TecAmp amplification club.....is there such a thing yet

[J.Wolf]

I, for one, will say that I have zero desire to haul a cab with 2x12's + 2x10's to a gig to only use half of the drivers.. Much rather buy a 210 and 212 and bring whats appropriate for the gig. thats just me.....

 

[phillybass101]

All drivers sound different. You are confusing brand with speaker size. Compare a Schroeder 212 cab to an Acme 210 cab, and then we wil talk. Compare an Eden 210XST to an Eden 112XLT, and then we will talk some more!

Guys who can really slap want a tight low end, a bit of dip in the upper mids, and a nice tweeter. That typically was delivered in the past by 410 cabs. Times have changed.

And again, many great players are clueless as heck about how this all works ('yeah man, I need that 15 for the low end, and that 410 for the punch').

+1 though that I'm sure this cab sounds fine. I would guess many smaller, simpler less expensive designs sound, at the very least, just as good.

Of course, buy what you want

I'm not going to argue with you as I know that you usually know what you're talking about and are a well respected member of this thread. having said that, I'll just leave this alone. I'm not going to get into a hissy fit with you about tone, speaker size, or audio science.

 

[monsterthompson]

that beast of a cab could have a place in a studio, or a perm backline. however, it seems like a chore to drag from gig to gig, regardless of the sound.

 

[pedroferreira]

You can see it here:

 

[KJung]

I'm not going to argue with you as I know that you usually know what you're talking about and are a well respected member of this thread. having said that, I'll just leave this alone. I'm not going to get into a hissy fit with you about tone, speaker size, or audio science.

+1 I respect your ear also. Just trying to point out some common misperceptions that continue to come up on this site. As you probably know, I'm not nearly as much about what sounds good on paper versus what really sounds good However, if you can sound just as good with a smaller box that costs less, that is a discussion worth having.

All is good, and again, very few things on the market that don't sound reasonably good these days. It is more about the efficiency of getting there with scarce resources (i.e., muscle power and dollars!).

 

[Brad Johnson]

All I know is that there is a parallel thread out there and witnesses say the cab is killer. I for one do not however agree that 12's sound like 10's. I play slap bass primarily and while 12's sound good, I much prefer 10's when I slap. I made a concession when I started running a 2x12 cab for more bass when I play fingerstyle. Glasstone has a rig that he's perfecting called the slap G. The principle is running 10's with 12's or a 15. Not necessarily in the same cab. I.E. 1 2x10 cab with a Lil G. There are bassists who slap and then there are guys who really can slap. Most guys I know that can really slap still want 10's. One of my Favorites, David Dyson, who can really slap runs a Glasstone 4x10, on top of a Glasstone 15'. Still wasted space or not I'm willing to bet the Virtue is a killer cab. The guys demoing the Virtue were Andre Gouche and Sekou Bunch. Gives you an idea who the target market may be.

People who buy what they see Sekou and Gooch use?


Sorry, couldn't resist.

Preach, who is primarily a slapper, runs a 2-12 cab... because that's what happens to be in the cab he likes. Drue Williams ran a big Nahas 2-12 before he switched to a smaller cab. I guess it could be said that I can really slap, I don't prefer tens... I prefer a cab that does what I want. So far I've found that with eights, tens, twelves and even fifteens. Until and unless you actually check each cab out, you may write off something based on what you only thought it could or couldn't do.

It really isn't about driver size, that really is old thinking, no offense. Nowadays it's just as easy to find a "quick" 12" deployment as a sloppy "10. It's about the design. And yes, there are even pros who think they prefer a particular size driver. Just because they're pros doesn't mean they have any particular insight. Some of the stuff I've heard some pros say has been downright loopy. Bottom line, use your ears, not theirs.


I have no doubt that that cab sounds good, I honestly can't think of any guys I know who move their own gear that would be into it, particularly when you consider a modular alternative. Let's see who actually buys one.

 

[Brad Johnson]

that beast of a cab could have a place in a studio, or a perm backline. however, it seems like a chore to drag from gig to gig, regardless of the sound.

Agreed. But that's because at this point I don't have any desire to carry big gear around. And the people I see gigging with big gear won't typically buy a $1600 cab.

 

[vision]

I consider myself a slap player when it comes to tone, since the ideal tone in my head has always been Marcus Miller's, and I absolutely love my TecAmp S212. That cab is as punchy as any 10 loaded cab I've played through.

 

[L. L. Elwood]

Subscribed

 

[KJung]

I consider myself a slap player when it comes to tone, since the ideal tone in my head has always been Marcus Miller's, and I absolutely love my TecAmp S212. That cab is as punchy as any 10 loaded cab I've played through.

