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Show your Bill Fitzmaurice cab
- Thread starter Dragonlord
- Start date
I suggest you get a hatchback.
Barring that the Omni 10 is your best bet. Subs are out of the question, and even a DR250 won't fit through a car passenger door.
Yeah I agree, but I like not having car payments. I have a minivan too, but I like to reserve that for the wife/kids
Ok, how are the lows on the O10? How does it work out in small venues when standing close to the amp (not much space on most of the stages).
Lows are ok, not as much as i would like, but its a great sounding cab. With the 300w, i can hold my own in a 3 piece band no problem. Ive only played 2 outdoor gigs with the cab so i couldnt tell ya.
Yea, there are very few actual photos for a ~22 page thread titled "Show your Bill Fitzmaurice cab".
I'm really intrigued by the Omni 10.5. I'm thinking one of those with one of the Eden or Markbass micro heads might be the ultimate "micro rig of doom".
Quadzilla
Supporting Member
hey nice quad!!
Is it ok to use it in that orientation with the tweeters on top? What I'm saying is... Does it change mid/high freq dispersion?
Is it ok to use it in that orientation with the tweeters on top? What I'm saying is... Does it change mid/high freq dispersion?
Here's my collection... I have three BFM Cabs, A DR250, an Omni-10--both can be used either stand alone or as tops for a sub. I also have a Titan 39 sub.
DR250 with Titan 39 sub, here's a back view:
I am guessing this is one of the loudest and best sounding 2x10 systems that you can find. I probably should have made the Titan a couple of inches wider to fit better under the DR...
Here's a front view of the same Titan 39 with my Omni 10 on top. The Omni was the first cab I built. It fits over the Titan a little better since both are the same width.
DR250 with Titan 39 sub, here's a back view:
I am guessing this is one of the loudest and best sounding 2x10 systems that you can find. I probably should have made the Titan a couple of inches wider to fit better under the DR...
Here's a front view of the same Titan 39 with my Omni 10 on top. The Omni was the first cab I built. It fits over the Titan a little better since both are the same width.
I have a Mazda Protege sedan that is one of the most bass-cab unfriendly vehicles on the road ;-)
My DR 250 will fit in the front passenger seat of the Protege. the cab's a trapezoid, but you can think of it as a 22" cube. That makes it difficult to get in the trunk of most small cars, but I suspect it will go in most back seats...or in the front as in my case.
If you've been lugging around a 4x10 what you will really like is the weight. I did nothing special to keep the weight down in mine, and it came out to be 44lbs.
O10s are good too, but not as loud. My O10 is an easier fit into the back seat, but won't fit the trunk either. In fairness, though, it's clear that the Mazda engineer who designed the trunk of my little econobox was not a bass player. I doubt if any 1x15 or 4x10 ever made will fit in there. ;-)
I'm thinking about bulding a couple Omni 15s and (if they are as kickass as they are supposed to be) getting rid of my other PA gear.
That way I get to try a bass out of one as well - but unfortunately I like to mic my bass so I can't see gigging with one any time soon.
That way I get to try a bass out of one as well - but unfortunately I like to mic my bass so I can't see gigging with one any time soon.
I am sure BFM will be thrilled to see the omni 10.5 on edge with the tweeters horizontally arrayed. (I didnt see a kill switch for to disconnect the tweeters)
My just arrived Omni 10.5 from New Zealand.
Thank you Maurice Carr!!
I already have Omni 12 built by Maurice Carr, but I wanted more BFM cabs.
So I've ordered a Omni 10.5 and now the proud owner of 2 Omni cabs.
Mid of Omni 10.5 is just brilliant & frank, but somewhat shy low when compared to Omni 12.
Anyway, fantastic cab.
Green, did you ever get an O15TB?
I thought about the O15TB also, but ultimately went for the Carvin LS3015 cab, as you did. Still thinking about the O15TB.
***I posted this review on a UK froum called Finnbass and Bill has suggested I post it here as well. The cabs were built for me by a chap called Steve ('Thumper' on Finnbass) who is the only authourized BFM builder in the UK.***
Hi Everyone.
A couple of months ago I collected a pair of BFM Omni 10.5s from Thumper and now that I've had some time to play about with them and give them a bit of a thrashing gig wise, I thought I'd post a wee review.
Background:
Having moved from playing in a rock band to more acousticy and slightly jazzy pastures and also to a top floor flat, I had been looking for a more suitable rig than my Hartke 210 & 115 setup. The buzz surrounding the Bill Fitzmaurice designs made them an obvious contender and after a bit of a discussion with Mr Thumper via email, I settled on a pair of Omni 10.5 cabs with Beta 10s and switchable tweeters. This set up would give me what I needed in terms of greater portability and application; I would be using both cabs with tweeters on for my electric bass gigs and a single cab with the tweeters switched off for use with my Aria EUB.
Is it like, cobbled together?
For what is essentially a 'home built' cab the build quality is nothing short of outstanding. I've been banging on about these cabs to anyone who'll listen from the day I ordered them and everyone who's seen them has been very impressed by the build quality and attention to detail.
