if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

crguti

crguti

New member
and why?

for me it would be the symbol of rock, the Ampeg SVT810E. I don't own one but I've played one in some gigs where the cabs belong to the house. Clear, well defined, smooth, punchy, in your face kinda tone. But something that put me off is the size of the cab. Huge, heavy, difficult to move and you definitely need 2 people to carry that cab.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

A lot of this depends on your gigging application, as for me, an 8x10 is simply overkill.

But if I had to pick some new cabs that could cover most of my gigging needs, I'd probably grab a pair of C8 (8x5") from Phil Jones Bass. His stuff handles most things better than the giant cabs of yore ever could, and I could take one or both of them.

If I went for a company that was a bit easier to find, I'd go Aguilar all the way. I'd get a pair of their SL112 cabs. Lightweight, small footprint, modular (bring one or two) and a sound that is versatile enough to cover the bulk of my gigs (with exception of the ones where I'm using a PJB combo amp solely as a monitor).
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

^ I've always been wondering about the Phil Jones cabs with those tiny speakers. I've never seen anyone using them here
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

crguti said:
^ I've always been wondering about the Phil Jones cabs with those tiny speakers. I've never seen anyone using them here
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They're pretty awesome. I get a lot of skeptical looks when I load in for the first time with them, but after about five seconds of hearing the setup, everyone becomes a big fan.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

Already have it. Hydrive 810. It replaced my old Ampeg810E. More focused, More punch. less weight


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Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

One Bad Monkey said:
But if I had to pick some new cabs that could cover most of my gigging needs, I'd probably grab a pair of C8 (8x5") from Phil Jones Bass. His stuff handles most things better than the giant cabs of yore ever could, and I could take one or both of them.
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crguti said:
^ I've always been wondering about the Phil Jones cabs with those tiny speakers. I've never seen anyone using them here
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Phil Jones is absolutely the best bass speaker gear available. I have three Phil Jones products, and I basically have stopped using anything else as a matter of course. I love showing up somewhere with my neo 6x5 cab and tiny 250W TC Electronics head -- people start off asking if that's a bass cabinet, 'cause they just can't believe the 5" speakers can produce a good bass tone... and then their minds get blown when they hear it.

Phil Jones speakers have confirmed for me that the single thing that makes a bass audible and clear in the mix with the rest of the band is not mids, it's articulation. The rig I mentioned above was one of many at a TalkBass get-together, with anywhere from 4 to 12 bass players playing simultaneously through most of the afternoon. My guitar playing friend was there, and he noticed that whoever was playing through my amp, he could hear clearly through the cacophony. The same could not be said of any other bass amp there.

Oh, to answer the question. I have a 2x5 Briefcase amp, a 4x5 Suitcase amp, and the 6x5 neo cab. So if I could choose any bass cab I want, I think I'd go with the 1050W, 20Hz - 15KHz, 4 ohm Phil Jones 21x5 neo cab.

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Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

BlueTalon said:
Phil Jones speakers have confirmed for me that the single thing that makes a bass audible and clear in the mix with the rest of the band is not mids, it's articulation.
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How would you define 'articulation'?... clear lows and mids?
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

crguti said:
How would you define 'articulation'?... clear lows and mids?
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A full-range sound. Clear and defined lows and mids and a high end that isn't scratchy and separate from the overall sound. What I've noticed is that the PJB stuff isn't something that you will necessarily "feel" like other traditional cab setups, but you "hear" it everywhere. It sits in the mix and allows you to cut through, whereas other stuff I've used ends up getting lost because of the "boominess" of the low end.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

crguti said:
How would you define 'articulation'?... clear lows and mids?
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"Clear" is the right idea, but it's best not to think of it in terms of lows or mids. When I say articulation, I'm referring to perfect definition and absolutely accurate reproduction of the sound your bass is producing. You can contour the sound by bumping or scooping the mids a bit, and it really has no impact on the articulation.

I like a flat or slightly scooped sound. A lot of bass players say you have to bump the mids in order for the bass to "sit in the mix", and my experience with Phil Jones amps and cabs tells me it's not necessary to bump mids. If a player's rig is a bit dirty or muddy, then it won't articulate as well, it will lose definition, and then he might very will have to bump the mids in order to be heard clearly.

Clear does not mean sterile. I believe my rig sounds great because my bass sounds great, and the rig is just accurately presenting the great sound of my bass.
 
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Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

If it comes with an antigravity unit something with 4x10" EVMs and a bass reflex opening that I would tune myself.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

BlueTalon said:
Phil Jones is absolutely the best bass speaker gear available. I have three Phil Jones products, and I basically have stopped using anything else as a matter of course. I love showing up somewhere with my neo 6x5 cab and tiny 250W TC Electronics head -- people start off asking if that's a bass cabinet, 'cause they just can't believe the 5" speakers can produce a good bass tone... and then their minds get blown when they hear it.

