Is the Barefaced big baby 2 the best small cab?

[funkle]

[quote name='Kev' timestamp='1486941616' post='3235814']
I imagine the 3-way the Big Baby I shares an awful lot in common with an F112. The BB2 less so?
[/quote]

Yes, this is true, IMO. Though the BB2 has much less going on down very low than the F112, I can personally attest. But mid and upper range are extremely clear and relatively uncoloured on both cabs. At least compared to most bass cabs. Kiwi has had a different experience, see above.

But, honestly, the F112 may have too much low end for many real world spaces....it's huuuuge. Really massive. But IMO the BB2 has plenty enough low end for 5 string bassists. Also, for the BB2, by tuning the cab higher, and by making the BB2 a bigger volume cabinet, Alex gets more volume/efficiency out of the driver he's using. At least as far as I understand the physics of it.

Pete

Edited February 13, 2017 by funkle

[Opticaleye]

I have 2 x TKS1126 cabs (although I rarely use both) and they share a similar design and 12" driver with the Fearless F112.
IMO,with full range cabs, there has to be something in the chain to curb the low end at certain gigs. I have found that typical bass controls on amps work less well than High Pass Filters that can operate at [u]up to[/u] 120hz or units with cab sims such as the Zoom B3/MS60-B.
I also think that you will get more out of these 3012LF based cabs with more watts but you should be able to get to a useable volume with most 500w@4ohms heads.
I'm not familiar with the BB2 but the advantage of having the option of so much low end as an option is that I can have confidence that one TKS cab and an 800w head will be enough for virtually any gig. Unfortunately I'm not able to say the same about my 2 x Barefaced 110's which I've had struggle in carpeted pubs even.

[Prince_phil]

Has anyone any thoughts on turning the tweeter off on the BB2? Its supposed to reduce the treble freq response from 10k to 4k- hoping it would be able to go from clean to a bit more old school sounding..

[funkle]

Hey Phil, I did that when I tried a BB2 out. Turning off the high end - and it's a very high quality compression driver that's in there, and it sounded really really good to my ears - makes the cab sound much more old school. It sounded great. Wonderful sounding cab. It's a great one cab solution. Just a bit bigger than I wanted, and I'm sorry to say I'm one of the few who doesn't like the painted finish (but if it came in the Retro series tolex, it'd be amazing).

Go ahead and order already. Lol

[Prince_phil]

Need to do a wee bit of saving up first but should be able to order one in the next month or so!

[Prince_phil]

So I got the BB2. Ive just had one gig with it so far but it seems like a great cab. You do pretty much get out of it what you put in (although Im not sure its entirely flat sounding) so I can see why some guys might not like it. Its much more like a really good PA speaker (think D& than a traditional bass cab. This is good if your bass is being DI'd to PA so you get a more accurate result of what you sound like out front.
I think I prefer it with the horn off though- theres no shortage of top end and I was using a passive j bass with fairly tired strings! It would take your head off if you were using an active bass with the treble boosted..
I definitely don't get the 'too much bass thing either'! Its makes you realise that a lot of cabs are just putting out mids and not actual bottom end- its great to hear the actual low end especially when the fundamental of an open e is 41hz!
Will see how I get on over the next few months and how it copes with any dodgy sounding rooms..

[chris_b]

[quote name='Prince_phil' timestamp='1488453726' post='3249037']
I definitely don't get the 'too much bass thing either'! Its makes you realise that a lot of cabs are just putting out mids and not actual bottom end. . . .
Will see how I get on over the next few months and how it copes with any dodgy sounding rooms..
[/quote]

This is the problem (for some). . . a big low end will be harder to tame in a difficult room and in the band mix. Emphasising the low mids usually cuts through a noisy or full sounding band so the bass can be clearly heard, rather than just felt. Listen to the radio and CD's. You don't hear boomy, muddy or indistinct bass (unless it's a badly recorded live album). No matter how low the notes go you can always clearly hear them. That isn't always the case playing live. So if you EQ out the real low frequencies you can actually end up with a better sounding bass.

High pass filters are very useful as they cut out a lot of low frequencies that our ears don't hear and the amps and speakers have a hard time reproducing.

Would you say that an Ampeg 810 reproduce a great bass sound? That cab is rated at a lower limit of about 60hz. That's nowhere near 41hz but still sounds great down to a low B.

IMO low mids should be the target for a great bass sound.

