SisterAbdullahX Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 (edited) Part 27 in my quest for the perfect rig. I've enquired about 'em all, from both ends of the cost spectrum. This week, it's the turn of the much lauded Bergantino IP112. Anyone got one? Particularly interested in how they perform with the EX112/HT112 extension cab and the (also much lauded) Summit Audio TD100 preamp. Are they as good as they cost!? Are we talking real punchiness? What's the slap sound like? Can something so small replace two 4x10's? Is 2 and a half thousand quid spent on a bass rig sheer madness? Do I need it or should I just learn to be happy with what I've got? Help! Edited December 21, 2008 by SisterAbdullahX Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I tried one out at Bassdirect (although it was a 310 I believe). It was a very nice sounding cab but I came to the conclusion that (with the preamp I had been using with it) the cab was almost too sweet sounding for live work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SisterAbdullahX Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 [quote name='Crazykiwi' post='360035' date='Dec 21 2008, 03:21 AM']I tried one out at Bassdirect (although it was a 310 I believe). It was a very nice sounding cab but I came to the conclusion that (with the preamp I had been using with it) the cab was almost too sweet sounding for live work.[/quote] Which preamp did you use? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Just spotted your thread! I happen to think that these things are fantastic cabinets. They are amazingly complex bits of equipment, but that are stupidly simple to operate and get right. This was part of the inspiration behind Jim Bergantino making this range (so I believe), to help bass players stop screwing up their sound with the wrong power amp/configuration/setup. I like that I've got a flat sounding cab that already has the power amp section built in, together with compression and limiting to sort out any peaks or the like. As such, they are exactly what I'm after: simple, easy to use, full and balanced sounding. I'm now on the look out for the perfect preamp, or at least a selection I would say though that I did and would refuse to buy them at their normal brand new price. That's just my conviction and personal preference. I waited, so when I got mine, its second hand cost matched up with cost of a normal second hand bass rig. Bit of a no brainer there really? CK, they are quite sweet sounding, a sound guy described it as 'very wide' and 'less in your face than your Schroeder'. However I believe that with the right preamp you can get virtually any sound you want; this being a great benefit of such a setup. Re: the Summit TD100 - a thread on Talkbass summed it up 'sounds great, but at the cost of versatility'. From what I recall, I quite liked it, but I want more tone shaping versatility in a preamp than just 'volume' and 'impedance'. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Machines Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I demo'd one at Bass Day UK on the Bass Direct stand with the exact setup you are thinking of. It had an amazingly full tone for what's quite a small rig ! It VERY expensive however, and unless size is your major turning point then you may be ok with what you have. We had lots of people try it out and I don't think anyone wasn't impressed by it. Urb spent a lot more time on it than me - if he pops online and see's this i'm sure he'll comment . My only major gripe was the fact the volume control was on the back of the cab.. not easy to adjust on the fly. However it doesn't matter how much any of us praise it - you need to get down to Leamington and try it out . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SisterAbdullahX Posted December 21, 2008 Author Share Posted December 21, 2008 [quote name='mcgraham' post='360288' date='Dec 21 2008, 03:55 PM']Just spotted your thread! I happen to think that these things are fantastic cabinets. They are amazingly complex bits of equipment, but that are stupidly simple to operate and get right. This was part of the inspiration behind Jim Bergantino making this range (so I believe), to help bass players stop screwing up their sound with the wrong power amp/configuration/setup. I like that I've got a flat sounding cab that already has the power amp section built in, together with compression and limiting to sort out any peaks or the like. As such, they are exactly what I'm after: simple, easy to use, full and balanced sounding. I'm now on the look out for the perfect preamp, or at least a selection I would say though that I did and would refuse to buy them at their normal brand new price. That's just my conviction and personal preference. I waited, so when I got mine, its second hand cost matched up with cost of a normal second hand bass rig. Bit of a no brainer there really? CK, they are quite sweet sounding, a sound guy described it as 'very wide' and 'less in your face than your Schroeder'. However I believe that with the right preamp you can get virtually any sound you want; this being a great benefit of such a setup. Re: the Summit TD100 - a thread on Talkbass summed it up 'sounds great, but at the cost of versatility'. From what I recall, I quite liked it, but I want more tone shaping versatility in a preamp than just 'volume' and 'impedance'. Mark[/quote] Yeah, they are expensive, and the exchange rate being what it is right now, they are only going to get more so. I'd be surprised to see many come up second hand, although you obviously benefited this way, you lucky chap! How do you find the slap sound on it? I only ask because I'm used to the sound of 10's. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 Slap sound is great! It'd benefit from a slightly more versatile preamp in the signal chain though. The tweeter is a lot less aggressive than standard tweeters. It's not brittle sounding, and not weak, but 'seems' to be of a lower volume when you listen to it solo, but you still find yourself with plenty of top end. It's just a very balanced sound. With a good slap sound on your bass, you get a good slap sound through your cab, simple as. I haven't really bought into the whole 10s vs 12s debate. With a decent setup and some knowledgable fiddling I believe you should be able to get 'your' sound regardless. