Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
I have a Yamaha THRC112 sealed guitar cab that happens to be one cubic foot, similar to the Eminence plans for the BP122 driver I chose, and I already lined it with polyfill. So yes, it’s an experiment! I’ll be using it with a Rumble 500 head for drummer-less jazz settings or for playing solo with my Bass VI. This won’t be my only amp for gigging, trust me. My go-to setup at the moment is a GK 1001RB-II with either an Orange 1x15 with a Kappalite in it, a pair of Rumble 2x10s, or an Ampeg 8x10. I play wedding gigs and sometimes we do cocktail hour as a duo or trio separate from the reception with the full band so the sealed 1x12 will be my grab and go amp for that so I can leave my larger amp setup on stage.
OT (not sealed-friendly I think, and not a 12-inch driver anyway) but, since we're there anyway: Duke, how does the tenner look like to you?
Invalid Link Removed
Worth considering as a candidate for the elusive super-10" bass cab that you've been repeatedly bugged about designing? No cigar? Not even close? is the mighty, subby, quiety 3010LF still the only driver in that (admittedly broad) league?
Thank you for sharing. That sounds like it might be a great go-to kit for small shows. You have a lot of good advice here and Duke so you're in good hands. Good luck!
- Nov 24, 2008
- 4,343
- 7,163
- Disclosures
- Owner & designer, AudioKinesis; Auth. mfg, Big E (Home Audio only)
I think I confused the PR320 series with the PR310 series and thought they had ceramic magnets, so I never looked at them before. Very nice series if you want a smooth, lightweight woofer with good specs. Thank you for enlightening me!
I have a run of custom 10" Kappalites that Eminence made for me, and their frequency response curve is even smoother than that of the 10PR320... which is good news and bad news. The good news is, my 10's look promising for a double-bass cab (and for a studio monitor). The bad news is, their smoothness in the upper mids means they are not a good candidate for a cab with a more deliberate "electric bass friendly" voicing, in my opinion.
Eminence has discontinued their 10" Kappalites, hopefully they will make a comeback. The native response of the Kappalite 3010LF was not really what I was looking for; imo its zigs and zags weren't in the ideal places for electric bass. I can fix a zig with crossover filtering, but I cannot fix a zag.
The moment of truth! The speaker mounted in the Yamaha cab with a hint of trimming of the cabinet’s baffle brace with a Dremel as the Eminence BP122 basket has a slightly larger diameter than the guitar speaker it replaced (tight fit). The cab had T-nuts from the factory so it is well secured to the baffle, though there is only four so I may go back and add another four to ensure a good seal.
It honestly sounds great with my Rumble 500 head and can reach pretty deep with a little bass boost on the EQ. I turned the volume up halfway and didn’t hear any worrying noises, just loud bass guitar. It works really well with my Bass VI and Jazz Bass, both with LaBella flats. I thought my P-bass with TI flats was a little too aggressive for the speaker’s voicing, but with a little EQ it could be tamed. It sounds very clear and responds well to a treble boost for added clarity. I even tried a mild overdrive with the Bass VI and it sounded smooth and natural.
Overall, I’d call this a success and plan on using it for lower volume situations. The cab is only about 30 pounds with this speaker in it and is very compact, making it easy to tote around.
It honestly sounds great with my Rumble 500 head and can reach pretty deep with a little bass boost on the EQ. I turned the volume up halfway and didn’t hear any worrying noises, just loud bass guitar. It works really well with my Bass VI and Jazz Bass, both with LaBella flats. I thought my P-bass with TI flats was a little too aggressive for the speaker’s voicing, but with a little EQ it could be tamed. It sounds very clear and responds well to a treble boost for added clarity. I even tried a mild overdrive with the Bass VI and it sounded smooth and natural.
Overall, I’d call this a success and plan on using it for lower volume situations. The cab is only about 30 pounds with this speaker in it and is very compact, making it easy to tote around.
I'll put in a plug for my 2512-ii box, at my non-commercial web page. It's ported, but... it was intended to capture the sealed cab vibe with a neo driver that was available at the time.
Edit: On the other hand, it looks like you beat me to the punch.
Edit: On the other hand, it looks like you beat me to the punch.
Cool!