The carpeting job is very nice indeed and the cabs stack neatly, nothing rattles or hisses and the switches for the tweeters are reassuringly chunky.
Can you carry the bugger?
This is a big issue for me - I have to lug these up four flights of stairs so they needed to be light and manouverable.
The first thing that sruck me was that the cabs are bigger than I thought they'd be - stacked up they're not that much smaller than my old rig.
As I'm using one Omni 10.5 for EUB gigs (compared with the Hartke 210) and two for electric (compared to the the 210 and the 115) carrying the BFM rig is a lot easier. Kind of in the way that it's a lot easier to not have a hernia. Each cab weighs about 28lb (the Hartke 210 is 38lb, I think) and is an easy one hand lift. I wouldn't want to have to carry both cabs together for more than a short distance but loading the car in one trip is a distant, fond memory so it's really not a problem.
The weight could be reduced further by using a thinner ply (mine are 3/4" spruce) and Neo drivers but Thumper didn't like the idea of using 1/2" ply and neo drivers are apparently a bit thin on the ground at the moment. Even so, the cabs are still easy to lift and small enough to go through doorways, for which my knuckles are eternally grateful.
Yeah, whatever. What does it actually sound like?
First off, I need to state that I've not had much experience with high end boutique cabs, so I can't add to the Epifani related epiphanies that others have had (see what I did there?). I can only tell you how it sounds to me.
With my Sterling, using both cabs with the tweeters switched on, the sound is beautifully clear and defined. The tweeters add a touch of high end sparkle that really suits the Sterling and which I've never heard from my Hartke cabs. Compared to the Hartke 210, the pair of Omni 10.5s have a vastly better bass response and much sweeter top but what is immediatley apparent is the spread of the sound. I spent about half an hour walking back and forwards in front of the cabs (about 6 feet in front of the cabs and about 10 feet either side - as much as my living room would allow) and there was no perceptable change in tone or volume. You wouldn't get that with my 210. Very impressive.
For a bit of a laugh I did an A/B test against my full Hartke rig and the little Omnis did very well indeed. They're noticably louder than the Hartkes and while they can't match the bass response of the 115 (and you wouldn't expect them to), they had none of the boom that tends to muddy the sound making the bass end sound rounder and more defined.
For an even bigger laugh, I then put my bass through an Aphex Bass Exciter and compared the two rigs again. The Omni/Aphex combo had enough low end to make female elephants on the Serengeti moist and still without the boom. I'd have fiddled with this set up a bit more but I was beginning to gibber like an idiot and the neighbours were gathering outside the door with flaming torches and pitchforks.
Switching the tweeters off makes things a bit more old school which is fine, if that's your thing but it's not a sound that particularly compliments my Sterling. At a recent rehearsal I ran both cabs, one with the tweeters on and the other with the tweeters switched off. To my ears this was a good compromise for a more traditional tone whithout losing any of the top end. My Fender acoustic sounds good with the tweeters off though.
Most of my gigs are with the EUB these days, so I was keen to see how a single Omni 10.5 worked out compared with my Hartke 210 which struggled a bit with the amount of low end from the upright and had a nasty resonant boom every time I played a B. I'm pleased to say that I'm a very happy camper indeed.
The flat response of the cab is ideal for my cheapie Aria SWB Lite and i don't need to hold back every time I play a B! I'm glad I took the option of switchable tweeters as my EUB is a bit predisposed towads the treble end. Played alone, the tweets add a bit too much high end for my liking so I switch them off when practicing. However, in a band rehearsal, I have the tweeters on so I can cut through the mix a bit more when I go up the dusty end. Live, I've had them on or off, depending on the venue. On larger stages I generally switch the tweeters off, on little cafe-type stages I tend to switch them on. Perhaps the louder I am, the less effect the tweeters seem to have on the overall sound. Hmm. This one needs a bit more experimentation I think!
The band certainly prefer this cab to my Hartke - it takes up less room in the car, the sound is much more defined and the wide dispersal means as everyone can hear my backline, I can stay out of the monitor mix and give the vocals more room.
To finish off with, here I am, just before Christmas almost delirious with joy over my new cab. It's the little box, just to my left.
As you can probably tell, I'm very chuffed indeed with these cabs and considering that the pair cost approximately the same as my Hartke 115, I'd happily recommend them and Thumper's expertise to anyone looking for a lightweight rig.
Cheers
Dave
Hi Everyone.
A couple of months ago I collected a pair of BFM Omni 10.5s from Thumper and now that I've had some time to play about with them and give them a bit of a thrashing gig wise, I thought I'd post a wee review.
Background:
Having moved from playing in a rock band to more acousticy and slightly jazzy pastures and also to a top floor flat, I had been looking for a more suitable rig than my Hartke 210 & 115 setup. The buzz surrounding the Bill Fitzmaurice designs made them an obvious contender and after a bit of a discussion with Mr Thumper via email, I settled on a pair of Omni 10.5 cabs with Beta 10s and switchable tweeters. This set up would give me what I needed in terms of greater portability and application; I would be using both cabs with tweeters on for my electric bass gigs and a single cab with the tweeters switched off for use with my Aria EUB.
