Is your cab the same make as your head?

[Friskydingo]

I'm getting a head amp soon for convenience (still choosing between orange and aguilar).

I want to know if you guys pick the same cab make as the amp? I've always been under the impression that the cab will sound better when the same brand is chosen as they're configured or matched. 

But there's a lot of people who mix, what's your reasoning? Weight? Speaker size/makes? 

I'm looking at getting a 1x12 or 2x10 which will do for me. Thanks, 

[three]

I currently use an Aguilar head (DB750) with and Agi cab (SL112) or a Berg cab (HD210).  There's a slightly rounder and warmer tone to the SL112 and slightly more focused mids (upper and lower) to the HD210.  I don't really have a preference, both work beautifully with a range of basses from passive to active.  With a quality head and quality cabs, I doubt you'd have much of a problem (matched or not), though some pairings don't appear to work well and I'd recommend that you trial any combinations before handing over a lot of cash.  I remember there was some talk of the big Agi amps not working well with some Epifani cabs over on Talkbass years back.  My criteria with cabs are usually: tone (and compatibility in terms of impedance); size/portability (small doesn't always equate to easy to maneouvre); and, weight.  I tend to use reasonably small cabs - even with a very big amp - as their key purpose is personal monitoring, practice at home and recording.  I spent much of my youth with 4x12s, 8x10s and massive 18" bins (Cerwin Vega etc.) - all mix and match with a variety of amps... and with a wide variety of results!  There's something very exciting about moving a ton of air and I still love it now.  Unfortunately, lugging such gear around is not so attractive these days.  I'm going on a bit here - back to topic - I'd really spend some time trialling the combinations, and in the types of situations that you're going to be using them (if that's at all possible).  My personal preference would be to go down the Agi route - SL or DB 112s or 210s (with whatever Agi head suits you and your budget) 

Edited August 21, 2021 by three

[Lozz196]

Yep, Ashdown ABM head & ABM cabs (plus an Ashdown RM500 as a backup).

 

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[Reggaebass]

I had Ashdown cabs with Ashdown heads for years, then switched to markbass heads with the same cabs, then bought 2x15 NY markbass cabs with markbass heads, now I use Ashdown RM500 head with markbass cabs, if that makes sense 😁, but I’m now contemplating a CTM 100 with MB cabs 

[Friskydingo]

Is the super midget enough for playing live? At the moment I have an old trace elliot 1215 gp12 which is very hefty but loud enough to  low the rest of the band and audience away

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

I was only chatting about this to @Dood the other day as I’ll be getting the Bergantino B|Amp Mk II soon and was wondering whether I should get a matching NXT212 to go with it. The B|Amp has cab profiling capabilities for the Bergantino range as well as a generic 2x12 setting that I could use for the Barefaced Big Twin II that I already own.
 

Logic suggests it’s a good move. Indeed some manufacturers use it as a selling point, but as @Dood and @three have suggested, the ideal way is to get in front of them and plug in, or even better, gig the rig you have your eye on. Not very practical though, especially since there is only one Berg UK distributor. I think I’m going to wait and see how I get on with the B|Amp/Barefaced combo and put a hold on the NXT212 as that is quite a significant additional expenditure.

 

I’ll be interested to see what conclusions you come to.

[Friskydingo]

2 minutes ago, Reggaebass said:

I had Ashdown cabs with Ashdown heads for years, then switched to markbass heads with the same cabs, then bought 2x15 NY markbass cabs with markbass heads, now I use Ashdown RM500 head with markbass cabs, if that makes sense 😁, but I’m now contemplating a CTM 100 with MB cabs 

Did you find the same brand of cabs any different from mixing and matching? I've found ashdown cabs sound odd to me, I don't know why, maybe I just need to spend more time with the settings 

[nilebodgers]

Mine are mixed, but it is random chance, not planning. I've got a GK MB500 (s/h cheap), a TC RH450 (s/h free) and a Ashdown RM210T-evo cab (new ex-dem cheap, small and light). A selection of that will do if I ever find myself playing out again.

 

(I also have my old Trace 4x10 SMX combo that is realistically too heavy for me to take anywhere these days.)

[Friskydingo]

2 minutes ago, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

I was only chatting about this to @Dood the other day as I’ll be getting the Bergantino B|Amp Mk II soon and was wondering whether I should get a matching NXT212 to go with it. The B|Amp has cab profiling capabilities for the Bergantino range as well as a generic 2x12 setting that I could use for the Barefaced Big Twin II that I already own.
 

Logic suggests it’s a good move. Indeed some manufacturers use it as a selling point, but as @Dood and @three have suggested, the ideal way is to get in front of them and plug in, or even better, gig the rig you have your eye on. Not very practical though, especially since there is only one Berg UK distributor. I think I’m going to wait and see how I get on with the B|Amp/Barefaced combo and put a hold on the NXT212 as that is quite a significant additional expenditure.

 

I’ll be interested to see what conclusions you come to.

