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Ok! Here's the problem

joel406

joel406

Inactive
Dec 27, 2013
2,772
6,734
Florida
#1
My current bass rig is literally a gift from the tone gods themselves. And currently consist of the following.

Gallien Kruger MB800 head. (Not fusion)
GK SBX410 cab with eminence B810 drivers
GK GLX 410 cab with the upgraded GK divers. Cab is now rated at 800 watts.

Whether I use just a single 410 cab or both together my tone is spot on.

The problem I have is weight. I mean damn the things are heavy. The GLX cab has casters but it must still be lifted at times. I'm guessing that cab alone weighs 80 lb or worse. The other is a tad lighter but still.

I have always used heavy cabs and I will never part with these they are just freaks of nature tone wise.

Is there any thing I could use that is notorious for having ridiculous awesome tone in say the 40lb range and just a single unit on casters at 4 ohms. I'm not married to 10" speakers twelves would be fine or a couple of light weight but powerful 15s.

All suggestions would be appreciated.
 
#4
This is going to seem crazy at first, but think about it.

You need a fridge (8-10 cab). Sure, they're heavy. But they are way easier to move around than any 4-10. Towel bar on the back and casters on the bottom. Simply lean it back and roll it. I put drag bars up the back of the ones I had. Then, if you get to stairs or loading into a truck, just lean and shove or lean and drag. In my experience, a 4-10 is a bulky and awkward shape to haul, weight notwithstanding. Another possibility is to get a good heavy duty hand truck or cart. Stack 'em and drag 'em.
 
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#6
two fingers said:
This is going to seem crazy at first, but think about it.

You need a fridge (8-10 cab). Sure, they're heavy. But they are way easier to move around than any 4-10. Towel bar on the back and casters on the bottom. Simply lean it back and roll it. I put drag bars up the back of the ones I had. Then, if you get to stairs or loading into a truck, just lean and shove or lean and drag. In my experience, a 4-10 is a bulky and awkward shape to haul, weight notwithstanding. Another possibility is to get a good heavy duty hand truck or cart. Stack 'em and drag 'em.
Click to expand...
The GLX cab is on casters however you probably already know it's not learnable. I can and do just stack them and roll them to where they go as a single unit.

And yes I am considering the Mesa line. But I would like the cabs to rate out at least 500 watts.
 
#7
Nev375 said:
Barefaced is $upposed to have $ome nice lightweight $tuff.
Click to expand...

eddie.jpeg
 
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#10
joel406 said:
Hows about a nice light 212 cab that's 4 ohms and can handle 800 watts?

Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Volume is not determined by watts alone. If you shove 1,000 watts into a 1-10 cab (even if it is rated at 1,000) it will not get stupid loud. You either need extremely well designed cabs (read $$$$$) or a lot of speaker surface area to make volume. If you go from 8 10" speakers to 2 12" speakers, you will be less than satisfied unless you get one incredible (again read $$$$%$) cab. Maybe a custom fEarlaess or fEarful design (or some other really high-end cab) could throw you enough volume to get it done. But, even then, I would be surprised.
 
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#11
two fingers said:
joel406 said:
Hows about a nice light 212 cab that's 4 ohms and can handle 800 watts?

Suggestions?
Click to expand...

Volume is not determined by watts alone. If you shove 1,000 watts into a 1-10 cab (even if it is rated at 1,000) it will not get stupid loud. You either need extremely well designed cabs (read $$$$$) or a lot of speaker surface area to make volume. If you go from 8 10" speakers to 2 12" speakers, you will be less than satisfied unless you get one incredible (again read $$$$%$) cab. Maybe a custom fEarlaess or fEarful design (or some other really high-end cab) could throw you enough volume to get it done. But, even then, I would be surprised.
Click to expand...
Well even used individually these 410s of mine are awesome. And I'm very happy with them. I have gigged them individually and had zero problems. Since I'm getting ready to start touring in the next 6 months I was hoping to lose some weight but I may be stuck.
 
#12
It isn't really about the input power handling. It's just moving air. Eight tens can move a lot of air. Most of the front surface of the cab or pair of 4xs is pushing air. A 212 is a good swap for a 4x10, but not an 810 without getting into $uper £abs like pointed out above.

But like I said earlier, if your 410's don't have high efficiency, a smaller cab with high efficiency may be a suitable change for you. A pair of 212 might be needed for some situations you currently need both of your 410's.
 
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#13
two fingers said:
This is going to seem crazy at first, but think about it.

You need a fridge (8-10 cab). Sure, they're heavy. But they are way easier to move around than any 4-10. Towel bar on the back and casters on the bottom. Simply lean it back and roll it. I put drag bars up the back of the ones I had. Then, if you get to stairs or loading into a truck, just lean and shove or lean and drag. In my experience, a 4-10 is a bulky and awkward shape to haul, weight notwithstanding. Another possibility is to get a good heavy duty hand truck or cart. Stack 'em and drag 'em.
Click to expand...

Plus you can pop an 8x10 or 6x10 into a road case and roll it anywhere you want with minimal effort
 
#15
Just get an F212 and ditch the other cabs all together. Your GK will be fine and you'll crap in your pants at how much lighter, louder and better your tone will sound. It will slay both of your 410's together.

This I know.
 
#16
two fingers said:
This is going to seem crazy at first, but think about it.

You need a fridge (8-10 cab). Sure, they're heavy. But they are way easier to move around than any 4-10. Towel bar on the back and casters on the bottom. Simply lean it back and roll it. I put drag bars up the back of the ones I had. Then, if you get to stairs or loading into a truck, just lean and shove or lean and drag. In my experience, a 4-10 is a bulky and awkward shape to haul, weight notwithstanding. Another possibility is to get a good heavy duty hand truck or cart. Stack 'em and drag 'em.
Click to expand...
That's my take on the fridge also. Getting it into the back of the Jeep Commander is just a tip and lean. Lean it midpoint against the bumper, tip the rest of the way and slide it in. Removal is even easier. Less work than my PF115HE or LF as they have to be lifted into the vehicle.
 
#18
I have a couple of Hartke Hydrive 112s. Each is a simple one-hand carry. Bass and cab in one trip, Head and cab in 2nd trip. Or you could have a buddy help you pack it in and do it in one trip. No one complains about the weight. If they say anything it's usually "These are lighter than they look" Or there's also the 'ol trusty dolly method if you absolutely HAVE to pack it in in one go by yourself.

They are also switchable between 4 to 8 ohms, so if your amp is 2 ohm stable you could drive 4 of em in parallel easy or you could make a special series-parallel cable and set em up to any ohmage you need. Bring as many cabs as you need, but 2 is more than enough for me.

2 smaller cabs beat a heavy 410 any day of the week IMO.
 
Last edited:
#19
joel406 said:
And yes I am considering the Mesa line. But I would like the cabs to rate out at least 500 watts.
Click to expand...
The 210 certainly fits your "criteria" but your criteria might be unnecessary restricting as some manufacturers rate their cabinets more conservatively than others.

Using just thermal or marketing based power ratings do not consider the more limiting mechanical challenges most bass speakers face in the real world. Often mechanical limitations are around 1/2 the thermal limitations. We provide detailed mechanical power ratings (based on RMS units) for this reason, rather than fall into the thermal or marketing numbers only. These tend to be quite a bit more conservative, leading to lower numerical values much to the frustration of the marketing folks.

I would suggest asking the manufacturers of prospective cabinets for mechanical power ratings so that you can effectively compare using like performance metrics.
 
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