[discreet]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1488455323' post='3249055']
...a big low end will be harder to tame in a difficult room and in the band mix. Emphasising the low mids usually cuts through a noisy or full sounding band so the bass can be clearly heard, rather than just felt. Listen to the radio and CD's. You don't hear boomy, muddy or indistinct bass (unless it's a badly recorded live album). No matter how low the notes go you can always clearly hear them. That isn't always the case playing live. So if you EQ out the real low frequencies you can actually end up with a better sounding bass.
[/quote]

+1. You don't want a lot of low end on stage. It just turns everything to mud. Everyone needs to clearly hear what's going on. If the engineer wants to add low end FOH then it's up to him. He won't thank you for insisting on it. As said above, most of what sounds like low bass actually isn't, because you can hear it. True low bass is a feel thing. Control of mids is where a good bass guitar sound is at.

[Prince_phil]

Coming from a sound engineer perspective- flatter frequency response cabs are definitely way easier to manage in difficult rooms because you don't have the peaks and troughs in the freg response that may interfere with the rooms modes. That why a decent PA system is always easier to get a good sound than cheaper stuff.. The BB2 goes pretty low but its not boosting the bass freqs- it simply allows you to dial lower frequencies in if you want- if you want more mids and less bass its pretty easy to eq that in too! It seems the thats the way its designed is a starting point for the sound and you just shape it the way you want- just like a decent monitior wedge.

Of course an ampeg 810 sounds great- but if your on a stage big enough to have one of those then you'll be hearing plenty of sub coming back from the FOH Pa too. Also you can't carry one with one hand!

Also more hi fi cabs show up all the flaws in your playing style so its easy to create a load of mud that way too. Il see how I get on in the next few months though..

[Dan Dare]

I have a couple of Phil Jones C4s, which are quite remarkable for their size. Won't blow the windows out, but very clean and even and each is a cube just over a foot high, wide and deep.

[edshred]

[quote name='Prince_phil' timestamp='1488453726' post='3249037']
So I got the BB2. Ive just had one gig with it so far but it seems like a great cab. You do pretty much get out of it what you put in (although Im not sure its entirely flat sounding) so I can see why some guys might not like it. Its much more like a really good PA speaker (think D& than a traditional bass cab. This is good if your bass is being DI'd to PA so you get a more accurate result of what you sound like out front.
I think I prefer it with the horn off though- theres no shortage of top end and I was using a passive j bass with fairly tired strings! It would take your head off if you were using an active bass with the treble boosted..
I definitely don't get the 'too much bass thing either'! Its makes you realise that a lot of cabs are just putting out mids and not actual bottom end- its great to hear the actual low end especially when the fundamental of an open e is 41hz!
Will see how I get on over the next few months and how it copes with any dodgy sounding rooms..
[/quote]
What band size situation and style of music are you using this cab for?
I wonder how many people get away with using the bb2 in larger band settings.
I used a fearless f112 in a larger 7 piece funk band and despite it sounding nice it didn't get loud enough.

Edited March 2, 2017 by edshred

[artisan]

I've used my BB2 playing upright bass in a Rockabilly band for a couple of years & couldn't be happier with it.
My new band is a Black Sabbath tribute & the BB2 still sounds awesome with either a passive 4 string or an active 5 string bass.
I have never ever lacked for volume & never had trouble cutting through the mix either,the BB2 is just awesome.
Good choice sir 😀

[jrixn1]

[quote name='edshred' timestamp='1488487785' post='3249469']
I wonder how many people get away with using the bb2 in larger band settings.
I used a fearless f112 in a larger 7 piece funk band and despite it sounding nice it didn't get loud enough.
[/quote]

It's hard to compare one band to another as there are lots of different factors. However, my situation is upright bass and five-string bass guitar in a large function band. I lose count but I think its fullest line-up is 13: five rhythm, five horns, and three vocals.

I have one BB2 (with a Shuttle 9.2, so that's 500W at 8 ohms). It has great tone, and I've not yet run out of volume or felt it was reaching its limits.

[Kevin Dean]

I have two super compacts & the trouble is that one will do most gigs ,But two sound better moving so much more air , the same as with any cab i suppose .

[funkle]

IMO the BB2 is a louder cab than a Fearless. Less low end and a bit bigger box is the tradeoff.

Fearless F112 design is a lot more like what the Big Baby 1 was like. Not same drivers, but similar philosphy. I think Alex ditched the desire to go for super huge low end after the first series and tuned the BB2 higher.

I'm not surprised one F112 doesn't cover a loud band...neither would a single 12 in most boxes...though I will say micro amps probably don't supply enough juice to get the most out of the F112 woofer. Prob a power amp/pre setup is needed to get the absolute most out of the cab. Reports on Talkbass of people pushing 1000W or more into a cab - I guess it can take it. 3012LF rated at 450W RMS though....Passinwind could probably offer sensible comment here.

