Sibob Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 (edited) Hi all, Bit of a long-shot this, but does anyone have any experience comparing Trickfish and Barefaced cabs? Specifically (but not exclusively, all thoughts welcome), their various 12" cab options in a gig setting. Many thanks Si Edited January 21, 2021 by Sibob Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 21, 2021 Share Posted January 21, 2021 Trickfish are essentially decently made plain boxes with good quality (usually Eminence) drivers. If prices are comparable, I'd go for BF, with their better designed cabinets. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassManGraham Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 I regularly use (preCovid) Barefaced 2x12, excellent cabs that use purpose built Eminence drivers. Haven't tried Trickfish but heartily recommend Barefaced SuoerTwins or Big Twins which are the best cab I've ever tried. Vanderkley 112MNT cabs which use Faital Pro drivers.are also excellent and worth considering. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted January 22, 2021 Author Share Posted January 22, 2021 12 hours ago, Dan Dare said: Trickfish are essentially decently made plain boxes with good quality (usually Eminence) drivers. If prices are comparable, I'd go for BF, with their better designed cabinets. Do you have an experience of how the 'better design' translate to a live-gig experience? Cheers Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted January 22, 2021 Share Posted January 22, 2021 15 hours ago, Dan Dare said: Trickfish are essentially decently made plain boxes with good quality (usually Eminence) drivers. If prices are comparable, I'd go for BF, with their better designed cabinets. Genuine question. How are they better designed and what has drawn you to that conclusion? 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steve Browning Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 Can anyone else expand why Trickfish are decently made boxes and Barefaced are better designed? Note "because Alex says so" is not an answer I am expecting. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 OK, I’ll bite. IMO Barefaced cabs are better designed than your average cabs. Is Trickfish an average cab? I don’t know, like most of us, I’ve never heard one. Eminence provide drivers to BF’s spec, the cabs are tuned exactly to those drivers. The bracing exceeds anything found in other cabs. They are light, loud and have a great tone. Others might have different views, but I have a list of cabs longer than my arm that I have used in the last 20 years and BF are in the top 2. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 49 minutes ago, Steve Browning said: Can anyone else expand why Trickfish are decently made boxes and Barefaced are better designed? Note "because Alex says so" is not an answer I am expecting. Cognitive bias. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) On 24/01/2021 at 11:57, chris_b said: OK, I’ll bite. IMO Barefaced cabs are better designed than your average cabs. Is Trickfish an average cab? I don’t know, like most of us, I’ve never heard one. Eminence provide drivers to BF’s spec, the cabs are tuned exactly to those drivers. The bracing exceeds anything found in other cabs. They are light, loud and have a great tone. Others might have different views, but I have a list of cabs longer than my arm that I have used in the last 20 years and BF are in the top 2. Just to add a bit of balance to the argument... Drivers built to spec doesn't necessarily mean better performance, it's the sum of the parts that count. Eminence are far from the cream of drivers - they do the job for a price that fits. From a touring point of view, not having off the shelf components available to you, is not a selling point. But again, if you aren't touring, this may not be a problem. As far as I'm aware, the only way you'd get a spare, is direct from Barefaced... which isn't good when they haven't spares located around the round. Barefaced use thinner wood than most other manufacturers, so you could argue that the bracing is to counteract the flex that would otherwise not be present in their competitor's cabs. The bracing could be more of a consequence of their other design choices rather than an advantage over competitor cabs that have less bracing. Light is subjective. It's a selling point, to some, not to others. If it's not of importance to you, you don't care. As an example - Have you ever bought a car based on it's weight? You may do if you have to drive over a bridge to your home that has a 1.5T weight limit... otherwise you may not care. The lightness aspect may be a compromise in other areas to push a USP - some people will give up on attributes to have a light cab - if it still sounds "good enough". Loud - but loud across the frequency range? Or pushed mids or upper mids that tricks the more sensitive area of your ear for it to be louder than others that don't have that peak. Does it matter if it's loud to the audience if you can't hear it when you are standing right next to it? Loudness is not the be all and end all. Tone is subjective. I'm sure there are people out there who love Fieldy's tone... for example. You should also add into the equation the build quality. As a comparison BF have more mentions of build issues compared to a lot of competitor cabs. That's not to say that Barefaced isn't a better or worse cab than a Trickfish offering. Edited January 25, 2021 by EBS_freak 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 2 hours ago, EBS_freak said: Just to add a bit of balance to the argument... I'm not going to nit pick this contrarian post. What would be more useful for Sibob and the rest of us would be for a Trickfish owner to put up a post outlining his experience of those cabs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) 5 hours ago, chris_b said: I'm not going to nit pick this contrarian post. Not contrarian. It’s a balanced alternative with comments to support. Very different. Edited January 24, 2021 by EBS_freak 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Dare Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 3 hours ago, Steve Browning said: Can anyone else expand why Trickfish are decently made boxes and Barefaced are better designed? Note "because Alex says so" is not an answer I am expecting. Have a look at the construction of BF cabs. Then have a look at the internal structure of something like a B&W Nautilus cab'. You will notice similarities in design and construction. I'm not a BF user (I'm a PJB fanboi). However, there is some physics behind BF designs. They are not simple boxes. Companies such as Trickfish, Aguilar (I use an AG700, which I like, so I'm not singling them out) and others operate similarly - they offer well constructed and nicely finished kit built with established, good quality components (Eminence drivers, IcePower modules, etc). They are not pushing any design boundaries, however. It's a free country; people can use whatever they like and I don't care what they choose. The OP asked for opinions on TF vs BF cabs and I gave mine. