Reccommenddattions for light but not silly expensive cabs.

[Stub Mandrel]

I'm looking at getting one or two small, light cabs for smaller/quieter gigs or where there is a full PA.

 

Ideas range from a Trace Elliot Elf and one or two of their 2x8 cabs to and Ampeg Flip-top or an Orange Bass Terror or Little Bass Thing plus a couple of 2x10 cabs.

 

Total budget should be less than £1K.

 

Suggestions?

 

Edited July 27, 2021 by Stub Mandrel

[BassBunny]

Ashdown Rootmaster?

[la bam]

Laney N410 if you can find one.

[la bam]

Hartke hydrive

[Aalin]

Barefaced cabs
or
GR Bass Cab at Bassdirect
AT110 new for 2021, 300w, 8Ω (or 4Ω), 5kg/11lb
Can be 4Ω to get all the juice from a small amp

[Lozz196]

1 hour ago, BassBunny said:

Ashdown Rootmaster?

Or their ABM PRO-NEO range, both sound good and easily portable, plus cost effective.

[FinnDave]

My current gig rig is an Orange Little Bass Thing and a Barefaced Super Compact, only played 3 or 4 gigs with it so far, but seems to hold its own. I suspect it will be loud enough for medium sized, gigs - anything bigger and I'm sure I'll be going through the PA anyway.

[ezbass]

Lightweight, powerful and sit brilliantly in the mix. Don’t sound great when played isolated at home, but in a band situation they are the mutt’s dangly bits. 

[Reggaebass]

Just a suggestion, have you thought about markbass cabs, I use 2x15s and they are quite light, but they do a 2x10 traveler , a friend of mine has got one, big sound from them 

[Obrienp]

I guess it depends on what you mean by silly expensive. Barefaced and GR have been mentioned and they are great (I have 2 x Barefaced One10s) but I wouldn’t exactly call them cheap. Also if I was doing it again I would get the Two10, which works out cheaper than 2 x One10s and is 4/12 ohm switchable. They are also vintage voiced, which might not be want you want.

 

if you want a transparent sounding, lightweight cab there are the Barefaced 12s, which come in various cab sizes but they are pretty expensive. I understand the GRs are transparent too (I haven’t tried one so that is 3rd hand) but also pretty expensive.
 

I have an Ashdown RM112T EVO II, which is cheap as chips in comparison and pretty transparent sounding. It’s only 12kg, which is not super lightweight but the handle is well placed and it is compact, so easy to carry. It is 8 ohms and rated at 300 watts. You can get a pair of them for less than a Barefaced Two10 and have enough change for a decent effects pedal. Well, I say you can but there don’t seem to be any in the country at the moment. I have been looking for a second to replace one of my Barefaced One10s. Ashdown tell me there is a shipment arriving mid August. 

[Obrienp]

I should have added that the Ashdown RM EVO II  range also includes a 2 x 10 and a single 15”, which do seem to be available  now (nice discount at Bonners Music). Trouble is they weight in at 15.5 and 15 kg respectively, which is lightweight compared to old cabs but not in the super lightweight category IMO. Also they are 8 ohms, so they are not going to give you a single box solution to get the full welly from your Class D amp.
 

Personally I think the 12 is the best compromise in the EVO II range and 2 of them are manageable, without taking up too much space. Two are going to handle a 500 watt head pretty well, as long as you don’t have everything on 11. Mind you my Barefaced One10s, while capable of surviving  that sort of treatment,  wouldn’t sound good either. In fact, they start to break up earlier than the RM112T.

Edited July 25, 2021 by Obrienp

[Stub Mandrel]

I also like my Trace combo. But if I really want that sound (and volume) I can use it with an extension cab...

 

My temporary option for a small portable setup is my old Laney with a 2x12 guitar cab.

 

I am reading these replies and googling...

 

I like a vintage sound but am used to getting it by use of EQ rather than the innate sound of the setup, plus if I get an orange that will give me vintage sound from the off.

 

But in tryouts I find I generally prefer Orange/Ampeg sounds over Markbass. I've found Rumbles better sounding than expected. I think I need to try a BF 210 and maybe a BF Super Compact. But when I look at their range the BF Compact Twin starts to feel like a one-size that does all and 40lbs is still light...

