Back of the neck has already been turned from a satin finish to a gloss...playing the snot out of this bass....it's a true work of art. My dream bass.
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Show us your Martin Keith Basses
- Thread starter 77stingray
- Start date
What do you all like for cabs? Best I've ever played was an Audiokinesis. Would love to find another one day. Thinking about going all Aguilar. The 12's are rated a bit low in wattage, but I don't play loudly.
When the time comes I may have to just give him a call, tell him what I like, and see what he suggests.
I have a mix of cabs for any kind of gig, and I haven't gigged two out of the three because I did a gear change up in early 2020. I'm pretty darn happy with these options, though.
MAS 18
Audiokinesis Thunderchild 115 AF
Epifani UL410 version 1.
My amps are a Demeter HBP-1 800D and a Broughton Messenger into a Baby Sumo.
I have very little experience with Aguilar cabs, so can't comment there. My last one was the S410.
MAS 18
Audiokinesis Thunderchild 115 AF
Epifani UL410 version 1.
My amps are a Demeter HBP-1 800D and a Broughton Messenger into a Baby Sumo.
I have very little experience with Aguilar cabs, so can't comment there. My last one was the S410.
Don really knows his stuff. He will let you know if some idea you have may not be the best and can help you find what should work best for you. Don's a great guy to talk with. I've had him build me four cabinets over the years, these two, plus a killer 2x8 with 6 1/2" mid high driver that another TB has now, and a tall 2x12 with a 6 1/2" mid high driver. These were all his designs, no fearful/fearless knockoffs, here.
Give Don a call and just get to know him and see what he can do for you.
I love my Schroeder 112’s. They are very light and they sound great! I also just got a Bergantino Forte HP which is the best sounding amp I’ve ever had. Too bad I haven’t been able to hear it with my band yet. Sick of
this Pandemic! I also have a Fearless F112 that sounds great.
I think when I have some money, if I can find an Audiokinesis Hathor or Changeling I'll go that route. Otherwise I'll talk to Don. I don't like tweeters or horns. I can live with single 12's with just the speaker for sure. I also don't like these modern cabs that try to get the cleanest, biggest sound imaginable. I actually have had the best luck with Aguilar and Ampeg. They have some color and character. Very happy with my Aguilar amp. Best setup I've ever played through was a DB751 into an Ampeg 810...and I normally don't like 10's...but that cab just works. More than I need for my normal small gigs though.
Same here. The mid drivers in my cabs give me all the high end I need.
I turned off or way down the tweeter on my Epifani, but the other two cabinets' tweeters are so smooth, I don't mind them at all. It adds nice air for upright sounds, and doesn't have to add fret noise IME.
The Hathor I owned for a few years definitely had more content in the upper midrange for "punch", but I find that I don't need that for what I'm often doing, and if I do want that, the big Epi has that in abundance with more lows. That, and the same size of the TC are the only reason I sold the Hathor, but it's a great option.
The Hathor I owned for a few years definitely had more content in the upper midrange for "punch", but I find that I don't need that for what I'm often doing, and if I do want that, the big Epi has that in abundance with more lows. That, and the same size of the TC are the only reason I sold the Hathor, but it's a great option.
Bergantino and Reiner Amplification for me. The sealed Berg NV610 (discontinued) is my favorite because of the SVT vibe, but it's way too much cab for 99% of my gigs since my hard rock band broke up. I also own a pair of HG310 cabs - neo speakers, but even so they sound really good, and the tweeter is the nicest I've heard in a bass cab.
Reiner Amplification mainly does amps (I own two). He's also designed speakers, and I pestered him until he built me some, and I absolutely love them... but he's not set up for cab production (and I'm not sure he ever will be) so no point in discussing further. Plenty of other boutique options, some already mentioned.
As for Aguilar: I played thru a friend's rig that featured an Aguilar 1x12. Had really deep bottom, which was also true for an Aguilar 4x10 I auditioned at a music store years ago. Not saying it's true for all Aggie cabs... but it's not what I personally look for in a bass cab. My favorite cabs are sealed: they have enough lows to handle 5-string, but in a more controlled way than ported cabs, generally speaking.
