Help me find a new cab basschaters!!!

[Kye]

Right, I am looking a for a 4x10 capable of at least 800W @ 8 OHMS.

Thing is the stores in my city have the next to nothing Bass gear wise, so been able to try out many different cabs is pretty much a no for me, so I am looking at you guys to help me out!

I'm currently using a Eden WT800A paired with a Trace 2x10 & 1X16.

What I'm looking for is a cab that is warm, punchy and full of low end. Basically looking for that modern rock tone. To note too, I also play a 5 string from time to time, so a cab that could handle the B would be a plus too!

Budget is around 500 to 600 quid.

Ive been looking at:

The Ashdown CL 410

http://www.thomann.de/gb/ashdown_cl_410h.htm

SWR Goliath 3

Fender bassman 410 Neo

http://www.thomann.de/gb/fender_bassman_410_neo.htm

Ampeg PF410

http://www.thomann.de/gb/ampeg_pf_410_hlf.htm

There was also the OBC410 but thats 600 watts, so I'm guessing thats a no go, I've been told if I don't clip it I should be ok but I'm not convinced, ideas guys?


Thanks for reading and please help me find the perfect cab, i'm going mad haha!

[Muzz]

Are you definitely set on a 4x10? There's lots of options available if you aren't, most of which are more portable (if that's an issue for you). Have a look at the Barefaced Bass site, lots of love on here for Alex's cabs, plus it's a good read, too. I did like my MarkBass 410 (if it hadn't been stolen I'd probably still have it) but I'm more than happy with my Schroeder.

[winterfire666]

iv tried many of those and consider the SWR the best personally, but there is a barefaced vintage cab available in the for sale section which would tick all your boxes and be lighter and louder than any of those
[url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/163739-fsft-barefaced-vintage-t-tweeterised-vintage-only-2-made-l620/page__hl__barefaced"]http://basschat.co.u...__hl__barefaced[/url]

i upgraded from a SWR goliath 3 and a SWR big ben (18'') full stack and my barefaced super 12 is louder, lighter and has more bottom end and warmth, it also punches through the mix in a 5 piece metal band with ease.
they are worth every penny of the new price and occasionailly come up used here.

Edited April 7, 2012 by winterfire666

[sifi2112]

I've a flightcase Markbass CL610 for sale £700 ... only weighs about 35kg

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/123246-markbass-classic-300-610-cab-fs-l2000/

[weeleigh]

+1 for Barefaced. Awesome cabinets!

[Kye]

@Muzz
Well I'm looking to downsize from a stack to just one cab, so I was thinking a 4x10 would be a good choice. Yeah I've heard a lot of good things about the barefaced cabs. Actaully the guy I bought the eden from had the head paired with a BF cab. It was either the midget or compact and but I'll be honest I wasn't overly keen, maybe I needed more time to play around a bit. I was thinking markbass but they seem a bit out of my price range at the moment.

@winterfire666

Yeah there is a SWR G3 going cheap on here too, so might be worth looking into them a bit more, just can't seem to find any sound clips of the thing.

As I said to Fuzz I'm a bit unsure about the barefaced cabs as I wasn't blown away by the one I played through. Hey maybe I just need to give them a another chance, but the cab it self been portable isn't to much of a problem for me. Although it would be nice to have a light and small cab haha!

Edited April 7, 2012 by Kye

[ShergoldSnickers]

I think 4x10 is a format in danger of being left behind. They are an answer to a problem that has largely disappeared - the inability of speakers with enough sensitivity and volume displacement to not require 4 or more of them in a box. A single well designed 15" speaker cabinet or a well designed 2x12 can outpace most commercial 4x10s for low end response and volume displacement, giving you higher sound pressure levels without stressing anything, and will often weigh far less and be a more portable shape.

I say largely disappeared, as modern lightweight speaker driver designs don't come cheap, so lower down the market a 4x10 will still have a use, by using enough lower cost but less capable drivers to do the job. The penalty is weight.

The classic 4x10 layout also has other problems to do with sound dispersion, but these are perhaps of secondary importance.