I have a sealed 1x12 cab I use as a stage monitor with quieter acts, mainly upright stuff. Keeps the woofiness to a minimum for sure. I try to be careful with power / low end since it's easy to ask more than it can give from it. The lack of ports and being inside a literal blanket make overheating much more likely than in other cabs. My current speaker is the Fane 12-500LF, but I've have tried the Basslite and Deltalite 2512-ii, both of which worked well. Really curious how this new Legend compares to those. The Faital 16ohm 12PR300 is another option, but pricey.
I have a sealed 1x12 cab I use as a stage monitor with quieter acts, mainly upright stuff. Keeps the woofiness to a minimum for sure. I try to be careful with power / low end since it's easy to ask more than it can give from it. The lack of ports and being inside a literal blanket make overheating much more likely than in other cabs. My current speaker is the Fane 12-500LF, but I've have tried the Basslite and Deltalite 2512-ii, both of which worked well. Really curious how this new Legend compares to those. The Faital 16ohm 12PR300 is another option, but pricey.
I have a Gallien Krueger 200MB and 200MP. They are sealed and have a volume of about 0.66 cu.ft. I have installed Kappalite 3012HO speakers in both. I have made adjustable rubber tension dampers from rubber shock feet I bought on eBay and brackets I made from brass stock I bought at a metal warehouse. I drilled and tapped the brackets so I could adjust the tension between the back of the speaker and back of the cabinet to eliminate resonance that was a problem. I have lined the insides of the cabinets with white polyester speaker insulation sold by Q components.
The speakers sound so good I sold my Ampeg B15S and SVT rigs. In comparison they sounded boomy and had poor definition. I now find when I go to hear other bass players I find the boomy sound offensive. I have been spoiled by the definition and dynamics of the small sealed cabinets. Bass players should have a discussion about the need for better sounding rigs. Most of the iconic bass rigs are more noisy than musical.
I have bought a DNA 800 head which I am using to drive a pair of 112 ported cabinets I made with Eminence 3012LF speakers. It is louder than my GK200's but does not have the tone or definition. I would like to try making a pair of small displacement sealed speakers with 3012HO speakers and see if they are a little louder than the GK200's but sound as good. First that will require finding musicians and bars who do not enjoy loud playing. Too many bars cater to drunks who seem to prefer noise and drive out the customers who would appreciate better played, more dynamic music.
Try making small sealed bass cabinets. You may find playing at lower volume, is more rewarding. I enjoy practicing through my GK200's along to Willie Weeks or Max Bennet on some of my favourite CD's. I have mostly stopped playing in bars because the volumes, and the people who were loudest, were too aggressive. Not what I enjoy expressing when I play.
The speakers sound so good I sold my Ampeg B15S and SVT rigs. In comparison they sounded boomy and had poor definition. I now find when I go to hear other bass players I find the boomy sound offensive. I have been spoiled by the definition and dynamics of the small sealed cabinets. Bass players should have a discussion about the need for better sounding rigs. Most of the iconic bass rigs are more noisy than musical.
I have bought a DNA 800 head which I am using to drive a pair of 112 ported cabinets I made with Eminence 3012LF speakers. It is louder than my GK200's but does not have the tone or definition. I would like to try making a pair of small displacement sealed speakers with 3012HO speakers and see if they are a little louder than the GK200's but sound as good. First that will require finding musicians and bars who do not enjoy loud playing. Too many bars cater to drunks who seem to prefer noise and drive out the customers who would appreciate better played, more dynamic music.
Try making small sealed bass cabinets. You may find playing at lower volume, is more rewarding. I enjoy practicing through my GK200's along to Willie Weeks or Max Bennet on some of my favourite CD's. I have mostly stopped playing in bars because the volumes, and the people who were loudest, were too aggressive. Not what I enjoy expressing when I play.
I am not sure what speakers GK use now but in the 80's they used Pyle speakers. They were low efficiency and had cheap foam surrounds. Those surrounds would deteriorate and disintegrate. I replaced the Pyle speakers in my GK200MB and 200MP with Eminence Kappalite 3012HO speakers. They not only have durable rubberized cloth surrounds but sound better and are louder. You can usually buy better components from wholesalers like Q Components for less than what local Music stores will charge for original manufacturers replacement parts.
