Vanderkley are better than Barefaced cabs, right?!

[Wolverinebass]

My Vanderkley 212LNT is a one cab solution and totally kills. Barefaced are great as well. At this price point there's not much to choose by. I chose by aesthetics. Luckily the sound fitted me better too.

[Cuzzie]

Supertwin user here.

It absolutely slays - as @Wolverinebass says, his cab is great too - very nice sounding.

ST suits me VK suits him.

At this level you are looking at an answer where one is right and the other is righter - just

[Al Krow]

10 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

At this level you are looking at an answer where one is right and the other is righter - just

Nicely put. 

But I wouldn't ignore the frequency response differences between the alternatives when deciding on your choice. Otherwise you may be left feeling a little more flat than you expected.

[Cuzzie]

@Al Krow - cheers

Tweeters and the like and those higher frequencies for me are in the category - ok it’s there i don’t think I would ever use them, but absolutely get yourself in the ball park

[mcnach]

Some speakers seem to roll off high frequencies at 6-7 KHz, and on paper appear to therefore lack treble compared to other wider response cabs. In truth, I don't find anything missing in those, and I actually prefer them as it's harder for me to get a shrill/brittle top end sound. I slap a fair amount with some bands, and my Two10 cabs (roll off at 6 KHz I think) sound beautifully. I miss no treble on those.

The reason I bring this up is that during my quest for the right cabs for me I'd look at how high and low cabs could get, and I missed on a few good ones just because they would not go high enough, or I chose their tweeter versions to compensate for that, which -for my taste- was a complete waste of money. The only 'tweeter' that sounded any f=good, for me, was the horn (not exactly a tweeter, it seems, I don't know the difference) on the BF BB2. Very well implemented. But ultimately, not the right speaker for me.

The VdK MNT210 is a very nice cab, but one alone may not be enough if you require high volumes. If you need a single cab... The ST will work, but see if you can try it first, you might prefer the sound of other 'less transparent' cabs. I used to own a pair of BB2 and I spent way too much time EQ them to taste. Once I moved to other more coloured cabs (in a way I liked) I achieve the sounds I like much more easily. The MNT210 would be in that category, as was the TKS 1126 (single 12", I owned a pair) and TKS S112 (single 12", I still own a pair). Although all three sounded a bit different. I favoured the S112, but two were needed as they're not the most powerful cabs... yet they're tiny and super light so carrying 2 was no problem.

In fact, for a one cab solution, I'd recommend a TKS S212 (2x S112 in a single cab form) to be in your list. Not amazing power handling, but very very good sound, light and easy to transport. If a MNT210 is ok for you volume-wise, a S212 would also likely be ok. They respond very well to boosting lows a bit (by default they may seem lacking a bit of lows compared to other cabs), and the low end is very nice and tight without getting boomy as easily as others. I like a strong fat sound  with good definition (Precision or Stingray) and the TKS S112 worked very well for me with a range of amplifiers. 

I only moved to a pair of Two10 because I sometimes needed more volume (with one of my bands in particular I often have to carry all bass with my amplifier) and they get me very close to the TKS, with some extra low end... however sound-wise I still prefer the pair of TKS S112. They roll off also somewhere in the 5-6 KHz region I believe, but I find them beautifully sounding for slap too. However I'm more classic 70s funk and 80s slap sound than Wooten/Miller type of slap.

 

[lou24d53]

Thanks McNach et al...all good information.

I have briefly browsed the TKS gear and I know there's a lot of love for them on here.

Btw, it was the more powerful VDK 210LNT I was looking at rather than the 210MNT...👍

Cheers,

Dougie.

[Al Krow]

@mcnach - that's really helpful feedback. Maybe my looking to replace my SC with a BB2 is misplaced in terms of looking to benefit from the horn and higher frequency spectrum 'zing' that should deliver, although I know @chris_b is really happy to have added a SM to his SC to remedy probably exactly the same point as I'm finding with 'just' my SC as a standalone.

26 minutes ago, lou24d53 said:

Btw, it was the more powerful VDK 210LNT I was looking at rather than the 210MNT...👍

This one, right? Handles 1200W, which should just about do it!  

[Aside: must admit I'm a little tickled by the parallel thread currently running on "my Mesa M6 is too loud - help!". I've never found having spare headroom 'in my pocket' for when it's needed to have ever been problematic!]

Edited March 1, 2019 by Al Krow

[krispn]

It comes down to how it works on the gig and the perceived numbers might not really mean anything you hear it in context. Theoretically having XXkhz might be a good thing but in fact it could turn out you don’t want those kHz at all. Maybe because my two main gigs have keys and fiddle I’m not too concerned with a zingy too end and I don’t need all the clank definition as other instruments are happily filling out that frequency. 

We all have different tastes and needs in our bands but for me it’s about the low end and zingy is not a requirement just now. 

[lou24d53]

So after much deliberation and over a month of "too-ing" and "fro-ing" between the Barefaced Super Twin and both the Vanderkley 210LNT (initally) and 212LNT (latterly), I've just gone and pulled the trigger on a brand new BF ST...