Is it like, cobbled together?
For what is essentially a 'home built' cab the build quality is nothing short of outstanding. I've been banging on about these cabs to anyone who'll listen from the day I ordered them and everyone who's seen them has been very impressed by the build quality and attention to detail.
The carpeting job is very nice indeed and the cabs stack neatly, nothing rattles or hisses and the switches for the tweeters are reassuringly chunky.
Can you carry the bugger?
This is a big issue for me - I have to lug these up four flights of stairs so they needed to be light and manouverable.
The first thing that sruck me was that the cabs are bigger than I thought they'd be - stacked up they're not that much smaller than my old rig.
As I'm using one Omni 10.5 for EUB gigs (compared with the Hartke 210) and two for electric (compared to the the 210 and the 115) carrying the BFM rig is a lot easier. Kind of in the way that it's a lot easier to not have a hernia. Each cab weighs about 28lb (the Hartke 210 is 38lb, I think) and is an easy one hand lift. I wouldn't want to have to carry both cabs together for more than a short distance but loading the car in one trip is a distant, fond memory so it's really not a problem.
The weight could be reduced further by using a thinner ply (mine are 3/4" spruce) and Neo drivers but Thumper didn't like the idea of using 1/2" ply and neo drivers are apparently a bit thin on the ground at the moment. Even so, the cabs are still easy to lift and small enough to go through doorways, for which my knuckles are eternally grateful.
Yeah, whatever. What does it actually sound like?
First off, I need to state that I've not had much experience with high end boutique cabs, so I can't add to the Epifani related epiphanies that others have had (see what I did there?). I can only tell you how it sounds to me.
With my Sterling, using both cabs with the tweeters switched on, the sound is beautifully clear and defined. The tweeters add a touch of high end sparkle that really suits the Sterling and which I've never heard from my Hartke cabs. Compared to the Hartke 210, the pair of Omni 10.5s have a vastly better bass response and much sweeter top but what is immediatley apparent is the spread of the sound. I spent about half an hour walking back and forwards in front of the cabs (about 6 feet in front of the cabs and about 10 feet either side - as much as my living room would allow) and there was no perceptable change in tone or volume. You wouldn't get that with my 210. Very impressive.
For a bit of a laugh I did an A/B test against my full Hartke rig and the little Omnis did very well indeed. They're noticably louder than the Hartkes and while they can't match the bass response of the 115 (and you wouldn't expect them to), they had none of the boom that tends to muddy the sound making the bass end sound rounder and more defined.
For an even bigger laugh, I then put my bass through an Aphex Bass Exciter and compared the two rigs again. The Omni/Aphex combo had enough low end to make female elephants on the Serengeti moist and still without the boom. I'd have fiddled with this set up a bit more but I was beginning to gibber like an idiot and the neighbours were gathering outside the door with flaming torches and pitchforks.
Switching the tweeters off makes things a bit more old school which is fine, if that's your thing but it's not a sound that particularly compliments my Sterling. At a recent rehearsal I ran both cabs, one with the tweeters on and the other with the tweeters switched off. To my ears this was a good compromise for a more traditional tone whithout losing any of the top end. My Fender acoustic sounds good with the tweeters off though.
Most of my gigs are with the EUB these days, so I was keen to see how a single Omni 10.5 worked out compared with my Hartke 210 which struggled a bit with the amount of low end from the upright and had a nasty resonant boom every time I played a B. I'm pleased to say that I'm a very happy camper indeed.
The flat response of the cab is ideal for my cheapie Aria SWB Lite and i don't need to hold back every time I play a B! I'm glad I took the option of switchable tweeters as my EUB is a bit predisposed towads the treble end. Played alone, the tweets add a bit too much high end for my liking so I switch them off when practicing. However, in a band rehearsal, I have the tweeters on so I can cut through the mix a bit more when I go up the dusty end. Live, I've had them on or off, depending on the venue. On larger stages I generally switch the tweeters off, on little cafe-type stages I tend to switch them on. Perhaps the louder I am, the less effect the tweeters seem to have on the overall sound. Hmm. This one needs a bit more experimentation I think!
The band certainly prefer this cab to my Hartke - it takes up less room in the car, the sound is much more defined and the wide dispersal means as everyone can hear my backline, I can stay out of the monitor mix and give the vocals more room.
To finish off with, here I am, just before Christmas almost delirious with joy over my new cab. It's the little box, just to my left.
As you can probably tell, I'm very chuffed indeed with these cabs and considering that the pair cost approximately the same as my Hartke 115, I'd happily recommend them and Thumper's expertise to anyone looking for a lightweight rig.
Cheers
Dave
Seeing Dave (Skribble)'s excellent review above has made me realise that I never took time to show off my own pair of Omni 10.5 Crossfires, also made by "Thumper" and delivered to me in September last year. Loaded with 8 Ohm Beta 10a drivers, I run them off a TE VA350. Here they are!
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