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Double Bass Why No Acme Bass Cab Users???

jokerjkny

jokerjkny

Jan 19, 2002
13,427
54
NY / NJ / PHL
www.instagram.com
#1
hey guys,

as you can see, i'm VERY new here in the upright lounge. but have recently been bitten by the upright bug. besides, from my post count, you can prolly tell, i hang in the "other" lounge. :D

anywho, not to be the upstart, but i was wondering why Acme bass cabs dont get any say here with the upright gentlemen/women?

many in the other lounge knows of Acme's rep for that uncolored, "sounds like you're going direct", 31hz capable, "can hit the Low B like nobodies business" bass sounds.

and many of my jazzer buds have played thru my mini Clarus/Acme 1x10 only to be mightly impressed emough with the little 29 lbs. box to get one themselves.

anyone else here a user, or am i missing something about them?
 
#2
Can't speak for everyone else, but any time I amplify, I don't want to hear AMP...I want the feeling that my bass just got bigger and louder. The Acmes project too much of a focused tone (I had a B2 and a B4) and centers your attention on the amp, not the bass. It's hard to explain, but the AI Contra accomplishes what I want to hear because the tone seems to diffuse in all directions, much more like the acoustic tone of an upright.
 
#4
In my opinion the Acme gives an extremely true upright sound when combined with the Clarus head. I tried it side by side with the Contra at my teachers' place. He himself is endorsed by AI and was so impressed with the B1 he tried to get Acme to send him one for endorsement. I use EAs for electric but have not found them to my liking for upright. On the other hand I love the Acme for upright and not for electric.
 
#6
I thought I would chime in.

I'm an "upright only" guy who is using the Acme B-2. Driving it with a Rane AP-13 two-channel preamp with a K&K BassMax and a Crown GLM mic. I have a QSC RMX power amp.

My rig is not the smallest or the lightest and I primarily use the B-2 as a personal monitor (just can't depend on getting a good monitor mix anymore!).

Nevertheless, I am very happy with the B-2. The price/performance/size are excellent. The low end is very tight and it sounds accurate, just like a high-end monitor.

Andy makes a great box and I get to support a local, small business owner too.

Just my opinion.....

Touch
 
#8
Originally posted by Mike Goodbar
I'd be wary of Acme products.

Everytime Wile E. Coyote used them, he was either blown up, had a boulder dropped on him, or fell off a cliff.
Click to expand...

That's why I've never tried them - I've watched that poor sucker get stomped on my whole life, and always right after the word "Acme" showed up. Kind of a hard feeling to shake.

That, and the fact that I've never seen any Acme stuff around these parts.
 
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#10
My Clarus with a B1 is my amp/cab of choice for 18 piece modern big bands, a 14-piece 30's band, guitar or piano/bass duo's, and a quintet with a piano trio and two horns plus or minus a vocalist. Assuming that your bandmates in the jump band are not playing stupidly loud, it should provide plenty of volume, lots of clarity and a lot of punch. I never fail to get compliments on this setup when I take it out with my carved bass with a Schertler StatB. I don't like this setup with bass guitar, but it is wondeful with strin bass.

Erik Hansen
Los Angeles
 
#11
jump blues...I'd want something bigger than a 1-10" cab regardless of the band's volume. In my four piece jump blues band, I'll use a WM12 occasionally for really small gigs, but prefer at least a 210 and better yet a 410 cab. Remember, load in/out is only a few minutes...the gig is a few hours. I'd rather enjoy my sound during the longer period of time.
 
#12
I've used the Clarus B1 with a jazz quintet that can get loud but the guitar player keeps volume under control and so does the drummer. If I were playing big rooms though, I would want another speaker.
Like Erik said it is really dependent on the ears of your bandmates. Whenever I'm asked to play upright with someone new who isn't playing straight jazz, I always ask them if they are sure they want upright bass and not EUB or bass guitar because it becomes their responsibility as well to play to the volume of the instrument. That said, I've been really happy with the B1/Clarus combination.
 
#13
Originally posted by abaguer
Whenever I'm asked to play upright with someone new who isn't playing straight jazz, I always ask them if they are sure they want upright bass and not EUB or bass guitar because it becomes their responsibility as well to play to the volume of the instrument.
Click to expand...

This is a very important observation. I played in a jazz quartet for some time and during rehearsals I played a (solid body) Fichter EUB. During gigs, however, I brought my acoustic double bass with Schertler Dyn-B transducer. This really confused our drummer, who normally plays pop/rock only, for he found the bass sound to be very unfocussed. At first I thought that my bass wasn't amplified properly, but the recording of the gig (and the comments of knowledgable members of the audience) proved otherwise. It was a very accurate, acoustic sound. The drummer, however, liked the EUB sound far better. I think this is because he is used to the sound of bass guitars, rather than the sound of a double bass. So, if I were to play with him again, I would think twice before bringing my double bass, for the groove with him was much tighter when playing my EUB.

Vincent
 
#16
I used my underwood equipped upright with a B2 and a B4 in different situations. The B4 was too big and exhibited feedback easily and the B2 had to be pushed too hard for adequate volume. They sounded nice and everything but I couldnt find a happy medium with the cabs. The B2 wasnt enough and the B4 was too much. I use a Bergantino 210 now. Sounds close to the Acmes with my uprigh (IMO way better... not as dry sounding) with volume to spare.
 
#17
I have been using a B-2 for over 6 years and have never found anything else like it for my tastes. I amplify with a Walter Woods and use both electric and acoustic basses through it. I've played R&B, Rock, Jazz and electronic music with this rig and never had any problems.
I think a lot of it comes down to picking something you think sounds good and then working with it so you understand what the capabilities of the gear are.
Chris
 
#18
I have owned 2 acme b-2 bass cabinets and have never heard anything that sounds as good for accurate studio monitor bass sound. It has almost no resonate frequency sound coming from the cabinet itself, just like a good studio monitor. Nothing comes close. They are also very light and small enough to fit in the backseat easily. One b-2 sounds better than most 4-10 cabinets.
 
#20
Just bought a B-1 with the newest "upgrades" and using an EA iamp200 with it. I'll let you guys know how I think it sounds once I break it in. Jazzdog..acme's are kinda tough to hear before buying, as you probably know, due to most people haven't ever seen one or even heard OF them. The shop I teach in is going to get at least one sometime soon, so once it happens i'll check it out thoroughly.
 

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