Huge Hands

Hi Owen, do you mean the boomerang strap thingy? I bought one, but I have to confess I've only ever tried it - I've not gigged with it. In my trial, it did manage to balance it in an upright position. I liked the idea of it but I felt that I wouldn't want to spend a gig with it over my shoulder - when I can just screw it to the stand and walk off when I want. Sometimes though, when I get a bit excited, I do want to swing it around a bit and the stand is quite limiting in that way. I probably should have gone for the end pin kit instead I reckon.... Are you anywhere near the South East? You'd be welcome to try mine....

I posted that on my FB a while ago and got about 1 "like". Even my mates don't believe it.....

From the title, I thought this was going to be a thread about fabled fantastic blokes who "know how to treat a woman", putting all of us mysogynistic old farts to shame.....

Isn't it something the slap players do/did? I seem to remember that Russell Jackson who used to play with B.B. King in the late 70's early 80's had a J pickup there for his slapping?

I just bought the Roland TD11KV kit in January, for me to keep up my old chops and for Mini-Hands to learn on in a house whose neighbours wouldn't appreciate the whole live kit banging away. I have to say it is fantastic so far. I think I might try and mod the fixed hi-hat with separate pedal for a real stand at some point, but it's only a minor niggle in the grand scheme of things. I managed to get some free extra kit patches from Roland and I think one of them is so good I would be tempted to play it live... if I ever did drum gigs any more!

[quote name='alexclaber' timestamp='1422440402' post='2672558'] The Retro Two10 is designed to be predominantly used horizontally - that's why it has a crossover inside to give it good dispersion that way around. We've put feet on the side so customers can use it vertically if that helps in a difficult acoustic situation (it can help in boomy/muddy rooms) but it's not how the cab is designed to look best or sound best. [/quote] Duly noted Alex, but I have to say that when only using one cab stood on the floor, it feels a bit too low down to sit horizontally (have to bend down to adjust my head!), so it feels like the natural thing to do to put it on its side. I was using it again last night in this way and was absolutely loving it - sounds really good across the range. If you're saying it's even better horizontally, then all the better I say - will try this next time!

Erm... to be honest, the badge doesn't bother me, I just mentioned it because I know it had been a bone of contention for a lot of others on another thread. If you've ever met me and seen the clothes I wear, you will know that appearances are not the highest priority on my list! Just as an update, I used the "mini rig" again last night - one cab on its side running from one channel of the LG1000. I am loving the sound of this speaker so far. I'm getting the mellow tone I love, but it sounds so much more controlled and not as resonant as my old cabs when you really push the low end, without it sounding like it's being limited or has run out of steam. There is still plenty more oomph when you need it. Happy customer so far. I know that privately Alex has told me he's very excited by these designs and is keen to see them out there and being enjoyed - all good here!

Bigwan, glad to hear you've finally got yours. I still can't believe you weren't prioritised, but I can't help but be selfishly be glad I didn't have to wait any longer myself . I will PM you the email Alex sent me regarding the delay explanation.

Alex's explanation of the static badges: [i]"When we started on the Retro10 cabs we put quite a lot of time into trying to do a square or round logo for horizonal or vertical stacking but never managed anything we were totally happy with. One that physically rotates would be a rattly nightmare on cabs this powerful - it's hard enough damping a steel grill!"[/i]

I have just had an interesting email from Alex who has obviously seen this thread. He has taken the time to follow up and explain why there were some delays experienced, and why the badges don't spin. I think in terms of balance, it is only fair that I post that he says that the delays had been caused by a combination of difficult circumstances in 2014, and that he feels that they should soon be through the backlog and building stock to make the wait for delivery much better in 2015 for any prospective buyers.

Hi Martin, yep - any time for an A/B - just let me know! Would be good to get some other opinions on them too! I'm glad I went with the 4 ohm as they're suited to my LG1000 - might have to look into whether there are any other 2 channel amps in case it ever goes down! I couldn't justify having 3 cabs - whether that be due to cash or the gigs I do!

I've just started a separate review thread of mine - sorry to split it up - was trying not to hijack yours!

P.P.S. Anyone want to buy an Ashdown MAG 210 combo or 115T cab?