 

TH ABM ones look light and affordable... but bulky.

 

No love for the Portaflex 210? Starting to get weighty but efficiency wise claims to be comparable to the BF Super Twin...

 

I need to do some A/B tests.

 

 

[Paul S]

How about a pedal for your tone shaping and an FRFR powered cab?  

[Lozz196]

The ABM NEO cabs are quite small in comparison to the regular ABM cabs. The 210 is nice and portable in comparison, with the cones being diagonally situated it’s less wide, and the depth too is less than the regular ones. I’m 55 with a dodgy back and can manage both of my 210s at the same time from my flat to the car (minimum 30metres). Whereas I used to struggle with the regular ABM210.

[Hellzero]

The AeroTech (AT) amps, combos and cabinets series by GR Bass are stupidly light.

 

Why not opting for one their 12 inches Cube combos rated at 350, 500 or 800 Watts, all only weighting only 9.5 kilos (AT)...

 

Or even their standard Cube 800 weighting 13 kilos, cheaper and not heavy at all.

 

Check our @Dood trying the Cube 800 :

 

 

 

Ed Friedland is using their 2x8 AT (AT208 in 4 Ohms) cabinet coupled to a GR Bass One 350 (the Mini head is the "light" version of it) with great delight . Check it here :

 

 

 

 

It's all in your money bracket and BassDirect is selling them.

 

[Stub Mandrel]

31 minutes ago, Hellzero said:

Ed Friedland is using their 2x8 AT (AT208 in 4 Ohms) cabinet coupled to a GR Bass One 350 (the Mini head is the "light" version of it) with great delight . Check it here :

 

Sound great until the slap, when it started to sound decidedly lame.

Probably a major plus point...

[Stub Mandrel]

I could visit Bass Direct this week. - I've never been there is it possible to just call in or would I need to book an appointment?

[BassAdder60]

I use the ABM210H Pro Neo cabs and one is loud enough with the Orange LBT for small / medium gigs with a loud band.

 

I have two cabs both identical for larger gigs and allowing the full rating of the amp etc 

As Lozz has said they are a small 210 cab and single handed carry. 
 

 

[Stub Mandrel]

11 hours ago, Stub Mandrel said:

I could visit Bass Direct this week. - I've never been there is it possible to just call in or would I need to book an appointment?

From the website looks like they are open normally.

[Hellzero]

Better call BassDirect before going there. 😉

[Stub Mandrel]

Just now, Hellzero said:

Better call BassDirect before going there. 😉

👍

[Pea Turgh]

16 hours ago, Obrienp said:

Also if I was doing it again I would get the Two10, which works out cheaper than 2 x One10s and is 4/12 ohm switchable.

I had 2x One10s then went to 1x Two10.  Whilst I’m happy with the Two10, I enjoyed the mini stack vibe of two cabinets, and it was easier to grab just the one if I were going for a jam or just needed a stage monitor.

[Dood]

14 hours ago, Hellzero said:

The AeroTech (AT) amps, combos and cabinets series by GR Bass are stupidly light.

 

Why not opting for one their 12 inches Cube combos rated at 350, 500 or 800 Watts, all only weighting only 9.5 kilos (AT)...

 

Or even their standard Cube 800 weighting 13 kilos, cheaper and not heavy at all.

 

Check our @Dood trying the Cube 800 :

 

 

 

Ed Friedland is using their 2x8 AT (AT208 in 4 Ohms) cabinet coupled to a GR Bass One 350 (the Mini head is the "light" version of it) with great delight . Check it here :

 

 

 

 

It's all in your money bracket and BassDirect is selling them.

 

 

Brilliant Combo! Yeah, I rate that one! 

[TheGreek]

They are quite difficult to come by generally (though there is one for sale in the BC marketplace) have you consider Schroeder? I have a pair of the Mini 8L cabs which are amazing - tiny little things that make a HUGE noise.

 

 

If you're after lightweight and powerful I would highly recommend these.

Edited July 26, 2021 by TheGreek

[Hellzero]

The Schroeder cabs are indeed excellent, but I don't think that 22 kilos is lightweight at all... especially nowadays.