Beer of the Bass

Other than being optimistically priced, is the concept a sound one for guitar use? And do the shaped bits and cutouts do much that a simple angled perspex screen wouldn't?

I'd be surprised if the Ashdown could match the output of the Barefaced when played at high volumes, simply because the sort of drivers that can do that tend to cost more than would seem likely for a cab at this price point. It could still be a pleasant sounding cab though, and looks like good value.

[quote name='RhysP' timestamp='1475432483' post='3145875'] Anything Marshall that hasn't been modded. [/quote] I used to be quite fond of my brother's 70s JMP Master Volume combo, unmodded. That sounded good. I'd agree with all the mentions of the MG series though.

It looks like a solid-state amp, especially if it has a heatsink on the back. Does it come on immediately when you switch it on? Valves would take 30 seconds or so to start making sound.

I've seen the Custom Sound Trucker combos, and I guess this is the same company. The trucker combos were quite cheap SS combos made in England, and the ones I've come across never sounded great. I suspect the Fane might not be original to the cab, as it wouldn't have got scratched up on the back like that bolted into a closed-back cab.

Could there be some weirdness going on from running 8-ohm drivers with a crossover designed for 4-ohms? I don't know much about crossovers, but it seems like it could move the crossover frequency around. IIRC these Peaveys use a proper crossover which low-passes the woofers, so would still affect the sound with the attenuator turned down.

It wasn't particularly indulgent in terms of expense, but a few years ago I had a guy make me a hand-tooled leather strap with my name embossed on it. I still feel a bit self-conscious about it, worrying that it seems uncharacteristically flash of me. Not quite enough to stop using it though!

I'm sensing a theme emerging here...

[quote name='FuNkShUi' timestamp='1475067137' post='3142752'] I firstly want to say I've had a 4ohm Two10, and loved it. No problems there at all!! Great sounding cab. Not trying to troll here, but genuinely interested what spec you've read or know of (i know you said you were an engineer later down the thread) that qualifies this? I have 2 X S112s . To me, it felt they were louder. Maybe to do with the amps they were paired with? [/quote] I presume that's based on the volume displacement (Vd) of the drivers used. The driver used in the S112 has about the same Vd figure as one of the drivers used in the two10 (from the specs I've been able to find), so the amount of air it can shift in the lows before it starts to distort should be similar between one two10 and a pair of S112. But a lot of perceived loudness happens higher up in the mids, where Vd doesn't tell us as much. From the published specs, a pair of S112 appears to be more efficient than a single two10 so might well sound louder in some circumstances, dependent on how much amp power is available and how low-end heavy the desired sound is.

[quote name='mcnach' timestamp='1474994697' post='3142162'] Ok, so it happened... single Two10 ordered. [/quote] I'll be interested to hear how you get on with it. From various forum posts, I wonder if it might be a bit mellower in the top end than the S112s are, but that's just a hunch.

Those 2x10" cabs further up the page are unusual - I don't think I've seen whizzer-cone drivers used together with a tweeter before. Usually whizzer-cones are used to extend the range of the driver upwards a bit without the complexity and expense of using multiple drivers with a crossover, so both together seems like a quirky choice.

I take it no-one else is admitting to having received their furry tail yet?

That pickguard material is lovely - it's a shame it's hard to find that stuff now.

Are the Hydrive cabs sealed? That might explain the difference in low end efficiency with other cabs.

Somebody should show this to Ken Smith, a man who is not noted for his easygoing attitude...

[quote name='owen' timestamp='1474147139' post='3135963'] You mean people do anything else????!!??!!! [/quote] I've wound a few pickups at home with shonky arrangements of variable speed drills clamped to bits of scrap wood with varying levels of success - a couple of them were quite good, several more weren't. So I didn't like to assume whether you meant DIY or not. But I think the going rate for a proper rewind is from about £45 per humbucker, and you could get some nice used ones for that.

There are situations where the wrong cabinet can drastically reduce the power handling of even a high-excursion driver like Barefaced use. Without being familiar with the size and port tuning of both cabs I don't know if that would be the case here, but it's something to bear in mind.

Would you be taking them to a professional rewinder? That might cost as much as a used set of Seymour Duncans, Gibsons etc. The better quality end of far eastern made pickups could be worth a look too.

[quote name='BassDeLune' timestamp='1474099943' post='3135562'] What mod did that require? And how long do you think the spirocore's will sound good for before they'll need changing? [/quote] Spirocores are probably the longest lasting strings available. I replaced my 8-year old set this year, but there are quite a few bassists who would have kept them on...

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1474019069' post='3134936'] That's lovely! It''s typical 70s 'burst fade... the red disappears through exposure to sunlight, leaving it pretty much 2-tone, while the back remains standard 3-tone. [/quote] Ah, that'll be it. I guess I've not seen enough from this era for that to be familiar to me.

Is that finish original? I'm not that up on old Fenders, but the dark part of the burst looks differently shaped from the typical Fender sunburst. Or did they vary like that?

After having a good play around with one of the cabs with double bass last night, I think I'll shelve the tweeter idea for the moment. I found that if I tilt the cab back by propping something under the front edge and take down the high mid control on my amp (a GK MB200) while boosting the highs a little, things get much clearer and more pleasant sounding. IIRC the high mid control is centred at about 1KHz, so I guess the Beta's high sensitivity around there is unflattering with the double bass without some EQ. I do really enjoy the sound of these cabs with electric bass though, so there's always going to be some tweaking when using one rig for both.

I've got fussy neighbours who never leave the flat, so I usually practice with a rubber mute on the bridge, soundholes covered and the spike resting on an old piece of flightcase foam with plywood on top (kind of like a makeshift Gramma pad). They can still hear it, but it's at least not loud enough to complain about. It does kind of take a lot of the pleasure out of practicing, when I so rarely hear the full acoustic tone of the bass.

The big decals make me wonder if it was a trade show sample or similar.

[quote name='Chaos Daveo' timestamp='1473627043' post='3131845'] Hairy cabs are the way forward,more natural organic sound and something to soak the odd bear spillage up.. [/quote] We've already had German Shepherd hairs and cat vomit, so I guess bear spillages are the next logical step!