pantherairsoft

I've been wanting to review this beast of a cab for a while but though it was best to not get carried away by the "oooooh WOW, this is awesome" feelings of having a new toy so I have left it a number of months in which time I have rehearsed with it ALOT, gigged in everything from a huge theatre to a grotty night club and spent 2 days in a recording studio with it. So here goes... [b]SPECIFICATION...[/b] Barefaced Big Twin T. 2x12" Drivers (low passed @ 1000Hz), 1x6.5" Mid-Driver, 1x High quality tweeter. Dimensions: 90cm x 43cm x 40cm. Weight: 26kg (25kg if you get the version without a tweeter). Useable frequencies: 30Hz - 22KHz (The upper limit drops to 10KHz if you loose the tweeter) though the spec sheet states it runs down to 21Hz (with a large roll off of course). 4 Ohms. Recommended power amp: 300-1500w with a continuos thermal power handling of 900w (which is a lot!!). Max LF/SPL Output: 127db. [url="http://barefacedbass.com/product-range/big-one.htm"]Link to manufacturers site.[/url] [i]For the purpose of this review and all of its gigging/rehearing/recording it has been used with my Roscoe Century 6 fretted & fretless (mainly the fretless) basses and powered by either an EBS-1v2 Preamp into a Crown XTi1000 power amp, or more recently a Genz Benz Streamliner 900. I also throw more effects and textures at the cab than you can shake a stick at.[/i] [b]FEATURES & BUILD QUALITY: 8/10[/b] Features wise, this cab has everything a gigging bassist needs. It comes equipped with side handles and casters in a tilt back and go configuration, plus a top handle for pushing/pulling it around. The wheels are plastic and intended for rolling it in and out of venues, NOT bouncing it up curbs etc. so you need to be wary of treating it as intended. When sat upright it rests of sturdy rubber feet at the front and the casters act as the rear feet. The cab has metal corner protectors and while the material used for the cab is quite thin it has a very solid feel to it. Back of the cab has a single Speakon socket and the attenuator for the tweeter can be found around the front on the ports, along with a two position volume switch for the mid driver - Great thinking there to make adjusting them on stage VERY easy. The front is a black steel grill (although a silver retro cloth is available) which is sturdy and secured in place at multiple locations. All drivers are well secured and are very high quality. It's fair to say that very little expense has been spared on components. The cab is amazingly light for a cab of it's size weighing in at only 26KG - When you consider that this thing competes quite happily with an 8x10 cab (which tend to weigh about the same as a fridge/freezer) thats pretty impressive! The EBS cab I used to use was half the size and weighed the same! Small niggles here would be the handles are rubber strap style and I think, having carried this cab up and down stairs on a weekly basis for a number of months that it would really benefit from fold out metal handles like [url="http://www.penn-elcom.com/product/hardware/handles/surface-handles/h1078/1277/"]THESE.[/url] That said, the current handles are VERY low profile making movement through doorways etc very easy and so I understand the reasons for the handle choice. The metal corner protectors that cover the corners next to the full length port over lap the opening slightly and the edges are a little sharp. They could do with being ground back a little, though I appreciate this would be hard to do in a neat tidy way without having custom ones fabricated. If you wanted to be picky then a jack input on the back would be handy, though not an issue for me in anyway. I am aware that this was done to avoid a jack delivering the 1000+ watts that these cabs are regularly driven with, but as we do not all use super high powered amps, a Speakon connection is not always a requirement (and some older and/or less powerful amps do not have Speakon outs!) and many people with such equipment do not own Speakon cables. Again, this is no issue for me, but has proven an annoyance with support bands whom I have allowed to use the cab at gigs and who do not have a cable to connect their amp to it! [b]TONE/SOUND QUALITY: 10/10[/b] For me, it provides everything I could ever (and have ever) wanted from my bass tone. 10/10 is a pretty impressive score I know, but this really deserves it. Using EBS cabs for a long time I was very happy with the overall tone but it lacked the ability to provide real sub-esque low end when playing at venues that have poor PA support. This cab is effectively a PA sub and top in one box, tuned for a full range bass. The Big Twin T is the 1st cab that has really taken everything I've ever thrown at it. For anyone that knows me and my set up, my 'core' bass tone is a full octave down with a low pass filter, meaning huge