Why don't the big boys make good cabs?

[CL400Peavey]

Much respect for Greenboy, but they are off the shelf drivers.

Sure, but where are they offered in off the shelf cabs?

 

[Munjibunga]

If they made cabs comparable to boutique cabs, they'd have to charge boutique prices. That's not their market sector.

 

[CL400Peavey]

If they made cabs comparable to boutique cabs, they'd have to charge boutique prices. That's not their market sector.

I would say they would have to charge more. Small shops have guys willing to go the extra mile, and not get paid. Not usually the case in large shops.

 

[TMARK]

I have always been happy with Ampeg and GK cabs. I tried a couple of used Eden cabs but everyone I looked at had at least one blown speaker. I have never had this problem with used Ampeg or GK.

The Eden XLT cabs are very mid-forward. They are pretty efficient. At high volume people tend to pump the bass to compensate, and the speakers will blow. I love my XLT but I'm mindful of the amount of 40-50hz bass I put through it.

 

[R Baer]

It depends. If I look at my own 210 with coaxial mid/high unit it's both the drivers and the crossover. The crossover alone will cost ya more then a 100... and it took a lot of measuring and tweaking to get the result that I wanted. Without that crossover the cab wouldn't be what it is now and it would surely sound different. In certain situations/designs the cross-over will have a huge impact on how the system sounds and you won't get there with a run-off-the-mill crossover. I take crossovers seriously.

I'm not saying that more money spend won't make for a better performing cab, but does better performing translate to better sounding? My point has to do with the laws of diminishing returns and what the average bass player is after when they buy gear. There are plenty of companies out there like GK, who make a right fine cab in the $500 price range. Is a cab like mine, or yours better? Depends on who you ask and what you define as "better". There are a ton of players who prefer the sound of a $300 Squire P bass over a $4500 MTD because they prefer the sound they get from that bass. I've personally played some very high dollar, well respected bass cabs and thought "Meh, not for me." The big companies have found a formula for designing cabs that are A) affordable and B) good sounding to a large portion of the bass community.

In direct response to the OP, I think the big boys make plenty fine cabs that serve their customers well and keep their companies profitable. They are more than happy to leave the high dollar, uber-performing cabs to the boutique builders and the 2% of players of players that buy them.

 

[tonemachine]

As an aside, it has always been amazing to me that certain band members, throughout my long and illustrious (ha ha) career, have thought a bass is SUPPOSED to sound like thump thump thump. I have always preferred, even before "modern" became "modern", more punch, growl, and sustain. When asked can't I do thump thump thump I always just say no (well, unless is pays to say yes).

I think a lot of times advertising and majority use focuses on products that may not be made as well as other products. But from what I have seen, it is usually price driven and for the most part, if one cab costs 300 and the competition is 475 the majority purchases the 300 one, even if the other cab actually represents the better value by having better build quality and driver specs. And of course manufacturer spec claims influence a certain number of consumers even if they are extremely exaggerated. If folks see "2,000 watts" versus "500 watts" the immediate perception is that the former will be better and will sound louder - and due to psychoacoustics it DOES, in many cases, initially sound louder & better to them even if the actual output is the same or less.

If you get into any more situations with the "bass is supposed to go thump" guys, turn em onto an isolations thread so they can hear what bass sounds like alone! Of all ive heardI think only the zeppelin and Jamerson stuff was close to "thump thump" but that probably worked since the guitars were more sparse and also not all up in the low end like so many rock guys nowadays.

 

[MegaSwing]

The 112 Mesa Scout cab is pretty far out, and sounds great.

+1
I'm constantly gobsmacked by how formidable mine is. It hits with serious force. The challenge with it is always taming it down, never letting it loose. At 33 pounds without the Walkabout head in it, nobody would ever consider it heavy or bulky.

 

[fdeck]

One thing about custom and cottage-industry cabs is that they can be designed to the player's preferences. The result is what would seem to a larger gear maker, to be an incredibly fragmented market.

 

[SickAura]

I would disagree. Having played a Black Sabbath cover or two through a fEARful. My tone was just what I wanted it to be.

