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The Henry 8x8

K

klejst

Oct 5, 2010
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3,676
#1
As title says, just looking for feedback and opinions from those who use, have used or know anything regarding this cab. I have an opportunity of picking one up for $400...just curious if in general it'd be worth it all around. The one I am looking at is the (older?) black not shiny silver grill model.
 
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#2
So the SVT is #1 we all know that...Henry is #2 in my book.

Several years ago I sold my SVT as I entered into my 50's and a few years prior I picked up a pair, one black face and one silver face.

Outdoor gigs I use either 1 or 2 and large indoor gigs I use 1.

These have become my favorite cab.

For small gigs it is a GK 212 neo.....

I am able to load the cab into my suv easily and unless there is stairs these is no iassue and the sound is perfect for me, with higs and lows well balanced. They do needs power though....

400 is on the high side, I feel they are worth 300 and 250 for the quick sale.

Bob
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#3
BobbyLee2112 said:
So the SVT is #1 we all know that...Henry is #2 in my book.

Several years ago I sold my SVT as I entered into my 50's and a few years prior I picked up a pair, one black face and one silver face.

Outdoor gigs I use either 1 or 2 and large indoor gigs I use 1.

These have become my favorite cab.

For small gigs it is a GK 212 neo.....

I am able to load the cab into my suv easily and unless there is stairs these is no iassue and the sound is perfect for me, with higs and lows well balanced. They do needs power though....

400 is on the high side, I feel they are worth 300 and 250 for the quick sale.

BobView attachment 3690695 View attachment 3690697 View attachment 3690700
Click to expand...

Do I spy a SVP 1600? Those things are beastly. I have one I pair with a 4pro. You can definitely run whatever cab config you want with that rig.
 
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#4
Thanks for the response and insight Bob. Doing a little research it seems people who have them praise them as well for what they are and say they can deliver the goods just as well as most other cabs. Only thing I have heard is they have some weight to them, but other than neo or smaller cabs what bigger cab does not right. Seems to be a nice package or mids and highs as well as some say lows can get good as well in a decent size. I was thinking $400 was a little steep, not sure I'll be able to talk them down though because it's at a retail store.
 
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#6
A back line studio we used for rehearsals and jams had one I used several times. Did well with my the active 3 band eq bass. An adjustable HPF Definitely would have tightened up the low end.
 
#7
My rig for 15-ish years was an SVT-II into an early Henry 8x8 w/ black grille. That rig would move so much air it was silly.

The Henry 8x8 is tuned to reach down super low, so in a loud rock context I would usually cut the lowest bass quite a bit & bump the mids. I also just disconnected the tweeter, but that's just my preference (I have no use for tweeters)

Great cab, and if you can get it for $350 out the door I'd say grab it. In fact my local shop has one they want $400 for (grey hammertone grille but the same perforated metal pattern as the old black grille) and I've been super tempted to drop an offer on it.

Oh, and did I mention they're heavy as hell? :D So many memories of hauling that bastard up endless staircases.
 
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#9
One concern I would have about buying a cabinet that has been out of production for so long...plus the company no longer exists....is the availability of replacement parts. One blown driver and the whole cab is useless. Can you order a replacement driver?
 
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#10
I have had 2. They are quite different than other cabs. They put out a ton of low end (but a lot of cabs do that now). A LOT of clarity and punches like Ali. I was using a GK 800RB and that was an excellent match. Not that great with a tube head. Their footprint is nice and height lets you hear yourself real nice. I traded my first one when I found a Berg 215. Many years later (last year), I found another one for cheap locally and jumped on it. I now have a smaller car and the load to the back seat was awful. The shape of the cab- 23"W x 36"H x 18.5"D Weight: 100 lbs -didn't work anymore and I tried to return it. No go. I ended parting it out (but I felt real bad about it). It's size and shape are manageable, but make sure you have a big enough car. As stated above, the 32 ohm Celestion drivers are not available and mine sold like hotcakes! If you can get it for $300. you might be able to resell it at some point. I think it's in the "fridge" class of cabs.
 
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#12
I've never used a Henry myself, but there was a guy who played bass for Stacy Mitchart and Blues You Can Use (a well-known Nashville band) who had one and it was one of the best bass rigs I've ever heard. From what I recall, he ran it with an Eden head and his tone was killer!
 
