1970 Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 As the title suggests, I'm looking at small cab options due to lack of space in my practise room and also portability. Here are my top 3: Aguilar db112 vs Purple Chili vs Mesa Walkabout What do you think? Feel free to add others. Looking at around £250-275 2nd hand. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hi 1970, Sorry I can't comment on the 3 cabs you've mentioned. However don't rule out the GK Neo 112-ii cabs. Very good value for money, can be stacked horizontal or vertical and lighter than all 3 you've suggested. They are very well built, good tolex cover, sturdy corners, metal grill and good handle placement. You'll get them new for not much more than you're prepared to pay 2nd hand for the other cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jackers Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 Having just got an epifani 212 from someone on here, I would definitely add the 112 version of it to your list. It is an amazing cab, and I think someone is selling one in the for sale section at the moment for about 285. I have heard good things about the purple chili and the aguilar, but the aguilar is much heavier than the others. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]I used to use 2 Aguilar GS112 cabs which sounded great to me. The DB's are supposed to be a fuller better sound. [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color] [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color] [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]Where are you? There is a Bergantino AE112 for sale in [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][size=4]Manchester[/size][size=4] which I reckon is the best 112. You'll have to save a bit more for this but it's worth it. [/size][/size][/font][/color] [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial] [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color] [size=4][color=#222222][font=Arial]Also I believe there is an Epifani UL112 and a UL110 in the FS section. I've seen reviews that these sound great together and separately. [/font][/color][/size][color=#222222][font=Arial][size=1][/size][/font][/color] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted January 17, 2012 Author Share Posted January 17, 2012 Hm many options to consider, thanks for the input so far! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andydye Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 My Epi UL112 pair sound amazing and I can carry one in each hand from the car to the gig! I tried the Aggie in the shop and bought the Epi instead... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I've had a few smaller cabs 10's & 12's and always wondered why they put the handles on the top where the amp typically sits, like Epifani does? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
molan Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I've recently converted from Aguilar DB112's to the, much lighter, SL112's. Very few of these around on the used market but I really like their sound and my back just loves the weight saving! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I've had a pair of both DB112s and Purple Chili 1x12s and tonally and build quality, the Aguilar won hands down. The PC were a little easier to carry because the Aguilar only have a strap type handle and were about 5kg heaveier than the stat sheet on the web site would have you believe. It's only because of the weight that I let them go but seriously considering going back to them, even though I love the portability of my MarkBass combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Dark Lord Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 TC Electronic RS112. Nothing else comes close in sound and/or build quality. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Truckstop Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 While we're here, and I know it's been done to death before, but how does 1 or 2 1x12's compare to 1 or 2 2x10's? Im looking to upgrade my cabs and im wondering what 1x12's can do that 2x10's can't and vice versa. Any help would be gratefully received! Truckstop Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
largo Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 I went for 2 1x12" cabs because of the weight saving more than anything and the cabs are slightly smaller cabs as there's less speaker area to fit in the box I guess. I still think 10" speakers cut through a band mix slightly better than the 12" ones. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1326809583' post='1502191'] ....but how does 1 or 2 1x12's compare to 1 or 2 2x10's?.... [/quote] [size=4]With my Bergantino cabs, the 10's are punchier with a bit more going on in the mids and up top. The 12's have a fuller and rounder sound with a bit more presence in the lower mids. They both have plenty of bass but the 10's can go lower with a tighter bass sound, which I like.[/size] [size=4]Both cabs can meet in the middle if you EQ your amp right, but while I prefer the puncy slam of the 210's is usually use the warmer 112's because they are lighter and easier to move and they still sound great.[/size] [size=4]If you haven't decided and can get to The Blues at the Red in Stevenage on March 11th I'll probably be using my 2 AE112's.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 [quote name='Truckstop' timestamp='1326809583' post='1502191'] While we're here, and I know it's been done to death before, but how does 1 or 2 1x12's compare to 1 or 2 2x10's? Im looking to upgrade my cabs and im wondering what 1x12's can do that 2x10's can't and vice versa. Any help would be gratefully received! Truckstop [/quote] I use both GS112's and DB210's run paired..and I own both and call them rig 1 and rig 2. I have tried a few other 12's as well..and not found any to swap my GS112';s for yet. Admittedly I have far more time of the GS112's stack that others which I have borrowed or played through. My drummer and band like the low end of the GS112's and they push a LOT of air for the size. They will easy sort out a very loud band in a medium sized pub. They are indeed scooped as everyone says, but I have horns running on both. I find my high end trills can get lost on an active bass at good volumes easily unless the strings are clean. I have to keep an eye on this at gigs. I don't do hardly anything on the amp to help the cabs though..flat on the dials..and use enhance and tibre controls and that is about it. This was more than enough for me..UNTIL, I got the DB210's which are biased with a mid hump..as they say...and they totally outclass the 12's in my opinion. I