Schroeder ...

[Count Bassie]

120 Hz... wow. I'm told here that the 1212r probably has somewhat better low end.
Maybe run in tandem with a cab that gets more lows, wouldn't even have to be as loud, could work? I've got a pretty voluminous old Crate 115, needs a driver...

 

[lomo]

Devoid of content below 100 Hz? How could that be with a bass cab?

It was all mids. I am not embellishing. That's how the power ratings were so otherwordly high for such small cabs.

 

[ToneMonkey]

I personally had a very bad experience and won't use his products. It involved his son selling B-stock on eBay. Jorge's designs are very susceptible to shipping damage if not overpacked. I was also briefly west coast rep for a boutique amp. Jorge was kind of a dick to deal with, and I was loaning him a head to evaluate with his cabs. There's too many other really good options. Strictly my .02.

 

[Count Bassie]

I personally had a very bad experience and won't use his products. It involved his son selling B-stock on eBay. Jorge's designs are very susceptible to shipping damage if not overpacked. I was also briefly west coast rep for a boutique amp. Jorge was kind of a dick to deal with, and I was loaning him a head to evaluate with his cabs. There's too many other really good options. Strictly my .02.

That doesn't really speak about the product, though I appreciate your experience.

 

[Count Bassie]

It was all mids. I am not embellishing. That's how the power ratings were so otherwordly high for such small cabs.

I don't really expect lots of deep bass from a small cab, I just don't think it's physically viable. Also for monitoring generally, with FOH, it's pretty much a non-issue. But id I'm not in the pa at a small club gig that may be an issue, depending on the genre. For reggae I guess I'd bring another cab...

 

[lomo]

I don't really expect lots of deep bass from a small cab, I just don't think it's physically viable. Also for monitoring generally, with FOH, it's pretty much a non-issue. But id I'm not in the pa at a small club gig that may be an issue, depending on the genre. For reggae I guess I'd bring another cab...

The last Schro cab I owned/tried was 215 BMF. It was not a small cab....but produced no real lows to speak of. Most 112 cabs I have played (and I have played a lot of those) have far more content below 150 Hz than any of the multiple (older) Schro cabs I owned. That's my experience. As a personal monitor in an "all I need is to hear myself" context, they would have all been fine. To fill a small bar (without bass in the PA) with "normal" bass frequencies (which was my actual context), they were all abject failures. YMMV.

 

[klyph]

I gig with a 215 BMF (hell, maybe the exact same one!)... my mileage definitely varied. I get plenty of low end. I think the difference is expectations in terms of volume. I fill small bars with low “D” all the time with that cab! But I am not playing with heavy hitting drummers or deaf guitarists. The TBer I bought it from (davidjbass), said it wasn’t loud enough for him, but didn’t complain about tone. Of course, he was playing a Stingray through it, and at the time I was gigging with an L1505 so... that is also a consideration. I also own a 1210r that I picked up cheap, which has more of the classic Schroeder characteristics.
I guess I think the criticism of these cabs is a little overblown. That said, you could probably do better for reggae. The best cabs I played through for dub were the 90’s Carvin Cabs with the rat fur and the shelf port. I had an 18” that ruled. Light, but big footprint and still somewhat awkward to handle. The 15” I gigged for a long time was pretty righteous,too. Just too big.
Getting a nice driver for your Crate might actually be your best bet. I actually have a couple that I am not using, if you wanted to get together again and check them out. I had fun last time we hung in the bassiement.

 

[klyph]

I can also bring along my Maxxon Envelope filter. The ultimate “secret weapon “ for reggae!

 

[Count Bassie]

I gig with a 215 BMF (hell, maybe the exact same one!)... my mileage definitely varied. I get plenty of low end. I think the difference is expectations in terms of volume. I fill small bars with low “D” all the time with that cab! But I am not playing with heavy hitting drummers or deaf guitarists. The TBer I bought it from (davidjbass), said it wasn’t loud enough for him, but didn’t complain about tone. Of course, he was playing a Stingray through it, and at the time I was gigging with an L1505 so... that is also a consideration. I also own a 1210r that I picked up cheap, which has more of the classic Schroeder characteristics.
I guess I think the criticism of these cabs is a little overblown. That said, you could probably do better for reggae. The best cabs I played through for dub were the 90’s Carvin Cabs with the rat fur and the shelf port. I had an 18” that ruled. Light, but big footprint and still somewhat awkward to handle. The 15” I gigged for a long time was pretty righteous,too. Just too big.
Getting a nice driver for your Crate might actually be your best bet. I actually have a couple that I am not using, if you wanted to get together again and check them out. I had fun last time we hung in the bassiement.