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted December 21, 2008 Share Posted December 21, 2008 I had the IP310 for some time and IMO it was a truly beautiful sounding cab....but it was limited by being a stand alone unit, ie, you couldn't add another cab for extra umph. I heard a IP112 plus extension and that sounded nice but the IP310 is the daddy. It sounded like what I wanted it to sound like with an Ampeg SVP PRO, an Avalon U5, then an SVT IIP but it sounded the best with an Aguilar DB680, which I still have. Slap sound is how you play and what you put in front of it, for me, it was agressive, crystal and punchy in the gut, amazing pieces of kit. Having said all that, I now run the DB680 into a QSC PLX3102 into a tech soundsystems 6x10" and this is the new Daddy. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 [quote name='SisterAbdullahX' post='360036' date='Dec 21 2008, 03:30 AM']Which preamp did you use?[/quote] IIRC it was a Summit. I didn't really get a chance to try it out with another preamp. I've played an Avalon too and found that quite sweet as well. I would have liked to have tried something solid state just as a benchmark, in an ideal world. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted December 22, 2008 Share Posted December 22, 2008 I agree with you CK, I'd like to try it with a decent solid state preamp, just to feel out the contrast between the two. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
birdy Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 I change gear 'quite a lot' Since January when I bought my IP112 and EX112 extension cab it has been the one constant that I have kept. I have a Summit Audio TD100 which is great and really warms things up but I think it is more effective with passive basses. I have a Berg HS 210 which I often pair with the IP112 when I want to fill more of the room and it sounds great as well. I have recently bought an EBS preamp for a change of tone and it sounds awesome as well. Overall I am incredibly happy with the setup that I now have. Yes its expensive but it works so well for me as we are quite often limited on space when we travel. In addition I can use the IP112 stand alone for home use. Re) the volume control being at the back as Machines mentioned above what I do is just turn it to full and then use the volume on the preamp to control the volume which seems to work fine for me. Hope this helps! Steve Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted December 23, 2008 Share Posted December 23, 2008 [quote]Re) the volume control being at the back as Machines mentioned above what I do is just turn it to full and then use the volume on the preamp to control the volume which seems to work fine for me.[/quote] I set the preamp levels such that I'm getting a touch of tube warmth out of it (gain on 1/2, volume on 1/4 at present), and then dial up/back the volume on the cab so that I could adjust volume levels using the preamp. As it happens it's on 1/4 volume (or 3/4 from 0db decrease if you prefer). And that's without the extension cab. Tres ridiculous volume! Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SisterAbdullahX Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 [quote name='mcgraham' post='361715' date='Dec 23 2008, 09:28 AM']I set the preamp levels such that I'm getting a touch of tube warmth out of it (gain on 1/2, volume on 1/4 at present), and then dial up/back the volume on the cab so that I could adjust volume levels using the preamp. As it happens it's on 1/4 volume (or 3/4 from 0db decrease if you prefer). And that's without the extension cab. Tres ridiculous volume! Mark[/quote] Cheers for all your comments, guys. Looks like I'd better start putting some money aside each week, cos I've pretty much talked myself into it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SisterAbdullahX Posted December 23, 2008 Author Share Posted December 23, 2008 [quote name='birdy' post='361625' date='Dec 23 2008, 01:18 AM']I change gear 'quite a lot' Since January when I bought my IP112 and EX112 extension cab it has been the one constant that I have kept. I have a Summit Audio TD100 which is great and really warms things up but I think it is more effective with passive basses. I have a Berg HS 210 which I often pair with the IP112 when I want to fill more of the room and it sounds great as well. I have recently bought an EBS preamp for a change of tone and it sounds awesome as well. Overall I am incredibly happy with the setup that I now have. Yes its expensive but it works so well for me as we are quite often limited on space when we travel. In addition I can use the IP112 stand alone for home use. Re) the volume control being at the back as Machines mentioned above what I do is just turn it to full and then use the volume on the preamp to control the volume which seems to work fine for me. Hope this helps! Steve[/quote] Cheers, Steve. I bet that beautiful GB Spitfire sounds awesome through it!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mcgraham Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 [quote]Cheers for all your comments, guys. Looks like I'd better start putting some money aside each week, cos I've pretty much talked myself into it![/quote] You won't regret it. It's optimal in so many ways. I actually travelled down with it for a jazz gig at a wedding that I was also attending. Took it on the train with bass and clothes. Not a problem! Filled a maaaaassive hotel venue with high ceilings. Mark Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted December 24, 2008 Share Posted December 24, 2008 I had one briefly. They do sound really superb, but found the practical side of ownership to be a bit of a pain, and really not worth it. The controls, gain etc are on the back of the cab, in the bottom left hand corner, not the easiest place to get to anywhere, let alone on a stage at a gig in between numbers. They don't use a normal IEC power lead, so make sure that you don't forget to take the powered speakon thing with you, I did once and had to do a round trip of a hundred miles back home to collect it. The whole thing with having to use a seperate preamp is a nuisance too, I tried the Summit, and it did sound really good, I also used an Avalon U5 which I preferred, both have very limited tone shaping though. The thing also weighs a ton, so if you have a bad back then don't consider it. I really prefer my Epifani rig, it's far more versatile, has ample tone shaping if you need it, though I leave everything set flat. The Epi stuff also weighs far, far less and cost me less than the Berg stuff did. Just my opinion of course, and diffferent to the other posters on tis thread, so maybe it's just me. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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