Schroeder 21012L

[wateroftyne]

Hi all

[note: I've had this cab for about 10 months now, and I've used it at least a couple of nights a week since then. I wrote this review a little while after I got it, and I still stand by it.]

First, a bit of background.

I play my flat-strung early 70's Jazzes and Precisions, and Bassix EUB through Acoustic Image Focus 2 head, routing the slabs via a SABDDI to add a bit of grit. My desired tone is classic fingerstyle, veering towards the old-school, Duck Dunn, Tim Schmitt, John McVie, Glenn Worf, John-Paul Jones, with a dash of Geddy Lee growl when I'm in the mood. I'm not at all interested in how it sounds solo'd - I'm a 'band' player first and foremost.

I play with a few different bands, ranging from a trio with a violin and acoustic guitar, a full band backing a rootsy singer/songwriter, to a rock'n'roll five-piece with noisy guitars. I also play in a lot of different venues (I'm a gig whore!) - small noisy bars, large noisy bars, arts centres with well-behaved audiences, theatres and outdoor concerts, all with and without PA support. Quite often, I never know what to expect until I get there.

Previously, I've been using a combination of Ashdown ABM cabs - a 15" and a 2x10" depending on the gig. They have served me well, but I've been looking for a fairly compact one-size-fits-all cab with plenty of headroom.

So, I spent a month or so doing my homework, looking at the likes of Tech, Epi, Aguilar, Accugroove... all the usual suspects. There's certainly some great stuff out there, but based on what I've heard I get the feeling that a lot of the top-end stuff is just a little hi-fi and not grunty enough for my liking. So, based on reviews on TB and elsewhere, I took the plunge and pulled the trigger on a 4ohm Schroeder 21012 Light from Gear4Music, one of Jorg's European distributors. My location means it's almost impossible to try any manufacturer's cab before I buy, so, I had to take a leap of faith and buy it blind.

This cab is 1000w and slightly smaller than your average 2x10, but with lows similar to an 15.

Things didn't get off to a great start - it went AWOL during shipping, and when it arrived grille was bent and the front panel had a couple of hairline cracks in it. Judging from the damage to the packaging, it took a hell of an impact, so it's pretty understandable. I informed Jorg and Jeroen at Gear4Music and almost immediately there were emails flying backwards and forwards with a view to sorting it out. To cut a long story short, a new empty cab has arrived, the components have been transferred across.

The cab is ply, with the exception of the internal baffle which seems to be MDF. The construction is - to my untrained eye - very tidy and solid. Certainly, my tech didn't see any cause to complain and I trust him! The wiring and connectors are very substantial, too. Very neat and tidy.

One observation - the cab seems to be a little heavier than advertised (56lbs). This may be incorrect - it's just a gut feeling. It's not something that particularly bothers me, as it isn't excessively heavy by any means. I bought the Light version for tonal rather than weight reasons.

Anyway, on to the really important stuff. How does it sound?

In a word, marvellous. It's a HUGE sound for such a relatively small box. At tonight's gig (a long, noisy bar without PA support that I play fairly regularly) some friends at the back of the room said the bass carried extemely well, far better than the Ashdowns.

I feel like I don't have to drive things as hard. The Schro seems 'effortless' - the lows are tighter and more focused than the Ashdowns, the angled 12" seems to move a remarkable amount of air, and the 10s are punchy and defined. A previous gig was a theatre with a big stage (the Tyne Theatre, in Newcastle) - and the rest of the band could hear me just fine to the point where I asked the monitor guy to pull it out of the on-stage mix.

The Selenium horn is extremely powerful, and as a result I roll it back until it's barely on. It's nice to know it's there if I need it, though. Because I'm so horn-phobic, it's unlikely that I'll ever experience any hiss..!

My bandmates love it. They feel like it has 'cleaned up' the bottom-end of the overall sound, without sacrificing warmth and without becoming intrusive.

Reading reviews elsewhere, it's apparent that these cabs just don't do it for some people... I'm guessing they're after a completely different sound to me. That's fair enough! It's what makes the world go round.

