Zoot Retro Speaker Cabs

[BassBunny]

[attachment=8744:Zoot8.JPG]
Most of you will already know Mike Walsh from his days as “The Bass Merchant” and builder of Zoot Basses. He was also the UK importer of TechAmp gear from Germany. He has now sold TBM to concentrate on building Basses and his latest venture, Zoot Bass Cabs. Having worked closely with Tech over the years, Mike has put that relationship to good use in the design of these cabs. He produce two ranges, the “Retro”, which are carpet covered and have standard drivers and the “Neo” range with lightweight Neo drivers. The Retro range may in future be covered in Burgundy Tolex.

Features: 10
The 112T is a simple 1x12 cabinet with an adjustable tweeter. About the same size as an Aguilar 112, it has interlocking corners, and handles on both sides. A nice feature of the handles is that they are square and thus allow 4 different ways on picking the cab up. It houses an Eminence Delta 12LFA an APT 130 compression driver with Eminence cabinet ready X-over set at 3.5Kz. Inputs are 2 x Speakon and 2 x ¼” Jacks. Additionally a rotary control is provided to govern the tweeter level. It's put together really solidly; however by using the same ply as TECH, only weighs 36lbs. The 112 is identical, but does not have a tweeter or X-over and only a single Speakon and single jack. The 112 only weighs 32.5 lbs and it is easy to carry a cab in each hand. Bearing in mind these are NOT Neo speakers, that is some achievement. Both cabs are front ported and carpet covered. Front grill is perforated aluminium and finished off with a CNC machined aluminium Zoot badge. Each cab is rated at 500w RMS, (1000W peak)

Sound Quality: 10
I have had these cabs for a couple of months know and deliberately waited for the speakers to loosen up before writing this review. I normally power both of the cabs with a Markbass Little Mark II, although I tend to only use 1 for rehearsals. Tweeter level is set pretty much at mid point which gives me the sound I am after, without being overpowering. The horn sounds really sweet without being harsh, and it definitely adds to the overall sound. There is some real serious “punch” to these cabs and I find I don’t need any equalization on the amp, just a tweak of the 2 filters depending on the venue. I find the whole set-up works really well for me and the 2 cabs combined easily match the bottom end of a single 15. The front ports allow plenty of air to be shifted and they really do get the trousers flapping. They handle a Low B easily and as I only seem to use 5 string basses these days, this was a pre-requisite.
I have been more than impressed with the sound these cabs put out

Reliability: 10
Absolutely no problems at all. OK they are only a couple of months old, but have had plenty of use without a hitch. Only issue was on a particular gig, I felt that they were not as loud as normal. Turned out I only had 1 cab connected for the entire evening. Just turned the amp up and didn’t really notice any difference.

Customer Support: No Opinion
Since delivery I have spoken to Mike twice. Both occasions to tell him how amazing the cabs are.

Overall Rating: 9.8
There are so many good companies with 1x12 cabs for bass. I was looking to buy 2 Aguilar GS112’s until someone pointed me in Mike’s direction and I am really glad they did. I have been able to A/B them against a number of other cabs and I believe they have an unbeatable combination of price/performance and size/weight. IMHO they are better sounding than cabs costing considerably more. My only niggles are the length of time I had to wait and a small issue with the handle assemblies when first delivered.
I understand both issues are now resolved as Mike has taken on some extra hands to build the cabs, leaving him to build basses, and has built up stock ready for the official launch. To be fair however, a lack of available drivers did not help. The issue with the handle assemblies surrounded the flexible sealant used to ensure an airtight seal. An exuberant application resulted in an occasional deposit on your hands when you picked the cabs up. A quick wipe with a cloth soaked in White Spirit soon sorted the issue out. Mike will ensure this doesn’t happen again.

[warwickhunt]

Nice clear concise review Stuart

Can I ask what you were using before these cabs?