Well everyone, I finally received my 2 cabs from Barefaced on Saturday - a pair of 4 ohm Retro 210s. I have had a couple of band situations in the last two days where I was able to use them, so thought I'd post my opinions so far: I tore a back muscle this year whilst carrying my Ashdown gear, so wanted something lighter. I mainly play 5 strings, and love that low trouser flapping rumble I was getting from my B string through my 15" cab. Years ago, I had a quick go with Merton's then Compact (one of the first ones) with obbm's Ashdown LG1000 head. We were only able to play at low volumes due to it being in his flat, but I thought it sounded lovely. With this, and as Alex's USP was low weight, I looked at his website, but he doesn't do 15" loaded Compacts anymore. I decided to email him and ask him what he could offer. Once I'd said what I wanted, he suggested this new Retro 210 cab he'd designed. I (and I realise a lot of people will disagree with me on this) like a very warm, deep mellow tone with little or no bark or bite. I was very sceptical as I didn't think that a 2x10 cab would be able to push the volume of air and give me the sound I like. He told me they would, so I agreed to order them and utilise his 1 month return offer if I didn't like them. On Monday, I used both cabs (one each on a channel on my Ashdown LG1000), with my NS 5 string EUB and my Squier Precision V (with Wizard pickups). Last night, I used one cab on its side with my Precision V in a smaller room. I have to say in both cases, I had loads of headroom, and they sounded great! I especially liked the sound of the "mini rig" last night. Where I used to love my trousers flapping with the low B-string, I still have this but have realised the sound I thought I loved was the driver maxing out and farting. The sound is now a lot tighter and controlled without losing the force - fantastic! I will continue to play with them over the rest of the month, but based on my experience so far, I would have thought I won't be asking to return them! I probably need to play with my more "flat" basses to give them a thorough evaluation (I had the Wizards wound especially to suit my sound) - but the NS EUB sounded lovely through them. However, the main thing above all of this is the weight! I know this is why I contacted Alex in the first place, but it still amazes me how light they are. It was fantastic to walk into the venue last night with my gig bag over my shoulder, my goody case (amp, stand and cables) in one hand and the cab in the other! No more trolleys over uneven car parks! The one thing I would say that blighted the whole thing for me was the wait to get them. As I later found out on BC, I didn't wait half as long as some of the others who ordered them, and possibly got mine faster than some that did wait a long time. I was desperate to get something lighter ASAP, so when I contacted him and he gave the impression 6-8 weeks, I decided I could just about wait that long. In the end, it was about 12-13 weeks, and around the Christmas period there was a lot of "carrot and donkey" stuff going on where I was being told it would be a certain week, then they hadn't managed it. Again, I will probably get flamed for this, but I personally think that if a company promises a period of time for delivery, they should do everything in their power to make that deadline as they made that "promise". I'm now glad I did wait, but if I'd have been told 12-13 weeks originally, I may have decided to go with another manufacturer. That is just my humble opinion of course - it's easier to say all of this now it is behind me and I have the cabs! Sorry for the blurry example images: [url="http://s945.photobucket.com/user/Gingersonic09/media/photo_zpsc00190d6.jpg.html"][/url] [url="http://s945.photobucket.com/user/Gingersonic09/media/photo_zpsa847666d.jpg.html"][/url] P.S. I did agree last night that the bage looked silly when the cab was on its side, so a "spinnable" smaller logo might have been a good touch. I do like the logo though (I know that is the subject of another thread!)

Looks like I spoke too soon. Sorry for the blurry image..... Merton, as you can see I went for the silver cloth grille, but after seeing the photo of them in the shop., I'm kind almost wishing I went for the black! I have tried them at low volume and sound good as a pair (neighbours aren't keen on the noise) - really light too which is what I wanted. Just waiting for Monday night when I can really put them through their paces! I'm happy to meet up whenever you want - would love to try your Super Compact!

Two of the 2x10s in the pic were mine. They kept emailing me asking if they could hold off the delivery so they could take some photos. I said they could as long as I got them delivered today. They said they had shipped them, late yesterday. I'm only about 40 miles up the road and currently waiting in the house for the delivery, although it wouldn't suprise me if I'm wasting my time.....

[quote name='EBS_freak' timestamp='1421350837' post='2660315'] My mate didn't do so well - his rendition of House of the Rising Sun didn't strike a chord with the judges! [/quote] You know Matt too then? He works for the same company as me, albeit I'm in London. I haven't seen him for a lot of years, so I probably can't call him a "mate" too much. I think it was a shock to most of us that he was on there. Shame he didn't get through, we'd have all been rooting for him!

I've always had good service from them, but stuff I ordered on the 4th Jan didn't get processed until 8th, and only got delivered yesterday (14th). I guess it's still only 10 days or 7 working days, but when you're used to it being a lot slicker, it was a bit of concern at times. I also thought it was odd that I sent a mail to query why it hadn't been processed on the morning of the 8th - but didn't get a reply - only for me to get a notification a couple of hours later that it had been processed. Looking foward to playing with it all at the weekend. All in all though - I would hope it would be the Christmas/New Year rush etc - I'm still not put off using them just yet...

