuan and it is at lower volumes than the cabs were really intended for. I'm looking forward to cranking the BB2 soon. Soon. Soon!
Will do. I have a few loud gigs coming up but I'm just afraid that the BB2 on it's own won't be able to compete, which might all change once I have the chance to really put it through it's paces.
If I add another cab it'll probably be another BB2...and possibly a one10 or two10 for different purposes.
The biggest reason why I started looking into other cabs than my CN212 was basically as a backup for it. I wanted something smaller that could do most of what it (the CN) could do. Then I started thinking that I may (MAY!!!) want to move from the single CN to a dual BB2 setup, using both BB2's at the majority of gigs so I had a "backup" cab just in case something happened to one of them. I still like that idea, but I love the CN212 so it'll be tough to let it go if I decide to go down that road.
I will be getting rid of most of my other cabs, an AE212 and a pair of SVT210's. I'm keeping my CN212 and my NV610T no matter what...
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My ideal Barefaced modular rig is the Super Midget/One10. I had it for awhile and thought it was stupendous. Unfortunately, I let my cabs go en route to a BB2. Now I'm back to the Super Midget and will soon have the Super Midget/One10 pairing for a second go-round.
Very cool advice from all. The fact that TBers are saying a Barefaced 10 sounds bigger might change my mind about 10s. I also do not plan to depart with the Berg CN 212, just looking for some other options. Seems like a good starting point would be a BB2
Thanks
Thanks
How much volume are you looking to push out with this addition to your arsenal? That might be a deciding factor. How much oomph do you like in the low end? Tight and focused, big and pillowy, somewhere in the middle? Do you run the Deep on the Subway? I'd say the Streamliner low end is pretty big. The natural roll off on the SC could help keep things from going boomy. I will say the Mesa Buster cranking the bass can get big down low and the BB2 will produce it without things getting sloppy, while the SC stays tighter and more punchy vs. the BB2 phatness. The 210 will give you the option to put the port on the side or the bottom. On the side, the lows are shockingly big (based on my 110 experience). On the bottom, things tighten up and punch harder.
map can comment on the Subway 110/210 pairing.
I have only used the Mesa a couple of times since I received it. Will start new gigs in January since our band guys are traveling this month.
I did not use the deep on the Mesa with the CN212, and I do like the pillowy sound, but somewhere in the middle is what I am after. Every cab that I have used I have rolled the horn off a bit, same on the tone with my basses, a little treble cut
I have and like the One10. I can't say if it's the driver or the box, but the One10 does not sound like a 12 to me. It does great for its size and weight, but doesn't have quite the same low end or girth that I hear from 12's (e.g., a Super Midget or a TC112).
That said, IME and to my ears, I've never found that 10's sound exactly like 12's. They tend to be punchier and more focused and tend to compare to 12's like I would compare 12's to 15's.
That said, IME and to my ears, I've never found that 10's sound exactly like 12's. They tend to be punchier and more focused and tend to compare to 12's like I would compare 12's to 15's.
I could never really get the tone or volume I wanted out of my Retro 210. It's a lovely cab but I felt the low end was huge and the rest got obscured by it sometimes. It just wasn't the punchy tone I was looking for although I can see how it suits others.
I never gigged it but did 4 loud rehearsals with it in the same two rooms as i have with my BB2. When it came out it was sold as a vintage sounding cab, and to my ears that's spot on. It didn't seem to have the punch or articulation the BB2 has. It also lacked the clarity I needed.
Although i had a 4ohms version I had to have the master up a lot higher than I do with the 8ohms BB2 to get the level I need to sit in the mix. This is probably down to the EQ curve I expect.
On its own without the band it was great, but something got lost when the band started up.
No such issues with the BB2, in the same two rooms and with the same gear. I can get a nice vintage tone with the BB2 without any issues, and still have that punch if needed.
Could be just my ears but thought I'd add to the current conversation.
