The Lightweight Cabs Thread

[ukbassboy]

[quote name='alhbass' post='717772' date='Jan 19 2010, 01:02 PM']I used to use a Markbass LMII, and now have an LMK. I'd be willing to bet you'll find a 500w MB head plenty powerful enough! These days I have MB cabs - but for years I couldn't afford them, and so used the MB heads with all sorts of cabs, including various Ashdowns, and, for a while, two Trace 4x12s stacked. I can honestly say the MB heads have always cut it, even at big outdoor gigs. I was (and still am) playing five strings basses too.

I heartily recommend you give them a go anyway, if you're after a good, lightweight amp.[/quote]

I think I have found a way to (legally) sidestep the US tax and export rules which will allow me to source a Genz Benz Shuttlemax 12.0 for around £650 so probably going to head in that direction.
These amps seem to get some great reviews. I like the fact that they are VERY light, you can blend the tube and FET preamps, the headphone jack can be easily used as a in-ear-monitor for when there is no PA support and the 12.0 has a very powerful and flexible power section.
Shame we can't get them anywhere near as cheap as they are in the US ($1099 vs £995!).

[ColinB]

[quote name='ukbassboy' post='718999' date='Jan 20 2010, 01:49 PM']I think I have found a way to (legally) sidestep the US tax and export rules which will allow me to source a Genz Benz Shuttlemax 12.0 for around £650 so probably going to head in that direction.[/quote]

You're right - UK prices are ridiculous!!

Have you remembered to factor in VAT, Import Duty and the courier's charges for administration of the VAT & Duty to this - it can be about 25% extra on the costs!

[Bassmouseman]

I have a Schroeder 410L 4ohm that weighs in a around 25kg.
This is the best cab I have ever used!

Now I just want another one and a Eden WT550

[ukbassboy]

[quote name='ColinB' post='719012' date='Jan 20 2010, 01:56 PM']You're right - UK prices are ridiculous!!

Have you remembered to factor in VAT, Import Duty and the courier's charges for administration of the VAT & Duty to this - it can be about 25% extra on the costs![/quote]

Yip, no vat or import duty applicable and courier charges treated internal US shipping. Thats about a £350 saving on the best UK price, sweet!

[Marky L]

[quote name='ukbassboy' post='719484' date='Jan 20 2010, 07:44 PM']Yip, no vat or import duty applicable and courier charges treated internal US shipping. Thats about a £350 saving on the best UK price, sweet![/quote]

Hey! Spill the beans on how that works chum!

[ukbassboy]

[quote name='Marky L' post='724936' date='Jan 26 2010, 11:04 AM']Hey! Spill the beans on how that works chum! [/quote]

I'm afraid it's a case of
a) knowing the right person
b spending summer in Afghanistan!

Any takers?

[ColinB]

mmm...I don't know a) and I'm certainly not up for b.

It's not arriving in the back of a Hercules is it??

Edited January 27, 2010 by ColinB

[phil.i.stein]

[quote name='ColinB' post='726496' date='Jan 27 2010, 04:17 PM']mmm...I don't know a) and I'm certainly not up for b.

It's not arriving in the back of a Hercules is it?? [/quote]
Hercules ? a carrier pigeon could probably manage it.

[ukbassboy]

[quote name='phil.i.stein' post='726558' date='Jan 27 2010, 06:02 PM']Hercules ? a carrier pigeon could probably manage it. [/quote]

it'll be arriving in my hand luggage. Atleast it will give me something to look forward too (especially when paired up with my newly ordered barefaced compact!).

[phil.i.stein]

[quote name='ukbassboy' post='727141' date='Jan 27 2010, 11:58 PM']it'll be arriving in my hand luggage. Atleast it will give me something to look forward too (especially when paired up with my newly ordered barefaced compact!).[/quote]
i have the same. you will love it.

