AeroTech cabs from GR. Wow

[Cuzzie]

1 minute ago, Al Krow said:

The BB2 doesn't have a tweeter control per se. You may be thinking of the crossover knob which I take (maybe mistakenly?) to be the equivalent of a Markbass VLE from the way Alex describes its operation, which is as follows: 

"At the twist of a knob the complex crossover takes you from old school bass cab smoothness to uncompromising studio monitor accuracy"

I had this set at 8/10 throughout which is I how I prefer it, i.e. pretty much at the studio monitor accuracy end. Dialling this back would have resulted in a more "old school" / less bright sound, which would have resulted in an even more relatively mellow tone i.e. exacerbated the differences further that we were already hearing.

Beg your pardon thanks 

Would have been interesting to see if dialled fully it replicates closer the sound you describe from the GR cab

[Cuzzie]

Oh and any pics of the damage to see what it was like?

[Al Krow]

On 18/04/2021 at 20:50, Cuzzie said:

Oh and any pics of the damage to see what it was like?

It was as if the damaged top edge had been slammed underneath some other kit in transit. But having seen the courier (DX) load the cab back into the van for the return journey, must admit I wasn't massively impressed with the care they were taking. 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Al Krow

[dave_bass5]

14 minutes ago, Cuzzie said:

Beg your pardon thanks 

Would have been interesting to see if dialled fully it replicates closer the sound you describe from the GR cab

The crossover point changes when you rotate the dial on the BB2, as well as making the tweeter louder. So the way i understand it is there will be less high end going through the woofer with the tweeter full on, rather than just making the tweeter louder....or something like that. 

[Cuzzie]

4 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Here you go, that was the worst of it. It was as if the damaged top edge had been slammed underneath some other kit in transit. But having seen the courier (DX) load the cab back into the van for the return journey, must admit I wasn't massively impressed with the care they were taking. 

That’s a bit naughty - but to be fair it looks like the construction of the panels and the rest have held up ok.

The corner and the rim have taken the brunt and sacrificed themselves.

With your CEO discussions is this something that is actually easily repairable?

[Al Krow]

1 minute ago, Cuzzie said:

That’s a bit naughty - but to be fair it looks like the construction of the panels and the rest have held up ok.

The corner and the rim have taken the brunt and sacrificed themselves.

With your CEO discussions is this something that is actually easily repairable?

Not sure - the tolex and CF layer have been a little damaged too and you'll see that the top edge is very slightly bent. The other top corner was similarly damaged (slightly less) and one other corner plastic cracked. 

The CEO has been very very supportive indeed - and it's always hugely impressive when the CEO takes a personal interest. He's offered to replace the cab under warranty and to provide the newer more robust protective strips and corners. I actually only emailed them to ask if they would be interested in my feedback on the cab and my concerns around construction rather than looking for a replacement under warranty, as I'd already agreed with Mark at BD that I'd be returning the cab for a refund. 

[chris_b]

Interesting thread.

My gear is always under review, but in the last 5 years I haven't seen anything that would make me change my current cabs.

[Stevie H]

I have a BF Super Twin and use a D800. The 4 ohm AT 212 slim appeals to me as a possible replacement cab mainly due to the weight saving (5 kg) and it’s a bit smaller width-wise. Also I REALLY like the recessed handles, the BF side ones are not brilliant and the top one is useless. This may not mean much to some folk but I’ve got no off road parking and a lot of steps to my house to load in and out. Every little helps as they say. 

[RSbassman]

Hi All 

Just wanted to say that i find this shootout unfair that you are putting a 2x12 against a 1x12 and saying the 2x12 sounds better 

why not put the GR2x12 against a Barefaced 2x12 surely thats a fair comparison 

or a 1x12 GR against the BB2 

I have got the BB2 CAB at the moment and have had the midget and Compact and 10s in the past 

i also just bought a GR pure amp 800watts and connected it to my BB2 it sounds powerful and clean but no depth to the clean

my Handbox amp sounds much more musical to my ears more warmth and detail in the sound.

I would imaging a Fender PBass or Jazz bass or any vintage type bass would sound great through a GR Rig but it might just be too much if i played a bass with a modern tone through it thats just my thoughts on the subject and what i have found in the past.

 

[Al Krow]

25 minutes ago, RSbassman said:

Hi All 

Just wanted to say that i find this shootout unfair that you are putting a 2x12 against a 1x12 and saying the 2x12 sounds better 

why not put the GR2x12 against a Barefaced 2x12 surely thats a fair comparison 

or a 1x12 GR against the BB2 

Nope. The shootout is really looking to compare two cabs of the same weight. That's a key selling point of the GR AT cabs, certainly for me.

The GR 212 is 28 lbs. I'm sure it will perform well against any cab of that weight however that other cab has been configured. 

Edited May 26, 2021 by Al Krow

[RSbassman]

14 minutes ago, Al Krow said:

Nope. The shootout is really looking to compare two cabs of the same weight. That's the key point here and a key selling point of the GR AT cabs.

The GR 212 is 28 lbs. I'm sure it will perform well against any cab of that weight however that other cab has been configured. 

