Barefaced Midget T vs Acme B1

[funkle]

Hi Alex

I'm looking into getting a smaller sized cab for small jazz gigs. I have successfully gigged with my current band (sax, drums, piano) using my ancient Trace Elliot Boxer 30 practice amp, which should give you an idea of the fairly gentle volume levels.

I generally run a TC RH450 into a 4 ohm Acme B2 for a bigger gig - e.g. a funk/soul gig. No volume problems in that context either. I'll be using the TC RH450 for the new smaller cabinet as well.

I'm in the market for as compact a cab as possible, and have been running down the possibilities. A lot of the 1x10's out there don't appear to have the low end I'm used to out of my Acme, at least according to their published specs. I've broadened the search to include 1x12's because of this.

I'm wondering about how the Midget T would compare to an Acme B1. Based on the published specs, it seems larger in size, smaller in weight, and more efficient.

Price-wise, an Acme would prob. cost about the same (maybe a little cheaper), given the exchange rate.

Pete

Edited September 8, 2010 by funkle

[funkle]

FYI (and for everyone else's info), the other cabs on the shortlist as it stands are:

Eden Ex110 (cheap, bit of an unknown quantity)
Eden Ex112 (ditto)
Schroeder Mini 10+ (again, not sure how much the published specs match real-world)
Hartke Hydrive 112 (reasonable inexpensive)
TC RS112 (strange form factor though)

Most other things appear too expensive for what they are, or the form factor starts getting a bit bigger than I can afford space-wise.

Pete

[Gareth Hughes]

Maybe worth checking out an Epifani UL112. They pop up here from time to time. Would easily do the job for your jazz gigs and they are just so easy to move around.

[funkle]

Thanks Gareth.

The Epifani UL112 was a cab I was interested in, but it's pushing the form factor just a little beyond where I want to be. Space is at a premium in my boot...I'm trying to aim for something not much bigger than the old TE Boxer 30!

TBH, the Hydrive cab is pushing it as well size-wise....

[fatback]

Can't compare, i'm afraid, but I gave the Midget its first outing last weekend.

my alt country band regularly shares a very small stage with other sometimes much bigger bands - gear all over the shop.

You literally daren't turn around for fear of taking either the guitarists or a punters head off with the headstock. Was I very happy with my little midget (no tweeter) last week? You bet i was.

Great sound. Tons of bottom (with eq flat). And, amazingly, I could hear it perfectly, even though I was standing with it a couple of feet behind my knees and didn't have it wedged up either. No boom at all. I was told later it could be heard clearly from clean outside the building.

A bit more detail here:

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=466&st=240&p=946526&#entry946526"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...mp;#entry946526[/url]

Build quality looks superb too. Very solid piece of kit.

And weightless (nearly).

Edited September 8, 2010 by fatback

[funkle]

Thanks, that was a really helpful review. Have you used your Midget for jazz stuff at some point too? And what about for upright?

Pete

[fatback]

[quote name='funkle' post='950333' date='Sep 9 2010, 10:11 AM']Thanks, that was a really helpful review. Have you used your Midget for jazz stuff at some point too? And what about for upright?

Pete[/quote]


haven't tried it except at home with upright, so not very loud, but I can't see it why it wouldn't sound as good as with electric.

I think it would be perfect for jazz. We play a fair few quietish swing numbers, and the electric guitarist is a jazzer. I'm playing fretless, and the Midget sits in there beautifully. As I said, i can't separate the EA Doubler effect from the Midget, but I think the cab is mostly what I'm hearing. Very precise sound, I'd say, but not at all cold. Maybe 'controlled' is the word I'm looking for. Would suit jazz very well, I'd guess.

[alexclaber]

Huge difference between the two cabs, the only similarity being that (in my clearly biased opinion!) they're both most excellent designs!

Regarding the other choices, none have comparable quality drivers so expect more mid-bass boom and less true bottom. The Midget will go as loud as any two of those 12"s and three of the 10"s before the bottom gets dirty. The UL112's driver is in a higher echelon than those others but still a good way behind the Midget's.

Regarding the Acme, are you playing a 5-string? What sound are you going for? YouTube links or Amazon samples needed! Is there anything you'd change about the tone of your B2?

To give you some perspective on the max output difference, a Compact can play as loud as two B2s and the Midget isn't much quieter than the Compact, just leaner in the lows. A Midget can move as much air as a B2 so with enough EQ you could definitely get as much fatness in the lows but what you won't get is that extra half-octave of extension due to the Acme's super-low tuning frequency. That extra extension doesn't really change the sound so much as the feel, which transitions from 'tight' to 'big'.

[fatback]

@ funkle,

just to add a small observation. I notice you'd been using a Trace practice amp. I'd been doing the same (blx80). Apart from the threat to my back, and the possible need for more headroom, I was pretty happy with the sound and never had to crank it to distortion. But honestly, I didn;t know what I was missing.

A couple of knowledgeable people commented at the gig that we sounded the tightest ever (and we're usually very tight). I don't think it was the playing, i think it was the Midget. No boom at all. Focussed.

[funkle]

Thanks for the responses guys! Really helpful.

Alex, your input is much appreciated. Your website has been really useful, though I don't pretend I understand all of it. I had surmised about the driver quality given the prices of the cabinets. I also worked out some of the box volumes, as in my limited understanding of these things stuffing a driver into a cabinet too small for it results in potential boominess. So, basically, I think it's come down to the Acme or the Midget T.

I'm using 4 string only, having previously played 5 and moved back to 4 string Jazzes. The true low end out of the Acme is wonderful for a Jazz, even if I don't need the low-end extension that I used to. I moved from a Flite 4x10 to the B2 and was shocked at how much true low end I was actually missing!

When I'm gigging in the jazz band (tenor sax, piano, drums, me) it tends to be fairly quiet, so max SPL concerns me a bit less than warmth of sound. I roll off both single coil volumes and the tone knob for most standards/swing, but for more modern pieces will swap back to tone knob fully up + both pickups back to 100%. Rarely do I go for the Jaco back pickup sound.

There isn't anything I'd change about the Acme B2 tone. I find it very faithful to what is put into it, and the colouration of the RH450 + Fender Jazz is pleasing together. I usually keep the B2 up off the floor if I'm doing a funk/soul gig (receptacle for a mount was installed by Andy), no probs with boominess from stage coupling to date.

Thanks for you comments chaps.

Pete