think my higher end is more critical to how I want to be heard than many others, so I don't think they would have these problems that I do. These cabs and my amp go very loud and retain a core sound that I love... I think the amp is the great work here though. I feel the bias of the 12's concentrates on BIG lows at the expense of a more rounded punchy sound from the 210's I always use these cab configs paired and I will look for 12's with a harder edge or more mid hump/bias to make them work for me as I like their small stage footprint and easy carry. I defintely think 2x112 is a compromise which I can stomach in the carry department and for lower volume gigs but when I have the room the choice is 200% for the 2x210's I have a spare amp to complete the small rig but for these purposes I have compared with the same amp and the same settings. What I am getting around to is..that if you make the cab bigger soundwise in one area you might have to skim it off another..and it is how you hear or want to hear, that will makes your decisions. Both the cabs are Aguilar and I think they make very good cabs..certainly a cut above most I've tried. I don't rule out a 2x112 stack for my mini rig as yet though.. and I may well find one that gets closer to what the 2x210 does for me but I have serious doubts it will better it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted January 17, 2012 Share Posted January 17, 2012 (edited) It's been said time and again that you can't categorically say that a 2x10 has more punch/top end than a 1x12 just as a 1x15 doesn't have more bottom end that a 1x12; it literally depends on the design, spec and quality of the units being compared. I've had umpteen people ask my if my cabs (Aggie DB112) are 1x15 as they have so much bottom end, I've also had people comment that you can tell the difference when a bassist puts his bass/backline through a PA that has subs... I wasn't through the PA at the time! Conversely I'm not saying that the Aggie or any 1x12 will slay any other standalone cab, it literally depends on the cabs being compared and you should take speaker diameter out of the equation. When you get into the realms of 4x10 v 1x12 then the physical size and volume of air, paired with multiple drivers WILL make a difference. The amount of bassists on here who have first hand experience of multiples of the same cab being greater than the sum of the parts is a good reason to look at doubling up on whatever cab you eventually get. One of my DB's sounds decent enough but when you stack a pair of them... then you hear/feel the difference. Oh and a tip for DB112 users; if you aren't likely to be barging and bumping into your backline, try stacking your cabs on their sides with something like the hard foam that they ship PCs in, cushioned between/around the handles, it makes an even greater difference when you get that second cab a little higher. [IMG]http://i54.photobucket.com/albums/g119/warwickhunt/SPMasonsJan20119.jpg[/IMG] Edited January 17, 2012 by warwickhunt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 May also be worth checking out Basschats own cab builder Barefaced EAD They both get stonking reviews Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Musicman20 Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 The Mesa cabs are over priced, just because Mesa in general are over priced in the UK. I would try the Aguilar DB112s. They have a very punchy yet full tone. Great mids, but not in the 'honky' kind of way. They aren't super expensive and they look stunning! The only letdown is the weight, but 42-45lbs each for a nice, fairly compact large sound is just one of those things. You can buy the neo SL112, but they are more expensive. No idea how they compare, but I personally have tried lots of different cabs, and I keep coming back to the Aguilar DB tone. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 (edited) Been waiting for ages for 2 DB112's to pop up here but there may be a reason why people keep them. I used one briefly a few months ago so I have an idea how they might work for me. Not my bass or amp though, but even then, I am confident about them. Same chassis as the GS and I have a spare one of those..which makes sense to keep that all in the family..as it were. Upto 45lbs per cab doesn't concern me if the handle is good. Edited January 18, 2012 by JTUK Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 [quote name='JTUK' timestamp='1326900623' post='1503444'] Upto 45lbs per cab doesn't concern me if the handle is good. [/quote] I was initially unsure of the one strap handle as the only means of holding them (especially with the weight that they are) but several years and numerous gigs later neither of my handles is showing any kind of fatigue or failure and I've no reason to think that will change! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 18, 2012 Share Posted January 18, 2012 [size=4]I sold my GS112's because of the 42lb 1 handed lift. [/size] [size=4]My current 1 hand lift is 30lbs which I find much easier on my back, arm and shoulder. [/size] [size=4]But then I admit I'm a wimp![/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 I should probably mention that I only want a single cab for now, not two. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
P-T-P Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 +1 to the "two cabs are better than one" argument. Don't get me wrong, one on it's own is great, but two DB112 together is filthy. Really wish they could have put two handles on them and/or could shave a few kilos off the weight though, they would be pretty much perfect after that. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 [quote name='1970' timestamp='1326963253' post='1504218'] ....I should probably mention that I only want a single cab for now, not two.... [/quote] [size=4]That's fine. At low volumes 1 cab is all you need.[/size] [size=4]But if/when you decide to gig at louder volumes you just need to add another cab for a great sound and an easy to move modular rig.[/size] Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
1970 Posted January 19, 2012 Author Share Posted January 19, 2012 Yep that's the plan - the guitarists in my band have small fender combos, so I don't need immense power. I want something with great tone that I enjoy and look forward to playing. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted January 19, 2012 Share Posted January 19, 2012 Your thinking is fine...BUT... those Fender amps can be very pokey. We will open a book as to when you add another 112 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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