Jump to content
Why become a member? ×

New build: BassChat 110T


chyc

Recommended Posts

1 hour ago, Phil Starr said:

Let us know how you get on :)

Bad news. The venue have helpfully provided their own equipment. I may have to throw a hissy fit and say that my sound is unique and can only be achieved with the equipment I've brought.

  • Haha 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Gig over. The verdict is that these cabinets are indeed perfect for double bass, and are plenty powerful and clear.  I played some small band stuff, but also some big band which I wasn't expecting. These cabinets filled the room with the GSS bullet amplifier you can see on top of it. Got some nice compliments about my sound, and a distinct lack of compliments about the woodworking and varnishing efforts on display.

 

Venue was a nightmare scenario of a gym with hard floor and high(ish) ceilings. Almost certain my Acoustic Image wouldn't have coped but this setup worked fine. It is significantly heavier mind you, and while there was a little left on the dials to give more welly, the GSS was warm to the touch by the end of the gig and I wouldn't want to chance it. It's soo portable and cute though how could anyone not love it?

 

I will have to get L brackets for the grille as the duct tape holding them in place is starting to peel. I think I will also make a scrap ply wedge to angle the upper cabinet towards my beautiful face next time (if there is a next time: I was quite rusty.)

 

DSC_6899.thumb.JPG.500d417b82a8944c473b424fb335d3ae.JPG

 

Here is all my equipment fitting into my car, double bass, cabinets, and child seat because I was too lazy to take it out.

 

DSC_6895.thumb.JPG.91f48769a6009316227aa892f9857ac8.JPG

  • Like 11
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 2 weeks later...

Just finished a community panto, playing bass. What a blast, had a great time. Played three performances with my Acoustic Image Coda [AI], and three with the BC110T, for science. The BC112mk3 still isn't ready sadly. I think that from the audience's point of view the BC110T sounded better. There's definitely more welly in the lower bass frequencies what with it being a ported design, and there was no boom to tame with a HPF. There's one scene where I bow a low A pedal note, and through the BC110T came this wonderful powerful growl that I have never ever been able to achieve before.

However, the praise isn't all one way traffic: the AI, because of its clever down-firing woofer and mid range speaker was much, much clearer to me, which is important when you need to hear yourself to tune. This is a community panto and in the "pit" there was enough room for me, the cabinet/amp and a cup of tea. Thus, the speakers were around 2 feet behind me at ground level and served as both monitors and the only bass amplification for the room (seating capacity around 80). I'm sure I was vibrating teeth out in the front row, but I couldn't always hear myself. The AI is much smaller, although in this instance it has points deducted for that as I couldn't place my mug of tea on top of it.

 

Next year if I'm asked back, I'll hopefully have the mk3 so I can bikeshed with even more cabinets :)

 

photo_2023-01-29_21-41-07.thumb.jpg.3a82d9cee54b0ed8db5e4151152699d4.jpg

Edited by chyc
  • Like 7
Link to comment
Share on other sites

You could try rotating the horn 90° It fans out the sound wider than high so rotating it will deliver more to your ears. Alternatively get a stand that leans the cab back. Sometimes the room acoustics boost the bass a lot drowning out the top end especially if you are stuck in a corner. It's good that yoiu've used the 110T with a DB I always thought it would be a good match but sadly I don't play an upright.

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

I think next time I will lean the cabinet back. Thanks for the tip about rotating the horn. It looks symmetric but the blurb online says that it does have different vertical and horizontal dispersion so that may be an option, like on the BC112mk3. Don't think it would have helped in this case as the cab really was right next to me.

 

The cabinet really is a very good fit for double bass. A bigger cone and cab will give me extended lows which I'm never going to need, and since I have two the SPL is taken care of already and I can easily take on drummers. I may even get away with one if ever I play with a tasteful drummer (if such a thing exists).

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

2 hours ago, chyc said:

I think next time I will lean the cabinet back. Thanks for the tip about rotating the horn. It looks symmetric but the blurb online says that it does have different vertical and horizontal dispersion so that may be an option, like on the BC112mk3. Don't think it would have helped in this case as the cab really was right next to me.

 

The cabinet really is a very good fit for double bass. A bigger cone and cab will give me extended lows which I'm never going to need, and since I have two the SPL is taken care of already and I can easily take on drummers. I may even get away with one if ever I play with a tasteful drummer (if such a thing exists).

Yea h the big problem is feedback due to the resonant body of a DB. At the very least it is going to smear the sound and at worse it is so bad you have to turn down because the feedback is horrendous. A lot of commercial cabs have too much bass in the wrong areas for an upright even if they work well with an electric bass. The flat response of the 110T and limited deep bass become a real bonus.

  • Like 2
Link to comment
Share on other sites

20 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

Yea h the big problem is feedback due to the resonant body of a DB. At the very least it is going to smear the sound and at worse it is so bad you have to turn down because the feedback is horrendous. A lot of commercial cabs have too much bass in the wrong areas for an upright even if they work well with an electric bass. The flat response of the 110T and limited deep bass become a real bonus.

Agreed. When the (pair of) cabinets is positioned around 10 feet behind me, they are absolutely perfect. I can hear myself clearly to tune, and the room fills up with the warm hum of a double bass that you just cannot get with an electric, although granted you can get close if all you do is pluck.

 

I'll take this opportunity to thank three people again, @stevie and @Phil Starr for their amazing work designing, testing and writing up this cabinet, and the mk3, and @GlamBass74 for all his advice and support off-thread. I've gone from someone who didn't know what plywood was to someone who's built, finished and varnished his own cabinet!

  • Like 5
Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • 3 weeks later...

Well on the strength of this build I dug my 110T out dusted it off and took it to rehearsal last week. Our band have gone in-ears so none of the cabs get regular work recently but we had an old school guitarist with a 2x12 Marshall (with hearing problems, I wonder why?) so it was an ideal opportunity to play with a 'proper' amp. I have to say the 110T sounded bloody lovely, just right for the room and the set up and no trouble keeping up.

 

Also a joy to carry in and out, it's a proper featherweight 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Yeah, it's a beautiful sound. No boom at all. I have an ABM 600 which I've never tried with it. I think that's for my next bass gig where I travel by car. Last gig I cycled the BC110t on the back of my bike!

 

Next up is the wedding where these will be PA tops. Can't wait!

 

  • Like 1
Link to comment
Share on other sites

Join the conversation

You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.

Guest
Reply to this topic...

×   Pasted as rich text.   Restore formatting

  Only 75 emoji are allowed.

×   Your link has been automatically embedded.   Display as a link instead

×   Your previous content has been restored.   Clear editor

×   You cannot paste images directly. Upload or insert images from URL.

  • Recently Browsing   0 members

    • No registered users viewing this page.
×
×
  • Create New...