Additional cab for a 5 string.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

I'm currently playing Yamaha 5 string (TRB1005) through a Markbass CMD102P. It sounds great until I play the low B and then it just falls away. The 10's can't handle the lowest notes. I was thinking about adding the Markbass Traveller 151P [url="http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua=en&cat=2&vedi=36"]http://www.markbass.it/products.php?lingua...t=2&vedi=36[/url] to beef up the sound. Will this be the answer to my low end woes? What do the rest of you play your low B's through?

Happy New Year,

Phil.

[chris_b]

Good 10's can handle a low B better than most 15's these days. I would add another 210 rather than a 115. Also I would roll off the Gain a little and get your volume by adding a little on the Master volume.

[Conan]

It might also be worth checking the heights of the poles on your pick-ups. Sometimes if one string is a greater distance from the magnets it will be quieter than the others. Worth a try!

In my (limited) experience, a decent cabinet with 10" speakers will have at least as much low end as one filled with fifteens. Looking at the MarkBass combos, they are very small - could this be a reason for tha lack of extended low end? Or could it be the Nd drivers?!

I'm sure you'll get better advice from one of the cab specialists on here!

[umph]

those markbass cabs aren't exactly low end monsters

[6stringbassist]

Maybe consider a different cab.

I got a used Acme Low B2 for the ridiculous price of £200, it;s by far the best cab that I've had, and easily handles low B's. Not the most efficient of cabs, but with a reasonable amp it's great and fine for medium gigs without a PA.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try the pup height adjustment. If the bigger cabs dont give better bottom what is their particular quality?

[6stringbassist]

Looking on the Markbass website your cab should go down to 40HZ, which compares to other 2x10 cabs by people like Epifani.

Do you use the EQ much ?

I tend to keep everything pretty much flat.

I've never played through a Markbass combo, but I did hear Michael Manring play through one recently, and he had a beautiful clear sound. He was playing his 4 string Hyperbass, and he does use some low tunings.

[6stringbassist]

Some 10's though are rubbish for low B's.

The EBS 4x10 for example is awful for anything lower than an E.

[Tinman]

My Hartke 410XL's are great for a low B. According to the specs they go down to 30Hz

[Conan]

[quote name='philipleonard' post='698015' date='Jan 1 2010, 03:22 PM']Thanks for the tips. I'm going to try the pup height adjustment.[/quote]

Good starting point. Don't set the pole too high though, or the pull of the magnet will actually stop the string vibrating as much as it should and you will gain volume but lose tone and sustain!!

[Chopthebass]

I just added a homemade 15 cab to my two Agi DB112 cabs and it really adds some extra depth that is quite noticeable. The twelves do cope with the low B on their own but without the 15 they do seem lacking! I would recommend trying a 15 cab with your setup.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

[quote name='6stringbassist' post='698032' date='Jan 1 2010, 04:44 PM']Looking on the Markbass website your cab should go down to 40HZ, which compares to other 2x10 cabs by people like Epifani.

Do you use the EQ much ?

I tend to keep everything pretty much flat.

I've never played through a Markbass combo, but I did hear Michael Manring play through one recently, and he had a beautiful clear sound. He was playing his 4 string Hyperbass, and he does use some low tunings.[/quote]
I've adjusted the pup height and it seems to have made a difference. I've only been able to test it on a little 20W Hartke. Going to the practice room tomorrow to try it with the Markbass. I usually keep the EQ fairly flat, so I don't think that's the problem. I've been a member for a month now and already the knowledge of the members is indispensible. A GENUINE THANK YOU.

Phil.

Edited January 1, 2010 by philipleonard

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='chris_b' post='697985' date='Jan 1 2010, 09:46 AM']Good 10's can handle a low B better than most 15's these days. I would add another 210 rather than a 115. Also I would roll off the Gain a little and get your volume by adding a little on the Master volume.[/quote]+1. The size of the driver has precious little to do with how low it will go, that's the product of many factors, not the least of them being the physical size of the cabinet.

[JTUK]

I can't see why the Markbass combo will not handle low B's..
I've used one and it was fine....

I tend to like 10's down there anyway... tighter, more defined, typically

[absentmindeduk]

I have the Traveler 210 and 115.

I find the 210 handles the Low B on my 6 string no problems at a low volume, but crank it in a band situation and I find it weedy at best - it doesnt shift a large enough amount of air, so I added the 115.
The sound is definately more rounded and punchy at louder volumes.

-So I reakon your 210 should be OK, but depends on the volumes you play at - the 115 would certainly make a nice addition!

I got the 115 2nd hand for £350 delivered.

Let us know hoow you get on! ;-)

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='absentmindeduk' post='698513' date='Jan 1 2010, 08:34 PM']I added the 115.
The sound is definately more rounded and punchy at louder volumes.[/quote]Undoubtably. Virtually any two cabs together will sound considerably better than either one alone.
There are instances where a specific 1x15 will have better low end capability than a specific 2x10. Unfortunately there's no way of predicting when that will be the case. One can, however, be assured that a pair of identical 2x10s will work well together, and far better than just one. If one doesn't have the opportunity to try both options side by side adding the additional 2x10 is the more prudent move.

