Thinking of getting a 1x12 cab but which one?

[Linus27]

Very occasionally I do some very small, intimate gigs with my acoustic group where I will go through a PA and my cab is my monitor. I'm thinking of getting a 1x12 cab to use with my Warwick Gnome I Pro 280 which is my backup amp. I'd like it to be small, lightweight and perhaps a minimum of 200 watts so I can carry it with one hand, bass in the other and bag over my shoulder. Now I know I could tick the MarkBass NY112 cab or even a Barefaced One10 (I know, its 10" speaker) but the other condition is price, I don't really want to spend £450 on an occasional cab if I can help it although it could be my practise rig at home as well. Ones on my list so far that seem light and are all priced at about £350 are,

 

Orange OBC112

Ashdown RM 112 Evo

Ampeg PF112

 

Anyone any experience of any of these cabs? Open to other suggestions and happy with second hand if anything suitable turns up.

[Hellzero]

Also check the Hevos Midget 10, Hevos Super 12 and Hevos Super 12/Tweeter (excellent slot tweeter) as they weight from 10.8 to 12.5 kilos and sound massive and precise.

 

You'll only find them on the second hand market (Public Peace still have very few new pieces of some) as Hevos stopped its activities a few years ago and they retail for the money you want to let go.

 

That said the best option would certainly be a GR Bass AeroTech Full Carbon cabinet but, new, it's three times your budget...

 

Edited October 25, 2023 by Hellzero
Spelling

[pbasspecial]

S/H Barefaced Super Compact. Done. 

[Alien]

I'd give serious thought to a Barefaced Super Compact.  They're built by a guy who posts on this very forum and they're light, loud and compact (as you'd expect).
 

https://barefacedbass.com/product-range/Super-Compact.htm

 

[tauzero]

Build one?

 

 

[Lozz196]

The Ashdown is a nice little cab, sounds good and isn’t too boomy, easy to cart about. 

[Baloney Balderdash]

The relatively light weight (34lb / 15.4kg) and quite affordable (385£/439 Euro at Thomann), but, as far as I gathered from reviews and demos, great Hartke HyDrive HD112, perhaps?

 

According to the specs it also got an impressive low frequency response of 25Hz (-10dB)/35Hz (-3dB), and a switchable high frequency tweeter than can be set to either full on, -6dB, or off, respectively, making the upper frequency response go up to 17kHz (-3dB) when full on.

 

It is rated to 300W.

 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[gjones]

Get a Fender Rumble 100 V3 combo. It's very light (pick up with one finger light) and loud enough to play with a quiet-ish drummer. It's more than capable to be a onstage monitor if you're going through the PA (which I've used mine for many times).

Edited October 26, 2023 by gjones

[fretmeister]

Another vote for a used Barefaced.

 

The Super Compact is excellent, but don't be blinded by the 1x12 requirement. The BF One10 (1x10) performance exceeds pretty much everybody else's 1x12 by some margin, and you could get a used one for £250-£275 if you are patient. You might even find a pair for about £500 if you are lucky. Then you've got a really flexible modular rig. The One10s only weigh about 7kg.

 

One 10 – Barefaced Audio

 

https://barefacedaudio.com/collections/10cr-bass-cabs/products/one_10

 

 

 

11 hours ago, Alien said:

I'd give serious thought to a Barefaced Super Compact.  They're built by a guy who posts on this very forum and they're light, loud and compact (as you'd expect).
 

https://barefacedbass.com/product-range/Super-Compact.htm

 

 

 

That's their old website that they've left up.

[Chienmortbb]

One ting I would suggest is not to get too hung up on driver size. The work that @Phil Starr and I have done on smaller drivers, inspired by @stevie from LFSys, suggests that there is little to differentiate between some good 10s and even the best 12s. If you look at the LFSys range, for example, there is only 2 dB difference between the 12" Monaco and the 10" Monza with the same frequency response. I believe that @stevie has been investigating other drivers.

 

Now 2dB between friends is not a lot, but you may find that on an 8 ohm speaker a Warwick Gnome would not put enough out for you, but our recent amp shoot-out suggests otherwise.

[chris_b]

I have a Super Compact and a One10. For one cab gigs I always take the Super Compact. Move more air, get better tone.

[fretmeister]

Just now, chris_b said:

I have a Super Compact and a One10. For one cab gigs I always take the Super Compact. Move more air, get better tone.

 

Different tone really. Not better or worse.

[Baloney Balderdash]

12 minutes ago, Chienmortbb said:

One ting I would suggest is not to get too hung up on driver size. The work that @Phil Starr and I have done on smaller drivers, inspired by @stevie from LFSys, suggests that there is little to differentiate between some good 10s and even the best 12s. If you look at the LFSys range, for example, there is only 2 dB difference between the 12" Monaco and the 10" Monza with the same frequency response. I believe that @stevie has been investigating other drivers.