I hear you but I would be more interested to hear the GR 2X12 sound compared to the heavier BF 2X12 

[krispn]

2 hours ago, RSbassman said:

I hear you but I would be more interested to hear the GR 2X12 sound compared to the heavier BF 2X12 

It’s a fair point.

@Al Krow have you replaced the GR ahead of the gigging season reopening? You must be quite excited to be hauling some super light gear to future gigs as I know it’s your main focus on gigging gear. 

Edited May 26, 2021 by krispn

[Lozz196]

3 hours ago, Al Krow said:

Nope. The shootout is really looking to compare two cabs of the same weight. That's a key selling point of the GR AT cabs, certainly for me.

The GR 212 is 28 lbs. I'm sure it will perform well against any cab of that weight however that other cab has been configured. 

I think that’s a very good point, if a bassists carrying capability is a certain weight then this is seeing what you can get within that limit. A new way of looking at things which I hadn’t thought of but which makes a lot of sense (funds permitting of course).

[dave_bass5]

16 hours ago, Al Krow said:

.The GR 212 is 28 lbs. I'm sure it will perform well against any cab of that weight however that other cab has been configured. 

Just don’t do any open air gigs without bolting it down 😂

 

[Cuzzie]

It’s simple then - one of the bass bashes (when they happen again) needs a cab shoot out.

Weight range categories decided and best sounding to be judged no matter what cone size, specs, tolerance etc.

it’s the only true scientific way

[Muzz]

59 minutes ago, dave_bass5 said:

Just don’t do any open air gigs without bolting it down 😂

 

Stick an SVT on top of it, that'll hold it down, then you can enjoy the benefits of a light rig...oh, wait...

[Chienmortbb]

I was watching a video about carbon fibre panels recently and the conclusion was that without reinforcement, they are not that useful. To make a usable panel you need reinforcement  to stiffen the panel (obviously reducing resonances). That leads to the next problem, the edges. These were the most vulnerable part of the panel. Now I am not saying that carbon fibre panels are no good for speaker cabinets. However they need a lot of work and expertise to get a useable panel.

You can see in the video that even the best of the three panels flexes under the weight. Not a problem in a car, or a graphite neck with  but a high quality speaker cabinet is more demanding.

 

[Al Krow]

On 26/05/2021 at 20:48, krispn said:

It’s a fair point.

@Al Krow have you replaced the GR ahead of the gigging season reopening? You must be quite excited to be hauling some super light gear to future gigs as I know it’s one of your main focus on gigging gear alongside, quality, sound and value for money!

Got a full refund for the second hand value of the damaged cab from BD who were very good about it all; but I'm not really sure that a new replacement would have been available from GR for the same price despite initial noises to that effect. But that's cool - it's not really fair to expect the manufacturer to go the extra mile and take a financial hit. Besides the BF BB2 has not yet been used in anger and I'm very much looking forward to doing so!

PS @krispn just corrected your assertion  

Edited May 28, 2021 by Al Krow

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

On 27/05/2021 at 06:32, Chienmortbb said:

I was watching a video about carbon fibre panels recently and the conclusion was that without reinforcement, they are not that useful. To make a usable panel you need reinforcement  to stiffen the panel (obviously reducing resonances).

 

True, though the required reinforcement may also be carbon fiber, keeping the weight down. What this results in is a more labor intensive building process, which is in part why CF is so expensive. The other reason is that CF itself is expensive, because most of what's available is being used by high volume users like Boeing and Airbus, even Tesla. A small speaker company can't compete with them for buying power. At the other end of the scale the reason why 18mm plywood has long been the staple material is because you can get away with minimal bracing, which cuts labor cost, which keeps overall cost as low as possible, at the expense of weight.

[dave_bass5]

It always costs more to re invent something that already works well enough 😂

[gobasserk]

Sorry, wrong thread 😉 

Edited May 28, 2021 by gobasserk

[Stub Mandrel]

Just got a GR212 Slim from BD. To be fair they were very clear it wasn't built for throwing in the back of a van or taking on world tour. Very impressed with how it took everything thrown at it without breaking up. Tried it with a Jazz and a GR800 set flat. The different sounds shone through,  harmonics sang, bottom end was tight and rich, although dialling in  bit of bass boost helped for a really dark tone. Really brought out changes in finger placement.  The bass wasnt bad either I think it was an American one. Bit glossy so didnt feel as nice as mine 🙂 but well set up for a shop bass.

 

Looking forward to taking the gr to my first full band practice since last summer, albeit with a new band.

[Stevie H]

Got a GR AT212 slim a couple of weeks ago (part exchanged my Barefaced Supertwin). Played my first gig last night with it and I’ve got to say it performed amazingly with my Mesa D800. Really loud, really clear and amazing Bass response (I like my bass to be pretty bassy). I really liked my Supertwin, but I would say the GR is a better sounding cab, plus the size and weight savings are great. And recessed handles…… superb! Really glad I made the swap. 

[Stub Mandrel]

[gorandelac]

3 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

Oh man I love that bass.