I never gigged it but did 4 loud rehearsals with it in the same two rooms as i have with my BB2. When it came out it was sold as a vintage sounding cab, and to my ears that's spot on. It didn't seem to have the punch or articulation the BB2 has. It also lacked the clarity I needed.
Although i had a 4ohms version I had to have the master up a lot higher than I do with the 8ohms BB2 to get the level I need to sit in the mix. This is probably down to the EQ curve I expect.
On its own without the band it was great, but something got lost when the band started up.
No such issues with the BB2, in the same two rooms and with the same gear. I can get a nice vintage tone with the BB2 without any issues, and still have that punch if needed.
Could be just my ears but thought I'd add to the current conversation.
On paper, the SC seems like it would work for me, but the thought of having a single cab solution for most gigs with the BB2 would be the ultimate.
The SC is a single cab solution for many. It could work for me as one. However, I love everything BF, so I wanted more
Obviously your needs aren't mine. When in doubt, more is always more
Interesting statements. I've had a few of those concerns about the 210. What band setting and rehearsal space were you in where you found it lacking? How loud? Guitar drum bass vox keys? Loud rock?
Just drums, vocals, guitar and me (Markbass F1, VTBass, P or Jazz bass). Large room, mostly wooden stage in one, on the floor in the other.
Playing general wedding covers, nothing heavy.
It wasn't the cab wasn't loud enough, it was more than loud enough, but for me the wrong freqs were prominent. For the older Motown stuff it was spot on, but for more modern songs it just didn't sound articulated and clear enough.
We always use the same studios so I pretty much know what can be achieved with my rig. We also record all the sessions with a digital recorder set up at the other end of the room. With the RT10 the bass come and goes, low end is good, mids are there most of the time, but the tone seems very generic. switching between the 3 presets I have on my VTBass deluxe is pretty much pointless.
Not so with the BB2. Each note has authority and clarity if I want it, and the overal tone in the mix sounds more how I hear it at home with headphones on. Even with the tone down on my P bass the clarity is still there, the tone controls work very well with this cab. Even the low B on my Sire V7 has growl. With the RT10 it sounded quite muddy (still better than the 1212L though).
As I said I never got to gig the RT10 so maybe things would have been different, but the few gigs I have done with my BB2 have been very satisfactory, and these are gigs I've done many times with my old 1212L cab and struggled.
Playing general wedding covers, nothing heavy.
It wasn't the cab wasn't loud enough, it was more than loud enough, but for me the wrong freqs were prominent. For the older Motown stuff it was spot on, but for more modern songs it just didn't sound articulated and clear enough.
We always use the same studios so I pretty much know what can be achieved with my rig. We also record all the sessions with a digital recorder set up at the other end of the room. With the RT10 the bass come and goes, low end is good, mids are there most of the time, but the tone seems very generic. switching between the 3 presets I have on my VTBass deluxe is pretty much pointless.
Not so with the BB2. Each note has authority and clarity if I want it, and the overal tone in the mix sounds more how I hear it at home with headphones on. Even with the tone down on my P bass the clarity is still there, the tone controls work very well with this cab. Even the low B on my Sire V7 has growl. With the RT10 it sounded quite muddy (still better than the 1212L though).
As I said I never got to gig the RT10 so maybe things would have been different, but the few gigs I have done with my BB2 have been very satisfactory, and these are gigs I've done many times with my old 1212L cab and struggled.
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alexclaber
Commercial User
If I had to describe how our speakers sound in terms of what 'size' they sound like, I'd say the 10CR driver sounds like a 10" guitar driver mixed with an old school bass guitar 15" whilst the 12XN sounds like 1x8" and 1x18" sealed PA cabs in unison. The 10CR definitely sounds warmer and fatter than the 12XN, whilst the 12XN sounds cleaner and punchier - the opposite of how everyone says tens sound vs twelves! Back to festive flatpack assembly now...
