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Pondering Accugroove

secretdonkey

secretdonkey

Oct 9, 2002
2,534
56
Austin, TX
#1
Okay, I've never even *heard* an Accugroove cab, but I'm liking what I'm reading here at TB. I'm thinking that after the first of the year I might take the plunge and assemble a mighty rig of doom...

I'd be interested in what people have to say, in a "compare and contrast" sorta way, about the following cab combos:

1. Two Whappo Jr. cabs.

2. A Whappo and a Whappo Jr.

3. The Bill Dickens combo.

And just for hypothetical grins lets say I would be using a Crest CA-9 for power... would one side of it be enough to really work the Bill Dickens sub cab, etc., etc.?
 
#4
You don't actually have to have giant cabs to get a big sound especially if you normally have PA support which many of us do these days. I would think the CA9 would be enough power to push any bass cab on the market today and even two of them. I would hate to be out-gunned in head room but I think you're covered. May I also suggest Bergantino 210 and 115 cabs for a big sound and portable. The Schroeders have an enormus sound too with usually one cab. I've only played one Accugroove and it was a Bill Dickens and in fact there were two of them stacked. Unfortunately I didn't get to try them with my rig and it was in a busy music shop. Sounded good though. Make sure you shop around a definetly try it live if can swing it. Good Luck and have a great time finding it.
 
#5
What do you play and how do you tune?

There are decided advantages to each. I have been blessed with using 2 of the 3 you call out and with 900 watts of power I'm not so certain you want to drive more than any one of the cabs you list. In addition to clean the Accu's are powerfully loud, and the BD 212 alone would need more juice than you've got from the sound of it.
 
#6
Well, I'm convinced that I need two cabs. :D

I find myself in constantly changing situations. One night, I've got a monitor in my ear blasting (and I DO mean blasting) what the singer/guitarist wants in his monitor (and I either don't have a monitor or have to share the mix). The next night I'm playing with a small PA that is doing all it can to carry the kick drum, leaving me to fill the room with my amp.

I played an opener for a touring Nashville act last night and brought a single 4x10. I couldn't hear myself adequately because the monitors were ridiculously loud (thanks to singer/guitarists) and my 4x10 was aiming at my knees.

I don't mind hauling the gear and I don't mind paying for two cabs. I want to hear myself - sure I play a lot of gigs where I feel like I'm "flying by instruments" like last night - I know I've got plenty of volume out front through the PA but it's just not as much fun playing when you can't hear yourself well. In fact, I find it particularly frightening when I realize just how loud I am out front and how little I can actually hear of it!

Anyway, enough referendum on whether I need two cabs... how 'bout them Accugroove combos? :D

Knuckle - I'm playing a BEADG fiver and doing a wide variety of stuff - from country to modern rock to pop/dance. Also I don't plan to use my current 900w amp in my next rig... :)
 
#7
I hear you about liking to use two cabs. For whatever reason, it just feels "right" to me to use two (or more!) cabs. For smaller shows, two small cabs. For medium shows, two medium sized cabs, for larger shows, as many cabs as I can fit on the stage! :bassist:

But, more on point, I picked up a Whappo, Jr., and let me tell you it is a phenomenal cab. Very thick, fat, yet clear and articulate. Not as cuttingly clear as, say, EA cabs, but much more full sounding. One Whappo, Jr. really can do the job for the great majority of the gigs I play, but given my predisposition for bringing too many cabs, I couldn't resist the urge to throw a Tri 210L on top of it. :D I heartily recommend this option. The Tri 210L is a wonder in and of itself, and it brings a bit more upper midrange presence to the Jr. These two cabs together get absolutely stupid loud with my PLX 3002, or even with my iAMP 800 (putting 500w into each, at 4 ohm per cab). I recently picked up a CA9, so I should be able to take these for a test drive with the Crest fairly soon. Here's a shot of my Accugroove stack:
 
#9
Secret Donkey,

I have a few accugroove cabs and have played through them all quite a bit. Right now I have an El Whappo, a 110, and a 112. I was using a gordo sub, but returned it to Mark before moving from the the bay area.

Depending on what you like, I can reccomend some cab configurations for you.

The whappo: the grand daddy IMHO. Super loud, very wide freq. response, basically does it all with style. It doesn't get much better sounding than this.

Bill's 212: Slightly less sparkly in the highs, and more power through the mids. Bills cab looks like a whappo jr, but is a completely different animal. It has killer lows and more of a mid presence than the whappo series. Definitely puts out more volume than a whappo jr. and has even more percieved volume due to the added mid presence.