This was my first gig using this setup, and unfortunately the only one this summer
Keith bass, Bergantino B|Amp and cabs (HDN210 & HD112 for the "322" set up). I'd been using the HDN210 for a while with heads from Genz and Markbass live and was generally happy. I've also still got a few cabs from Markbass, Genz, and Schroeder, though I think I may start offloading stuff now that I've gotten more familiar with the Berg gear, and I know that I've got volume headroom for days outdoors. I finally achieved a non-metal live slap sound that I love with this setup. Still need to further dial in my standard fingerstyle tone for this particular band though. It's good but not great yet. I'm amazed that I nailed the slap tone in one gig given that it's been something I've been chasing for a while now. Still not sure if it's the mostly the Berg stuff or the combo of everything, since this was on the first and only shot with this setup.Back to the question posed by @emjazz , I think it comes down to if you want something that adds color or not. I've always loved the Genz stuff because it could be transparent or colored. I've found Markbass and Aguilar stuff to be colored, which is cool if that's what you want (and I have in certain cases). I love my Schroeder 212's because of how light and loud they are, but they are definitely colored and/or attenuated on the low end (I'd say below drop D). The Berg stuff is so transparent that it actually made me not like the natural sound of some of my basses! That said the B|Amp can add color if you need it to, which I've played around with, but so far I'm still mostly relying on pedals for some of it. I'm getting close to an Aguilar DB/AG tone using the B|Amp overdrive and tone controls, just need more testing time.
I love the Ampeg and Aguilar sound. Ampeg doesn't make lightweight anything. Not ideal for gigging for the music that I play. I love my Aguilar amp, and any amp that they make. The cabs sound great, but for a one cab solution (which is all I need in most cases) the SL112 (LOVE the sound) gives up too soon. It's only 250 watts. Two are really special, but I will need two cabs for so few gigs. Have thought about a Bag End 115 without the tweeter, but pretty heavy by today's standards. Am talking with my friend Javier at Sinobas. He was asking me some questions last night. He's going to look into some possible speaker choices for a 112. No money at the moment, but when I do I would love to support such a wonderful human being.View attachment 3983154
This was my first gig using this setup, and unfortunately the only one this summer
Back to the question posed by @emjazz , I think it comes down to if you want something that adds color or not. I've always loved the Genz stuff because it could be transparent or colored. I've found Markbass and Aguilar stuff to be colored, which is cool if that's what you want (and I have in certain cases). I love my Schroeder 212's because of how light and loud they are, but they are definitely colored and/or attenuated on the low end (I'd say below drop D). The Berg stuff is so transparent that it actually made me not like the natural sound of some of my basses! That said the B|Amp can add color if you need it to, which I've played around with, but so far I'm still mostly relying on pedals for some of it. I'm getting close to an Aguilar DB/AG tone using the B|Amp overdrive and tone controls, just need more testing time.
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Also, I had played the original Berg 112's for many years. They were a little boxy sounding, but they worked beautifully for everything. I was on tour last year and the backline on a gig was the BAmp and an AE410. I can't really say anything positive about that experience. That is not the amp for me. Too clean. I even dug into it to "add warmth", but it still didn't work, and I don't want to program something to add character and warmth. For what I love, Jim's peak were the IP powered cabs. I'm not into the new amp at all. Jim's the man though. Really glad to see people are into it and supporting him.
Yeah based on that I'd say the new Forte is probably more your speed, with all the dials and drive options right on the front panel. Nothing else sounds exactly like Aguilar IME, so if that's your thing then there's no where else to look!
I hear you on the 112s sounding great but not having enough volume. I had a DB 112 NT that I loved the sound of. Thick, funky, and deep, but unfortunately it was awkward to carry, heavy, and couldn't reach the right volume for half my gigs at the time, no matter what amp I paired it with. To be fair I rarely have PA support. Super tasty sound though.
Yup, if I could get the Aguilar sound with more efficient cabinets I'd be VERY happy.Yeah based on that I'd say the new Forte is probably more your speed, with all the dials and drive options right on the front panel. Nothing else sounds exactly like Aguilar IME, so if that's your thing then there's no where else to look!
The Schroeder 12L and 15L come in 8 ohms or 4 ohms 12L = 20 lbs, 15L = 35lbs. He makes them to order, so if you don't want a horn/tweeter you can specify that. Jorg is a good guy and good communicator. I went with 8 ohms so that I could stack 2, but one at 4 ohms would be super cool as an option.