Hey Jason!

+1 One of the punchiest 'slap friendly' small cabs out there. The need for a 410 is over given the huge increases and improvements in driver technology that seems to be primary targeted at the 12 and 15" driver size.

That doesn't mean that some 410's don't kill, but I get all the punch, upper mid grind and sparkle I need from much smaller 212 cabs now, and the bit of better upper midrange spread is a small bonus.

The need for multiple driver sizes in the same cab to achieve 'killer mids and deep lows' is again a think of the past, and IMO a bit misguided these days. Doesn't mean it won't sound good, just it will cost you more in dollars and size than other equal or better sounding solutions IMO and IME.

 

[Virgil]

Hey Jason!

+1 One of the punchiest 'slap friendly' small cabs out there. The need for a 410 is over given the huge increases and improvements in driver technology that seems to be primary targeted at the 12 and 15" driver size.

That doesn't mean that some 410's don't kill, but I get all the punch, upper mid grind and sparkle I need from much smaller 212 cabs now, and the bit of better upper midrange spread is a small bonus.

The need for multiple driver sizes in the same cab to achieve 'killer mids and deep lows' is again a think of the past, and IMO a bit misguided these days. Doesn't mean it won't sound good, just it will cost you more in dollars and size than other equal or better sounding solutions IMO and IME.

Well lets examine what you have said regarding cost. An M210 cost $1,200. An M212 cost more. So to get the TecAmp Virtue for $1600, you are saving at least $600.

 

[KJung]

Well lets examine what you have said regarding cost. An M210 cost $1,200. An M212 cost more. So to get the TecAmp Virtue for $1600, you are saving at least $600.

I find TecAmp cabs VERY expensive in the US. Also, I would NEVER recommend combining a 210 and a 212... makes little sense. You are correct though, always cheaper to build a single big box than separate components within the same companies price structure.

Again, everyone should buy what they want. I'm sure that cab sounds fine, but I'd be pretty sure that a single Bergantino 212 would keep up with it just fine

I again can just see the design process with this thing based on input from a great player who knows little or nothing about cabinet design 'yeah man, give me some 10's for punch. Yeah, yeah, then some 12's for that big low end', and THREE tweeters... yeah, that's it'. Makes my head hurt.

 

[MKA]

I find TecAmp cabs VERY expensive in the US. Also, I would NEVER recommend combining a 210 and a 212... makes little sense. You are correct though, always cheaper to build a single big box than separate components within the same companies price structure.

Again, everyone should buy what they want. I'm sure that cab sounds fine, but I'd be pretty sure that a single Bergantino 212 would keep up with it just fine

I again can just see the design process with this thing based on input from a great player who knows little or nothing about cabinet design 'yeah man, give me some 10's for punch. Yeah, yeah, then some 12's for that big low end', and THREE tweeters... yeah, that's it'. Makes my head hurt.

If speaker size doesn't matter, why is it a bad idea to cobine 10s and 12s?

 

[KJung]

If speaker size doesn't matter, why is it a bad idea to cobine 10s and 12s?

Speaker size does not define how much bass a speaker can put out. That is the part of 'it doesn't matter'. For example, the Acme 10's put out more low end than any 18" driver loaded cab back in the day.

Mixing cabs with different drivers is a different issue. First, mixing two different cabs, regardless of driver size, can be a mess since even cabs loaded with the same size drivers but made by different manufacturers can have massively different tuning and massively different frequency response. It isn't that it can't sound good, it often does. However, it is total guess work. Adding a second identical cab always gives predictable results... similar tone as the single cab, louder, and a bit more low end due to coupling.

So, two different issues. The first (that some of us are addressing here) is that you don't need to limit your cab decision based on driver size for different tone goals. Many 410's are voiced deeper, for example, than may 115 cabs, and may 212 cabs now have all the punch and brightness of many 410 cabs, etc., etc.

The second is mixing different driver sizes when they are all running full range. Again, different power handling, difference SPL, etc, etc, can result in some strange things happening (or not). The most important point is there is NO advantage to doing that, and the unpredictability of the result means it is kind of guess work.

Again, with this cabs design, I'm sure it sounds good. The question is if you can't get there in a smaller box, and also the idea of switching half the woofers off in a big box makes little sense, period. It is one thing to leave a one cab at home for smaller gigs. It is another to bring a bit cab, and then switch the drivers off.

Multiple tweeters.... I would think much of the same could be achieved with the nice switchable crossover they already have in place, and basic EQ on the amp.