[BassBunny]

[quote name='warwickhunt' post='201152' date='May 17 2008, 05:28 PM']Nice clear concise review Stuart

Can I ask what you were using before these cabs?[/quote]
You can indeed. I used an Ashdown ABM115, loaded with a Celestion 15" Neo and/or a Peavey 2x10. And thanks for the "Heads Up"

[flip]

[quote name='BassBunny' post='201140' date='May 17 2008, 05:21 PM']Mike has taken on some extra hands to build the cabs, leaving him to build basses, and has built up stock ready for the official launch.[/quote]

Great review!

Any ideas when the official launch will be?

[BassBunny]

[quote name='flip' post='203554' date='May 21 2008, 10:24 AM']Great review!

Any ideas when the official launch will be?[/quote]
I believe it is at the London International Music Show between 12 - 15th June.

[noisedude]

Hiya,

I picked up a second-hand Zoot 112 (the Neo one) and am interested in contacting this chap regarding getting a second one without a tweeter, or maybe a 15". Can anyone give me an email (preferably) or phone number for him?

I really like the 112T neo, by the way. It's not quite got enough bottom end for my ideal sound, but a little tweak in the lower mids on my amp makes up for that. It shifts some air though, and I'm hoping that running two of them together will help me shift more air and have my EQ set like that without cranking the master volume so much.

The reason I like it so much is that I have a chronic wrist problem and need light, light gear. This is the lightest cab I've come across in this price range and has convinced me I can manage without Markbass cabs for the time being!

Edited August 17, 2008 by noisedude

[johnnylager]

[quote name='noisedude' post='264182' date='Aug 17 2008, 09:16 PM']I picked up a second-hand Zoot 112 (the Neo one) and am interested in contacting this chap regarding getting a second one without a tweeter, or maybe a 15". Can anyone give me an email (preferably) or phone number for him?[/quote]
Try [email protected]

Edited August 17, 2008 by johnnylager

[BassBunny]

Hi ND, If you can't get through to Mike, PM me. I should be able to help.
The second cab will make a difference. I use 2 of the "non-neo" ones and really like them. I forgot to connect the second one up one night, (the non-tweeter one), and couldn't understand why i wasn't getting the sound i was used to.
Spotted the problem between sets and second set managed to drown the guitarists out as per normal.
Notice you have a G&L L2500 as do I . Sounds awesome through 2 Zoots.

Edited August 19, 2008 by BassBunny

[noisedude]

[quote name='BassBunny' post='265877' date='Aug 19 2008, 08:44 PM']Hi ND, If you can't get through to Mike, PM me. I should be able to help.
The second cab will make a difference. I use 2 of the "non-neo" ones and really like them. I forgot to connect the second one up one night, (the non-tweeter one), and couldn't understand why i wasn't getting the sound i was used to.
Spotted the problem between sets and second set managed to drown the guitarists out as per normal.
Notice you have a G&L L2500 as do I . Sounds awesome through 2 Zoots.[/quote]
Cheers mate, appreciate it. This wrist problem means ultra-light is the only way to go for me now. It also means that, as I have quite small hands, I might be giving the 5-string up. I like the L-2500 a lot although it doesn't quite suit my funkier style, it's awesome for rock and anything a bit rougher. But yeah, I'm trying to learn drop-D to compensate a little until I find a 5er with a paper-thin ultra-narrow neck.

I'll be in touch if I can get hold of Mike Walsh.

Nik

[0175westwood29]

hi guys is there a site to go and check out the zoot neo bass cabs?, im looking into getting a couple of 210's for a new rig, but they dnt appear on the bass merchant site anymore?

[BassBunny]

[quote name='0175westwood29' post='364840' date='Dec 28 2008, 02:28 PM']hi guys is there a site to go and check out the zoot neo bass cabs?, im looking into getting a couple of 210's for a new rig, but they dnt appear on the bass merchant site anymore?[/quote]
Lean Audio sell them as well as The Bass Merchant and I understand from talking to Mike that GAK are taking some.
If all else fails try e-mail to [email protected] or call Mike direct on 01376 502930

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='BassBunny' post='364885' date='Dec 28 2008, 03:32 PM']Lean Audio sell them as well as The Bass Merchant and I understand from talking to Mike that GAK are taking some.
If all else fails try e-mail to [email protected] or call Mike direct on 01376 502930[/quote]


thanks buddy i throw them an email.