Me too

I do this as often as I can

 

[slade]

played a gig last night and we were headlining so we provided the backline. Opening band had a great bass player. Came up to confirm if it was cool if he used my gear (they are on the road and I'm not). I said, hell yeah man- set it up however you like and do your thing. We sound checked first and after he came up and said something like, "well that sounds awesome- good to go". I again said, do whatever you want to the amp, I can change it back. He didn't touch a thing. He sounded great out front (small room, little to no DI in the mains). Sounded different than me. Sounded like a different bass player. I dug his tone.
Berg HD410. I love the cab but very expensive. I think we both would have sounded good and different from one another through another cab, say an AMpeg, GK, Fender Etc. Fingers count. Attack counts. Style counts. Artistic approach counts. Having decent gear totally counts. But splitting hairs happens a lot too around here.

 

[tubster]

The 112 Mesa Scout cab is pretty far out, and sounds great.

I am the OP. Owned a Scout 12 4 ohm. You are quite right about it being forward thinking, its size belies its ability. I sold it due to Mesas inflexibility in not wanting to change it over to 230v so I could use it when I moved to Europe. Long story, won't bore you with it! A new one here at the discounters is $2,300!!!! It will not be replaced.

However I am still looking for: 112 to match my Berg CN112, in Europe, around $500.

 

[johnpbass]

No matter how you slice it, it is a great time gear-wise to be a bass player. SO many great gear choices. IMO, it's impossible for anyone to say they cannot find an amp to fit their style and tastes.

 

[MegaSwing]

No matter how you slice it, it is a great time gear-wise to be a bass player. SO many great gear choices. IMO, it's impossible for anyone to say they cannot find an amp to fit their style and tastes.

True enough. What's more is how easy it is to land a highly giggable amp setup for not a lot of money. Back in the day, that was not usually the case.

 

[johnpbass]

True enough. What's more is how easy it is to land a highly giggable amp setup for not a lot of money. Back in the day, that was not usually the case.

Great point MegaSwing. Back when I started playing (early 70s) you had to spend some $ to get something gig-worthy. I had to save a lot of proceeds from gigging to get my first nice Ampeg rig!

 

[TMARK]

I am the OP. Owned a Scout 12 4 ohm. You are quite right about it being forward thinking, its size belies its ability. I sold it due to Mesas inflexibility in not wanting to change it over to 230v so I could use it when I moved to Europe. Long story, won't bore you with it! A new one here at the discounters is $2,300!!!! It will not be replaced.

However I am still looking for: 112 to match my Berg CN112, in Europe, around $500.

Yeah using a giant transformer is a drag. They do sell the 12" extension cab, and I see, on ebay, the combo cab without the head being sold for around $300 USD. I know Mesa stuff is very expensive in Europe, so probably not a viable option.

 

[two fingers]

Threads like this are great because you see why these people aren't running major MI companies. It's real easy to say all this stuff when it's not your money on the line.

Exactly. If someone like GK or Carvin were to release an $1800 cab this forum would spontaneously combust with outrage. Most here want companies to stay in their little boxes and behave. Trying something new and different will gain you nothing.

How many new and fresh designs of Fender basses have you guys not flamed? (Answer: exactly zero)

OP, you are the exception, not the rule. Most GK fans or Ampeg fans (or whatever massed produced amp company you can name) want their favorites to keep doing what they have been doing.

 

[Arthur U. Poon]

Considering that most of my favorite bass lines were recorded on Ampeg B15's or direct I am not sure exactly how much an improvement the improved cabs are. And in live situations, the old standbys have seldom disappointed.

Buy what want and then play your ass off.

+1. IMO In a live situation I'm striving for a tonality that allows me to hear myself, without being too loud onstage, and to have a tone that blends with the other instruments onstage. Pretty much any decent quality cabinet can achieve my goals in a pinch.

 

[wcriley]

Considering that most of my favorite bass lines were recorded on Ampeg B15's or direct I am not sure exactly how much an improvement the improved cabs are.

Being able to get my "direct" sound on stage is precisely why I've used fEARful (and Acme before that) cabinets for so many years.

 

[tombowlus]

However I am still looking for: 112 to match my Berg CN112, in Europe, around $500.

If I were looking for a high-quality, great-sounding European-made 1x12, I would be looking to companies like Glockenklang, Hevos, EBS and Barefaced, to name a few. There are probably many others. Have you checked out any of these brands?

 

[Chef]

The big boys don't make good cabs?
I guess it depends who you call "big boys."
I've used GK Neo for some many years now, and really like those.
In the past, I've used swr, eden, fender, and ampeg happily.