Phil Jones speakers have confirmed for me that the single thing that makes a bass audible and clear in the mix with the rest of the band is not mids, it's articulation. The rig I mentioned above was one of many at a TalkBass get-together, with anywhere from 4 to 12 bass players playing simultaneously through most of the afternoon. My guitar playing friend was there, and he noticed that whoever was playing through my amp, he could hear clearly through the cacophony. The same could not be said of any other bass amp there.

Oh, to answer the question. I have a 2x5 Briefcase amp, a 4x5 Suitcase amp, and the 6x5 neo cab. So if I could choose any bass cab I want, I think I'd go with the 1050W, 20Hz - 15KHz, 4 ohm Phil Jones 21x5 neo cab.

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Checked some of his out....wow!
Would still like to hear this:

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=99 AND

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=25

on a big stage. I know dropping down to 10" speakers helped my bass sound (from 15").......so do wonder how small can go with bass sound and if smaller is actually better even at this level. Good info..... The mix is great because our PA system still runs everything through 15" sub woofers and so there is still the healthy vibration in ball rooms and outdoor performances.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

Those Phil Jones are interesting...

I've been nothing but stoked on my Ampeg 6x10. Still has the clarity of a 4x10, but with the extra push closer to an 8x10, yet it fits in the backseat of a car! However, I also like a good 1x15 and 2x10 combo of cabs. If I had to choose one, Ampeg 6x10, if I were allowed another setup to fill in the rest, the 2 cab combo would be it.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

Diminished Triad said:
Checked some of his out....wow!
Would still like to hear this:

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=99 AND

http://www.philjonespuresound.com/products/?id=25

on a big stage. I know dropping down to 10" speakers helped my bass sound (from 15").......so do wonder how small can go with bass sound and if smaller is actually better even at this level. Good info..... The mix is great because our PA system still runs everything through 15" sub woofers and so there is still the healthy vibration in ball rooms and outdoor performances.
Click to expand...

This was actually on my dream list, because the folded horns seemed to allow a deeper frequency response than anything else I could find. (I have another dream of getting a Knuckle Quake and tuning it an octave low -- and there are not many cabinets on the planet that can handle it. I know Phil Jones can, because I have heard it -- on a briefcase amp, no less!) But then I found the 21x5 neo cab pictured above has the same frequency response, 20-15K. The neo cab has 2/3 the power handling of the folded horn cab (1050W compared to 1600W), but I seriously doubt that would ever make a difference to me.

89.jpgash.jpg
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

I generally like 15's for bass, not 10's. It would probably be an Ampeg 1x15 cabinet. I've used the combo equivalent for 17 years now, and I've never felt the need for anything else for playing bass. If something happened to my combo and I switched over to a head eventually, I'd probably get a used, U.S.A.-made SVT 1x15 cab, the older the better.
 
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Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

I have always appreciated clarity in my bass sound. About 34 years ago, after a couple of different smaller rigs, I ended up with a Sunn Coliseum head on two Peavey 215 cabs. That thing would get loud and never lose its clarity. Nowadays, for outdoor gigs, I have two older SWR WorkingMan 15" combos that I stack on their sides -- it gives me two 15's and a spare amp.

So I have nothing against 15's. But I used to think of 15" drivers for bass the same way I used to think of V8 engines for cars -- nothing less would do. And then I drove a car with a peppy 4 cylinder engine, and my outlook was forever changed.

With bass, the first crack in my paradigm was when I bought a practice amp, a Roland Cube 60 with a 12" in it. I bought it for practice, but it turned out to be surprisingly versatile. Then came the 410 cabs. It took a while, but I got used to them. And then, about 5 years ago, I went to a TalkBass get-together where somebody brought a Phil Jones Briefcase amp -- my mind was blown, my paradigm crumbled to dust, and my standard for a clear bass sound was raised. Now, if I'm playing indoors, I want my Phil Jones cabs. I can still play on other stuff, of course, but I'll always feel like I'm settling for something when I do.
 
Re: if you can choose any bass cab you want, what would it be?

I never used folded horn in a bass rig but I did use them in P.A.

From what I had to deal with they tend to take some rooms really badly, so badly that it is outside of the power of a EQ to tame them. Very powerful and they might sound great in some setting. But drag them elsewhere and you can't reproduce it.

I mean they were OK for starved clubs and bands in the 1980s when lack of power was a serious problem (they had very good efficiency). But now I would rate them more as pets that bite.
 
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