Hey man, that might be a fine idea! I'll pm you.
I don't need all dub, all the time, but when I do, I do... I'm trying to be of the 'Less is More" school, which is only so realistic... anyway I'll pm you. Thanks mang!

(And yeah bring the filter!)

 

[jnewmark]

I had the 1212r for awhile and like others have said, a mid range bazooka. I kind of liked it for awhile as I had no trouble cutting through a busy mix, and it was definitely a schleppable cab. But, it was also a one trick pony, and I got tired of it soon enough. After trying other bass cabs, I went back to Schroeder 15PL cabs, which are more traditionally voiced, ( bass reflex ), and more EQ friendly. Light, and on the small side compared to other 15's. I typically only need one for most of my gigs these days, but I add another on outdoor shows or big rooms when I don't have PA support. But, with all this bass gear stuff, its pretty subjective; we're all searching for the sound in our heads and Schroeder does it for me but may not be everyone's cup of tea. +1 on Jorg being a nice guy to deal with; he's a bass player and loves talking about playing and gear.

 

[Teck_Instructor]

I would say there are 3 generations of Schroeder cabs. First generation, mid-range bazooka (many are with angled baffle). 2nd is tuned lower, with smaller low-mid shelf around 80 Hz (triangular port). 3rd (and newest) is tuned lower still to allow them to handle more power across all notes (larger rectangular port).

I have a 2nd gen 212PL cab that was tuned around 56 Hz. I dropped the port tuning to 36 Hz. That took out the mid-hump (-3.5 db at 70 Hz) AND gives a much louder and tighter fundamental: low B (+9 db at 31 Hz). Power handling on a low B went from about 150 watts to about 700 real watts!! I own a 550 watt amp and was able to bury the volume knob. It was ear splitting without sounding floppy. Much more of a transparent sound, and power handling room to EQ in a mid-hump or low end thump, whatever you prefer. From what I have heard of sound samples (never heard live), the latest models sound more like this redesign.

If I had the money, I would have bought from Jorg directly. He helped me out, even though I told him I was buying a used one from someone else. He also said the newest models with the rectangular ports are tuned lower for power handling. Of course different models within each generation have different voicings, but that is how I see the general progression of Schroeder cabs to use as a rule of thumb. If you go to the Schroeder site, most of the cabinet pictures are old and still have the triangular ports, but in actuality are now built with the rectangular ports.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

I’ve never played through a Schroeder cabinet. I talked with Jorg a few times, and he was always ultra cool. He’s also a fellow Jack Bruce fanatic.

I was just about to buy a Schroeder cabinet and my Retailer talked me out of it and into my Bergantino HT210/HT115 setup. I struggled mightily with those cabinets when I first bought them. I updated my preamp and my power amp at Jim Bergantino’s recommendation, which definitely helped, for a while.


And then I got into a Rock trio. Super loud guitarist and a a hard hitting drummer. And I started struggling with being able to hear myself with my HT210/HT115 setup all over again.

I said screw this and bought a pair of Mesa PH212s. Problem solved. I’m not trying to slight my Bergantinos. I just don’t think my particular cabinets were voiced for heavier styles of music. They’re more like a “Studio Monitor”, I guess.

And all that time I was not being able to hear myself with those Bergs, I kept thinking about calling that Retailer and letting him have it for talking me out of buying a Schroeder. He sold both brands, it wasn’t like he was losing money either way.

As I said, I’ve talked with Jorg a few times. He’s a fellow gigging bassist. He’s experienced the frustrations of being on a small stage and not being able to hear the bass.

I completely salute him for designing cabinets with a voicing that helps the bassist to be able to hear themselves within the mix.

It’s not like I’m hurting for cabinets, but I really should call Jorg again. He’s brought out quite a few new designs since the last time we talked. I like supporting the indie builder, and I should buy one, or a pair of his cabinets.

 

[BurningSkies]

I had the 1210 and gigged it with seveal bands. The mid bump was very distracting if that wasn't the native voicing you wanted. IME no amount of EQ could "fix" it, but OTOH if it worked for you it was a pretty great solution. Jorg has plenty of new designs that are small and powerful now, I'd be looking there personally.

I'd agree with this. I still own one of the few original 1212's in a fairly rare 8ohm version...from before there were R/L versions. In a live setting and in the room it's definitely 'hearable' but never seems to fill the lows or the space effectively to support a band. I eventually teamed mine with a traditional cab to get more general depth to my tone, then moved on to another setup. I still have it because I've used it in practice rooms, etc. and we occasionally have used it for keyboards.

I'll also say that at volume it's a sledgehammer of a cab...it literally gave me headaches if I played at band levels for more than an hour or so at a time.