funkle

Nice. I was wondering about a badge etc. Can’t wait!

This is true. I’ll also be attached to it because it will meet a lot of my demands for less cost, less weight, less bulk, easier carry...and great quality components. I’ve had a few years off; hence I sold my Fearless stuff etc. This gets me back in the game for a lot less spend and equal quality.

Now I’ve written out the list of everything I’ve owned and tried, I’m a little embarrassed. Lol. Honestly there were good reasons for selling at the time 🤣

Shut up and take my money! 😂 The pics look great. This is a tremendous effort. I’m ready to order already...can’t wait to try it out/build it. At one point or another, I’ve owned or trialled some of the best cabs/combos around...Fearless F112, Barefaced BB2, Acme B1 and B2, Vanderkley MNT112, Bergantino CN112 and the IP112ER, the AER Amp One and Three...however what I really like the idea of is rolling your own cab at big discount from the others, but still having the performance of the big boys. Pete

I bought DeeDee’s Sterling HH. He photographed it perfectly, described it accurately, and shipped it lightning quick. Communications quick and responsive throughout. I’m delighted and would be happy to deal with him again. Pete

@Phil Starr I will PM you.

This looks a nice factor for small jazz gigs. I’m going to make one of Stevie’s larger flatpack cabs for bigger gigs, using the Faital 12PR320 with the compression driver. If I use this thread’s cab design with the 12PR320 driver, could I safely use the two cabs together if I ever needed ridiculous volume?...I doubt the need but you never know. The other question I have is whether I could squeeze a tweeter into this little cab. I’m too used to that extra top end.

Gotcha. Absolutely fascinating. I’m really stoked now! Fingers crossed for the CNC pack debut... 😎

Phenomenal graphs. I can’t wait to build one. I do think one cab, the Big Baby 2, that Alex makes, would be able to match the performance here...in terms of audibility above or near to the cab without having to tilt it or raise it. It has a less expensive compression driver and a nice waveguide. But I can’t think of many other bass cabs that will do that. Maybe the Audiokinesis models as well - the Thunderchild, Hathor, and Changeling. Those have some unusual techniques to allow audibility above the cab. It is stellar work though! I’m stoked.

Gotcha. Thanks everyone. Very informative discussion as usual!

Good points. I’m less interested in ‘perfectly flat’...you shrink the cab and you get a little bass hump often which can be helpful. Or a hindrance, depending on your design preference. I’d be interested in knowing what ‘good enough’ is...tricky question.

Here’s a grenade I’ll just throw into the mix. Probably merits a separate thread. But.. How much smaller could this cab be shrunk without compromising the low end too much? (But keeping the compression driver). I’m thinking about the Barefaced Super Midget style proportions...pretty tiny...very appealing... (https://barefacedbass.com/product-range/Super-Midget.htm) I know that shrinking the box will potentially affect driver output as well. But I’m just interested to know.

Yep. You pays your money and you takes your choices...

Hmm. When I said bags of power for an F112....the Tecamp Puma 900 (500W into 8 ohms) I had with that setup gave everything it could to the F112 and the F112 could take it all and laugh. The woofer is an absolute monster in that cab. I mean...you’re going to need a proper PA amp to make the F112 cry. I wouldn’t doubt that you could throw 800W into a single F112 and it would keep giving. I’m not sure about 1000W RMS, but maybe if you were careful....the woofer (Eminence 3012LF) I think is rated at 450W RMS. That seemed conservative to me. The BB2 has a modified Eminence 3012LF (I think). But since it’s not trying to make so much in the way of lows, it’s significantly louder than the F112 with less power. 500W into a BB2 is slamming.