[ukbassboy]

[quote name='ColinB' post='719012' date='Jan 20 2010, 01:56 PM']You're right - UK prices are ridiculous!![/quote]

And you think we have it bad. I had a look down ´Denmark St´in Buenos Aires today and their prices are crazy... anyone fancy a standard USA Precision Bass for 1500 quid or a Warwick Thumb BO 5 for just over 3 grand?
Its impressive though, I reckon about 30 music stores on the one St, very handy.

[Phaedrus]

I threw this together this morning. It's only 4x10s - that's what I'm personally interested in. I'm posting it in case others find it interesting/useful.

I trawled Thomann, MusicStore, GAK & The Bass Gallery.

All prices are today's & converted today with xe.com.

All specs are are those stated by either the shop description or the manufacturer's websites where stuff was missing.

I don't think there are too any mistakes in there, but I take no responsibility for any that are there - it's just a rough comparison guide.

I did it in Excel, and sorted it by weight (this being the Lightweight Cabs thread), then by price. If someone wants it sorted differently, let me know and I'll post a jpg of that too. If you guys know of other 4x10s I missed, let me know.

I don't know how to attach an Excel doc, or if that can even be done?

The biggest surprise for me was that you could have a 26.8kg Epifani 4x10 cab for just £490 . . .




Mark

Edited February 4, 2010 by Phaedrus

[thisnameistaken]

That list does a good job of showing just how many brands now think their gear is worth twice as much as anybody else's gear.

[fatback]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='734889' date='Feb 4 2010, 11:30 AM']That list does a good job of showing just how many brands now think their gear is worth twice as much as anybody else's gear.[/quote]

Wow! Great job.

[blackparkas]

I have a TKS 212 that weights just above 20kg. I think possibly 21kg, but not more.

TKS is a small swedish brand and Tommy who builds them does it by hand.
Of course he doesn´t build that many cabs, but he is focusing on lightweight cabs with a lot of punch/bottom.
He has a 2x15 that weights 25kg.
His 1x12 is really kickass.

They´re also really affordable!
I think a standard 2x12 costs around 400-450 Euros.
I haven´t A/B tested one against Aguilar and such, but for me, it isn´t worth the difference in price.

Here is my custom 2x12-cab:

[thisnameistaken]

Looks nice. Does he have a website?

[blackparkas]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='764077' date='Mar 4 2010, 05:02 PM']Looks nice. Does he have a website?[/quote]



Yes he does!


www.tks.se


It´s all in Swedish though, since the company is small, he at this point only market himself through a swedish bass-forum and through recommendations.
But you could se the different models on the site easily.
212 is a 2x12
2128 is a 2x12 with an 8"

I think he has some new models for 2010 as well with 15" with 6" and so on.

I´m very pleased with mine so far.
Don´t know how it would stand upp against Aguilar/Genz Benz and such, haven´t A/B tested as said.
But for the money it really kicks ass.
Almost the same depth/bottom in the sound as my JCM 8000 2x15.
I think it´s preferrably Emminence-speakers he uses but I´m a bit unsure of that.

Edited March 4, 2010 by blackparkas

[thisnameistaken]

Yeah they look interesting, prices look good too. Thanks for the link.

[flippyfloop]

I spent many years trying to find a great lightweight setup.
I'm finally happy with my Markbass F500 and Bergantino AE112.
I've tried many cabs EBS, EA, Markbass, Schroder and Epifani.
The Bergantino is by far the best for me. So clear and focused from top to bottom.
I cannot recommend Bergantino enough. Amazing cab.
I'm gonna get another Berg 1x12 or 2x10 for big gigs even though the ae112 is ample for most situations.

NOTE - I haven't used Aguilar, Barefaced, Tecamp, etc. So no comment on these.