 

Now 2dB between friends is not a lot, but you may find that on an 8 ohm speaker a Warwick Gnome would not put enough out for you, but our recent amp shoot-out suggests otherwise.

Then again 3dB isn't much either, but still the difference in output between a 250W amp and a 500W amp.

 

I'd say a low frequency response of 2dB can make a quite substantial difference in tone.

 

Whether that then is for the the better or worse I guess is up to personal preferences, but personally I'd rather have it there and be able to cut it off if I find I don't want it.

 

In any case a 12" speaker will move more air than a 10" speaker, which means, everything else being equal, be louder. 

 

And the difference in output from the Gnome between being hooked up to a 4 Ohm cab and 8 Ohm cab by the way would also only be just about 2dB.

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[chris_b]

8 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

 

Different tone really. Not better or worse.

 

In my experience, better.

[Baloney Balderdash]

1 minute ago, chris_b said:

 

In my opinion, better.

There, fixed it for you. 

[Chienmortbb]

1 minute ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

Then again 3dB isn't much either, but still the difference in output between a 250W amp and a 500W amp.

 

I'd say a low frequency response of 2dB can make a quite substantial difference in tone.

 

Whether that then is for the the better or worse I guess is up to personal preferences, but personally I'd rather have it there and be able to cut it off if I find I don't want it.

 

The point is that the sensitivity across the board is -2dB compared to the other speaker. There is no loss of relative volume at the low end, compared to the rest of the audible spectrum. To put it into perspective, at full power, that Gnome would be capable of driving the 12" to 119dB and the 10" to 117dB SPLs. With a 600 watt rated speaker, there would be little thermal or power compression. Surely enough for an acoustic gig?

[chris_b]

11 minutes ago, Baloney Balderdash said:

There, fixed it for you. 

 

My experience, not yours.

[Baloney Balderdash]

54 minutes ago, chris_b said:

 

My experience, not yours.

There's a difference semantically.

 

When using "in my experience" rather than "in my opinion" it kind of insinuates that you came to a somewhat objective conclusion based on that experience, rather than just an opinion. 

 

But whatever, it's not like it is really all that important, or that discussing semantics is "on topic".

 

In any case my reply was meant in a jokingly manner, as the"I fixed it for you" quote reply MeMe usually is, and the  emote was intended to make that clearer. 

 

Edited October 26, 2023 by Baloney Balderdash

[stevie]

For the purposes of acoustic gigs and home practice, a good quality ten-inch cab would certainly do the job - and be more convenient than a twelve.

 

Of the three cabs mentioned, the Orange offers the best value for money IMO, as it's fitted with a good quality neodymium driver with decent power handling. On the other hand, it doesn't have a tweeter - so that might rule it out for the OP. The Ampeg costs considerably more than the others and is only rated at 200 watts - so not a very high spec. Depending on your needs, It could be enough - especially if you're a fan of the brand name. The Ashdown doesn't have neo drivers either but does have a tweeter and seems to offer good value - like most Ashdown products.

 

The above is based purely on what the manufacturers say (and don't say) about their products. I don't think I've heard any of them personally.

Edited October 26, 2023 by stevie

[stevie]

 

[Linus27]

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. My number one choice would be a Barefaced One10 as I have a Two10 as my main rig and its fantastic. I'd also take a Super Compact but the problem is just finding either second hand which seems to be a bit thin on the ground obviously. I'd also love to try an LFSys cab but again, I can't justify buying new for the use I have and second hand is impossible to find.

[Greg Edwards69]

How about one of the Warwick Gnome cabs to go with your head? The specs and price look great to me.  Whether they sound great is another matter, but they could do the job for just occasional use.

Edited October 26, 2023 by Greg Edwards69

[Linus27]

8 minutes ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

How about one of the Warwick Gnome cabs to go with your head? The specs and price look great to me.  Whether they sound great is another matter, but they could do the job for just occasional use.

 

I did look at them but I've not heard very positive reviews of them and that they can sound quite boxy and farty. So I wanted to avoid really.

[fretmeister]

1 hour ago, Linus27 said:

Thank you for the suggestions everyone. My number one choice would be a Barefaced One10 as I have a Two10 as my main rig and its fantastic. I'd also take a Super Compact but the problem is just finding either second hand which seems to be a bit thin on the ground obviously. I'd also love to try an LFSys cab but again, I can't justify buying new for the use I have and second hand is impossible to find.

 

If you can find a One10T then you get the adjustable tweeter as well. I never used to use tweeters at all, but since I got one I've left it on at about halfway. It just seems add a little complexity to the sound, and not just treble.

[BassAdder60]

Ampeg SVT112AV lovely cabs 

 

Didn’t rate the PF series at all