The F112 goes lower than the BB2, but it is really so low you may not need it. Both can very happily cover a 5 string, low end stomp fx, etc. (By the way, 'proper low end' for me does not mean significant reproduction of the fundamental of B at 30 Hz; it means proper reproduction of the first harmonic at 60Hz and going upwards. I owned an Acme B2 and B1 way back when and both could reproduce 30Hz fundamental. Sounded fantastic but were hugely ridiculously inefficient and once I realised I didn't need the fundamental - heck, I was high-passing it out in many scenarios - I sold them and got louder solutions. My experience now is that I perceive a cab as big in the low end now when it reproduces a fair bit of 50Hz signal and upwards. Not many do that, though...). The F112 is a good bit heavier, even in okoume plywood. But a very good form factor, tilt backable, etc. The high end out of both is very good, although I like the BB2 high end a little better than the F112. Just barely. Both cover the mids evenly and have excellent dispersion. I concluded the F112 needs huge power to get the absolute best out of it. 500W into the cab and it will barely break a sweat. It's very loud with 500W, but edged out for loudness by some other cabs I have tried - BB2 included. The BB2, as I said before, is lighter on the low end, but since it's a single 12" in a correctly sized box it will take EQ for the low end very well, and is louder than the F112 with the same power applied. The F112 looks 100% better than the BB2. It's unfair to Alex, but I have always disliked that paint finish. The Barefaced tolexed cabs look a million times better than the 12" series, in my opinion, and I think Alex would sell even more if he tolexed the 12" cabs. These are both very much FRFR type solutions, also; if you are used to baked-in voicing in cabs you will get a huge shock. Then you need to be able to carry solutions to colouring your sound if you wish it; some people get away with very little, and others go for Zoom/Helix/exotic preamps/etc. An adjustable high pass filter for the low end does make a difference in some scenarios with the F112, less for the BB2 as it's not quite so huge there. Given these are FRFR type solutions....then the next question is....lol...should you just buy a powered FRFR PA cab? Lol. See other threads for discussion.... Just my thoughts of an afternoon. Pete (Background. I sold everything a while back because of young kids and being busy, but am looking at 12s again myself.)

The transient response of the Barefaced drivers is excellent. I would be surprised if that was the cause of any tone issues. I think you’re missing the sound of the high frequency compression driver/tweeter. 4K cutoff is a little low for my tastes as well.

Noticed my mistake with model number for GK heads. Corrected. Doh

The BB2 is a hugely capable cab. It can definitely deliver brown sounds. What are you missing in your sound? The BB2 is by its nature pretty clean sounding, although you can get a more ‘old school’ top end by turning the attenuator on the back so the highs are coming more from the cone than the compression driver. If you need big low end, then you want a lot of power. The BB2 will put out pretty much whatever you put into it. I tried a Tecamp Puma 900 (now Eich) and a GB Streamliner 900 with it. Both of those gave out a ton of volume/low end. I would think a GK MB 800 or GK MB Fusion 800 would absolutely wail through that cab as well. These are all second hand options...

That is a beautiful handle. I had thought a handle like that, and the cut outs etc, was going to be standard.

Thanks kindly for all the hard work, Stevie and everyone.

Any word on flat pack progress? I remain interested...

I’ve owned a few Stingrays, an Anniversary 5 string HH one which was absolutely gorgeous and a 5 string HS version. I didn’t hear the weak G string issue though was aware of it from forums. Both had excellent build quality - no complaints about the hardware from me. Loved that doohickey for adjusting neck relief, every bass should have that. Fretwork good, lovely fast necks, etc. Pickle for me was the sound. Loved how they recorded, but never found a way to be comfortable with the sound through an amp. No matter how much I tweaked the pickup selection and EQ, there is a fundamental quality of Stingrayness to the sound which is inescapable. For want of a better description. I realised the problem at that point was me. Great basses but not for everyone. Horses for courses. They sound great in other player’s hands. OK in mine. (Plus I never got to try a 2 band Stingray. That might have had a warmer sound.) I liked the Sterling SB14 and the full on Sterling dual HH I had at one point though. Such outrageously ballsy basses. Even more aggressive than the Stingray. I feel like if I decide to pick up an EBMM bass again, I’ll just try another Sterling. Just outrageous, those basses....what a snarl.