Barefaced Compact v Aguilar GS112NT

[Mr.T]

There seems to be a lot of love for both these cabs, but...

As tone (and love) is subjective, what about a direct a/b between the two.

How do they compare in terms of:
Loudness
Bottom End
Clarity
etc.

Or...
Is it even a fair shoot-out?

[stevefletch59]

I've got a Compact and it's great. Plenty loud, good tight bottom and very clear (I play mainly rock). Can't comment on the Aguilar tho !

Steve

[alexclaber]

I don't think anyone who's bought one has directly replaced a GS112 with a Compact. An Epifani UL112 owner who recently got a Barefaced Compact said this:

"Having had the Compact a few days now and used it for two rehearsals yesterday I can confirm that it is superb smile.gif

Just has so much more depth that my Epifani 1x12, much fuller across the whole range, punchier, lighter and a lot louder (I know it's not a fair comparison but even so).

I've used the mid and treble eq on my Overwater in a way I never had before - the amp is set flat as usual but I can dial in mids and top end without it sounding all edgy and harsh. My new passive Fender Jazz sounds great through it too - so all in all extremely happy"

Alex

[stevie]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='524841' date='Jun 26 2009, 01:52 PM']I don't think anyone who's bought one has directly replaced a GS112 with a Compact. An Epifani UL112 owner who recently got a Barefaced Compact said this:

"Having had the Compact a few days now and used it for two rehearsals yesterday I can confirm that it is superb smile.gif

Just has so much more depth that my Epifani 1x12, much fuller across the whole range, punchier, lighter and a lot louder (I know it's not a fair comparison but even so).

I've used the mid and treble eq on my Overwater in a way I never had before - the amp is set flat as usual but I can dial in mids and top end without it sounding all edgy and harsh. My new passive Fender Jazz sounds great through it too - so all in all extremely happy"

Alex[/quote]
The question wasn't about the Epifani UL112 but that's another nice plug for your product. Alex, how would you like it if other speaker manufacturers came on here and trashed your stuff?

[4000]

I more or less directly replaced 2xGS112s with a Compact. I've only used it at one rehearsal so far (our guitarist separated his collarbone from his shoulder a while back and so has been unable to play), but for what I want (though possibly not everything) the Compact is far better. Much purer and more full range, tighter and bigger sounding. Not as scooped or twinky (I hate the Aguilar tweeters so always turned them off). Depends what you want though. I have a mate who swears by his GS112s; he bought them after he heard mine (and several appear to have followed him - wonder if I can claim some sort of fee?). The Aggies I always found to be muddled and congested in the mids without that much clarity (for what I want). The Compact is a bit more like a super tight, super loud Trace 1153.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='stevie' post='525206' date='Jun 26 2009, 07:33 PM']The question wasn't about the Epifani UL112 but that's another nice plug for your product. Alex, how would you like it if other speaker manufacturers came on here and trashed your stuff?[/quote]

I'm sorry, did I trash someone? I just quoted exactly what I received in a pm from another basschatter, which should help provide a reference versus another popular 1x12". Feeling upset about losing MJ are we?

Alex

[wateroftyne]

[b][size=4]'Order!'[/size][/b]

[stevie]

[quote name='Mr.T' post='524612' date='Jun 26 2009, 09:34 AM']Is it even a fair shoot-out?[/quote]
It's only a fair shoot-out if you realize that the two types of cab offer different benefits. *All things being equal* (and I'm not referring to any brand here), a 15" will be louder and go lower. It's maximum output will also be greater. A 12" will be more compact and thus easier to transport. It will also have cleaner mids, a more extended high frequency response and a slightly better off axis response.

Which is better will often depend on what you're looking for.

Edited June 26, 2009 by stevie

[4000]

[quote name='stevie' post='525382' date='Jun 26 2009, 09:46 PM']It's only a fair shoot-out if you realize that the two types of cab offer different benefits. *All things being equal* (and I'm not referring to any brand here), a 15" will be louder and go lower. It's maximum output will also be greater. A 12" will be more compact and thus easier to transport. It will also have cleaner mids, a more extended high frequency response and a slightly better off axis response.