After every gig, it tells me 'Hi Honey, I'm home!'. It's all good!

Edited May 17, 2007 by wateroftyne

[nottswarwick]

how much are these bad boys?

[warwickhunt]

[quote name='nottswarwick' post='730' date='May 17 2007, 08:06 PM']how much are these bad boys?[/quote]

One UK distributor/supplier is SHX Music. Never dealt with them but they carry stock. WoT's cab retails @ £802 for the light version (£759 standard) but I bet you could haggle!

[url="http://www.shxmusic.com/schroederproducts.htm"]http://www.shxmusic.com/schroederproducts.htm[/url]

WoT kindly let me try his cab and though I am notoriously difficult to pin down about describing an amp or cabs tone, I can say that this think can be heard from wherever you stand in a room and so long as you aren't leaning against the back wall it appears to throw a 'consistent' tone to every part of the room (i.e. sounds the same @ 3' as it does @ 30').

[BassBalls]

Im thinking about getting this cab and i was wondering if anyone could give me a bit more info on it?

The thing that attracts me to this cab is being able to hear it on stage because for some reason, (maybe im going deaf! ) i struggle to pick myself out. I use a vintage ampeg V4B valve head and i keep the treble at 12 but roll the mid back to about 9-10 and boost the bass to about 1-2, i also tune down to C*, so basically i like a deep bass sound. Would this cab sound deep and low at a high volume or will it distort the speakers because of the huge amount of sub frequencies its being subjected too?

Cheers

[wateroftyne]

Volume-wise this cab will handle pretty much anything you throw at it...

Having said that, maybe you can't hear yourself too well because you've rolled the mids back?

I can't comment on it's performance down to C*, though.

[BassBalls]

I kind of knew that by pulling the mids back i would sacrifice some cut through but i prefer the sound of it.

Has anyone used a 5 string with one of these cabs?

Cheers W.O.T. for your comment. So would it be pretty impossible to distort the speakers?

[Dragonlord]

Well, Schroeders are basically that loud because they have a mid bump, so I think you will either have to change your taste in eq or learn to live with not being heard. Anyway, I know that the scooped sound might sound more pleasant when you're playing alone, but in the band it's a different story. I doubt you like your current tone in the mix if you "struggle to pick yourself out".

[BassBalls]

[quote name='Dragonlord' post='81464' date='Oct 30 2007, 09:52 PM']Well, Schroeders are basically that loud because they have a mid bump, so I think you will either have to change your taste in eq or learn to live with not being heard. Anyway, I know that the scooped sound might sound more pleasant when you're playing alone, but in the band it's a different story. I doubt you like your current tone in the mix if you "struggle to pick yourself out".[/quote]

I know what you mean, it does sound really sweet on its own but it soon gets lost when everyone kicks in. I tried tonight bumping up the mids a bit more and i was allot happier with my overall sound in the mix.

Im becoming more interested in the Schroeder gear though. It looks really compact and light weight and the reviews i have read are very encouraging. The 4 * 12 looks very interesting. Do any of the shops in london sell Schroeder stuff, Eg bass centre, any particular shop in Denmark street?

Cheers

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Dragonlord' post='81464' date='Oct 30 2007, 08:52 PM']Well, Schroeders are basically that loud because they have a mid bump[/quote]

This is especially true of the smaller boxes, the 1210 and 1212.

The medium and large boxes are much more 'open'.

[Dragonlord]

Bassballs: I don't think so, but I do know that someone carries them in the UK - check out the dealers page on Jorg Schroeder's site, it should have contact info.
WoT: Yeah, I used to have a 1210R and a Mini12R and I'm told the same about the bigger boxes, but that they are still mid-heavy on their own right.