Again, most know that I'm not one of the guys who says 'if it doesn't look perfect on paper, it can't sound good'. There are very few things on the market that don't sound pretty good these days. However, what I do know is that many guys will look at this and think 'wow, 12's for lows and 10's for punch... cool.' I know for sure that is 'not cool' in the real world, and you can get there in a simpler, smaller and cheaper way.

Kind of IMO, but quite frankly, it just 'is'.

 

[phillybass101]

So why is Baer making a 2x12 with 2 6 in drivers in the same cab? Why is the Rev (Glasstone) working on a SlapG config with a 2x10 and 12' cab? IMO opinion it's what the market wants or demands rather than some intellectual conversation or discussion about driver efficiency etc. I currently play through an Eden 2x12 cab. Still my ears tell me I like 10's better for slapping. Just my opinion. In terms of what I can buy with my own money I'm leaning towards a Glasstone 2x10 stack. Still lightweight, modular and I'll have my beloved 10's and still be with Glasstone. To me the 12' fans are starting to sound like the FF guys. LOL!!!! I have not yet decided completely against a Lil G and again funds will dictate what I purchase in the end. A 2x10 Slap G stack will cost me around $1200. Like everyone says, we all have one.

 

[KJung]

So why is Baer making a 2x12 with 2 6 in drivers in the same cab? Whys is the Rev (Glasstone) working on a SlapG config with a 2x10 and 12' cab?

Now you are starting to ask the right questions.

Regarding the Baer, the 6" drivers are crossed over so there is no overlap between the 12's and the 6's. So, that is similar conceptually to the typical, for example, 212 with tweeter. The difference with the mid driver design is that the larger mid driver can handle frequencies that are much lower than a tweeter. This allows a designer like Roger Baer to use a much heavier duty woofer that has more power in the lows. Of course, there is no free lunch, so a heavy duty woofer like that that sounds glorious down low can sound like dog in the upper midrange. Therefore, the use of a crossed over 'independent' mid driver allows you to design in more lows, and since the upper midrange tends to come out of a large driver in a more direction 'beam', you get the advantage (relatively minor with the bass guitar, but real) of the top end of your sound spreading a little more evenly across the stage.

So, again, it is not combining different size drivers that is sometimes problematic, it is combining 'non crossed over' different size drivers that are trying to reproduce exactly the same frequencies.

The answer to your second question, brutally stated, is I assume that person has no training in designing cabinets And again, that doesn't mean it can't sound good, but it is a crapshoot, and there are better ways to get at what he is sonically trying to achieve.

 

[Brad Johnson]

Multiple tweeters.... I would think much of the same could be achieved with the nice switchable crossover they already have in place, and basic EQ on the amp.

The multiple tweeter feature with the ability to select individually was one thing about the cab that had merit. Tweeters sound different and crossovers and basic EQ typically won't make one sound like every other type.

So far AFAIK we don't know what's going on inside the box so assuming it's simply an open layout might be presumptuous. People did the same thing with the last Tecamp multiple sized driver cab... decided what it would do with little more than a photo and brief description. Business as usual.

 

[KJung]

The multiple tweeter feature with the ability to select individually was one thing about the cab that had merit. Tweeters sound different and crossovers and basic EQ typically won't make one sound like every other type.

+1 I really like the switchable crossover they use in their other cabs... from sweet sparkle to aggressive lower treble grind. I can see that adding different tweeters would take that to the next step, and might be of value to some players.

 

[Bmorefoozler]

+1 I really like the switchable crossover they use in their other cabs... from sweet sparkle to aggressive lower treble grind. I can see that adding different tweeters would take that to the next step, and might be of value to some players.

especially considering oneof the tweeter options is a soft dome style like on their combos... I can certainly see how being able to switch in and out one of those to contrast with a more typical horn loaded compression driver can yield very different desireable results.

Not sure what the 3rd tweeter ads...

 

[vision]

I currently play through an Eden 2x12 cab. Still my ears tell me I like 10's better for slapping. Just my opinion.

Your view on 12's makes sense if you're playing through an Eden 2x12. I actually like that cab alot, but I would agree that Eden 10" loaded cabs sound better for slap than Eden 12" loaded cabs. But that comparison doesn't apply to ALL 10" or 12" cabs. Many of the newer 12" cabs will sound as good or better than the older 10" cabs from back in the day for slapping. I used to have an Eden 410 back in the late 90's/early 2000's and loved that for slapping, but my S212 does that type of sound even better (at less than half the weight!)