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1421070774' post='2656764'] The sound guy already asked me to not turn up as he was having trouble with bassiness I suppose, and it was a situation where adding more noise was not going to help much anyway... [/quote] Something tells me this stage suffers regularly from resonance or similar making the sound an issue - which is probably why the sound guy, and therefore his promoter, try and pre-empt this before gigs by asking drummers to either cut a hole or remove the skin. The promoter is probably more "definitely has to happen" about it, because he may not understand the technicaliities so much - he is in effect passing on the sound guy's rules. I note that BeerOfTheBass said the sound guy suggested removing the skin but then didn't push it. This is what I was trying to say in earlier posts. As a lone sound guy, it's often you against a group of matey band members, so you often have to be quite blunt to get your point across. They were probably starting with the "cut a hole" line to lay down the law and make you think about it - but on the night, he's probably thinking "Well, I've said my bit, if they don't listen and it sound s**t, I can always say I told them so." I'm only going by past bitter experience as a former FOH/monitors guy in venues with poor acoustics when voicing my opinions. Yes, if the acoustics are good and the stage volume is lower, then you probably can get a good sound micing up from in front of the front skin. However, when you've got a drummer who wants a huge drum fill on stage with loads of kick going through it, it's not always so easy! Glad your gig went well in the end. As a bassist and drummer, I should probably be on the side of not touching the gear, but as a former engineer, I can't help but defend the men (and women) in black!

I've had this with a couple of keyboard players over the years. As someone has already alluded to, one solution (if you can't talk it through) is to roll off the bottom end on the mix or their little amp (however they're being heard). This allows them to still play in their normal way without making the whole mix really muddy. Some keyboard players don't mind that, with others you may need to be a bit more underhand and sneaky about it....

I have to jump to the defence of the sound guy on this one, although I am doing based on my presumptions rather than knowing the full story..... I think a lot of you may be mistaking practicality for someone wanting to change the sound. On a lively stage with guitar amps turned up to 11, vocal wedges turned up full and loads of bass rumble, mic'ing a non ported kick drum from the front skin can be a nightmare in terms of control of booming, feedback and getting any decent level of attack from it. It may sound like a great drum to you in your rehearsal room un-mic'd, but if all the bass drum mic is doing is picking up the singer's wedges and rumble from the bass amp, you're not going to hear much of it through the PA anyway. In the scenarios mentioned above with multiple bands on and off, the last thing the sound man will want to do in limited soundcheck time is to spend 40mins trying to get a good sound out of a kick drum for 1 band out of 5. I think that bands do have to understand that a little compromise isn't the end of the world. It also makes the night run much smoother if you are able to share backline and drum shells as it cuts down on time spent having to move everything around on stage. I imagine this is probably why the promoter is pushing for it too - more music and less faffing about on stage. It is worth noting that the best drummers I've seen on gigs (Clem Catini, Pete Ray Biggin to name but two) were often the first to ask if they can borrow the house band or another band's kit. Just all my opinions of course....

[quote name='Beer of the Bass' timestamp='1420632069' post='2651478'] .... but expecting the drummer to modify his gear to suit them seems a bit off. [/quote] In allusion to my previous post - I have been known to "suggest" to drummers to cut holes in their bass drum skin or take the front skin off, but this was usually to those that were insistent on a particular sound that we couldn't get because they didn't have a hole and we had a very lively/noisy stage with other band members and monitors. We certainly never forced anyone to do it. I know as a drummer myself, I would have never been happy to take a stanley knife to my drum skin but I did take mine off a few times!

In my experience mainly as a front of house sound man (and a bit of studio) - if you're mainly after attack, then close mic'ing the head is the best way. The easiest way to do this would be to put the mic inside the drum via the hole, or if a drummer doesn't have/refuses to make a hole, close mic from next to the beater, like Truckstop said. If you want more of the drum's rumble and sound, then you mic at the hole so that you have direct attack and "colouration". I always found that mic'ing a non ported drum head on the front side meant that you didn't get much attack, and was difficult to use in a live stage environment due to rumble and feedback caused by needing to push the gain further. However, I'm sure there will be others who have worked in much better sound environments who will say I'm talking codswallop!

[quote name='Merton' timestamp='1419337881' post='2638854'] What an awesome present Enjoy it and review when you can Still tempted by these cabs to go with my valve amp... [/quote] Martin, if you're still in the area, you'd be welcome to pop down and try mine when I get them.

I ordered mine a lot later than that! No hard feelings from me and glad to see they're finally out there! I just keep thinking of the gigs I've done (and will do) before I get them where I'd have loved to try them (I ordered two) out!