There are some excellent 4x10 designs out there, but make sure you review the alternatives first, as they tend to solve the problems of weight and enough volume rather more elegantly.

[StraightSix]

[quote name='Kye' timestamp='1333796016' post='1606536']
@winterfire666

Yeah there is a SWR G3 going cheap on here too, so might be worth looking into them a bit more, just can't seem to find any sound clips of the thing.

As I said to Fuzz I'm a bit unsure about the barefaced cabs as I wasn't blown away by the one I played through. Hey maybe I just need to give them a another chance, but the cab it self been portable isn't to much of a problem for me. Although it would be nice to have a light and small cab haha!
[/quote]

winterfire said his SWR G3 (4X10) with his Big Ben (1X18) combined still got blown away by a Barefaced S12 - you should seriously consider them, they are leading the technology race in modern bass cab design and sound incredible - I've never heard a better bass cab and I've tried many.

Also, the BF Super 12 weighs 40lbs which is a revelation for a cab that can handle 1000W RMS easily.

Oh, and that Vintage T in the For Sale section is sold

Edited April 7, 2012 by StraightSix

[xgsjx]

Why does it need to be 800 watts? I'd be going with a cab that does the job properly as opposed to some marketing figures.

Barefaced gets my vote too.

[Lozz196]

If it has to be a 410, this Schroeder is incredibly good value, 1400 watts at 4 ohms, for £450:

http://basschat.co.uk/topic/171192-schroeder-4x10-cab/page__p__1604529__hl__schroeder__fromsearch__1#entry1604529

Schroeders are nice and light, and very powerful. They have a kind of "middiness" to them when played on their own, which doesn`t sound too pleasing, but put them in a band situation, and just grin!

[Kye]

Thanks for the advice guys, really thinking about trying out a barefaced cab now! ShergoldSnickers I think you bring up a good point there that I never though about, I will keep that in mind.

XGSJX, I want it to be at least 800 watts because that what my head runs at 8 Ohms. I don't want to blow anything up or cause any damage to a cab by overpowering it.

[xgsjx]

Your head will run @ 500w at 8 ohm & 800w at 4 ohm. Unless you're bridging it of course.

Oh, & don't pay that much attention to the wattage difference, use your ears instead.

Edited April 7, 2012 by xgsjx

[winterfire666]

if you are anywhere near me you are welcome to try my barefaced out.

[Kye]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1333798776' post='1606620']
Your head will run @ 500w at 8 ohm & 800w at 4 ohm. Unless you're bridging it of course.

Oh, & don't pay that much attention to the wattage difference, use your ears instead.
[/quote]

I'm sure the WT800a runs at 800w bridged at 8ohms, the older model doesn't have the option to have the full 800 watts at 4 ohms. It has two split channels both at 400 watts at 4 Ohms.

Winterfire thats very kind of you, shame I'm quite far out! I'm based in Hull you see so would take a few hours to get down!

Edited April 7, 2012 by Kye

[stevie]

[quote name='ShergoldSnickers' timestamp='1333796707' post='1606560']
I think 4x10 is a format in danger of being left behind.
[/quote]
Interesting post.

[xgsjx]

[quote name='Kye' timestamp='1333799438' post='1606634']
I'm sure the WT800a runs at 800w bridged at 8ohms, the older model doesn't have the option to have the full 800 watts at 4 ohms. It has two split channels both at 400 watts at 4 Ohms.

Winterfire thats very kind of you, shame I'm quite far out! I'm based in Hull you see so would take a few hours to get down!
[/quote]

The current WT800A is 440w at 8 ohm & 880w bridged at 8 ohm (1100w at 4 ohm).

[StraightSix]

[quote name='xgsjx' timestamp='1333801495' post='1606671']
The current WT800A is 440w at 8 ohm & 880w bridged at 8 ohm (1100w at 4 ohm).
[/quote]

Sounds like it's made for the BF Super 12 (a 4 ohm cab).

[StraightSix]

[quote name='Kye' timestamp='1333798487' post='1606608']
XGSJX, I want it to be at least 800 watts because that what my head runs at 8 Ohms. I don't want to blow anything up or cause any damage to a cab by overpowering it.
[/quote]

Cab RMS wattage ratings are mostly to be taken with a pinch of salt in reality - they are normally rated at the maximum wattage before the voice coils melt.

