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Video Review 1x12 cabs: Fender Rumble 112 vs. Aguilar SL 112

#81
mmbongo said:
Jeez not sure what you guys are hearing, but I like the Aguilar SO much better in that video. It's deeper and smoother and has a certain sweetness to it.

The Rumble seems very harsh and ganky in comparison, with no real deepness or crispness.

I can't imagine that Rumble at gig volume, nothing but harsh mids :confused:

Nice work on the vid, too! Need to do some more cabinet comparisons :)
Click to expand...

I agree, the tone is deeper and richer, more "musical".

The Rumble is a lot like my old Fender Bassman 250/115 (which I still have). Good enough, I've thrashed it into oblivion and it's still in great shape......but it just has a flatter sound. I also agree that what happens when it's cranked up and in the mix that is the real issue.

That "richness and depth" would be worth the extra money to me.
 
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#83
klokker said:
I agree, the tone is deeper and richer, more "musical".

The Rumble is a lot like my old Fender Bassman 250/115 (which I still have). Good enough, I've thrashed it into oblivion and it's still in great shape......but it just has a flatter sound. I also agree that what happens when it's cranked up and in the mix that is the real issue.

That "richness and depth" would be worth the extra money to me.
Click to expand...

I think that it's smart to understand what companies like Fender and Aguilar are trying to do - that is, who are they trying to sell to, right? My guess is that Fender's marketing team (like many of the brands you'll see at GC) are all about creating a great "store impression" - building kit that is really carefully tuned to sound good on the showroom floor, whereas Aguilar has sold more by their solid reputation than what they sound like on the floor or at home. The oldest example of this that I encountered was the old GK "scoop" push-button on there heads; Push that button and suddenly you sound like Marus Miller - in the store. Push that button at a gig and you suddenly *disappear*. I ran a 400RB for many years and learned that that little button was nothing but toxic for playing live - but it sure made me sound cool when I was just noodling. As it happens, I'm more worried about sounding good in the mix than sounding good at home for my girl-friend or my four walls.
 
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#85
I love Aguilar cabs just not their neo's. Their heavy cabs are some of the best I have played, and their Sl's will sound good at bedroom levels but good luck getting enough tonefull volume at a gig with 200 people in the room and no front of house. From my experience with these cabs, no one would hear you in the mix when the band is at volume. Some of the gear gurus on here have chimed in numerous times that you can make a small cab that sounds good and is loud enough, but just not as small and light as the SL's.
 
#86
So, if I understand this all correctly, Johnny_bolt (representin' VEGAS!) posted a video comparing two cabinets, and did a good job of keeping the variables near constant to keep the comparison as even and fair as possible.

However, this is in a room, and not live, so how worthwhile is it?
It doesn't have them at full volume, so what good is it?
It doesn't account for some gigs being in small venues, some large, and some outside, so why bother.
It doesn't account for if there's a keyboard player - he should have found one.
It doesn't account for where you'll be set up relative to the drummer - he should have hired one for the video and then fired him.
It doesn't account for what the people 10 feet from you will hear vs the ones 50 feet from you - you have neighbors, use them.
It doesn't account for the extra guitarist, and if what they're playing through - they're a dime a dozen, get 12 and let's get serious.
It doesn't account for the saxophone player in the jazz band - they would have done this for a sandwhich.
It doesn't account for the quality of the PA system, so why was this video even made?

There are sooooo many variables that go into what you'll sound like live. There's too many to control and make comparisons. You have to start somewhere. This is a good place to start. Thanks for doing this comparison JB. I hope you do more.
 
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#87
wintremute said:
So, if I understand this all correctly, Johnny_bolt (representin' VEGAS!) posted a video comparing two cabinets, and did a good job of keeping the variables near constant to keep the comparison as even and fair as possible.

However, this is in a room, and not live, so how worthwhile is it?
It doesn't have them at full volume, so what good is it?
It doesn't account for some gigs being in small venues, some large, and some outside, so why bother.
It doesn't account for if there's a keyboard player - he should have found one.
It doesn't account for where you'll be set up relative to the drummer - he should have hired one for the video and then fired him.
It doesn't account for what the people 10 feet from you will hear vs the ones 50 feet from you - you have neighbors, use them.
It doesn't account for the extra guitarist, and if what they're playing through - they're a dime a dozen, get 12 and let's get serious.
It doesn't account for the saxophone player in the jazz band - they would have done this for a sandwhich.
It doesn't account for the quality of the PA system, so why was this video even made?