Which is better will often depend on what you're looking for.[/quote]

In the case of the GS112 (unless the response of the NT is different than a GS with the tweeter off) the GS certainly didn't have cleaner mids than the Compact (far more muddy IMO) and it had [i]less[/i] top end. Smaller though, so easier to transport in that sense, but it's 10 lbs heavier.

[Protium]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='525285' date='Jun 26 2009, 08:26 PM']I'm sorry, did I trash someone? I just quoted exactly what I received in a pm from another basschatter, which should help provide a reference versus another popular 1x12". Feeling upset about losing MJ are we?

Alex[/quote]

By this reckoning the compact can be compared to another popular 1x15 then? What's MJ got to do with anything?

[Musicman20]

Oh eck!

[Mr.T]

Thanks for the replies.

At the moment I use:

An Aguilar GS112... Nice bottom end, but (To my ears) muddy mids and not much in the way of top end (I don't mean tweeter type top).
An Ashdown 2x10 Neo... Nice top end, a bit harsh in the mids and not much bottom end.

Together they seem to compensate for each other, but as I raise (or lower) the 'loudness' controls the sound seems to change. (Mixing drivers?)
This means that I am having to mess with my EQ as well as turning up the volume...... I think?

My old Trace rig, when turned up, just got louder.

So, what do I want to achieve?
(Please excuse the desription)
Ideally, a speaker system that has deep smooth lows, clear articulate mids without being harsh, and some bright top end without using a tweeter.
Loud enough for your average pub type venue.
Easy to carry on my own.

....Hence the question regarding the Compact (or 2).

[stevefletch59]

Mr T

I think what you have just described is more or less what you get with the compact. I have been using 4 x 10's before getting the compact and i'm very happy with it. It is stupidly easy to transport too. It is easily loud enough for pub gigs, I haven't done any large gigs with it yet. Still can't comment on the Aggie tho.

If you lived nearer to me you could come and try it.

Hope this helps.

Steve

[JTUK]

Interested to see where this thread goes as I am considering the GS cabs as a lighter/smaller option.

If you are running 1 cab then you'll need to decide which cab offers you the best range for what you do..
That is a trial and error exercise on your part and one man's meat etc in regards to sound requirements, is another man's poison.

I don't know either cab but if you're running only one then a good full range is the way to go. When you run two cabs, I think the best option is to bi-amp them so you get a cross-over splitting and channeling the load and frequencies better..

In general larger speakers handle lows at volume much better than smaller ones.. so running a full signal into one of the other configs is quite a compromise IMV..

As with all the things people can give you their take on things but you may hear them differently..
As long as the kit is pretty decent, then the sound is subjective, of course.

Sounds like you'll have fun working this all out so post back your findings.

For me, the best way to split the sounds is with a sub, 2x10 and a stereo amp with a x-over... but that isn't really a compact rig in my eyes.

Where do you want your compromise to be..???

Edited June 28, 2009 by JTUK

[Mr.T]

A Compact is sounding promising... I like the desription of it being like a 'super loud Trace 1153'.

Don't get me wrong I think the Aggie is a nice cab, and I nearly bought a second one, but it does lack clarity and top for what I need.

I don't want to compromise, I am not very good at it!

[Merton]

[quote name='4000' post='525269' date='Jun 26 2009, 08:13 PM']The Compact is a bit more like a super tight, super loud Trace 1153.[/quote]
+1. And with a better low end response IME.

[Etienne]

Another +1 for the Trace 1153! I regularly gigged a late-90's (Pre-Gibson) model for several years and loved it... it never let me down once! That Celestion driver could handle a lot more power than its specs would suggest, and it sounded great for pretty much every style of music I play. It turned out to be a great recording cab too, especially with a Bassman valve head!

Having owned and gigged my Compact for a while now, I think that overall it's a vast improvement on the Trace in almost every area. Loads more power handling, loads more bottom end, far more balanced tone from top to bottom, better tone at loud gigging volume, much much lighter, smaller and much easier to carry/transport...

