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Very light full-range cabinets?

#81
Downunderwonder said:
I forget numbers but in the last America's Cup the commentators were on about the prodigious forces on tiny areas. It was all composites stressed to the absolute maximum strength of the material, which is comparable with steel rather than plywood, no doubt a bass cab can be made robust.

The tricky part is anchoring the drivers. I'd be inclined to cheat and glue plywood baffle to composite cab!
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A DIY'er can use various readily available inserts such as those intended for sailboards, surfboards, etc. Companies like JBL have been building bomber composite touring PA cabs for quite some time now. Keeping it light and reasonably cheap is the real challenge, IMHO.
 
#83
Jim Carr said:
There is very little similarity between the UL1 410 4 ohm I have and the fEARful 15/6/1. The UL1 410 is a great cab, loud, dusky-warm, with lots of low end and a pleasing baked-in dark character. I keep the tweeter low except for slap. It plays nicely with the 8 ohm UL1 210 I have when I am in one of those country bands with several loud guitarists and need a 610 (Hey, it's Texas, all y'all! :D ).

The 15/6/1 (8 ohm) is so different. It is even in response across the spectrum. It is a high fidelity-type speaker that happens to be able to handle the low end BETTER than any 410 I have encountered.

Yet, because of it's more accurate nature and great mid dispersion, it makes the bass sound somewhat like a classical guitar—in that the string timbre is suddenly so much more detailed. It really changes how I play, how I use EQ, what strings I prefer, my set up, how loud I play, and how well others on stage can hear me. :cool:

In effect, I can EQ my fEARful to have the good things about the UL1 410, AND have added clarity, detail, and more of what I want, i.e., more lows, shaped upper mids, whatever.

A 12/6/1 fEARful sounds basically EXACTLY the same as a 15/6/1 fEARful—there is just less power handling with the 12/6/1. If you want the warm lows of your Epifani cabs from a 12/6/1, you will have to EQ for that sound—mightily boosting the low-mids, cutting upper-mids and highs—see above for my reggae EQ settings. :cool:
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This is a good description of the tone of the 12/6 or 12/6/1 super cabs. To me the 12/6 LDS I had sounded more like a PA speaker than a bass cab. Ended up selling it. I like something rounder and warmer.
 
#84
Anchoring the drivers is really not a problem. Again, simply a matter of engineering a simple solution. BTW how about those America's Cup catamarans? Those boats are incredible feats of design and engineering. I remember early on in the discussions for their current design formula many naysayers stating "it can't be done".
 
#85
Passinwind said:
A DIY'er can use various readily available inserts such as those intended for sailboards, surfboards, etc. Companies like JBL have been building bomber composite touring PA cabs for quite some time now. Keeping it light and reasonably cheap is the real challenge, IMHO.
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mountain bike wisdom applies here.
Cheap, light, strong. Pick two.
 
#86
Type-55 said:
This is a good description of the tone of the 12/6 or 12/6/1 super cabs. To me the 12/6 LDS I had sounded more like a PA speaker than a bass cab. Ended up selling it. I like something rounder and warmer.
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+1

Totally get that. The EQ, strings, technique, and setup all need to be dialed-in for me to get my sound. It was a big transition. :cool:

For me, the added low end and clean musical tone color are worth it. :D
 
#87
Jim Carr said:
+1

Totally get that. The EQ, strings, technique, and setup all need to be dialed-in for me to get my sound. It was a big transition. :cool:

For me, the added low end and clean musical tone color are worth it. :D
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+1 With the amp you have, and the tone goals you have, and the size/weight limits you have, you are a poster boy for the 12/6-12sub fEARful stack. Literally perfect IMO. Hope you can sell the 15/6 and consider that rig. Should totally make you happy, significantly outperform the single 15/6, and given no need for tweeter, and the simplicity of the sub, shouldn't break the bank
 
#88
blackstring said:
. BTW how about those America's Cup catamarans? Those boats are incredible feats of design and engineering. I remember early on in the discussions for their current design formula many naysayers stating "it can't be done".
Click to expand...

There were a couple of threads on the AC in the Off Topic section. Some of the carbon bits and pieces were built here by friends of mine. ;)

The health concerns that Mike ran into are pretty scary. DIY'ers need to do thorough homework before they decide to dive in.
 