I was at peach guitars a while back and demo some heads (orange, aguilar and Fender) through a laney nexus 4x10 and that sounded amazing no matter the head and was much lighter than it looked. I want to try a barefaced once I get a head but don't know anyone with one

[chris_b]

If you want your rig to have a "look" then get a matching gear. If you want your rig to sound the best, all options are on the table.

 

I haven't had a matching rig for 20 years.

 

Mix and match can get fantastic results.

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

@Friskydingo -I should probably add by the very nature of the beast (the Barefaced) I don’t have the option of matching an amp to that cab, but everything I’ve put through has sounded fantastic. I’m only now considering the B|Amp as it has profiling options that I like the look of.

[Reggaebass]

2 minutes ago, Friskydingo said:

Did you find the same brand of cabs any different from mixing and matching

I still use a LB30 with an Ashdown 115 cab for home use and it sounds great, but I found the MB cabs sounded better basswise for reggae and dub , I suppose the best way to describe it would be warmer 

[Friskydingo]

Just now, hiram.k.hackenbacker said:

@Friskydingo -I should probably add by the very nature of the beast (the Barefaced) I don’t have the option of matching an amp to that cab, but everything I’ve put through has sounded fantastic. I’m only now considering the B|Amp as it has profiling options that I like the look of.

Well if anyone lives close to Ipswich with a barefaced I'll drive by and try it out. 

I'm not bothered about gear matching. I position myself at the back of the stage anyway. For the audiences sake

[hiram.k.hackenbacker]

3 minutes ago, chris_b said:

If you want your rig to have a "look" then get a matching gear. If you want your rig to sound the best, all options are on the table.

 

I haven't had a matching rig for 20 years.

 

Mix and match can get fantastic results.

I definitely think there is a bit of that to it. I can see (or hear) why non matching might really appeal for recording purposes.

[Woodinblack]

I had a TC head with TC cabs (actually still do), but now use the Ashdown ABM600 with either the TC cabs or the basschat cab. Can't really pair that, because there isn't a basschat amp yet!

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[moley6knipe]

GK amps for me… 700RBII and a recently bought second hand MB500. Used to have GK gen 1 Neo 410 and then 212… but picked up a 2nd hand Barefaced BB2 Gen3 which blew the GK cabs out of the water for tone, power, size and weight.

 

My advice to anyone looking for a cab is to try Barefaced if you can - they’re jaw droppingly good.

[moley6knipe]

@Friskydingo - I’m in Spalding, South Lincolnshire if you’re ever over this way… you’d be very welcome to have a blast!

[fretmeister]

I think I've only matched them once in 30+ years of playing.

It's not something I worry about at all.

 

I've had a lot of cabs in that time from cheap no-name crap to Mark Bass, Bergantino, Marshall, Hartke, Barefaced and others.

 

These days it's a Barefaced Super Twin with one of my 4 amps depending on what mood I'm in. Usually either a Tech21 VT500 or a Mark Bass Marcus Limited 800. Those 2 are my favourites.

[Lozz196]

I have had many different mix-ups if amps & cabs, even to the point of having cabs of different makes in the same stack. All sounded great, but my Ashdown ABM set up is the best for me (though my Marshall DBS7400 & VBC412 was mighty fine too).

[Doddy]

It depends. All my heads are Ashdown and for the most part I've been using 1 or 2 Ashdown 1x12 cabs, however for big gigs I use a Bergantino 4x10, and I've just picked up a Schroeder 1210r to save carrying 2 cabs. 

 

[Friskydingo]

There's a large amount of users here that play with ashdown equipment! By the way all other posts are on this site I thought everyone had dark glass or vintage Fender amps through bergantino cabs, powered by zeus lightning bolts

[Ed_S]

I enjoy buying bits of new gear, so over the last 20 years I've had matched Hartke, Ashdown, Orange and Markbass rigs, as well as mixed rigs comprised of all the above plus TC, GK, SWR, Fender, Trace, Ampeg, Peavey, Mesa, Eden, Barefaced, etc. The advent of small amp heads made it significantly easier to keep the revolving door turning, but swapping the cabs to match every time would have been an expensive pain in the behind, so I kept those I was happy with and haven't felt the need to change them in a good few years.

 

There have been a few real stand-out rigs, some of which have matched (Markbass LMII and 104HR) whilst others have been mixed (Orange TB500 and BF Super12). Similarly some real disappointments which have matched (Ashdown ABM500 and ABM410) and been mixed (Markbass F1 and Ampeg 410HE). To that end, I think it's probably alright to say that listening to a matched rig is the best way of hearing an amp how the manufacturer intended it to sound, but whether or not that's the best sound the amp is capable of producing for your personal tastes is an entirely different question.

 

What matters most to me these days is that gear is capable, reliable, and as lightweight and ergonomic as possible, so I think accepting that everything might not be from the same manufacturer is fairly fundamental. Also, there's nothing as lightweight as a cab you've not had to bring, so being acceptant of any reasonable speaker size/quantity/configuration and confident in the ability of my amp head to drive it in a suitable manner has likewise been beneficial!

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

The last matched head and cab I owned was a '65 Fender Bassman, which I bought new. That's how long it's been since matching was relevant, and back then it was hard to find separates sold as new anyway.