However, on the downside I must say that although the Compact is built very solidly where it matters, it's let down a bit by the finish, compared to other high-end cabs that I've owned. I ran the Trace for a decade and it still looked great when I eventually sold it, thanks to the tough carpet finish and metal corners. I have my doubts that the Compact will age as gracefully. The painted-on finish is already displaying chips and marks (despite me being very careful with my gear!), and I'm just not a fan of the plastic corners that Alex is using- they are cheap compared to the rest of the components used, and break easily (two of mine have split, although Alex has sent me replacements through).

Sorry, this has accidentally turned into a review! Back on topic now... I've briefly owned a pair of Aggie GS112's, and must say that I greatly prefer the sound of a single Compact to a [u]pair[/u] of these!

[alexclaber]

The two corners on Etienne's that split were damaged in shipping, I haven't heard of others breaking in normal use (though do let me know if they have!) Although the finish marks more easily than carpet it doesn't collect hairs/odours/etc. I do intend to offer a 'refresh' kit, so if your cab has been really heavily gigged and is looking battered you can simply run a fresh coat of finish over it. If the corners are broken then they too are easy to replace. So that's my logic behind it - lots of people don't like the way carpet bobbles or collects dirt, and I like how a cab with this finish can always be returned to looking as good as new if you have about half an hour to spare.

Alex

[Stylon Pilson]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='527823' date='Jun 29 2009, 03:41 PM']lots of people don't like the way carpet bobbles or collects dirt[/quote]

...not to mention how the cat assumes that it will be a scratching post. Of course you can buy a cover for a carpet-covered cab, but I like my rig to be uncovered and ready to play at a moment's notice.

S.P.

[Alien]

[quote name='Stylon Pilson' post='527834' date='Jun 29 2009, 03:52 PM']...not to mention how the cat assumes that it will be a scratching post. .[/quote]

Or worse, a toilet...

A

[4000]

[quote name='Mr.T' post='527258' date='Jun 28 2009, 11:34 PM']A Compact is sounding promising... I like the desription of it being like a 'super loud Trace 1153'.

Don't get me wrong I think the Aggie is a nice cab, and I nearly bought a second one, but it does lack clarity and top for what I need.

I don't want to compromise, I am not very good at it![/quote]

Exactly what I found. Compared to my old 1153 I found the Aggie lacked quite a bit of top and a good degree of articulation. It's fatter sounding with the eq the same, but I just always felt like it had socks and mittens on. The Compact is different altogether. Even our guitarist was impressed. As I say though, not perfect for everything; my UL502 wasn't fond of it, and if you want to be Mark King then I'd give it a wide berth. But if you like a big, clear driving sound I think it's a good choice.

[Mr.T]

Definately don't want to sound like Mark King... Although I would like to have his talent (and possibly his bank balance?).

I was always happy with my Trace 1153, which I used paired with a 2x10.

[Lfalex v1.1]

[quote name='Alien' post='527874' date='Jun 29 2009, 04:32 PM']Or worse, a toilet...

A[/quote]

Cats. Redifining the [i]Port[/i]-a-loo since Helmholtz resonators were devised!
+1 for the 1153.
Seconded by my feline, although for a different purpose.

[4000]

[quote name='Mr.T' post='527993' date='Jun 29 2009, 06:44 PM']Definately don't want to sound like Mark King... Although I would like to have his talent (and possibly his bank balance?).

I was always happy with my Trace 1153, which I used paired with a 2x10.[/quote]

Oh BTW, our drummer picked the Compact up with his finger the other week. It weighs about half what an 1153 does, and is comfortably lighter than an Aggie.

[Dood]

I've got an Aguilar GS112 sat in my cupboard all safe... so safe infact it hasn't been used for months! Between myself and the previous owner, it has never been gigged and never left the house other than to go to my mates for a 'writing session'. I am wondering IF I should sell it or hang on to it as it is a great little cab for 'writing sessions' - but to be honest, I could alwys borrow an amp at my band member's house instead of lugging another cab with me. Hmmm.. food for thought. It's like 'Anti-GAS'!!!

I might pop it up for sale as I know they are sought after.