Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

New Cab Day: Barefaced Big Twin 2


Sean
 Share

Recommended Posts

So, my BFBT2 arrived last week and it sounded great at home but I was waiting for a band rehearsal to really see if it was what I wanted and if it worked for me.



As you can see I set up my Matamp 2x12 (2x Eminence Delta Pro 12A) next to the BFBT2 so I could easily A/B (Pepsi Challenge) the two cabs easily just by swapping cables over between takes of songs. Rehearsal being an ideal opportunity to do this as we play each song twice (or more). I also took my wireless so that I could move around the room and hear what's going on in different places.

Once I'd got the 400+ set up and the Yamaha BB2024x plugged in we were ready to go.

400+ settings:

Input Ch 2
Vol=5
Master=4
Middle=10
Bass=3 + popped out
Treble=3-4 = popped out
NOFX

Note that the Matamp's drivers are new and not run in, those Delta Pro 12As have only about 2 hours playing on them and the BFBT2 even less.

Now, after reading about Handwire and Paubass' experience with the very same cab I was prepared to be disappointed and even prepared for whinging from the others. My initial reaction was that it's very punchy and has huge low end and it cuts through really well. It also sounds exactly like a 400+ should in my head.

So, first song I used it, it was so obvious that it wasn't my usual cab that only a corpse (and my Mum, probably) would have failed to notice the difference. We played the song again, this time with me through the Matamp and it was a very different story. The Matamp has a very definite sound to it and the top end sizzle wasn't there to the same degree (duh, lack of tweeter) and it's very punchy but the BT2 has so much more ooomph and air-moving capability even all new and not broken in. I like it, it's like me on a good day and I didn't get any of that feeling that I was hyper-aware of all the idiosyncratic shortcomings and inaccuracies of my playing, maybe it just doesn't work that way with a 400+, who knows?

One of my main priorities was to stand next to the drummer to hear what he hears as if that didn't work then the cab isn't worth tuppence let alone the Bag o' Sand that is the Annekah of this little tutti frutti [English:One thousand of your English Pounds asking price for this rather attractive object]. So standing next to our bloke on the sticks, I could hear myself really nicely and it was what I sound like. Moving to the guitarist, it sounded the same but with more high end and when I got to the keys player, it wasn't quite as good cos I had to hold my breath and that interferes with your hearing but anyway...

The singer liked it a lot, told me to stop swapping and stick with the one that filled the room. He's the gaffer so that's what I did.

Now then, the more eagle-eyed of you guys will have spotted that there is a Mesa Walkabout on top of the Matamp cab. I've never played the Walkabout through the Matamp and never had any desire or need to but I took it along just to see how it would perform through the BT2. Before I write anymore about that I noticed that there's a thread here where someone is asking what amp to use with a Barefaced of some kind or another and to that guy I must say, Walkabout.

I used to occasionally use the WA with my pair of Berg AE210s and it just didn't have the meat to get that pair of cabs moving properly although as you might expect, it did sound good but nothing to terrorise the neighbourhood. The WA through the BT2 is astonishing! It's one of the great amp/cab combinations of all time, especially since the WA is so plug & play and quiet. I compare the BT2 + WA to my friend's remapped Audi A7 3.0 TDI Quattro S-Line; absolutely thumping and performance like you wouldn't believe whereas the BF2 + 400+ is more like the air-cooled '93 Porsche 911 I used to have. One's modern and comfy, has outstanding performance and is easy to use to the point where any monkey can have fun with it and the other is inherently obsolete, absolutely fascinating, growls and snarls and you spend your whole time trying to master and tame the beast but gives you 1000x the thrill when you nail it successfully out of a bend.

Based on today's outing, the Big Twin is staying.

Edited by Sean
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Thank you for this. As far as Barefaced cabs go, I think you've really nailed the feeling I have about them.
Perhaps you could sell this slogan to Alex, it's a winner:

'Barefaced - sounds like you on a good day'.

I tried out my recently-acquired Big One at rehearsal last night and had a similar experience. :)

Edited by discreet
Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1397932226' post='2428810']
Thank you for this. As far as Barefaced cabs go, I think you've really nailed the feeling I have about them.
Perhaps you could sell this slogan to Alex, it's a winner:

'Barefaced - sounds like you on a good day'.

I tried out my recently-acquired Big One at rehearsal last night and had a similar experience. :)
[/quote]

Yeah, it's pretty good. Probably will get better as it gets run in and I get used to tweaking the EQ to suit it and the rooms it's use in.

So how did your first session with your Big One go?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='Sean' timestamp='1397933753' post='2428834']
So how did your first session with your Big One go?
[/quote]

Very good, thanks! Used it with my GK Fusion 500. No need to dial in any low end - you get that anyway. Had everything pretty much flat except for a touch of mids and it filled the room really well. Hefty, very nice presence and definition. A keeper. Not having heard a Gen 3 cab I can only imagine that it's a bit like that, only more so! Got favourable comments from the band too, which is unusual.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

[quote name='M@23' timestamp='1397936489' post='2428873']
There's some gear in that photo. I spent 5 minutes just taking it all in! The Matamp looks like a very well made cab.
[/quote]

The Matamp is bombproof. Weighs a tonne.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Spoke to our singer earlier and he commented that the bass sound in teh room on Saturday was much fuller and also more defined. He also commented that the other three guys in teh band didn't say a word about how much gear I had, didn't question it, nothing. It is a bit odd as I've been using just the MB Walkabout in combo format for a few weeks. Ah well, they're being sacked off soon :ph34r:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

 Share

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...