Whappo jr: pretty similar to the whappo, but with the expected differences between a 12" sub instead of a 15". I like the whappo jr alot, it's smaller and lighter than the whappo, sounds killer (some folks here prefer the sound to the whappo depending on personal tastes) and if you're going to add a sub, the jr. is a great way to go.

Bills sub: pretty much the best sub you could possibly buy for bass. I can't really describe the amount of thickness that oozes out of that cab, lets just call it thoroughly ridiculous!! I like it better than the 18" gordo I had because it is a little more focused and coherent, goes lower, gets louder, is more controllable, and, you can get closer to it and still hear it very well. Kind of like a cross between a lamborghini and a hummer.

Whappo Grande: There's really nothing that sounds like it. at the NAMM show, people would come around with very perplexed looks on their faces because they were so unfamiliar with tones that low. If you play a bass with a low F# or C#, it is absolutely the best way to get the full the sound out of your bass.

When I spoke to Mark Wright about adding a cab to an el Whappo, he suggested for best results adding a second el Whappo. I believe Gregory Bruce Campbell had this rig before swapping it for 4 tri112's, you may want to ask him about his experiences with that. Being a sub loving kind of guy, I went with the gordo sub which I believe is no longer available. That was more than enough lows for me.

If you're really into the idea of having a dedicated subwoofer, as I find myself, I would reccomend a whappo jr, or Bills 212 with Bills sub. Otherwise, two El Whappos or Whappo jr's would never let you down, I promise. They can really handle anything you throw at them frequency wise. The Whappo and Whappo grande (whappo with cheese) is the insane combination. Easily the deepest sounding rig I've ever heard. Jean Baudin and Stew Mckinsey are two guys who pop into mind with regards to that rig, you can ask them what their experiences are, keep in mind they both play with low F#'s strings.

In my experience with the subs, I would make sure you have enough power to pump into them. Even though you could easily get away with less, I would reccomend 600 watts at least into Bills sub or a Whappo grande

Good luck!!!!


Jake
Link Removed
 
#10
you know, the more I think about it, and looking back on your first post, I think you'd be more than fine with either Tom's rig or a single el whappo.

I just had too much coffee this morning I think :hyper:
 
#11
Wolf,

Thanks for drinking so much coffee - that's exactly the kind of info I was looking for!

I really need to actually hear some of these cabs if I'm going to make an informed choice - kinda tough to do from my little burg, though. Being a guy who was happy with 10s until moving to a five string, I don't think I'd tend to lean towards a true sub, actually. So maybe scratch the Bill Dickens combo.

About all I'm certain of in terms of what I'm looking for is that I want a full sound with good detail, without having to live with an overly-shrill high end on slap stuff. :)
 
#12
secretdonkey said:
About all I'm certain of in terms of what I'm looking for is that I want a full sound with good detail, without having to live with an overly-shrill high end on slap stuff. :)
Click to expand...

That's what Mark's cabs are all about! While I would love to hear two El Whappo's, or a Whappo and a Whappo w/ Cheese!, the Jr. and the Tri 210L are ridiculously light and portable for the huge sound that they create.

Good luck!

Tom.
 
#13
I have the CA9 and have played a few of these cabs. First the CA9 is all the power you will need. Dont worry about it being 900 watts @ 4ohms a side compared to other amps at 1200 and up. That crest amp rocks.

Since you are used to 10s, if it were me and from your posts we have a lot in common, I would put the tri 210 on top of the bill D 212 or a whappo. Ive played the el whappo/210 combo and it was a perfect match to my ears. I didnt like the el whappo alone cos I could hear the 15" speaker. I like other AG cabs as a stand alone over the el whappo but with the 210 on top.... its the cats wiskers! Good luck with your choice, there all good.
 
#14
wolfbass1025 said:
Secret Donkey,

I have a few accugroove cabs and have played through them all quite a bit. Right now I have an El Whappo, a 110, and a 112. I was using a gordo sub, but returned it to Mark before moving from the the bay area.

Depending on what you like, I can reccomend some cab configurations for you.

The whappo: the grand daddy IMHO. Super loud, very wide freq. response, basically does it all with style. It doesn't get much better sounding than this.

Bill's 212: Slightly less sparkly in the highs, and more power through the mids. Bills cab looks like a whappo jr, but is a completely different animal. It has killer lows and more of a mid presence than the whappo series. Definitely puts out more volume than a whappo jr. and has even more percieved volume due to the added mid presence.

Whappo jr: pretty similar to the whappo, but with the expected differences between a 12" sub instead of a 15". I like the whappo jr alot, it's smaller and lighter than the whappo, sounds killer (some folks here prefer the sound to the whappo depending on personal tastes) and if you're going to add a sub, the jr. is a great way to go.