I think the BB2 would manage most settings as a single cab solution. And with the power conventionally available out of micro heads - 500W would get a lot out of it. IMO of course

[molan]

No 🤣

[edshred]

I've just recently acquired an old gen 1 compact, whilst it's not quite the hifi sound I have been used to it was very usable. I was mega impressed with its weight and volume.
It held its own at rehearsal with a pretty loud 7 piece funk band.
I acquired the cab purely as a solution to having a dodgy knee and going up and down stairs all the time and it's weight to spl output had me so impressed it's got me looking into barefaced cabs..
I found the old compact a bit old school sounding to me if I'm honest so very interested in the bb2 if it can output the same spl as the gen 1 compact but is a bit more hifi sounding.

Edited March 4, 2017 by edshred

[chris_b]

Email Alex and ask.

[edshred]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1488629894' post='3250586']
Email Alex and ask.
[/quote]
I think I will. :-)

[dave_bass5]

[quote name='Prince_phil' timestamp='1486545975' post='3232575']
Hi

Im looking to buy a single cab to use for most of the gigs I do and from what Ive read the Big baby 2 seems to have a good combination of size/weight/freq response. Is there anything else that I should consider? I dont really want to spend more than a BB2 would cost and it seems that for the moment Barefaced seem to have the edge over the other brands- but Ive obviously not tried much! Im tempted to just order one and take advantage of their returns policy if I dont get on with it.
I play 4/5 string passive jazz basses/electric upright/synth bass and use a markbass LM2. Music varies from funk/soul/hiphop to bluegrass..
Thanks for any advice!

Phil
[/quote]

Personally i didnt like my BB2 much. Lovely cab, just didnt produce the tone i wanted. This was with a MB F1 head and also a GK MB800. I could quite easily have lived with it had i no other options, as it did a great job as far as volume goes and was so light, but it just felt very low end heavy to my ears.

[gary mac]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1488985622' post='3253506']


Personally i didnt like my BB2 much. Lovely cab, just didnt produce the tone i wanted. This was with a MB F1 head and also a GK MB800. I could quite easily have lived with it had i no other options, as it did a great job as far as volume goes and was so light, but it just felt very low end heavy to my ears.
[/quote]

I was lucky enough to buy Dave's cab and I liked it more than Dave did right from the off. I have to say though, that I like it even more now as it just seems to be sounding better each time I gig it. Not just my opinion either, it has been mentioned by band mates and other bass players in the audience.

[dave_bass5]

Glad you're getting on with it Gary. I too had compliments both from band and a few audience members during my time with it, so i know it was a good cab, it just wasn't for me.

[mcnach]

[quote name='dave_bass5' timestamp='1488985622' post='3253506']
Personally i didnt like my BB2 much. Lovely cab, just didnt produce the tone i wanted. This was with a MB F1 head and also a GK MB800. I could quite easily have lived with it had i no other options, as it did a great job as far as volume goes and was so light, but it just felt very low end heavy to my ears.
[/quote]


that was my impression too. I owned two of the things! So clearly I did not hate it but it was not quite the thing.

Then I found the TKS S112. It is a bit limited with regards to low end and volume... but a pair of those have worked for pretty much everything without any concerns. They're compact and only 10Kg each!

Then I found the BF Two10. That sounds not too far off the S112, but bigger sounding and louder... but it's not a 112 cab. Still, not bulkier than the BB2, and an easier carry (because of the shape, since weight is about the same or only a bit lighter). It's such a nice sounding cab. Very tight low end, focused, and more than enough treble that doesn't get harsh no matter what you do... it makes me sound good even when I shouldn't

[dave_bass5]

Ah, my first BF was a Retro two 10 and that didnt even make it to a gig. At first it was a huge jump up from the 1212L i was so used to, especially in the low end, i loved the more room filling low notes, but after a few rehearsals i really couldnt get on with it and went back to using my 1212L while i searched for something different (the BB2 as it happens).

I genuinely believe (although no doubt im way off the mark and not wording it correctly ) that my pick playing is causing the mids to not quite be strong enough, so these full range cabs are overpowering the weak mids with the nice deep low end. This is probably why i feel better with a more coloured cab. I did notice that when i played finger style the BB2 sounded so much more even, but unfortunately 99% of my playing is with pick.

[Freddie75]

Well, I've owned a fair few cabs myself - striving for "the sound" in my head. I've had the berg cn212, ae212, Genz neox 212, barefaced big twin 2 (gen 3). All great cabs, however, I am now using a TC Electronics RS212 and with the rest of my set up (Genz Benz streamliner 900 amp & fender jazz active bass) I'd go as far to say that it's the best single cab I've owned. Smaller footprint, deep, punchy, sweet highs. I've played outdoor festivals and large venues with this thing - and you can pick them up 2nd hand for £300/£350.