Barefaced-still waiting....

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='waynepunkdude' timestamp='1386017010' post='2294708']
I'm sorry but IMO Barefaced are not the be all and end all of cabs, sure they may suit some people but I fear most of the press is hype related, I've A/B'd an RS210 Vs a Barefaced compact and in my opinion the RS210 was far superior.

I wish people would stop this over-hyping of what is just another option.
[/quote]

I have also A/B'd a Compact versus an RS210. I think the RS210 sounded a bit better and the build quality of the RS is in a different universe to Barefaced. However, they are very light and sound very good.

[skychaserhigh]

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1386101077' post='2295871']
I own a Barefaced cab and a Rick......I feel like a leper.
[/quote]what the hell were you thinking ??!!

[ern500evo]

[quote name='martthebass' timestamp='1386101077' post='2295871']
I own a Barefaced cab and a Rick......I feel like a leper.
[/quote]
You think you've got it bad, I own a Barefaced, a Warwick, and TC and Ashdown heads!!

[JTUK]

[quote name='ern500evo' timestamp='1386110467' post='2296059']
You think you've got it bad, I own a Barefaced, a Warwick, and TC and Ashdown heads!!
[/quote]

we have a winner....

[ern500evo]

[quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1386110947' post='2296072']


we have a winner....
[/quote]
Leper would be a step in the right direction!! :-D

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1386107407' post='2295984']
I have also A/B'd a Compact versus an RS210. I think the RS210 sounded a bit better and the build quality of the RS is in a different universe to Barefaced.
[/quote]

And weighs 46lbs vs the compacts 27 ...

[nottswarwick]

Hang on a sec. The RS210 has a tweeter I think? The Compact does not. Different beast entirely, both good.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='0175westwood29' timestamp='1386101615' post='2295877']
still wouldnt wait six months.

as has been said bf get of lightly if not free, where a brand like fender or ampeg would get bashed!

and yeh the threads where people ask for a cab and get advised to go barefaced are really boring.

andy
[/quote]

All those other brands are mass produced and sold via a chain of 3rd parties which is where the trade off comes in: as a consumer you get to choose whether you pay the margins of those 3rd parties in return for instant availability or whether you buy something where all the money goes into the actual product but where you have to wait for it.

I think barefaced could probably do a better job of being transparent with waiting times but they are a small business with limited resources and probably not producing stuff on a scale that allows them to accurately predict exactly how much of any given thing is going get ordered.

[Conan]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1386107407' post='2295984']
I have also A/B'd a Compact versus an RS210. I think the RS210 sounded a bit better[/quote]

Better how? I'm not trolling or nit-picking, just genuinely interested in this comparison.

The whole point of the Compact is that it is a very transparent, uncoloured cab that presents the sound of your amp and bass. Most other cabs (including the RS210) are voiced in some way (either by design or not!) to accentuate or attenuate certain frequencies - that's what gives them "their sound".

So to do a direct A/B test with the same settings on your bass and amp is not really a fair test after all.

Edited December 4, 2013 by Conan

[Conan]

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1386094503' post='2295694']
As Wayne said, people generally don't criticise Barefaced on here much. Probably because of the aggressive responses they receive - as we see in this thread.

"I waited five months, paid in full, and a month later couldn't even elicit an email from the company!"
"I can't be doing with a cab that weighs 40kg. I mean, my back would give out if I just looked at one of those. Give me a B, give me an A, give me a, errrr..... what's after A?? Anyway, they're as light as a feather, and that's all that matters. End of."
[/quote]

Brilliant!

[Merton]

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1386153210' post='2296361']
Hang on a sec. The RS210 has a tweeter I think? The Compact does not. Different beast entirely, both good.
[/quote]

Very good point! Different design goals I imagine

[Roland Rock]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1386152248' post='2296347']


And weighs 46lbs vs the compacts 27 ...
[/quote]

That Stevie is psychic!
;-)

[Matt P]

my Barefaced Midgets took about 6 months but i was expecting that as when i ordered them i had a long chat wth Alex about the issues he was having getting hold of the eminence drivers in large enough quantities to match the speed at which he can put together the cabinets, and within those 6 months was Christmas, New year and the birth of Alex's son, all my emails and questions were answered swiftly enough and all the pain of waiting was erased from my mind the first time i powered them up!

Matt

[woodyratm]

I just had a quick read through this. So much negativity... they are nice cabs, sound decent and what not. If you don't want to wait, dont. Go buy an Ashdown/Ampeg/Blah blah blah - it's well known the timescales these take. If you prefer the sound of a TC - Good - use that, prefer the sound of Behringer? Awesome. Use that. Aren't opinions great eh? Life would be sh*te if we all loved the same gear.

This whole site seems to be filled with grumpy buggers and nay sayers. It's a totally depressing read nowadays.

All IMO before I get shot down in flames by the usual suspects.