The bigger problem is the speaker excursion - very few 10" drivers can handle their true wattage rating and will bottom out (hit their excursion limits) well before they exceed their RMS maximum rating.

Lots more info here: [url="http://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/understanding-power-handling.htm"]http://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/understanding-power-handling.htm[/url]

[JTUK]

[size=6][sup]Best Bang for buck is an older SWR Goliath on here, IMO. I think the G ll is an immense cab, and the G lll are more than decent as well altho I have less time on them [/sup][/size][size=6][sup]as I ran the jnrs instead.[/sup][/size]
[size=6][sup]But since you are using an Eden head..I would check out Eden XLT types... or get 2 210 XLT types....you should be able to squeeze in both for your budget.[/sup][/size]

Edited April 7, 2012 by JTUK

[xgsjx]

[quote name='StraightSix' timestamp='1333802136' post='1606682']
Cab RMS wattage ratings are mostly to be taken with a pinch of salt in reality - they are normally rated at the maximum wattage before the voice coils melt.

The bigger problem is the speaker excursion - very few 10" drivers can handle their true wattage rating and will bottom out (hit their excursion limits) well before they exceed their RMS maximum rating.

Lots more info here: [url="http://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/understanding-power-handling.htm"]http://barefacedbass...er-handling.htm[/url]
[/quote]

A good example of this is [url="http://basschat.co.uk/topic/172846-should-i-add-another-cab-or-switch-for-something-bigger/"]here[/url], where the OP found the cab farted well before reaching it's "power" rating.

Part of the reason that I went for Markbass is the excursion. The B&C drivers have 21mm of travel (most other drivers are 18mm).
Given the choice over again I'd maybe have went for a LMII & a BF cab, but I'm very happy with what I have.

[Prime_BASS]

Barefaced Compact is an excellent one cab solution, and in many respects will out perform a lot of the 4x10 flack that is out there.

[Paul S]

Another Bareface endorser here.

Compact is superb.
Midget is awesome.
Compact + Midget is cab Nirvana.

[Guest MoJo]

+1 for Schroeders. I've tried all sorts of speaker/amp combinations. Over the years, I've tried:[list]
[*]Hartke 5500 into Trace Elliot 2103H + 1153
[*]Laney B1 into 2 x Marshall MBC410's
[*]Peavey Max 450 into 2 Peavey 410TVX's
[/list]
I found all of them to be lacking a certain something. My latest rig, an Ashdown Spyder 550 into a Schroeder 21015 (2x10 + 1x15) knocks them all into a cocked hat


Edited to add that I would also consider Barefaced but not too many second hand cabs out there (Schroeder was only £400)

Edited April 7, 2012 by bassman2790

[StraightSix]

[quote name='bassman2790' timestamp='1333808287' post='1606791']
Edited to add that I would also consider Barefaced but not too many second hand cabs out there
[/quote]

That is very true - it proves the point that once you have a Barefaced cab you won't want to part with it...!

Remember also that Alex at Barefaced offers a 30-day trial whereby a buyer can try out a BF cab and, if they decide it's not to their liking, it may be returned for a refund (less original postage cost).

This is an excellent offer and allows the cab to be tested at rehearsals and in a live gig situation - how many other bass cabs can you do that with...?

I bet Alex hasn't done many refunds...

[Guest MoJo]

[quote name='StraightSix' timestamp='1333808955' post='1606802']
That is very true - it proves the point that once you have a Barefaced cab you won't want to part with it...!

Remember also that Alex at Barefaced offers a 30-day trial whereby a buyer can try out a BF cab and, if they decide it's not to their liking, it may be returned for a refund (less original postage cost).

This is an excellent offer and allows the cab to be tested at rehearsals and in a live gig situation - how many other bass cabs can you do that with...?

I bet Alex hasn't done many refunds...
[/quote]

Secondhand Schroeders (£400 - £450) are a good alternative for those (myself included) who just haven't got £750 - £850 to spend.