- Mar 8, 2011
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- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
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Thunderchild tc112 or fearless f112?
- Thread starter SeayBass
- Start date
I've always enjoyed Tom's cab shootouts. I'd love to see one on the boutique 12s: FEARLESS F112, Thunderchild TC112, Glasstone Lil G, Xsonics 12.
I know the Glasstone and Xsonics are 212s, but I bet the FEARLESS and Thunderchild hold their own quite nicely against them
I've always enjoyed Tom's cab shootouts. I'd love to see one on the boutique 12s: FEARLESS F112, Thunderchild TC112, Glasstone Lil G, Xsonics 12.
I know the Glasstone and Xsonics are 212s, but I bet the FEARLESS and Thunderchild hold their own quite nicely against them
Throw the new-ish Acme 112 cabs in there.
Sounds like the Thunderchild cabs have much in common with the Acme cabs; a studio-like flat sound that is really even. Is that a fair comparison?
I owned one of the newish Acme 112s, the Full Range. Great cab but not like the Thunderchild (which I also owned) at all. The TC is smooth and even throughout while the Acme really accentuates the lows and highs and is much less smooth sounding. All IMHO, of course.
I'll second that. I had a second-gen Acme B2. Nice little cab, but the "studio monitor" claim was reaching a bit.
Yes, it had more midrange complexity than the extremely scooped cabs that were popular at the time, but the frequency response was still far from the near-audiophile smoothness that I enjoy with my TC112AF.
I don't know that I'd call it lacking, so much as voiced. It had an extended range, certainly, but it still sounded like a bass cab- a little "recessed" in the mids.
The couple of times I used the Acme as an improvised PA speaker, it needed some EQ with acoustic guitar or keys, whereas the TC is plug and go.
I recently had the opportunity to try out a number of cabs at Scabbey Road (Paul Tollini's shop) near Philly. I brought my TC112AF and we did a listen with the fEARful and fEARless cabs he has built.
Cabs we sampled included fEARess F115, F110, TC112AF, fEARful 12-6, 12-12-6-1, and maybe something else which I can't remember. There was no F112 in the shop at the time. All the cabs are superb. Paul's work looks flawless to me, and I do recommend him highly if you are in the market for an Authorized Greenboy/fEARless Builder.
size wize the cabs are, biggest first: 12-12-6-1; F115; 12-6; TC112AF; F110
Paul and I have been trying to find a time to get together for what seems like all of 2013, and finally did that last week. I think we both learned a lot, and i got to listen to all those great speakers with my gear and his help. It was a great experience and I recommend that anyone interested in his area check out Paul and Scabbey Road.
I have been very happy with the TC112AF. I still couldn't resist buying the F110. . .
Cabs we sampled included fEARess F115, F110, TC112AF, fEARful 12-6, 12-12-6-1, and maybe something else which I can't remember. There was no F112 in the shop at the time. All the cabs are superb. Paul's work looks flawless to me, and I do recommend him highly if you are in the market for an Authorized Greenboy/fEARless Builder.
size wize the cabs are, biggest first: 12-12-6-1; F115; 12-6; TC112AF; F110
Paul and I have been trying to find a time to get together for what seems like all of 2013, and finally did that last week. I think we both learned a lot, and i got to listen to all those great speakers with my gear and his help. It was a great experience and I recommend that anyone interested in his area check out Paul and Scabbey Road.
I have been very happy with the TC112AF. I still couldn't resist buying the F110. . .
Chef
In Memoriam
Both great choices.
The TC is very smooth, and a little mid shy because of that, IMO.
The Faital mid in the Fearless is wonderful, and that would be my choice, because of that.
The TC is very smooth, and a little mid shy because of that, IMO.
The Faital mid in the Fearless is wonderful, and that would be my choice, because of that.
The newer TC212 & the 8 ohm TC112 have a switch that gives either the regular midrange response or a more aggressive response for when you want more of a cut through tone.
popgadget
Commercial User
- Sep 4, 2005
- 1,233
- 942
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- Authorized Greenboy Designs Builder, Scabbey Road
Eric is correct, I did learn a lot, I had never heard a Thunderchild before, my first impression was how light it was carrying it into my shop.