[The Dark Lord]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1386156094' post='2296408']
Better how? I'm not trolling or nit-picking, just genuinely interested in this comparison.

The whole point of the Compact is that it is a very transparent, uncoloured cab that presents the sound of your amp and bass. Most other cabs (including the RS210) are voiced in some way (either by design or not!) to accentuate or attenuate certain frequencies - that's what gives them "their sound".

So to do a direct A/B test with the same settings on your bass and amp is not really a fair test after all.
[/quote]


I had an RS210 and RS112 set up and thought it was a bit heavy. Loved the sound though. Then, via here, I heard about these Barefaced compact things. So, I bought one second hand on here from someone and had both the RS stuff and the Compact for a bit.

When you say "better how" ........ I am very fussy about getting a good tone "my sound". I hooked the RS210, with and without the RS112, up to my RH450, RH750 and MiBass 550 heads and tweaked away. I did this in various parts of the house to see how the set up would cope with differing environments. The wood floor and panelling in the large hall, the glass and rugs in the orangerie and carpets and bookcases in the library. Then, I made notes of how the sounds worked for me. From there, with some written notes on the iPad, I can set a standard sound and dial it in very quickly at most venues.

I did the same with the Barefaced. It has a very, very nice deep vintage type of sound, but it is a little bit less flexible than the TC Kit. I found it more difficult to dial in with the different environments. It boomed a lot in the glass environment. I was able to control that and alter it more with the TC kit. Less so with the Compact.

Also, our drummer preferred the TC kit. He said he could hear it a lot better.

So, I adjudged that the RS210 with or without the RS112, was more flexible and better able to reproduce "my sound" than the Compact.

I think that's a "fair test" as you say.

The Compact still sounds very good though.

Other thing is that the build quality is far, far superior on the TC Electronic kit. TC cabs are seriously well-made - as are my AER kit. Both are real, real quality things. The Barefaced isn't in that league at all - in fact, I would say that it isn't the greatest built kit I've seen.

It's very light though and sounds very good.

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Roland Rock' timestamp='1386160095' post='2296483']
That Stevie is psychic!
;-)
[/quote]

So now supposedly it takes a psychic to predict that a ferrari owner likes cars that are fast ...

[alexclaber]

If the Compact was the be all and end all of our cabs:

1. We wouldn't have sold a whole load of alternate models, from pretty much the start.
2. We'd still be making it.

It seems that most people who say they don't like the sound of Barefaced cabs have tried a Compact and didn't like it. Funnily enough I used to get lots of emails saying "I want to buy a Compact", I'd ask some questions about their tone and have to tell them that they wouldn't like how it sounded. Fortunately we'd usually have an alternate model that would suit their sound, but not always.

[alexclaber]

And I wouldn't describe the Compact as 'very transparent'. It is a pretty honest sounding cab but only within its usable bandwidth and that bandwidth certainly doesn't go high enough for everyone, especially once you're out in the room.

[stevie]

[quote name='woodyratm' timestamp='1386161761' post='2296525']
This whole site seems to be filled with grumpy buggers and nay sayers. It's a totally depressing read nowadays.
[/quote]

So glad you were able to join the club.

[woodyratm]

[quote name='stevie' timestamp='1386165636' post='2296613']
So glad you were able to join the club.
[/quote]

What can I say; I'm a sheep. BAH

[Conan]

[quote name='The Dark Lord' timestamp='1386161910' post='2296530']
I think that's a "fair test" as you say. The Compact still sounds very good though. It's very light though and sounds very good.
[/quote]

Oh, are the light?

Fair enough - your testing sounds more than "fair"

[nottswarwick]

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1386164914' post='2296598']
And I wouldn't describe the Compact as 'very transparent'. It is a pretty honest sounding cab but only within its usable bandwidth and that bandwidth certainly doesn't go high enough for everyone, especially once you're out in the room.
[/quote]

Alex, you must get tired of reading these threads.

[Conan]

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1386164914' post='2296598']
And I wouldn't describe the Compact as 'very transparent'.[/quote]

I think we are using the word transparent to mean slightly different things here. and, it depends what you are comparing it to I suppose. And I've never found mine (or the older one I borrowed a couple of years ago) to be in anyway lacking in top-end. Then again I like my strings very new and tend to set quite a bit of top on my amp and'or bass... I find tweeters far too harsh IME.

Now, comparing my Compact to a Genz Benz NX-212T... [i]that[/i] was not a "transparent" cab. No matter how much mid-range I set on my amp or graphic pedal, it just disappeared into the cabinet, never to be heard again!

Edited December 4, 2013 by Conan

[Conan]

[quote name='nottswarwick' timestamp='1386166830' post='2296639']
Alex, you must get tired of reading these threads.
[/quote]

A manufacturer get tired of reading discussions about their products?

[nottswarwick]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1386167103' post='2296641']
A manufacturer get tired of reading discussions about their products?
[/quote]

Yah I thought that as i wrote it...you know what I mean