Has anyone put there owned both a barefaced and a markbass 410?

[Paul C]

Hi just after some thoughts from folks out there who may have owned both a barefaced and a markbass 4/10 at some point.  

I'm on a budget, looking to buy used and wondering if if the more costly, but rarer Barefaced is worth being patient for, and waiting/saving longer for compared to the markbass equivalent. The BF 4/10s don't seem to come up very often used...... which might be an obvious indication how brilliant they are.

 

 The Markbass 4/10s do seem to come up fairly frequently on here, and Facebook marketplace, within 30 or 40 miles so from where I live and seem more 'get able'.

 

So yeah in summary......if you've got experience of both cabs and were due to buy one of them again would you:- 

1) be patient, save up and keep an eye out for a barefaced 

2) go for a markbass given they are likely to be a bit easier on the wallet and my fairly basic ears won't notice much difference 🙂

 

I know ideally I'd play through both but I think that's unlikely to happen anytime soon and it can be slightly awkward blasting away through a 410 in someone's house anyway.

 

Portability is not a major issue as the cab will sit in our rehearsal space 99% of the time. 

 

PS - there are loads of reasonably priced Ashdown ABMs out there as well. That's prob a third option. 

 

Hope this is a relatable question. Thanks.

[Ed_S]

I can't give the perfect answer as I haven't owned the Barefaced Four10, but I've got a Two10 and two One10s, and used to have both a Markbass 104HR and an Ashdown ABM410T.

 

The ABM410 was a solid cab and sounded fine but was heavier than I wanted to keep carting round so it got relegated to the rehearsal room. The 104HR was much lighter and sounded marginally better, but I even got fed up of the bulk of that eventually so it replaced the ABM in the rehearsal room. The pair of One10s now lives in a flightcase in the gear store at the rehearsal room and adequately covers everything that the 4x10 cabs did as long as you give them enough juice.

 

If I wanted a cab to sit in a rehearsal space that I'd never need to move, I'd buy an ABM and keep my money for other things... like maybe a Two10 to keep at home and take to gigs.

 

If I wanted one cab for everything that just happened to spend most of its time at the rehearsal room, I'd buy a Two10 as it's more than enough for rehearsals, plenty for most gigs and not a pain to shift.

 

If I absolutely had to choose one of the two cabs you're considering, I'd buy the Markbass as it's cheaper, still a great cab, and just as heavy and bulky as the Barefaced.

[Paul C]

Thanks much appreciated. All comments welcome 

[Lozz196]

I’ve had both, I found that the Markbass cabs seem to have a high end roll off, and the Barefaced have a more vintage sound with neither low lows or razor sharp highs. 
 

I think in your situation @Paul C I’d save a few pounds and get the Markbass. If I were going to gig the cab regularly then straightaway I’d choose the Barefaced.

[Paul C]

Cheers @Lozz196 much appreciated 

[fretmeister]

I’ve had a pair of BF 1x10 (one with a tweeter) and a Markbass 2x10 - the new Energy model. I’m assuming it’s basically scalable! 

 

Both great cabs, but I prefer the Mark Bass. It’s the sound in my head. There is a bit of a treble roll off but I find that to be cutting the annoying ice pick frequencies rather than anything that gets in the way of EQ-ing. 
 

They do sound very different. I found I was forever tweaking with the BF set, and hardly ever with the MB. 
 

I owned an ABM410 about 20 years ago and I’m never going back to that weight ever again! 

[Lozz196]

I forgot to mention on my post re the ABM410, the EVO IV version is an excellent cab, prob my second fave cab I ever had. Yes it’s quite heavy but even in my early/mid 50s and with a bad back I was able to cope with it. I put a set of 4” castors on it and it made it easy to move about. 

[Obrienp]

No idea how they compare sound wise but I note that the newish Markbass 58R Energy and Pure 4 x 10s are the same price new as a BF Two10 and only weigh 2.5Kg more (metal grill version). Apparently the Pure has more top end.

 

I have a well broken in BF Two10S and as previously mentioned, it has a very vintage sound. It sounds great when you are rehearsing but can be a bit mushy and indistinct in a gig. Obviously the room has quite an effect on that, as does the amp you are using with it. I have a vintage voiced amp and it doesn’t combine too well with the Two10 because it is vintage squared. On the other hand my Markbass LMIII goes pretty well with it. I’m not sure how much the tweeter option would change the equation with the Barefaced 10CR based cabs. As I understand it, the BF Four10 is pretty much 2 Two10s in one box sound wise but louder.