amounts of 40-50Hz which I want to be clean and 'club sub' like. THIS CAB DELIVERS. Smooth, deep and clean. Now it's easy to get carried away thinking that this cab is all about bottom end and with it holding a pair of low-passed 12" speakers delivering nothing over 1000Hz (that means bass, bass and more bass) you can see why. However, the 6.5" mid driver seems to defy reality as it basically covers the full range sounds of your average bass cab out of its tiny footprint! This driver delivers all of my fuzz, modulation, distortion, 2 and 3 octave split tones and it delivers it cleanly and articulately. How it does it I'll never know, but my goodness it's impressive. I run the mid-driver on its 'high' volume setting which seems to add a little more 'bite' to the high mids as well as increasing the volume. I imagine if I was using a clean bass tone I'd be happy to run this driver on the 'low' setting, but up high it really helps bring out the upper harmonics from dirt and and modulation effects. The tweeter is very high quality and comparable with the EBS tweeters I am used to hearing (and always considered the best I had heard). Sound is crisp and glassy and it produces very little hiss when cranked up high. This helps add real sparkle to effects like bit crushing, ring modulation and high gain distortions that usually get missed though bass rigs. It may be a bit much for many bassists but it really allows me to fulfil my role of bassist, guitarist and synth-player all in one from a single cab and set up, rather than depending on the PA to delivery a part of my sound as I used to. I appreciate that the score in this category will always be the most subjective to musicians (after all we all want and hear different things in our tone) and my application is fairly unique from a live bass perspective, but for me this as close to perfection as I think I'll ever find. [b]VALUE FOR MONEY: 8/10[/b] I'm giving this an 8 purely because these cabs are expensive and with the current Neodymium shortage/supply restrictions they became more expensive still. This is not a reflection on it's 'value' as such. I think the cab is worth every penny for me and my application, but the cost difference between this and other options is fairly steep. This cab will out perform its rivals without doubt and in a fairly impressive way, but for the non-audiophiles among us I expect the price step up for this level of quality to be one that some would struggle to comprehend. That said, I'd happily of paid a little more given what this cab has done for my overall tone and presence at our live shows. After all 8 is a HIGH score still! Worth noting though that I had tried out more expensive cabs when I was on my quest for the right one and this outstripped all opposition including those with higher price points. [b]CUSTOMER SUPPORT: 10/10[/b] No quibbles here. Alex is a gent. He cares about his customers, goes out of his way to help where he can and offer suggestions to trouble shoot new and interesting issues that may arise. He knows his stuff and answers questions with technical information to support his thoughts and reasoning. When you get an answer you know its right and that its based on real facts/maths/science and from a musician himself. Many companies are all too happy to be helpful leading up to a sale, then get a little slack about things when you have already bought your toys - Alex stays on the ball and it goes an awful long way in my experience. Who else gives you a 1 month no questions returns policy and encourages you to gig the hell out a cab in that time to make sure it works for you at a live show! [b]OVERALL: 9/10[/b] It would be unfair to give this cab 10/10 due to the 'minor' niggles like the corner protectors/no jack input/strap handles etc and I don't believe in using decimal places (otherwise we'd be looking at a 9.5!) so I'll consider this a VERY solid 9. The Big Twin T delivers everything I need to carry my complex signal chain and force feed it into people ears. It is LOUD - literally making my amp seem twice as loud as it was before and it has no compromise in tone anywhere to be seen. We've all said it before, but I can't imagine using another cab (well, until the Big Twin T Mk.II is born! lol) as after 12 years of playing live and owning some seriously gucci gear, this has been a total game changer. I would encourage anyone interested in this cab, or any Barefaced cab to drop Alex an email. He has some eye opening thoughts and will be all too happy to answer questions and point out a few things you may of considered regarding the equipment you already own as well as some great tips on matching amp to cab. Anyone near Nottingham that would like to try the cab is more than welcome to do so. Just get in touch! Shep Pic from a recent live show - The Barefaced with my (now old) pre/power set up:

