Reggae & R&B Cab (and debate about palm muting!)

I would think something voiced deep and wide.

I had that sound with a LMII and a pair of Epifani UL112 cabs, but they just didn't put out the volume. I now have an Epifani UL410 and it's everything I could ever hope for in versatility. Roll down the highs and palm muted reggae lines sound absolutely huge.

I've read the Epifunky 410 is somewhat similar in voicing, and that might prove to be a great cost-effective alternative to the UL410.

 

I play reggae and use an SWR 4x10. It does the job for small clubs. For bigger venues, I'll add a 15" (one 15" x two 8") Black Widows to the mix. This gives me the powerful bottom-end for that roots reggae round.

 

go for the 4x10s and a 1x15 if you can...ideally if you wanted to get really low just get two 15"s, but that would be quite on the heavy side.

My suggestion is to get some avatar B212 Neos and turn off the horn. Those get pretty darn low from what I hear...I dont own them (yet) but I know my 10's are supposed to be weak compared to them and they can still thump pretty well in a full band setting.

 

Mesa boogie powerhouse 1200. That's a 15 surrounded by 4 10s and it has what you're looking for. But if you want something more portable but still with huge fat bottom then a pair of Acmes is the only way to go.

 

i only played with a reggae band for six months or so (though im subbing in for them in a couple weeks, which should be fun), but i used a schroeder 1210l, and it delivered a lot of low end for me, and for the various venue sizes. i have since also gotten a 1215l, which has even more low end, and is just as small.

i will either be using just the 1215l at the aforementioned gig, or the pair, for absolute overkill (i think its a fairly small venue). the latter would obviously just be for my own amusement.

check out schroeder: crisp high end and plenty of lows; not so much on the mids (i also have an eden 410xlt, which i almost consider the polar opposite of the schroeders).

 

A little off track, but for real, what's up with palm muting. It's not a reggae technique and I've never seen it used in any Jamaican band, except for the pick guitar.

 

I'm with BurningSkies, I play in a reggae band, I listen/seen a various amount of reggae acts, and I don't use that technique, nor have a I seen many reggae bass players use it.
Just my experience though. I do however mute the note with my fretting hand sometimes to give the note that short/stacatto sort of sound so that the note dies quick.

As for a reggae cab, I use the Ampeg SVT-410HLF, it's a deep cab, it is supposed to be used as a stand alone, and has a useable frequency down to 28Hz. Not that you will even be going that low, but it re-produces the lows with perfection. Plus, I've heard good things about matching the LMII with this particular cab. I would definately try it, it has a nice voice for Reggae music, and R&B I'd imagine as well.

 

From what I've read here (never played one), I don't think the Schroeders will give you that wooly dub reggae it sounds like you're looking for. I may be wrong, though.

The SVT-410hlf will get you that tone, but when you do want to go with biting grit for R&B or rock, it might not have the definition you want.

My humble suggestion is to look into the Low Down Sound (LDS) 15+6.5 midrange cabinets. Get two of those bad boys, and you will have a very well-rounded rig. LDS is custom, but they've been making the 15+6.5 cabinets for a little while now. There's an entire thread on them here.

 

Here's the thread:

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=556679

 

No, you're right.

That's why my 1212 was moved into the 2x10 slot with a fifteen below it.

 

You don't need any 10's for reggae. 2-15's or 1 -18. Personally, I think four tens is the worst cab for reggae. Also take any casters off and put your cab directly on the floor. If you go the 18" route you can round out your sound a bit with 2 10's, this will help with the R & B sound and also to cut a bit. But 2- 15's sound the bestfor reggae. I have SWR, one Big ben and one Goliath Jr III. Turn off the tweeter if you have one, also.

 

I don't judge any cabinet based on speaker size. Some cabs with 10's have more lows than some 15's (look at Acme, for instance). I also don't believe that there's any advantage to having an 18. Its basically old technology and you can have the same tonal output with smaller cones these days.

In fact, usually when threads like this come up, I usually tell people that its not the type of gear, the price of the gear, etc., it's what you do with it. I've seen so many different set ups used for reggae, and really think you can get your sound out of almost anything.

Most of the guys I've played with over the years and had the pleasure of either sharing the stage or sharing the bill or just standing in the crowd...could really care less what brand amp or bass you're playing and what size the speaker is. Really.

 

I often play in bands that venture into reggae from straight-ahead r&b grooves.

I've found anything larger than 12s will lack the definition for the tight, punchy r&b stuff. If I remember correctly, the OP wanted a cab that could do both.

I do agree with the popular opinion here that large speakers (e.g. 15s) will go a long way into helping get the thick, "wooly" reggae sound. In my opinion, though, there's more than one way to achieve that sound--hence the palm and/or fret-hand muting/damping mentioned above.

My #1 is a modern-sounding, Bart-equipped bass (Roscoe LG). My rig has a wide, clean, hi-fi tone (LMII/Epifani UL410). At first, it might very well sound like the complete antithesis to a reggae rig, but with some EQ from the bass and little technique adjustment (e.g. pluck over the fingerboard), I can coax a massive bottom end thump that's as faithful as anything I've ever heard live, both here and in Jamaica.

I would emphasize, though, that it's important to consider a 410 that has a deep enough bottom end like the Epifani. To my ear, this thing seems as deep as some 410/115 stacks!

 

I play reggae w. a Peavey 410tx cab (the one w. the port in the back) and it produces massive lows. Are you playing a freakin warehouse or something?