There are sooooo many variables that go into what you'll sound like live. There's too many to control and make comparisons. You have to start somewhere. This is a good place to start. Thanks for doing this comparison JB. I hope you do more.
Click to expand...

So your point is that this is the observations by many as to how this video is, though well intended, rather meaningless for those who might want to use the gear to actually gig is somehow... Bad?

Bass is not like guitar - it just isn't. It needs to be heard in context - in the mix. Of course, if the intent is to never leave home, then it is actually a fine comparison.
 
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#90
SanDiegoHarry said:
So your point is that this is the observations by many as to how this video is, though well intended, rather meaningless for those who might want to use the gear to actually gig is somehow... Bad?

Bass is not like guitar - it just isn't. It needs to be heard in context - in the mix. Of course, if the intent is to never leave home, then it is actually a fine comparison.
Click to expand...

My point is that, step 1: Do I like the way this amp sounds in these conditions? If no, then move on to another amp. If yes, then test the amp at the next level. I don't think this video is meaningless (at least for me).

When I got my latest set-up (Ampeg PF350 + an SVT-210av), my guitarist and I loved the tone. Then when it came time to record, we adjusted and adjusted and adjusted so it sounded best in the mix. Step 1 was liking the original tone. Step 2 was seeing if it would work in the mix. I think Step 1 is valuable.
 
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#91
wintremute said:
My point is that, step 1: Do I like the way this amp sounds in these conditions? If no, then move on to another amp. If yes, then test the amp at the next level. I don't think this video is meaningless (at least for me).

When I got my latest set-up (Ampeg PF350 + an SVT-210av), my guitarist and I loved the tone. Then when it came time to record, we adjusted and adjusted and adjusted so it sounded best in the mix. Step 1 was liking the original tone. Step 2 was seeing if it would work in the mix. I think Step 1 is valuable.
Click to expand...

Well, yeah - if you're in a store it's pretty much impossible to hear a rig as it would be "in the mix" - so unless you have heard that kit in the mix with someone else - at a gig or something - you're stuck.

I was lucky - I had heard the 2x10 cab I bought (or rather, one just like it) with a buddy's jazz band... I bought the 1x12 strictly as a practice cab but found that I loved the tone so much that I combined it with the 2x10 I had heard and I was set.

Thinking back, that's how I would seek gear as a young man - I'd see a player on stage, decide if I liked how he sounded and make note of what he was using. I know that's how I ended up with a Sunn rig back around 1980! But just hearing something in store... that doesn't tell you much at all. Example: Eden. I have NEVER liked Eden gear when i hear it in a store - ever. It always sounds honky and nosy to me. But I have seen many guys gig Eden cabs / amps and they almost always sit in the mix *really* well.
 
#97
SanDiegoHarry said:
I don't. I rarely even go into the board. I play bars, usually.
Click to expand...
Fair enough, When you go to the board do you go Direct or use a mic ?

My whole point in asking about those talking about in the mix, is that if the bassist is going direct to the board, and not using a mic on the cab, then the cab is not in the equation. I would guess the majority that send a signal to the board don't use a mic to do so.
 
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#98
lowplaces said:
Fair enough, When you go to the board do you go Direct or use a mic ?

My whole point in asking about those talking about in the mix, is that if the bassist is going direct to the board, and not using a mic on the cab, then the cab is not in the equation. I would guess the majority that send a signal to the board don't use a mic to do so.
Click to expand...
It is not as if there's an invisible wall between your amp and the front of the stage. People who think the audience can't hear their amp just because they're going through the PA are very much mistaken.
 
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#99
lowplaces said:
Fair enough, When you go to the board do you go Direct or use a mic ?

My whole point in asking about those talking about in the mix, is that if the bassist is going direct to the board, and not using a mic on the cab, then the cab is not in the equation. I would guess the majority that send a signal to the board don't use a mic to do so.
Click to expand...

Direct - always. I've never seen the point in mic on a bass cab (unlike a guitar amp/cab). So my cabs are pretty much used a monitors in big gigs, primary amplification on bar gigs - and honestly, I haven't done a "big" gig in years. As in since the '90s.
 
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#100
JimmyM said:
It is not as if there's an invisible wall between your amp and the front of the stage. People who think the audience can't hear their amp just because they're going through the PA are very much mistaken.
Click to expand...
That's a fair point.

I had not considered that, I suppose because I am a grumpy old fart that thinks 90% of the shows I attend have the PA way too loud.
 

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