Acme Low B1

[The Funk]

[u][b]ACME (SERIES II) LOW B1[/b][/u]
[url="http://www.acmebass.com"]www.acmebass.com[/url]

[u][b]Features[/b][/u] (10/10)

The Acme Low B1 is a 3-way bass cabinet, which I think means that it contains 3 different types of speakers and a passive crossover splitting the frequencies to each speaker: a 10" woofer for the lows, a 5" mid-range driver and a tweeter for the highs. The Low B1 is not the only 3-way bass cabinet out there (although they're not that common yet) but its 10" woofer is unique. Its design allows for much deeper lows than a standard 10" speaker. It goes as low as a good 15" or 18" cab. The mid-range driver and the tweeter each have an attenuator dial on the rear of the cab to reduce the power to each of them as required. (I always leave them on full).

By using their unique 10" woofer, they can make the cab very small and lightweight. Its dimensions are 15.75" x 15.75" x 13.5" and it weighs 31 lbs. There are marginally smaller and lighter cabs out there but I doubt any could compete with the Acme in the low end.

The cab is available either in an 8ohm or 4ohm version. If you want to use just the one cab with a small head for a portable rig, most of the time you'd be better off getting the 4ohm version. I use it with the new Eden WTX-260, which pumps out around 290W at 4ohms. Even though the cab is rated at 175W, the Eden starts clipping before any of the speakers distort. This cab can take a lot of juice!


[u][b]Sound Quality[/b][/u] (10/10)

Well, this is the most important part as far as I'm concerned.

I've used this cab for practice at home, for rehearsals in the studio with my hard funk band (vox, heavy guitar, rhodes/clavi/hammond, synth and drums), and on two gigs: one in a medium-sized room w/ dancefloor (wedding) with no stage but with PA support; and the other in a small jazz bar (with a stage but vocals-only PA).

I'm a big fan of the Acme cabs and was already the proud owner of a pair of Acme Low B2 cabs when I wanted a more portable mini rig for smaller gigs or "in and out" gigs, where you're one of several bands playing and you need to travel light.

This cab sounds identical to the B2s. Very, very clear. The lows are clear, the mid-range is clear and the highs are clear.

Now this is the tricky part. It sounds completely different in different settings and you have to understand that to use it properly. At home, at low volumes the highs can sound a bit too loud. At rehearsal or onstage it can sound a bit quiet if you don't boost the mids on your bass head and if you don't raise it up off the floor to a decent height. Usually you should keep your cab on the floor to reinforce the lows but as the lows on the Acme are so good anyway, you don't need to. But the mids and highs won't reach your ears if the cab is on the floor because it's not very tall. I did one gig with it on the floor and heard nothing but lows; I did another gig with it stacked on top of the vocal PA speaker at about 6' off the floor and it filled the entire room.

I'd describe the sound as deep, clear and transparent. It sounds to me how bass should sound. My drummer, who's not a man of many words, said "it sounds pretty good, doesn't it?" with a big grin on his face after the first song we ever used it on at a gig.


[b][u]Value For Money[/u][/b] (10/10)

Acme cabs are only available directly from Acme. By cutting out the middle man, they are able to price them very competitively. Being made in the USA, UK buyers will have to pay for shipping and 22.5% customs/VAT/other taxes on top of the price of the cab. Even after all that, this cab works out cheaper than an Epifani 1x10" and not much more than the GK MB 112 X. When the £ was doing so well against the $ - which was when I bought it - this cab represented even better value for money. [I will check exactly how much I paid for this in total and insert the figure here soon.]


[u][b]Customer Support[/b][/u] (10/10)

With Acme you deal with one guy: the creator, owner, designer. He is always prompt, clear and helpful when it comes to correspondence and if you ever have to talk to him on the phone.


[b][u]Overall Rating[/u][/b] (10/10)

This cab [i]cannot[/i] do everything. It cannot replace my stacked pair of Acme B2s. But what it can do is provide clear highs, mids and lows all the way down to a low B at a volume that's loud enough to gig with at small venues, and in a box that's a comfortable one-hand carry and wouldn't be annoying on a bus/train.

I am very happy with the cab now after learning about how and where it works well. I tried it once with an old 70s Fender valve head, which it did not like at all! The EQ and built-in bass boost on some of the old valve amps is too extreme for this type of cab (but it sounds awesome with my valve Aguilar DB680 and Warwick Quadruplet preamps).

If it were lost or stolen, I would immediately replace it. I may get another so that I can use a pair as a small PA. The cab also sounds good for keyboards, acoustic guitars and vocals as it's so clear and even.

Together with the Eden WTX-260 it does what I wanted: something as small and portable as the brilliant Gallien-Krueger MB150S but with good lows, no distortion in the mid-range, clearer highs and overall just a bit louder. It does that and does it very well.

Edited November 8, 2008 by The Funk

[sdgrsr400]

Very useful review, was looking at getting one of these.

What carrier handled the shipment, and how long did delivery take?

Cheers.

[6stringbassist]

I just ordered a Low B2, they recommended Fedex, the whole price including shipping, polyswitch option and a $20 intenational charge comes to $720 or about £450.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='523641' date='Jun 25 2009, 02:02 PM']I just ordered a Low B2, they recommended Fedex, the whole price including shipping, polyswitch option and a $20 intenational charge comes to $720 or about £450.[/quote]

I think USD/GBP was about the same when I bought my Acmes - I envy those that got $2/£ - which at the time worked out cheaper than the other boutique choices of the Goliath Jr II or the 210XLT. Don't forget to add import duty, VAT and customs handling charges which should equate to about 20% on top of the total including shipping.

Alex

[sdgrsr400]

I'm coming round to the view that the B-2 is probably a better proposition all things considered, so thanks for the input.

[alexclaber]

The extra sensitivity and the doubling of power handling really does make a huge difference.

Alex

[Dood]

Always been a plan of mine to try a Low B4 at some point. I think that could be quite exciting!

[bassadder]

Big question what does the ACME sound like with an upright anyone any experience?