It was a delight getting to hear and compare all the cabs while he played his upright, both pizzo and arco as well as my fretless electric. His playing was superb and provided excellent test material to compare with. I had a great time, it was well worth the long wait to get together.
It was a delight getting to hear and compare all the cabs while he played his upright, both pizzo and arco as well as my fretless electric. His playing was superb and provided excellent test material to compare with. I had a great time, it was well worth the long wait to get together.
Hey all, I thought I'd weigh in to answer this question and guide any of you who are looking for a new speaker...
here's where I'm at since starting this thread. I used both the TC and fEARless cabs professionally like many of you- on gigs from cocktail hour to main stage engagements.
So, after shopping around, I chose the F110. I have compared it to many off-the-shelf cabs, to include Aguilar, Glockenklang, Yamaha, Peavey, FBT, Genz-Benz, Mesa Boogie, Bass Tech, Fender, Ampeg, Hartke, and others.
I have since sold the TC112, and I use the F110. The clarity of the F110 is the reason. If you want big lows, then the TC is probably the cab for you. This is not to say the the Fearless cabs lack lows, just that the TC pushes them in a more pronounced fashion (but does not offer the same fidelity).
Comparison in very general terms:
F110= super accurate; better off axis; clarity; needs more power to get loud (I use a Genz Streamliner 900); not as poofy on the lows; 8ohm, not as loud; tighter all in all; full range cab you can run PA through it; the ports aren't tuneable, but the kickback feature solves rumble issues (this is how I normally set it)
TC112= warmer, fuller; 4ohm (just barely, so you theoretically can treat it gently as an 8ohm, which I have done); mucho lows, but not as clear; not as good up high, so a bit dark for full range apps; is much louder; tuneable ports, which it needs in certain environments; the kick back feature helps, too.
both speakers are small and light, so that is not really a separator for them. They both get plenty loud for bandstand use, and can both fill a room. The F110 benefits from greater power, and the TC can scream with less. *don't be to misled by the 'warmer, fuller' descriptor. The F110 offers plenty of lows. It gets a low B just fine, and you can hear it well near the speaker. The TC is made to offer BIG lows, and it delivers. It's a 2-way speaker, which is why the F110 offers more clarity and zip in the sound.
here is a sound concept:
Marcus Miller: F110 Steely Dan:F110
Steppenwolf bass sound: TC Latin Band/blues band:TC
If you want a single speaker that will get REALLY loud, the TC is the choice for you. The fEARless stuff is 8ohm, therefore the TC line is just plain louder. It really pumps the low end, too. It can work as a PA cab, though for that application, I prefer the fEARless cabs.
Color:
If I played in a latin band or rock band, the color of the TC would be ideal. It's offers a darker sound out of the box.
But the F110 (and the other fearless cabs) offer superior clarity. The reason I choose the fearless stuff over the TC (which is an older model, and my review may not be accurate nowadays) is this: you can dial anything out, but you can't dial in clarity...
If you want to cut into a mix, the fEARless cabs do that more. I play upright and electric; the fEARless cabs are accurate on and off axis, so I prefer the F110. If I needed more volume, the F112 or F115 would probably do it. Like I said before, the F110 needs big power to push the lows out. With my Streamliner 900 I am using this single 10" 3-way cab, and have yet to need even an extension speaker to be heard. I am not playing super loud stage volume jobs- just regular gigs from wedding or club band with full support or smaller dinner sets.
keep in mind that the fEARless stuff comes in bigger sizes than I am using- if you want major volume, the F112 or 115 get louder, and offer bigger lows, because the woofers are biggger.
hope this helps....
- Mar 8, 2011
- 12,232
- 51,187
- Disclosures
- Authorized greenboy designs builder/Owner of BNA Audio
Great review and I'm glad you chose to give the TC112 the props it deserves, even if it wasn't perfect for your situation. I've had a TC115 and it's one of the best cabs I've ever heard.