[ukbassboy]

[quote name='flippyfloop' post='785066' date='Mar 24 2010, 09:01 PM']I spent many years trying to find a great lightweight setup.
I'm finally happy with my Markbass F500 and Bergantino AE112.
I've tried many cabs EBS, EA, Markbass, Schroder and Epifani.
The Bergantino is by far the best for me. So clear and focused from top to bottom.
I cannot recommend Bergantino enough. Amazing cab.
I'm gonna get another Berg 1x12 or 2x10 for big gigs even though the ae112 is ample for most situations.

NOTE - I haven't used Aguilar, Barefaced, Tecamp, etc. So no comment on these.[/quote]
I'm now well on my way to my ulitmate light weight rig. My Genz Benz Shuttlemax 12.0 has arrived and when paired with my Barefaced compact gives me 375w @ only 15kg for practices and small gigs and sounds huge when combined with my Ashdown ABM410. Guess I need to find a light weight 4 ohm 4x10 or something to replace the 36kg Ashdown and make best use of the 12.0s dual power amps (it can put out 1200w after all!). I'll gig the compact a few times but might even be tempted to add a Big One.
All this means that I probably need to get rid of the Markbass LMK that I have only had a month though it will be sad to see it go as the sound is awesome - I maybe even prefer the tone a touch more than the Genz Benz but the built in redundancy of the Genz almost makes it a no brainer... I'll never need a back up amp again!

[fretmeister]

TecAmp M212

Awesome thing and only 44lb

[Salt on your Bass?]

Just finished assembling my lightweight rig, and I’m absolutely loving it!

Set up now is:
[b]Feline Bass (5 string) --- DHA VT2-twin-eq-std --- Genz Benz Shuttle 9 --- Barefaced Compact[/b]

I’ve had the components for home playing for a while, and my first proper test was the weekend just gone, managing to get a rehearsal (finally) in with my “band”. I’d managed to dial in so many good tones at home on my own, i couldn’t wait to get it out.

The first test was whether I could actually carry it down the road (admittedly only 1,000 yards to the train station – then another 200 yards the other end). Pretty easy – cab in one hand, guitar on my back, bag of pedals and cables in the other.

I arrived early and set up with the drummer (guitarist was as usual late!) and let rip – this set packs one hell of a wallop. I EQ’d a little on the Genz, added the Extra low pre set to find my sweet spot, and it was tonal Nirvana! This is one hell of an amp in an almost ridiculously small package. I love the tone variety and the wallop it can hit you with.

Throwing in the DHA VT2 to provide some overdrive and fuzz when needed, and the versatility in tone was staggering! Really tubey and aggressive. I love the two tube stages – the first adding a little more bite than the Genz can conjure, the second taking it to a heavy overdrive/fuzz.

The compact just seems to throw out bass – literally trouser flapping!! The low B is the best I’ve ever heard it – articulate, fat, didn’t fade quickly, sounded equal in level to every other sting on the instrument.

When the guitar was eventually brought into the mix, it cut through easily, and kicked the arse out of a Marshall 412 – we’re a pretty loud band, and the guitarist resigned himself to running another amp in stereo to try and boost enough to get our mix right.

I know loudness isn’t what it’s all about, but running a single 15 in such a light weight rig, as well as more than achieving my tonal goals whilst being stupidly loud put the biggest smile on my face!!

What i thought sounded pretty good at home, just came to life in a rehearsal room in a live context. I can’t wait till next time, and to get it out gigging!!

I’m so pleased with each element of this rig, the tone, finish (The pedal and cab are extremely well built, and aesthetically i love their appearance) and the customer service I received from Alex and Dave, I just thought I’d share.

[Tone Ranger]

Hi to everybody here, i've trawled these pages over the last few years as a guest but have finally got off my a*se and registered.

My situation is as follows:

I'm 48, I live on the second floor of a block of flats (no lift) and I play in a garage punk band. My current backline is an old Trace GP7 300w 1x15" combo running it with the compression on, the eq flat with a Sansamp Bass Driver and another Trace 1x15" if I need the extra grunt. This is slowly killing me, driving back from a gig, still sweaty, full of the evenings memories and generally feeling good about the world when suddenly the thought of lugging the combo up those 32 stairs just kills my high!! The 1x15 isn't too bad but the combo? damn that thing!!

