Cabs advice - markbass vs orange

[Wonky2]

Guys, I’m looking for advice from anyone who may have a/b’d two particular cabs I am gassing over....

the matkbass 210p traveller against the orange obc212

i run a simple rig, a markbass little mark 3 with a single 8ohm 210p traveller cab.

its a great sound and for the band I play with it’s enough, but I seem to be chasing a bit more of a fuller deep girth sound that I’m used to with the 15” Mesa scout I replaced.

(to heavy,too complicated 😂)

i went for the 210p tvlr for light weight, ease of carry etc and it’s a fantastic cab but I need more of an old school under girth rather than that mid ranged poke.

that said, the option of the 15” markbass traveller is a little to big a cab for me, sooooo I’m thinking 12” or maybe even 2x12”.

The cab I have in mind is the orange obc212.

my question is, is the 2x12 going to give me the girth I want more noticeable than from the 2x10 Mb cab, or is the different in speaker size likely to Be not much at all in terms of over all sound ?

i really don’t want to go back to 15”cab I have mobility issue and struggle a bit but think the 212 on a trolley would be fine.

also, the orange gear seems to be more suited to that broken up driven sound, I’m wanting this for clean sound but old school thump.... 

the combination of the orange 212 and my Mb lm3 is a bit unconventional, any one else used this combination?

All comments and advice welcome

cheers

[timhiggins]

A friend of mine uses a p bass with flats through obc 2x12 with orange head [not sure of model] ,and he gets a really warm old school tone

having said that when i used it with my jazz with new rounds i found it a bit to mid and high punchy for my taste 

so i guess you should try one first.. not sure they are available anymore though.. 

[Lozz196]

I’ll be the first - look at Barefaced cabs. One of their cabs will out perform either of the cabs mentioned, and be lighter as well so less hassle moving it around. Plus imo the combination of Markbass amp/Barefaced cab is a real winner. 

[Wonky2]

Cheers guys,, appreciate the comments.... 

ill have to go and try some but as I was looking at buying used from a shop who would deliver (distance) so I’d kinda ruled out the possibility of trying.

im unsure on the barefaced range so not sure if it’s a 2x12 of a 15”.... big baby ? Would that be about right for what I’m after ?

 

I’ll take a look..cosy a bit more though so not sure I can make the stretch

Edited March 3, 2019 by Wonky2

[chris_b]

My first suggestion would be a second 8ohm 210p MB Traveller cab. If you like the sound of 1 then 2 will sound very good and a used cab in good condition would not break the bank.

If you are looking at a single cab alternative then either one of the Barefaced 112's or a Two10 would work. Further on down the line, 2 BF cabs will be the best rig you've ever used. IMO that Orange 212 cab isn't even a match for one of BF's single 12 cabs!

[machinehead]

The Orange OBC212 is the isobaric one isn't it?

In that case it's effectively a 1x12 and for what it's worth, I wouldn't buy one.  There are far better options for similar money.

I do agree with chris_b on buying a second Markbass 2x10. (I agree with his advice on the Barefaced cabs too.)  I actually owned that rig years ago (a pair of Markbass trv102 cabs) with a Little Mark 1 amp then a Little Mark 11.  That was a really good rig - especially stacked vertically which I did all the time when I used the pair.

Frank.

EDIT.  Reading your original post agin, if you want more depth, the Barefaced BB2 is capable of serious low end and sufficient volume for most average pub/club/festival gigs.  I love mine.

Edited March 3, 2019 by machinehead
Adding a comment.

[lownote]

Just my opinion but MB are much more coloured than the BF.  I've had both.  With a MB head the sound is great for my ears, not so much the BF.  YMMV but I would STRONGLY recommend listening in the flesh to both with your head of choice before deciding.

[Wonky2]

Ahhhh decisions decisions 😂

 

i otiginally eanted the mb 121p combo with the intent of buying a second 121ny cab if needed, but stock was an issue when I bought so I went with the mk3 head and 210p trvlr cab.

to be fair, the combination I have is great, I would recommend it, I’m just inclined to want that little extra girth without moving towards two cabs.

The obvious thing to do would be to get the Mb 1x15 cab but it’s just that little bit out of convenience for storing, transporting and carrying.