#13
My "big rig" is an SVT-CL into a grey-grill Henry. It's everything I could imagine bass sounding like. It is indeed heavy, but it's not absurd. The side handles are well placed for lifting it into a hatchback or SUV. I added an SVT "towel rack" bar to the back of mine, which makes moving it much easier; the original indented handle doesn't give you enough leverage to wheel it under much control. I also added some skid rail to the back and bottom to help with dragging it up any steps I might encounter. It's a loud cab tuned for a bunch of sub-100hz output, and you can almost feel the breeze from the three gigantic front ports. I paid $350 for mine several years back, and it seems like that's where the prices have stayed. It's a lot of cabinet for that price. SWR products were very well built and designed to stand up to heavy use. Replacement drivers are available, but the originals are also pretty robust. The tweeter is a relatively weak link, but I dial mine out the whole way and there's more than enough high frequency info for the styles I play.

Here's a video from a few years ago, the guy recording it on his phone happened to be right in the, uh... "blast zone" of the SVT/Henry rig, and so you can hear it pretty loud and clear to get an idea of it's output. We're outside standing in front of a barn at a Mtn Bike race after-party.
 
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#15
I had one for a while I can't speak on how it performs in a band context as I had a band dry spell for the duration of ownership but I can speak about how nice it sounded and that it took effects well especially honky envelope filters, where other cabs made it sound harsh it really smoothed out the honkiness and made them sound much nicer. It does have some weight to it I remember it being a little front heavy, like the speakers were a little more forward from center than other cabinets, but all in all its pretty much a 6x10 size and in the ballpark of one weight wise, I believe $400 is about what I paid for mine as well, shame I got rid of it, I started up with a band again soon after selling it, was the only reason I got rid of it in the first place
 
#16
I first owned a Henry 8x8 20 years ago, back then it just the right size for all my gigs. I always felt it didn't throw the low end to the audience well enough, but I was young and dumb. Then I got a Goliath SR 6x10 to go with my GK 2000rb, that thing was one of the biggest sounding and most versatile cabs I've ever played. Used it for 100's of shows for 10 years straight and until the wheels literally busted through the bottom from so much transporting. No need for that size and weight nowadays.
I started playing bass with this original rock band and when I walked in the first day into their rehearsal studio there was this Goliath 6x10 sitting there. I've been having fun using all my different amps with it including the studios SWR 750. Everything and I mean every amp sounds amazing through this cab, really miss the big ceramic 6 speaker tone on live gigs.
 
#17
I've had a Henry 8x8 for at least 25 years. It's punchy as hell, focused and tight with very deep lows and can literally flap your trouser legs with volume and punch.
It's just manageable with size and weight and will barely fit in the "trunk" of a 96 Camaro Z-28 police interceptor.
I recommend it highly.
 
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#18
Thanks guys for the further replies, I do appreciate the insight from previous and current owners as well as people who have heard one in person because I've never had the pleasure of any of that. They have always intrigued me however. I understand the idea of replacement parts and SWR no longer being around, but really it's not any different from other cabs from yesteryear that are no longer mainstream anymore weather their manufacturer companies around around now either too. Guess you just run the risk really with any cab that is used. Sounds like the SWR was pretty solid and this cab is no different. I guess I wonder how it matches up to my Mesa PowerHouse 2x12 I currently use.
 
#19
Toured a Henry the 8x8 for years powered by a GK 700rb II. Talk about punchy you in the gut. Ran a a few different basses at the time, but the aforementioned rig with a Spector was lethal. Miss that cab dearly. Paid $350 about 15 years ago. If it is in full functioning order I would grab it, shoot for $350 if you can though. Great thing though, it takes a lot to murder a Henry and the cones will tell you when to not push it anymore and will handle a fair amount of cone breakup if that's your kind of thing.
 
#20
Compared to the 2x12 cabinet you already have, it will have less midrange grind, but it might have more forceful bottom end. Back then, though, there was a bit of a stigma around 8 inch drivers which made the cabinet a bit of a sleeper in the market. Most went with the 6x10 offering or 4x10 if they liked the smaller-sized speakers.

I used to use a Henry the 8x8 20+ years ago (I can't believe I'm saying that - it was at my rehearsal space) and I liked it - always one on its own, never two or mixed with another speaker. They were a bit mid-scooped to me, but they had an upper midrange bite that made them very articulate. So if you were playing a really fast passage down low, you'd hear more of the bite from every note. In comparison, the Powerhouse cabs would smear some of that faster playing, but you'd sound more growly.

Unfortunately, I've never been in any sort of shape to carry one because I injured my back in the early 90s - so I never bought one for myself.
 
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