#89
The main issue I noticed with my five fiberglass cabs was a hairline shattering around the screw holes that occurred over time. It was a Catch-22 - you weren't supposed to tighten the screws "too much" as that would weaken the fiberglass. But as the fiberglass shattered, you'd have to tighten the screws to prevent vibrations. I spent too much time dealing with "keeping the screws tight" and really soured on the experience - especially the resulting buzzing that compromised the benefits of lower weight and what otherwise was amazing tone of the cabs. Sure, a builder could probably resolve this by use of permanent bonding, but then if a driver or crossover goes out, you're up the creek. Not sure what the solution is, but for now I've accepted the reality of using wood.
 
#90
One small monkeywrench to throw into the mix - consider the BFM Jack 15 Lite. Superlightweight cab. It may be a bit too peaky in the low mids for your liking - then again it may not.
Lightweight, efficient, great sounding.
 
#91
Jim Carr said:
A 12/6/1 fEARful sounds basically EXACTLY the same as a 15/6/1 fEARful—there is just less power handling with the 12/6/1. If you want the warm lows of your Epifani cabs from a 12/6/1, you will have to EQ for that sound—mightily boosting the low-mids, cutting upper-mids and highs—see above for my reggae EQ settings. :cool:
Click to expand...

Thanks for the description, Jim. My amp only has bass, mids, and treble, and mids are cut only, and I leave them at 10 for my p bass, and 8 for my jazz bass. So I am going to have to try one of these cabs before deciding if it is for me, and see if I can get the right sound with the eq ability the amp has.
 
#92
I am thinking that I would love to A/B my 15/6/1 with a Big Baby 2. Are they available yet? :eyebrow:

http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/Big-Baby-2.htm


irbass said:
Take a look at Barefaced cabs. I have the big twin.
The big twin 2 it's on their website.
The specifications - Big twin 2
Dimensions
33.5" high x 20.5" wide x 14.6" deep
Weight
22.5 kg / 49 lbs (steel grill)
21 kg / 46 lbs (cloth grill)
PISTONIC Sensitivity
100dB - louder than a great 4x10"
USABLE Frequency RANGE

30Hz - 20kHz
Recommended Amp Power
100-1600W RMS
Max CONTINUOUS BROADBAND & LF SPL
133dB - comparable to really good 4x12" and 8x10" cabs
Click to expand...
 
#93
Signs said:
Thanks for the description, Jim. My amp only has bass, mids, and treble, and mids are cut only, and I leave them at 10 for my p bass, and 8 for my jazz bass. So I am going to have to try one of these cabs before deciding if it is for me, and see if I can get the right sound with the eq ability the amp has.
Click to expand...

A Tech21 ParaDriver DI pedal has EQ with boost and a parametric mid control—it or something similar might be the missing piece. :cool:
 
#94
Jim Carr said:
I am thinking that I would love to A/B my 15/6/1 with a Big Baby 2. Are they available yet? :eyebrow:

http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/Big-Baby-2.htm
Click to expand...

Yes, we started shipping them in October. We're in the middle of quite a bit batch of them at the moment, so there should be more user feedback coming via the forums fairly soon (we really need to update the feedback on our site with the stuff we've had in recently!)
 
#98
Dave, I wonder how you might compare the low end heft of the Fearless F210 to a 15/6/1? I know you like a tighter low response.

Ukiah Bass said:
Fearless is a great idea for going lightweight, having full range response, and absolutely the best tone! My Greenboy Audio Fearless 210 uses drivers with high excursion capability. It can take 900+ watts @ 4ohms, weighs 46 pounds and gets as loud as a good 410. Excellent mobile form factor. Good for when there is no house PA support.
...
My review, pics, sound sample here -> www.talkbass.com/forum/f15/fearless-f210-955149/index4.html#141
...
Click to expand...
 
#99
Jim Carr said:
Dave, I wonder how you might compare the low end heft of the Fearless F210 to a 15/6/1? I know you like a tighter low response.
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The Fearless line is definitely tighter on the low end. This is true for both the F210 and the F110 that I own, and I hear it's the same for other Fearless models. The "nearful" cabs I had produced a wider, slightly more diffuse bottom end. Both sounded great, but as you noted, I prefer the tighter feel. My recollection was the bottom end on the 15/6 sounded slightly "bigger" than the 12/6, probably a reflection of the larger driver moving more air.
 

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