Bills sub: pretty much the best sub you could possibly buy for bass. I can't really describe the amount of thickness that oozes out of that cab, lets just call it thoroughly ridiculous!! I like it better than the 18" gordo I had because it is a little more focused and coherent, goes lower, gets louder, is more controllable, and, you can get closer to it and still hear it very well. Kind of like a cross between a lamborghini and a hummer.

Whappo Grande: There's really nothing that sounds like it. at the NAMM show, people would come around with very perplexed looks on their faces because they were so unfamiliar with tones that low. If you play a bass with a low F# or C#, it is absolutely the best way to get the full the sound out of your bass.

When I spoke to Mark Wright about adding a cab to an el Whappo, he suggested for best results adding a second el Whappo. I believe Gregory Bruce Campbell had this rig before swapping it for 4 tri112's, you may want to ask him about his experiences with that. Being a sub loving kind of guy, I went with the gordo sub which I believe is no longer available. That was more than enough lows for me.

If you're really into the idea of having a dedicated subwoofer, as I find myself, I would reccomend a whappo jr, or Bills 212 with Bills sub. Otherwise, two El Whappos or Whappo jr's would never let you down, I promise. They can really handle anything you throw at them frequency wise. The Whappo and Whappo grande (whappo with cheese) is the insane combination. Easily the deepest sounding rig I've ever heard. Jean Baudin and Stew Mckinsey are two guys who pop into mind with regards to that rig, you can ask them what their experiences are, keep in mind they both play with low F#'s strings.

In my experience with the subs, I would make sure you have enough power to pump into them. Even though you could easily get away with less, I would reccomend 600 watts at least into Bills sub or a Whappo grande

Good luck!!!!


Jake
Link Removed
Click to expand...
Nice post! :)
 
#15
if you don't think you'll need a dedicated sub, then you are best off with the combos tom and inazone mentioned. a quad series cab topped with the tri210L is great. Plenty of depth from the whappo or whappo jr, and plenty of quickness, and transience from the 210L. You could also consider a pair of tri210L's

The Tri210L is incomparable to other 210's I've heard. If you had a 2x10 cab in the past and it wasn't enough for you, don't lump the 210L in with that consensus. Somehow Mark managed to design his 210 so that it has WAY more volume, more warmth and clarity, and more depth than other 210's. Mark is just the man I guess!!!!

Jake
Link Removed
 
#18
Thanks for all of the input, everyone! I may give Mark a call once I've done a bit more homework and am closer to making a move (I'm going to wait until next year to buy for tax reasons). All of the info posted here definitely gives me a great starting point. :cool:
 
#19
If I might add (though it really doesn't seem necessary at this point) An el Whappo will carry the frequencies your 5 produces perfectly and completely - I don't know that a sub is required. If you aren't dropping below your B at all and are dead set on a pair of cabs I would suggest a pair of el Whappos. It weighs in the same as the BD 212, is only 5" taller and has a better bass curve IMO.

Nice thing about that is that if you feel like traveling light you can get away with driving just one of the two and get the same awesome sound. Light being subjective given the 98 pounds of either the Whappo or BD 212.

If weight is an issue you might consider a Tri 112L over a Whappo Grande or the BD sub.
 
#20
wolfbass1025 said:
... The Whappo and Whappo grande (whappo with cheese) is the insane combination. Easily the deepest sounding rig I've ever heard. Jean Baudin and Stew Mckinsey are two guys who pop into mind with regards to that rig, you can ask them what their experiences are, keep in mind they both play with low F#'s strings.

In my experience with the subs, I would make sure you have enough power to pump into them. Even though you could easily get away with less, I would reccomend 600 watts at least into Bills sub or a Whappo Grande...
Click to expand...
hey Jake!

good to see you posting, broother! hope the move went well and that you guys are settling in.

yeah, the El Whappo and Whappo Grande are a pretty spectacular combination! I have done a few gigs with just the Tri 112 or the Tri 112 and the Whappo Grande, but I am so spoiled! my El Whappo and Whappo Grande are pretty much impossible to beat, at least for what I'm after aesthetically. any day now I'll have a low C# and I'll let you cats know how the "Pair o' Doom" hold up!

I would have to agree with Jake's assessment about the sub and power; my rule of thumb is to have more headroom than you'll ever need. and that 21" driver drinks a lot of juice!

I don't know that this rig is for everyone (Greg's four Tri 112's leap to mind), but I am happier than I ever thought I could be with a bass system.

you can always read my testimonial at the AccuGroove site. that's from a couple of years ago, but it still holds true!

:D

from the lows,

Stew
 

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