Am I likely to get that extra girth by swapping the 210 for a single Mb 1x12? will a 1x12 offer the wider sound I want than a 210? It’s not a 15” cab but it’s somewhere in between obviously...

as I said, I have mobility issues so just can’t afford to be shifting big cabs.

the bf bb seems a good option but a big cost, 

[Wonky2]

Another possibility would be a mb121 cab in 4ohm version....

yes this would prevent me adding another cab but it might be the compromise I’m looking for on wanting a 15”cab sound but not a 15” cab?

[chris_b]

49 minutes ago, Wonky2 said:

The obvious thing to do would be to get the Mb 1x15 cab but it’s just that little bit out of convenience for storing, transporting and carrying.

Well. . . it might be the obvious thing to do and it's a thing you could do, but IMO it's not the best thing you could do.

I would seriously have a look at a Barefaced 112. The SC, or BB2 will beat most 15's for tone and thrash them for volume, clarity and transporting.

[thestick]

The Markbass ny 122 ninja cab (2x12) very potable and should do the trick.

[Pea Turgh]

Old school tone, you say?

 Sounds like BF Two10 would suit your needs - the 12” drivers are usually referred to as a more “hifi” sound.

[martthebass]

Can't comment on the Orange cab you mention as I've never tried one.  On the MB side though, I found the 2x10 lacked depth, it was great in a small setting or partnering another cab (a second 2x10 or a 1x15) but for me not enough in a bigger gig setting on its own. 

I ended up with 2 NY121 cabs, I use one for a small acoustic jamnight type setting and 2 for a gig. Amp partners are a LM3 or a Little Marcus 500.  The second 12 to my ears adds a lot of depth to the sound and I've never found it lacking right up to the point where I felt DIing into the house PA was required.  Small footprint and small car baggage friendly too.

I've tried BF compact cabs but for me I could never get on with the sound with MB amps - subjective judgement of course.

[stewblack]

I bude the MB NY 15" cabs. Got two and boy do they give me the girth of which you speak. I toyed with swapping /selling them here, bloody glad no one was wise enough to take them off my hands. 

Big fat solid sound loud enough to topple tall buildings and clear enough to see through. Highly recommended. 

[franzbassist]

On 03/03/2019 at 16:51, Wonky2 said:

to be fair, the combination I have is great, I would recommend it, I’m just inclined to want that little extra girth without moving towards two cabs.

If you like the MB stuff I would highly recommend the STD102HF as an alternative to the TRV102.  It's not that much bigger, size-wise, but sounds huge!

[Phil Starr]

20 hours ago, Pea Turgh said:

Old school tone, you say?

 Sounds like BF Two10 would suit your needs - the 12” drivers are usually referred to as a more “hifi” sound.

This is probably good advice but at a cost.

You are talking about old school 'Thump' and by and large this isn't due to deep lows but a bump in the frequency response around 100Hz. This is the typical sound you get when you load loads of cheap drivers in a cabinet which is a little constricting for them. Think of a classic 8x10 sound. This is usually also associated with a nice peak in the upper mids and not a lot of treble. The classic sound of rock bass. Doubling up your current cab would probably get you close to that sort of sound but to get it from a smaller cab is expensive. You can have small loud and cheap but not all at the same time. The Barefaced two10 is designed to give this sound but it ain't cheap.

Two 12's could give you more volume, bigger cones tend to be more efficient, but not all 12's beat all 10's by a long way. Again though if you want a lightweight and capable 2x12 it is going to be expensive I'm afraid

[Wonky2]

I’m off work tomorrow and was hoping to go try a few cabs out.....

not as easy as you would think admit many markbass suppliers in the northwest...

(bought my gear from promenade music who have lots of mb gear in stock, but it’s a bit of a trek.... )

anyone know anywhere in liverpool or manchester that have any?

after much deliberation, I haven’t got barefaced money so I want to hear the Mb 151ny and 121....

 

is the New York stuff just minus a horn ? Just keen to see/hear it as size wise it ain’t too bad... not much bigger than my 210trvlr

[martthebass]

The

6 hours ago, Wonky2 said:

is the New York stuff just minus a horn ? Just keen to see/hear it as size wise it ain’t too bad... not much bigger than my 210trvlr

My NY121's have a piezo rather than a horn.  A lot don't like the sound of it, however, unlike the combo you can dial it down to nothing should you so choose.  I've never found the need for it.

[fleabag]

I  kept my piezos in the MB NY 121 turned off.