Smarter people than me can chime in on this (Duke!!!), but although all the Kappalite LF's are spectacular drivers, there are subtle differences in how the lows present themselves. I love the 3010LF (gigged an F210), no bones about it. The lows are tighter than a 3012LF. There's plenty to be had, but they're tighter. The 3015LF is slightly different too, though it's probably a sensitivity issue as much as anything else.
Smarter people than me can chime in on this (Duke!!!), but although all the Kappalite LF's are spectacular drivers, there are subtle differences in how the lows present themselves. I love the 3010LF (gigged an F210), no bones about it. The lows are tighter than a 3012LF. There's plenty to be had, but they're tighter. The 3015LF is slightly different too, though it's probably a sensitivity issue as much as anything else.
If you want a bit more midrange bite, then the Hathor series from Duke is another consideration. H1203 is 25 lbs and will cover a decently loud gig by itself. Is voiced midway between the TC112 (smooth) and Baer ML112 (upper mid edge). For me it is the ideal compromise from a voicing perspective, and the size/weight is perfect. I also have one of the new TC112-8 speakers which I can combine with the H1203 if I want more booty. A pair of the H1203 will peel paint off walls.
Yeah. It's too bad that so few people who solicit advice here about which gear to buy ever bother to volunteer that kind information upfront - if indeed they ever think about it at all - rather than compelling those of us who would try to be helpful to practically drag it out of them instead.
MM
To echo SeayBass, I've gigged a F110 for almost a year and a half. I used to own a TC115. My perceptions are identical. I use a Puma 900 so at 500 watts/8 ohms, volume through the 31lb F110 can be as loud as a good 210, and I never need to push it there. I also gig a 46lb F210, which gets as loud as a good 410 so I'm really covered. The tone of both cabs is identical, and the F210 is slightly smoother due to the coupling of two drivers. The lows on the F110/F210 are tighter, very similar in tone. But it's easy to push it into a bloom if you want that sound by boosting bass an/or cutting highs. One thing not mentioned is the flip switch on the back of the F110/F210. It subtly boosts the mids in a very musical way -- and is very effective for "cutting" if you find the bass needs to punch more in the live mix. The best analog is when I used to have a Bergantino AE210 (vertical). I loved that cab in a band mix, but not so much in my home studio due to its slightly boosted mids. The F110/F210 is a chameleon and can give the best of both worlds with the instant flip of that switch and no messing with amp EQ.
I recently gigged an outdoor civic event with the F210 and the bassist and drummer from the other band were out in front with the crowd listening to our mix. I was playing the Rob Allen Solid 4, tone knob on full, and my amp was running flat. Later, I asked the inevitable question of the pair: "Hey, how did the bass sound out there?"
Neither had ever heard of the Fearless or Tecamp products and had been curiously checking out that gear. Both immediately responded: "Bass sounded huge and fat! Loved it!" Good enough for me!!
I recently gigged an outdoor civic event with the F210 and the bassist and drummer from the other band were out in front with the crowd listening to our mix. I was playing the Rob Allen Solid 4, tone knob on full, and my amp was running flat. Later, I asked the inevitable question of the pair: "Hey, how did the bass sound out there?"
Neither had ever heard of the Fearless or Tecamp products and had been curiously checking out that gear. Both immediately responded: "Bass sounded huge and fat! Loved it!" Good enough for me!!
This is a good review. For those just taking a quick glance, remember this is the F110 compared to the TC112.
I hate threads like this. How do you decide? One day you might want one, another day the other.
It's like comparing chocolate fudge-brownie ice-cream to chocolate caramel-ripple ice-cream – both are delicious flavours so I want a BIG SCOOOP of EACH !
It's like comparing chocolate fudge-brownie ice-cream to chocolate caramel-ripple ice-cream – both are delicious flavours so I want a BIG SCOOOP of EACH !
Also I'm thinking it's the 8ohm TC112 v2. The older 4ohm cab would be less extended in the lows and I believe has a different horn and waveguide and crossover? (someone correct me if I'm wrong here)
