South East Bass Bash - Cab Shoot Out Results

[Lozz196]

So, yesterday being a great day and all, below are the results form the cab shoot-out at the South East Bass Bash.

So, the idea was, following on from last years amp shootout, to use the same bass and amp into a variety of cabs, and see if there was a particular theme/overall winner. As such, using my 2015 US Precision into a fairly neutral sounding Tecamp Puma 900 with all eq set at midday (in the hope it would be a flat setting), the cabs below were investigated. We did a section on 2x12s which seems to be a very poular cab nowadays, 1x15s, 1x12s, and then a very small misc section. For the purposes of the test if the cabs had tweeters I set them to be full on. I`ll list each cab, and the amount of votes it got from the audience as to whether it was their fave.

So the 2x12 section, starting with my very own cab:

Barefaced Super12T - 1
Schroeder 212 - 8
Bergantino CN212 - 9
EBS Neo 212 - 2
EAD 2x12 - 5

So a winner for the Bergantino, and pretty fed up that I made my own cab come last!

Onto the 1x15s

Markbass Traveller 115 - 3
Barefaced Compact (Gen2) - 8
Schroeder 115 - 11
Barefaced Compact (Gen 1) - 3

So a winner for Schroeder

Onto the 1x12s

Barefaced Super Midget (Gen 3) - 3
Schroeder 112 - 3
Fearless 112 (with mid speaker, think a 6?) - 13
Barefaced Big Baby2 (Gen 3) - 7
Prosound PA Cab - 2

A runaway victory for the Fearless then.

The misc section was very small, being OBBMs Phil Jones 4x5 - so it won that section hands down (well done Dave).

So onto the overall faves then, putting the winners from each section above:

Fearless 112 - 4
Schroeder 115 - 5
Bergantino CN212 - 20

So overall the Berg tops it, but it was interesting that over the range of cabs that Schroeder, given the lack of presence of their cabs over here, did so well in all sections. I`m sure a lot of it is to do with the cabs fitting my attack-based playing style, but overall the Schros did very well. Many thanks to Brian (Oldman) for bringing them along.

So, what were my impressions of the cabs used? Well my fave for the type of music I currently play was the Schroeder 212, as it really adds a cutting presence, a hi-mid bias I would say. For bands I`ve been in previously it would have been the Berg. But there were four real revelations for me:

1. The Barefaced Super Midget Gen 3 - such an amazing amount of sound from such a little cab. And quality sound too, not just volume.
2. Likewise with the Phil Jones 4x5, real presence and quality sound.
3. The Prosound PA Speaker - apparently £60 from Maplins. Did the job fine, and wasn`t lacking in any way.
4. I managed, yet again, to get my own gear to come last. This is a pattern that seems to be repeating itself.

But the main thing was, given the variety of cab brands, sizes, configurations, was that I would have been happy to use any of them at a gig. Sure there were nuances to each cab, but overall this shootout showed me that gear is gear, and sure, we all like to get our own sounds if possible, but workable sounds can be gotten from an array of different speaker cabs. Maybe we all obsess just that bit too much (I`ve certainly established that I do from this).

Lastly I`d like to thank Nik and Colin for asking me to do this, it was great fun, and to get to play through such an amazing range of cabs was just amazing.

[gary mac]

Good work Lozz.

Sorry about your cab coming last and your fave maple fboard not fairing well at the Herts bash. Don't let it get you down mate

[JTUK]

Jeez, Lozz... you're brave posting that.

FWIW, A couple of guys round here ........who do indeed know better, IMO... wheel out
Schroeders and the lightweight thing is definitely the thing...but they aren't the sort
of guys that would go light for lights sake.
I don't know if they use them as their touring rig, altho I suspect one might.
I'll ask next time.

I wouldn't say I'm knocked out with their sound..as opposed to their playing...
but they do the job well enough.

Edited September 27, 2015 by JTUK

[stevie]

Fascinating stuff! Please say someone recorded this.

[Passinwind]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1443365204' post='2874129']

But the main thing was, given the variety of cab brands, sizes, configurations, was that I would have been happy to use any of them at a gig. Sure there were nuances to each cab, but overall this shootout showed me that gear is gear, and sure, we all like to get our own sounds if possible, but workable sounds can be gotten from an array of different speaker cabs. Maybe we all obsess just that bit too much (I`ve certainly established that I do from this).[/quote]

I've been to well over a dozen of these sort of confabs over the the last decade. I have always walked away without fail feeling as you do. The other thing that invariably strikes me is how few other people gravitate to the stuff I do.

[discreet]

I'm not surprised Schroeder has had a good showing here, they are great cabs. I have used a 21012L exclusively for the last year or so and haven't experienced cab GAS in that time. Not even a little bit. I also had a 1212L before that - another excellent cab which I very much regret moving on.

Amp choice is important with Schros, but generally I'd say they like power and plenty of it. They are also at their best in a live band situation, so if you're Michael Manring I'd say look elsewhere. These are gigging cabs and you [i]will [/i]be heard.

Thanks to Lozz and all concerned for the shoot-out! Very interesting results.

Edited September 27, 2015 by discreet