GarfyBass Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 It's been quite a few years (20 or so) since I played, gigged and toured. Finally after a long break the love is back and I'm acquiring gear to get back into a band to rehearse and gig. I've always loved the Ashdown gear, and recently picked up off here a great ABM 300w evo Il head with a mini 1x15. Back in the day I used either an 8x10 or a 2x10 + 1x15 stack. Looking through various post, there's so many variations with the speakers designs etc. I know what really matters is how I hear it but I've been out the loop for so long and would really value some input on the subject please. My questions is would I be better off with 2 2x10s (the backs not what it used to be) or a mix of 2x10 + 1x15? Musical tastes are Floyd, radiohead, foo's, blues, etc. Regards Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gjones Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Technology has forged ahead, as far as bass gear is concerned. Lightweight bass cabs are everywhere. What that means is you don't need to have skyscraper of cabinets behind you to make a lot of noise. If you have the cash, I would recommend something like a Barefaced compact (many sold secondhand on this very site). They use ultra lightweight, neodymium magnets in their speakers, which make them a breeze to cart around. They are very loud and very light and most gigging bassist would only need one of them to hold their own against a loud drummer. Here is Barefaced website for you to drool over. [url="http://barefacedbass.com/"]http://barefacedbass.com/[/url] Edited July 11, 2015 by gjones Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gary mac Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Standby, this thread will run to three pages by lunchtime What's best for me might not by for the next chap/chapess. For the last few years I've been using a pair of lightweight 2 x 10" cabs. To date, I've not regretted the choice. I use one for rehearsals, both when gigging. Plenty of bass response, great mids and they do the job with ease. Easy to get in and out of the car. Suits me just fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Phil Starr Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Yes you are going to be swamped. The biggest change is one we often ignore. Relatively cheap high quality PA systems. Your bass stack used to have to fill even large halls with sound, now even a pub band like mine can afford a PA that will take all the instruments if needed. Up to a certain level you avoid miking the drums so you only need a cab/amp to match the drummer. If you are putting drums through the PA then you go through the PA too. Guitarists just have to turn down, good luck with that So the task is to match the drums and perhaps a little in reserve. A decent 2x10, 1x15 or a high quality 1x12 will do that. Technically you need to get to about 120dB@1m. A couple of any of these will give you anything you would ever need. One may be enough. You'll be told that size doesn't matter. That isn't completely true. There's limited technical reasons why a 10, say, should sound different to a 15 but manufacturers tend to settle for very similar technical solutions so there is grouping around particular sounds. Just be open minded and listen. Finally I'd go for two identical cabs, you can mix and match but the results are unpredictable. Choose a cab you love the sound of and then buy another if you need more of the same. Why buy a cab you don't think is right and then try to correct it with something completely different. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 A 210 and 115 will do most gigs. I don't think they'll work alone unless the gig is quieter but paired, they'll do most. I see guys trying to cover louder gigs with a single 12 or a 210, but only you can really say if the results are acceptable. Any cab upto 50lbs is going to be what you look for unless your back is totally shot, and there will be plenty around like that. I'd keep my eyes out for GK 115 and 210 as they are decent enough and cheap enough. imo Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfyBass Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks guys for the early comments, I'll chip in while we are still on one page 😃. I've seen so many good reviews/comments on the Barefaced cabs, I'd be crazy not to look into them. The 2x10 cabs do certainly tick boxes for me, and as for the weight, I'm a young forty four year old ( so my mum says anyway) sparks with a VW transporter, so moving and transporting them won't be a problem. With regards to lthe eaps and bounds that manufacturers have made, do for instance the older ABM Ashdown 2x10's sound very different to the new NEO ones? Is it mainly the driver designs, cab construction or a combination of both that have moved on? Like I said at the top, I'm very happy with sound from the EVO ll Heads, again I know they have moved on but that's a whole other subject 😉. Cheers again. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I actually use 2x210's and/or a 212 but my light weight rig is 2x112. I think you can get perfectly good cabs around 40 lbs in weight and I'm not in favour of NEO and I don't think you need to go there anyway. Many people may have to go NEO as the first consideration is weight but if weight is the key you have so many options. Personally, was never enamoured with 15's either so a 410 or 2x210 was the ideal for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bill Fitzmaurice Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Go to music stores, try various cabs, buy the one that has the tone you like the best. If you need more volume than one will give, buy two, stack them vertically. Edited July 11, 2015 by Bill Fitzmaurice Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Marc, What music are you playing, how loud are you intending to play and what's your budget? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 (edited) Just to answer your original question, I believe you'd be better off with two identical 2X10 cabs rather than a 2X10 and a 1X15. Which 2X10 cabs you finally use is of course up to you, but I can certainly recommend Barefaced. One Retro Two10 may be all you need anyway. Products from Bergantino, Aguilar and Markbass are also recommended. You really need to try a few, as Bill says. There is a lot of love on this forum for a modular system of two 1X12 cabs. There are few situations where two 1X12s won't be more than adequate, depending on venue and which amp you're using of course. Edited July 11, 2015 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 The best I`d say is what your own ears like, factored then by what you can lift, and what you can afford. Whichever that is however, I`d go for two of the same. Mixing different sized cabs can work great but you then find using either on their own you don`t get "your" sound, whereas with two of the same, well use one for rehearsals, both for gigs, no need to re-eq. My fave is two 12s, either in a single lightweight 212 cab, or two single 112s. I find that plenty for me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kevin Dean Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 I use a ABM digital head with 2 x 2x10 Ashdown neo lite cabs , they sound great , they give me the height for monitoring & look great . I also have a Barefaced super 12T cab I use for back up , I have to cut 180 frequency with this cab quite a bit to get the same sound . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfyBass Posted July 11, 2015 Author Share Posted July 11, 2015 Thanks again. I'm gonna have a drive around to try a few 2x10 cabs out with my Ashdown head. I'm happy to pay for what sounds best to me, I'll check out the Barefaced website as they certainly get a lot of praise on here! I'm looking to get back into playing in a rock/blues band as before and as many of you have said, it's only my ears that can make the final choice. I really appreciate all the comments and suggestions and will post my findings etc in due course. Cheers Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leroydiamond Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 The Bergantino CN212 is what I use and it is a tremendous cab IMO. lightweight, partners well with a variety of amps and a one cab solution. Highly recommended Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fretmeister Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 Bergantino. Can't go wrong. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
obbm Posted July 11, 2015 Share Posted July 11, 2015 [quote name='leroydiamond' timestamp='1436639668' post='2819732'] The Bergantino CN212 is what I use and it is a tremendous cab IMO. lightweight, partners well with a variety of amps and a one cab solution. Highly recommended [/quote] +1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cameltoe Posted July 12, 2015 Share Posted July 12, 2015 2x12 for me, having tried 10's and 15's I've now settled. A decent 2x12 with a loud head easily keeps up with the loudest drummer for me. In retrospect I probably should have gone for 2 1x12 cabs for more flexibility and I probably will do this in the future. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfyBass Posted July 18, 2015 Author Share Posted July 18, 2015 After trying a few different flavours out I stuck with what I know and like....Ashdown ABM 2x10H. Picked one up 2nd hand(unfortunately not from here) so on the look for another to stack vertically. Cheers again all 😃 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 210's are equally good, but again I'd always use 2 of them playing with a band. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 Nothing wrong with Ashdown gear - I used a 410/115 stack last week and it was great. Admittedly it was with a non-Ashdown amp, but the speakers handled it all really nicely. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
krispn Posted July 18, 2015 Share Posted July 18, 2015 I recently switched from a 115 to a 212 cab and notice the difference in 'percieved' volume on stage, its a more punchy sound too as one might expect. I'd simply echo whats been said on here depending on the gigs you'll do either one or two 112 cabs or a 212 would be ideal. Mine is a TecAmp and is lightweight, punchy and makes me happy when I'm gigging it. Super excited to be playing it at rehearsal this Monday in fact as its so much better than the in house rig Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GarfyBass Posted August 6, 2015 Author Share Posted August 6, 2015 Well I'm back here guys & girls. After thinking I'm going to be happy using Ashdown 2x10's, the Barefaced attraction and reputation is getting the better of me. Playing my 500w Evo ll, I'm intrigued to hear what she'll sound like through maybe a Super Twin or possibly a pair of Retro 10's. Space and weight are obviously not really a factor with Bareface cabs, there seems so much respect on here for them but also a varied approach to cab choice. As I said before, rock based music is really my thing, with a little drive when needed... Foo's, Floyd, RATM, Pearl Jam, etc....So any pointers etc would be much appreciated. Many thanks Marc Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 My favourite sounding cab is my Ampeg SVT 210HE (the old US made one). Would love to find another in good shape. I use it with a 1x15 if I need more welly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 [quote name='GarfyBass' timestamp='1438877398' post='2838358'] Well I'm back here guys & girls. After thinking I'm going to be happy using Ashdown 2x10's, the Barefaced attraction and reputation is getting the better of me. Playing my 500w Evo ll, I'm intrigued to hear what she'll sound like through maybe a Super Twin or possibly a pair of Retro 10's. Space and weight are obviously not really a factor with Bareface cabs, there seems so much respect on here for them but also a varied approach to cab choice. As I said before, rock based music is really my thing, with a little drive when needed... Foo's, Floyd, RATM, Pearl Jam, etc....So any pointers etc would be much appreciated. Many thanks Marc [/quote] An ABM through a Super Twin is going to be epic - until recently I gigged an EVO II 500W head through one or two Super Compacts and it was utterly, utterly glorious. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Milton Banana Posted August 6, 2015 Share Posted August 6, 2015 (edited) \ Edited August 13, 2015 by Milton Banana Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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