[Bloc Riff Nut]

[quote name='absentmindeduk' post='698513' date='Jan 2 2010, 02:34 AM']I have the Traveler 210 and 115.

I find the 210 handles the Low B on my 6 string no problems at a low volume, but crank it in a band situation and I find it weedy at best -

Let us know hoow you get on! ;-)[/quote]
I tried my adjusted pup height through the Markbass 102 (without guitar and Hammond muddying up the airwaves ), It was nice to be in there on my own for a change. The pup has been moved closer to the Low B and it's made a remarkable difference.

Absentmindeduk does have a point about losing umph when its cranked up. Maybe I'll add a 2X10 or 1X15 later on, but for now the pup height adjustment has worked wonders. CHEERS.

I've always had a rather high action because I attack the strings rather aggressively. If it's not high enough the sound of the strings hitting the frets annoys the hell out of me. Setting the pup higher for the B string has worked.

THank you all.

Phil.

[gnasher1993]

FWIW, the Hartke Hydrive 1x15" has a great frequency response all the way down to 20 Hz. It would probably even handle a low F# (or lower) comfortably.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

[quote name='gnasher1993' post='698745' date='Jan 2 2010, 09:27 AM']The Hartke Hydrive 1x15" has a great frequency response all the way down to 20 Hz.[/quote]Only in the fantasy world of marketing department schlockmeisters. In the real world the physics of how loudspeakers work render the claims of [i] Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 17 kHz
Sensitivity: 98 dB @ 1 W/1 m[/i] totally beyond the realm of possibility.
If you could package up all of the bullcrap contained in the Hartke webpage description of the HX 115 you could fertilize a goodly sized farm with it.

[Conan]

[quote name='philipleonard' post='698727' date='Jan 2 2010, 01:46 PM']The pup has been moved closer to the Low B and it's made a remarkable difference. CHEERS.

I've always had a rather high action because I attack the strings rather aggressively. If it's not high enough the sound of the strings hitting the frets annoys the hell out of me. Setting the pup higher for the B string has worked.

THank you all.

Phil. [/quote]

Good news! There's a lesson for us all there - before shelling out on different or additional gear, always check the simple, but not so obvious things!

Edited January 2, 2010 by Conan

[JTUK]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='698761' date='Jan 2 2010, 02:56 PM']Only in the fantasy world of marketing department schlockmeisters. In the real world the physics of how loudspeakers work render the claims of [i] Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 17 kHz
Sensitivity: 98 dB @ 1 W/1 m[/i] totally beyond the realm of possibility.
If you could package up all of the bullcrap contained in the Hartke webpage description of the HX 115 you could fertilize a goodly sized farm with it. [/quote]


It is all in the ears then, right?

[Tinman]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='698761' date='Jan 2 2010, 02:56 PM']Only in the fantasy world of marketing department schlockmeisters. In the real world the physics of how loudspeakers work render the claims of [i] Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 17 kHz
Sensitivity: 98 dB @ 1 W/1 m[/i] totally beyond the realm of possibility.
If you could package up all of the bullcrap contained in the Hartke webpage description of the HX 115 you could fertilize a goodly sized farm with it. [/quote]

Ah so what I put up about my 410XL's was crap too? Dammit, what are we supposed to do when looking at cabs?

[gnasher1993]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='698761' date='Jan 2 2010, 02:56 PM']Only in the fantasy world of marketing department schlockmeisters. In the real world the physics of how loudspeakers work render the claims of [i] Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 17 kHz
Sensitivity: 98 dB @ 1 W/1 m[/i] totally beyond the realm of possibility.
If you could package up all of the bullcrap contained in the Hartke webpage description of the HX 115 you could fertilize a goodly sized farm with it. [/quote]

So what are the likely stats of that cab? I tried one a few weeks ago and it sounded great, definitely at the top of my list to buy. I don't need frequency response that low so it doesn't matter, it's the sound I want.

It's a great sounding cab but it seems ridiculous for them to lie, I'm not denying that you're right at all, in fact I'm not at all surprised that the claims are untrue given all the competition about. Do alot of manufacturers fiddle their claims then?

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='Bill Fitzmaurice' post='698761' date='Jan 2 2010, 02:56 PM']Only in the fantasy world of marketing department schlockmeisters. In the real world the physics of how loudspeakers work render the claims of [i] Frequency Response: 20 Hz to 17 kHz
Sensitivity: 98 dB @ 1 W/1 m[/i] totally beyond the realm of possibility.
If you could package up all of the bullcrap contained in the Hartke webpage description of the HX 115 you could fertilize a goodly sized farm with it. [/quote]

You could cheerfully play a low F# into it though, probably not set with any bass boost, and it won't go super loud, but you'll probably be able to hear its a low F#.

[chris_b]

Hartke are a mid range manufacturer and their cabs are just not built to a price point that would get them anywhere near 20Hz!! It doesn't mean that Hartke don't make a good noise or shouldn't be brought, but as very few cabs go below 40 Hz their claim to reach 20 Hz is just not true!

Hartke are not unique in doing this. These "spec" sheets are an industry wide "issue".

Edited January 2, 2010 by chris_b