What to do? Go lightweight but I still want to keep that 2x15" sound. This will save my back but i need to keep my marriage so there is a budget. I've probably got £900 to play with if I sell my Trace and a few toys so what do i look at?

I've recently been rehearsing at Rooz Studios in Old Street, they're kitted out with Orange valve gear (there's nothing else in any of the rooms) and I admit that the 200w bass head is rather nice but obviously too heavy (and expensive). Should I consider a Bass Terror with on of those 2x12 cabs? Until I started reading these pages I thought that the only choice was Mark Bass, fine for nice gently jazzy sounding gigs, but not for me doing my Jean-Jacques Burnell impersonation. I now realise that the choice is much, much bigger but I'm looking for something with a rocky vibe to it not a smooth gentle jazz tone to it.



Any thoughts, boys and girls, would fall on very grateful ears

Cheers

Tone

Edited May 4, 2010 by Tone Ranger

[Musicman20]

[quote name='Tone Ranger' post='827570' date='May 4 2010, 03:39 PM']Hi to everybody here, i've trawled these pages over the last few years as a guest but have finally got off my a*se and registered.

My situation is as follows:

I'm 48, I live on the second floor of a block of flats (no lift) and I play in a garage punk band. My current backline is an old Trace GP7 300w 1x15" combo running it with the compression on, the eq flat with a Sansamp Bass Driver and another Trace 1x15" if I need the extra grunt. This is slowly killing me, driving back from a gig, still sweaty, full of the evenings memories and generally feeling good about the world when suddenly the thought of lugging the combo up those 32 stairs just kills my high!! The 1x15 isn't too bad but the combo? damn that thing!!

What to do? Go lightweight but I still want to keep that 2x15" sound. This will save my back but i need to keep my marriage so there is a budget. I've probably got £900 to play with if I sell my Trace and a few toys so what do i look at?

I've recently been rehearsing at Rooz Studios in Old Street, they're kitted out with Orange valve gear (there's nothing else in any of the rooms) and I admit that the 200w bass head is rather nice but obviously too heavy (and expensive). Should I consider a Bass Terror with on of those 2x12 cabs? Until I started reading these pages I thought that the only choice was Mark Bass, fine for nice gently jazzy sounding gigs, but not for me doing my Jean-Jacques Burnell impersonation. I now realise that the choice is much, much bigger but I'm looking for something with a rocky vibe to it not a smooth gentle jazz tone to it.



Any thoughts, boys and girls, would fall on very grateful ears

Cheers

Tone[/quote]

For that tone, Orange Bass Terror all the way. Damn loud and brilliant amps. Will dirt up nicely as well.

Cabs, hmmm. The SP212 they do is great and tiny, but also fairly expensive. Im not sure what they are like to gig but I tested one in a room at Orange HQ...fairly high volume, and it sounded massive.

One chap on here pairs the BT with a TC RS212 cab. That amp will do 500w into a 8 or 4 ohm load which is good news. The TC RS212 is fairly compact, loud and can do a smooth tone all the way to old school grind. Nice tweeter too.

[ukbassboy]

Tone Ranger.

I've just gone down the lightweight route and dont regret it one bit. My rig is now well under half the weight it used to be and my back is thanking me for it.
My advice is to go second hand, you will get great value for money off the Marketplace forums. IMO you should give serious condieration to this...
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=86815"]Barefaced Vintage[/url]
I have the Compact (1x15") and it is unbelievably loud on its own. Here you are getting 2 very loud 15" speakers at only 21Kg. If you can pick up a Markbass LM2 or similar (I have an LMK) you will be moving some serious air with a combined weight over 10 Kg lighter than your Trace combo alone. It will test the upper end of your budget but I doubt you will be left wanting from this set up!