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 Before this gets into a bit of a to-and-fro, I’m already a very happy Barefaced user, I think they’re excellent! Solidly built (I’ve gigged mine a LOT) and sound fantastic in a band setting, light (I don’t remember the last time I had to carry a car on a long load-in). Similarly, I know Trickfish offer an excellent product (I know the guys, they’re equally excellent people!). I’m simply looking for an, albeit unlikely, situation where someone has gigged both, and for them to share their comparative thoughts. cheers Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul S Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 5 hours ago, EBS_freak said: Have you ever not bought a car based on it's weight? To be fair, carrying my car about hasn't ever been a consideration 🤣 As straw man arguments go, that's pretty good 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) 12 minutes ago, Paul S said: To be fair, carrying my car about hasn't ever been a consideration 🤣 As straw man arguments go, that's pretty good You’ve pulled out that sentence without including the context. Pretty lame. Edited January 24, 2021 by EBS_freak 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) Almost as lame as tagging a smiling emoji 'like' on my post. Almost. - and no doubt you’ll be along to put one on this post also. Edited January 24, 2021 by EBS_freak 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) On 22/01/2021 at 14:04, Steve Browning said: Genuine question. How are they better designed and what has drawn you to that conclusion? I can't answer the OP's question, I'm afraid, but I'd like to respond to Steve's question. In many ways the Trickfish is a better designed cabinet. It's made of 15mm Baltic birch, with "dado and rabbet joint construction" (well, they are American), which is the gold standard of cabinet construction. Barefaced cabs are made of 9mm poplar ply. 9mm stock is available in 3, 5 and 7 plies as far as I know and Barefaced use the cheapest 3-ply option. 9mm is too thin to rebate (with dados and rabbets), so my guess is that they're butt jointed. The above is gleaned from information supplied by the manufacturers. Edited March 11, 2022 by stevie 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 1 minute ago, stevie said: my guess is that they're butt jointed. Missed opportunity for using a Barefaced tenon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) I’ve never heard of anyone having any issues with the structural integrity of a BF cab, certainly mine have been absolutely solid toured around, with plenty of weight on them in the van. Once again, I’m only really interested in comments from those who have experience of the dispersion, power efficiency and sonic quality of the two brands, comparatively, in a gigging environment. Anything else is really just fulfilling your own agenda. Cheers Si Edited January 24, 2021 by Sibob 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) That’s not what you asked in original post but thanks for the clarification. I have no agenda - I posted a measured response which others have then manipulated and even changed my words and context to fit their own agenda, whatever that may be. Anyway, I guess my interest is in your desire to change...? Edited January 24, 2021 by EBS_freak Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 (edited) If you know how to read the specs, it's pretty obvious which 12" cabinet is the better performer. I'd just add that lots of manufacturers lie about their specs - so you need to read between the lines a bit. In this case, the answer is obvious, although it all depends on what the OP is looking for. Edited January 24, 2021 by stevie Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 39 minutes ago, Sibob said: Anything else is really just fulfilling your own agenda. Cheers Si I'd like to say that writing "all thoughts welcome" and then accusing people of having an agenda when they offer their thoughts is a bit f***ing cheeky. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sibob Posted January 24, 2021 Author Share Posted January 24, 2021 4 minutes ago, stevie said: I'd like to say that writing "all thoughts welcome" and then accusing people of having an agenda when they offer their thoughts is a bit f***ing cheeky. “Specifically (but not exclusively, all thoughts welcome), their various 12" cab options in a gig setting.” This, in context with the specific thread title, should really stop anyone who wants to hate on either manufacturer, while also not having experience of either, from getting involved. 🤷🏻♂️ Si Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EBS_freak Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 I guess that given the chances of people having gig experience with both is pretty slim, I'd say thats a </thread> Not sure I saw any hate either, just observations about both brands. I'd say knowing more about the individual cabs puts you in a better position of being informed? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevie Posted January 24, 2021 Share Posted January 24, 2021 18 minutes ago, EBS_freak said: Not sure I saw any hate either, just observations about both brands. I'd say knowing more about the individual cabs puts you in a better position of being informed? Exactly. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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