[OldGit]

[quote name='Dragonlord' post='81683' date='Oct 31 2007, 12:35 PM']Bassballs: I don't think so, but I do know that someone carries them in the UK - check out the dealers page on Jorg Schroeder's site, it should have contact info.
WoT: Yeah, I used to have a 1210R and a Mini12R and I'm told the same about the bigger boxes, but that they are still mid-heavy on their own right.[/quote]

SHXmusic carries them ..
[url="http://www.shxmusic.com/"]http://www.shxmusic.com/[/url]
The site doesnt actually say where they are but I think it's near Brighton.
There's a 1210L on t'bay right now.
Might do the job for you.

[cbluez]

Hey I just found you guys whilst searching for other bass stuff!

This is a bit different cab configuration than the thread, but I've had a Schroeder 4x10 Light for 5 months now..This cab rocks...and weighs in at 58 pounds...and you can put it in the back seat of a Honda without killing yourself.

If I was rich I'd buy a bunch more different configurations to play with, but fear I would never know which one to take along.
They are expensive, but no more so than other high end boutique gear, and worth every penny!

I play in a very loud classic rock band complete with marshall stacks, and this 4x10 cuts all by itself with a Crown XLS 602 run bridged with lots of headroom. Even at outside gigs it's heard way out from the stage and chances are someone will tell you to turn it DOWN.

I ran a SWR 4x10 for 15 years and I love it, but it weighs a hundred pounds, and this cab smokes it for tone.

I ordered the Titanium tweeter as Jorg said it was sweeter sounding, and yes it is. All other cabs I've ever had, the obnoxious tweeter is almost always off, (those are the selenium jobs)but this one stays on full. Of course you won't hear the sweet shimmer it adds to your tone onstage cutting through the stacks, but at home and in quieter settings, it's beautiful.

This cab has all the lows you could handle and is rich and full sounding. I expect all his cabs to be like this.

I do credit the whole setup right from the Thomastik Infelds for the ability to punch, but the final link is the cab.

I got the 4x10 to cover all situations at Jorgs's suggestion, but I have a feeling that the 21012L would be a killer cab too. I really like 12's together with 10's..If I get any more cabs in the living room my wife will freak.

The guys are always joking about my woosy looking setup and begging to drag along more cabs for 'effect', but once it's fired up I got to dial out real low end to make one guitarist more than happy and run the whole system at a bare idle so the soundman is not freaking out..this cab 'projects'....don't make mistakes because there's no muffing it with this speaker.

I've pretty much completed our website, so take a look. [url="http://www.xlr8er.net/"]http://www.xlr8er.net/[/url]

Jim Castlegar, BC, Canada

[Dood]

Hey Jim! Thanks for the review too. Welcome to BassChat!

[Lozz196]

A new post on a fairly old review. I`ve just bought myself once of these Shroeder 21012L cabs, 2nd hand, off of here, and have used it for the past two nights, at rehearsals with both of my bands. I bought it based on a few reviews I`d seen (the above being a major contributor) as I needed a lightweight cab, following doing my back in yet again, lifting a heavy cab.

I love it.

Seriously, I couldn`t be more pleased with it. I`ve had many cabs/set-ups over the past few years, but think this cab, paired with my Gallien Krueger MB500, is the best I`ve had (cabs have included Ampeg, Marshall, Eden, Barefaced).

This cab has so much depth, yet has an amazing amount of definition to it. I`m a "hold the low-end" bassist, and did have concerns there may not be enough lows on this cab, however, as said, I bough it for the portability issue, so knew I`d have to "make do" if the lows weren`t there. Well how wrong was I? With all settings at midday (all flat aside from the contour which scoops the mids) the amount of power that this cab chucks out really amazed me. I use a Fender Precision through this set-up, and the presence in the mix is fantastic. I echo Wateroftynes comments "My bandmates love it. They feel like it has 'cleaned up' the bottom-end of the overall sound, without sacrificing warmth and without becoming intrusive." That`s probably the best way to describe it.

I would say however, to anyone looking at one of these, trying it out at home-volume won`t give it a chance to show what it does accurately. The cab, at quiet volumes, seems very middy - apparently Schroeders are like this - however once used at band volume, this seems to vanish, just leaving a tight, deep, defined sound.