Bought Stephens Genz Streamliner. Great amp from a top chap. Friendly and helpful. Great deal. Thanks bud Shep

[quote name='EskimoBassist' timestamp='1330025839' post='1551733'] Your OC-2 in the classifieds is really tempting me, but I am just happy with my OC-3 instead to be honest. I mean yeah I would like to have that iconic phat dubby sound on tap, but the OC-3 is nice and precise - it would some convincing to push me over to the analogue side. [/quote] The OC-3 on the -2 oct mode (but only using the -1 oct) is VERY close to the OC-2. Not the same, but as close as you'll get without an OC-2. I'll always keep an OC-2, it's such a classic pedal and a tone that suits so many styles.

The new TC stuff is amazing. I have a Flashback delay that I use as a looper at home, but love the modulated delay on it. Lovely sounding! Moog LPF is stunning, though the moistness of it has done my head in recently. I have an eye on a TC Nova Dynamics at the mo as well for some noise gating and always on tri-band compression (new amp does not have a compressor in it).

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1330020421' post='1551621'] your board just gets more awesome! [/quote] Thanks! The Aguilar is amazing for my sub channel - a real game changer! Tonally I still prefer the OC-2 for my core sound, but the smooth octave down with that filter rolled back and a 50Hz boost after it is amazing!

Updated pics... Couple of small tweaks... [IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h44/pantherairsoft/Amp%20Cab%20Pedals/220aa1db.jpg[/IMG] [IMG]http://i61.photobucket.com/albums/h44/pantherairsoft/Amp%20Cab%20Pedals/e9cc9916.jpg[/IMG] Aguilar Octamizer now providing my sub tone. Polytune Mini added as well.

No specific doubts - more of a concern. I am no expert... My train of thought was that is Amps contain a fair amount of technology to deliver accurate power to both outputs in stereo then a basic splitter may not do it alone. If it will, then cool! I just assumed (maybe wrongly) that some form of regulator would be required.

Another easy deal with Si. Traded pedal for pedal. Cheers dude!

Hey dude. I'm 5'4" and I have arms shorter than 'average'. My 6ers have all been 35" scale (in fact every bass in the last 10 years has been 35") scale and for the last few years I've stuck to broad neck/19mm spacing... Don't let my issues put you off going for a great bass. Bass playing is not THE cause of my pains and issues, just one contributing factor. Thanks for the kind words regarding the music. There are other folks doing similar live stuff... But it sure would suck to not be doing it anymore! Just spent a day in the studio recording some ambient electronic stuff. All live takes, no overdubs or drop ins. I really hurt... But it sounds awesome!

[quote name='Prime_BASS' timestamp='1329870805' post='1549045'] The standard prices are very achievable, even for me.! Im tempted! [/quote] DO IT!!! [quote name='Darkstrike' timestamp='1329920930' post='1549766'] The Standards are one of, if not the best deals in boutique basses(unless buying used, of course), IMO. [/quote] Agree 100%. Fantastic basses [quote name='Chris2112' timestamp='1329932479' post='1549999'] As I sit here listening to Erasure and Depeche Mode, this is just the sort of thing I want right now. Though I'd rather have an Oberheim Xpander. [/quote] The studio we were recording at today had an old school Korg Synth in the control room - with a patch bay and all. Seriously moog-y stuff.

I recorded today with a Streamliner 900. DI from the head and a mic on the cab and I can honestly say that the DI sound is SUPERB. Even with my hell of a signal chain it was quiet and sounded huge. Output is perfect for recording, nothing silly.

If you run it into two 8 Ohm cabs then thats a single 4 Ohm draw (bridge mono). Bridge mode is a single output so you won't get an amp that has 2 outputs in bridge - Stereo is two Bridge (mono) is one. A splitter 'might' work, though I have no idea how it would cope with large amounts of power and would not image that each side would receive exactly half power so they may be imbalanced. You really need to be running in Stereo. The Streamliner is actually quite a good solution in this case as to get stereo output in 8 Ohms you need a very high powered amp. Why not give this chap a shout - http://basschat.co.uk/topic/166124-10-off-any-amplifier-with-a-basschat-review/

Cheers dude. That Fretless is awesome and I will miss it! The 1st Roscoe with a Bart MM pup (now offered on the spec sheets) - http://www.talkbass.com/forum/f153/d049-monkeyman-855526/

Really like it dude. Great sounds and a cool vibe.

I used to have the 5 string version (which a friend now owns - and is selling!). Yamaha BBG5 if I recall correctly. Great players for the prices and at £75 that's an uber bargain.