I suppose I've taken a stab in the dark as neither are exactly prominent around these parts to get a full try out with, however with the abundance of positive reviews on here for all things BF, coupled with lightweight build and smaller footprint, of the 212LNT at least - not least the 12-month interest free payment option also - I've decided to roll the dice...

[Cuzzie]

And you rolled a double 6

good man

[Al Krow]

18 minutes ago, lou24d53 said:

So after much deliberation and over a month of "too-ing" and "fro-ing" between the Barefaced Super Twin and both the Vanderkley 210LNT (initally) and 212LNT (latterly), I've just gone and pulled the trigger on a brand new BF ST...

I suppose I've taken a stab in the dark as neither are exactly prominent around these parts to get a full try out with, however with the abundance of positive reviews on here for all things BF, coupled with lightweight build and smaller footprint, of the 212LNT at least - not least the 12-month interest free payment option also - I've decided to roll the dice...

Congrats! I suspect you'll totally love it. The clips I've heard of Cuzzie playing through his have been great (I hope he doesn't mind me saying). 

And I know I regularly get beaten up for my neanderthal views on speaker cone size, but if there were no other considerations (weight, power handling, frequency response etc) and I wanted a single cab, I really don't think I've come across anything better than a 212 for getting everything right. Funnily enough 95% of the folk who tell me I've got it wrong own either a 212, or 2 112s, or are making do with a single 112. (I appreciate I'm being a little Fearless in making such a claim). 😄 

[Cuzzie]

Cheers @Al Krow

living proof that cabs make you sound better than you are, just think how bad I would sound with a VK...🤪

[Al Krow]

14 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Cheers @Al Krow

living proof that cabs make you sound better than you are, just think how bad I would sound with a VK...🤪

You would be already regarded as a minor rock god if you had. Made of vonder clay. 

[Cuzzie]

Better start Bi amping and have the best of both worlds!

[Al Krow]

1 hour ago, Cuzzie said:

Better start Bi amping and have the best of both worlds!

No, no, no! Mixing cabs of different makes is akin to creating mules according to "them that know better" and to whom forlock tipping is required. 

 

[Wolverinebass]

2 hours ago, Cuzzie said:

Cheers @Al Krow

living proof that cabs make you sound better than you are, just think how bad I would sound with a VK...🤪

That's crap for a start. You sounded great through my VK. 😜

[Cuzzie]

Haha!!!

[Al Krow]

59 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

That's crap for a start. You sounded great through my VK. 😜

Please define "great". 

[Cuzzie]

Better than some, worse than some.

Just like Frosties

[Wolverinebass]

27 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Please define "great". 

Better than Markbass.

[Al Krow]

2 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

Better than Markbass.

So setting the bar high then?

Funny thing is if you go into a store, the assistants will react with hushed tones if you mention high end Markbass. 

We are such bass snobs! 

[Wolverinebass]

6 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

So setting the bar high then?

Funny thing is if you go into a store, the assistants will react with hushed tones if you mention high end Markbass. 

We are such bass snobs! 

I'm not a snob. I'm a grade A a*sehole when it comes to this stuff. Is VK better than MB? Yes. Without question. That's not me justifying the price tag. Just my truth in relation to experience. Were the VK cabs awful and overpriced (cough, Aguilar, cough) then I'd sell them and admit my hubris and buy something else. Thankfully, I haven't had to do that yet. Besides, it's your fault I bought the 2x12 as your 2x10 VK was fantastic! 😎

[Al Krow]

17 minutes ago, Wolverinebass said:

I'm not a snob. I'm a grade A a*sehole when it comes to this stuff. Is VK better than MB? Yes. Without question. That's not me justifying the price tag. Just my truth in relation to experience. Were the VK cabs awful and overpriced (cough, Aguilar, cough) then I'd sell them and admit my hubris and buy something else. Thankfully, I haven't had to do that yet. Besides, it's your fault I bought the 2x12 as your 2x10 VK was fantastic! 😎

I can't deny any of the above. 

And I'm possibly even worse: I've just turned down the possibility of a BF BB2, which is one of the most loved cabs on this forum, for the chance to get a Fearless F112. Bye Alex, hello Guy. 

Actually that's not entirely true about saying bye to Alex: my BF SC at 21 lbs continues to blow everyone away for what it delivers at its weight-point. And frankly I can't bear to part with it. 

It's just that back in the real world (and even on BC) there are so many fellow bass players who find that Markbass hits the spot at a price that's half of the stuff we've got ourselves into. 

Edited March 25, 2019 by Al Krow

[Cuzzie]

No accounting for taste

Wendy’s did way better burgers and square, but for some reason London Fried Pigeon restaurants are the main stay

[krispn]

It's often as much about access to some of this esoteric gear as much as anything else. If the AudioKinesis, Mike Arnopol, Baer etc. (add fancy US bass cab makers name here) stuff was readily available here I'm sure we'd all have had one through our hands by now too. The Avergae Joe knows a few brands and is happy with that as long as it keeps working gig to gig.