Supplement 1 12" setup

[micguy]

Regarding your guitar player's desire to feel the bass. IMHO this is misguided.

Oh my gosh, do we disagree. If I didn't feel what I was playing, I might as well play.....guitar.

 

[Wasnex]

Oh my gosh, do we disagree. If I didn't feel what I was playing, I might as well play.....guitar.

Please note my comment was specific to the guitarist feeling the bass, not the bass player. I definitely don't think the bass amp should be loud enough so the guitarist on the other side of the bandstand should feel it? If he feels the bass it, it should be coming back from the nearest subwoofer.

That being said, we do disagree. My goal is generally to setup in a way that allows me to hear myself clearly at the lowest possible SPL, so the PA can work more effectively. It's not that I don't enjoy feeling the bass, it's just that I view the situation from the big picture and sacrifice my enjoyment, so the audience can have a better experience. The majority of my performances are not for audiences who appreciate loud, so it's not realistic for me to run a loud rig with a big fat booming low end. In my experience that usually just turns to mush anyway...I would rather be able hear the individual notes than feel my trousers flap.

Regarding feeling the bass...I am seriously considering buying a large Eich Bassboard. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I do know what loud bass feels like, and it is possible to have too much. I have done outdoor performances with a quad of center packed Apogee AE12 subwoofers a few feet in front of me. The tactile sensation of the bass gave me vertigo and nausea. Thank goodness the audio tech kept the volume down .

 

[micguy]

I do know what loud bass feels like, and it is possible to have too much. I have done outdoor performances with a quad of center packed Apogee AE12 subwoofers a few feet in front of me. The tactile sensation of the bass gave me vertigo and nausea. Thank goodness the audio tech kept the volume down .

The place I'm playing this weekend has a quartet of dual 18 subs under the front of the stage. It doesn't have to be loud (hard on your ears) to feel the bass - a good FOH person can pull that off. At one of our practices, there was a water bottle on stage, and there was a light in just the right place so I could see it reflecting off the water surface. Every note I played, a different standing wave pattern showed up on the surface of the water in the bottle. It was ridiculously nerdy (Chladni patterns in Water!) but still, to me, kinda cool.

That said, my dream is to one day hit a low E and vibrate myself off stage.

 

[alaskaleftybass]

Oh boy a Mesa Boogie rig

Actually the cast frame driver in the old gs112 was nothing to sneeze at. And loud little booger

I'd get another used gs112 for 300 bucks and call it a day.

Be surprised how good doubling speaker area sounds.

Likewise buy something else with the money rather than the 3 grand on the rigs suggested

Agreed. I own a couple small matching Eden cabs. Separately, they are loud but not that loud. Stacked and paired, they really crank out the perceived low end and project much more volume.

As @BogeyBass said, you'd be surprised at how good doubling speaker area-- especially matching speaker cabs-- works.

EDIT: If money were no object, I agree a Mesa D800 and a pair of Mesa cabs would be the most excellent way to shake the stage. But it's a matter if you care to spend that kind of money for the gear. But it is worth every penny.

EDIT EDIT: I have to add that if someone is really a professional bass player buying a Mesa double stack wouldn’t be any more than buying a boutique bass. You would be playing the best of the best and that is priceless.

 

[BobBolt1]

Thank for all the great advice, friends. Looks like I'm heading for some Mesa subway gear.