LFsys Monaco - use for double bass.

[Paddy Morris]

I just recently bought a Monaco cab from LFsys.   I've done a few gigs with it now, and as there doesn't seem to be much info out there on their use for double bass, I thought I would leave a small review.

Practicals first:  It's really nice and light.  Very easy to carry with the recessed handle.  It fits in my car standing upright, so plenty of space for other gear.  The finish and appearance look very smart, in fact I don't really think the website pictures do it justice.  Construction quality feels really nice and premium.

For these purposes I'm going to compare to my Barefaced BB3, as they are similar scale FRFR speakers - different price points, but broadly comparable.  I've finally realised that I can only really use flat speakers for upright bass at any reasonable volume, because any specifically 'voiced' cab, with humps and bumps in the response, tends to make the feedback issues with the instrument much worse - unusable in fact.

Efficiency:  The Monaco is plenty loud enough.  I would say the BB3 is a few dB louder for a given amp setting, but both are freakishly loud compared with a lot of traditional cabs.  It's subjectively the same volume as my BB Supermini T.

Response:  It's flat - extremely flat.  I think I would actually be pretty happy to use a pair of them as studio monitors.  Out of box, the BB3 feels as though it has a deeper bass extension (in my case I have to roll all that rumble off with an HPF anyway) but I did check with a bit of tone shaping on the amp, and the Monaco is still very capable of generating those very low notes if you dial them in.  I wonder if it's the difference between the big-ass slot port on the BB3 and the reflex port on the Monaco?  I guess if you were after a particular 'sound' then you would use a cab-sim, or a head that provided it.  But the Monaco is very much a blank canvas.

Load:  This is an interesting one.  If I push my amp really hard at LF, much harder than I would hope to need to on a gig, the Barefaced cabs will eventually cause the class D stage pop into protection/mute for a few seconds.   This isn't a criticism of the Barefaced, because I'm taking about abusively high loudness levels at this point.   But this doesn't happen with the Monaco.  And if I run the Monaco in parallel with the BB3 then the combined load doesn't cause the class D to trip either.  I'm not sure what's happening here, but certainly it points to the Monaco being a good, consistent load impedance and easy to drive.

Actual use on gigs:  It's a very clear sound, very easy to hear what you're playing and get your intonation right.  The notes bloom into the room (or field if it's an outdoor gig!).  So the dancers get a tasty set of low notes to set their pulses racing, but the player gets something that's nice and focused so you can hear what you're up to.  The low end is present, but really tight and punchy.   And here's the big deal for me, very little feedback.  Loads of BassChatters will know if you're playing upright with a loud guitarist and drums then managing feedback is a full time preoccupation during a gig.  I don't have a 2nd sound posts fitted. I don't use a mag pickup because I'm playing guts.  We don't generally use IEMs.  So all I have to damp things down is a pair of F-its sound hole blockers and the fact that I'm playing a laminate instrument with a lacquered finish.  And using this Monaco cab, I can get to a perfectly acceptable volume without causing horrendous feedback issues.    I have got a quieter dinner jazz gig coming up in a few weeks, for which I'll use a carved bass.  So maybe after that I'll report back here.

You always take a bit of a punt when you buy a cab online, without trying it out via a dealer beforehand.  But generally speaking I'm really pleased with it so far, and thanks to everyone on here who recommended LFsys to me.  If anyone is near York and fancies trying it out for themselves then message me on here and we can sort something out.

 

[Lozz196]

Good review 

[tubbybloke68]

I’m glad you’re liking your cab,whilst I don’t play double bass, i have a pair of the Monza 10” cabs and can confirm they are fantastic little units too.

. One does me for 90% of gig situations .Stevie is very easy to deal and has great products. It’s nice to support small home grown businesses. For the record, I’ve owned loads of different barefaced cabs too what served me very well.keep enjoying your sound! 😊x

Edited 1 hour ago by tubbybloke68