Beer garden gig, do I need an extra cab?

[41Hz]

I’ve done a load of indoor pub gigs and my neo212 and GK fusion 550 is more than loud enough with volume at 9 O’clock. All the outdoor/festival gigs have been on proper stages with a big PA and sound engineer so my cab was just for stage monitoring.

 

Have my first beer garden gig and just wondering if I need to bring an extra cab so I have 4x12 or will the 2x12 cut it. Would rather just bring a single 2x12 if I can as space is going to be tight in the car

[Lozz196]

You might need to add in some lows or/and low-mids but assuming it’s not a really loud band I’d think you’ll be fine.

[tubbybloke68]

A 2x12 should be fine I’d say 

[chris_b]

More cabs is not just about volume, it's about tone and being heard.

 

A 212 might be fine, but I'd bring both 212's, cos you can never have enough tone.

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

I'd only take a second cab to put it on the ground aimed toward the drummer so he can hear the mids and highs, with the other atop it for myself and the audience.  

[Downunderwonder]

2 hours ago, Bill Fitzmaurice said:

I'd only take a second cab to put it on the ground aimed toward the drummer so he can hear the mids and highs, with the other atop it for myself and the audience.  

Doing so would also make up for half the bass only entertaining the area behind the tent. I pity the drummer's right foot though.

[Phil Starr]

I don't think we have enough information to answer definitively. How big is the garden? How loud do you need to be? Are there any wlalls around you.?

 

The problems outside are ambient noise can be louder people further away and for the bassist the sound from behind the cab being lost. Since the sound behind is just the lower frequencies you lose bass. If there is a wall behind you lean the bass cab back against it and the bass sound will be enhanced.

 

If you have two cabs I'd take both on a precautionary principle, if I had them available. There's only one way of finding out waht works and you can't do it if the cab is at home  

[41Hz]

It all worked out well with a single 212, we were playing on a stage with a roof and open sides, I just cranked the bass a bit on the amp

[Marvin]

We played a beer garden last night. I used a 210. Although, we did have monitors which helped (despite not being great monitors)

I couldn't really hear myself that well to be fair, but out front was good and my wife said I always play better when I can't hear myself. 

[JohnDaBass]

4 hours ago, 41Hz said:

It all worked out well with a single 212, we were playing on a stage with a roof and open sides, I just cranked the bass a bit on the amp

Great that all was well.

@Phil Starr and @Bill Fitzmaurice provide great advice, if you own more than one cab take as many as you can transport and just plug up the cabs as necessary. Having too much power is easy to remedy by using the amps volume control. Having insufficient power is more troublesome. DI into a good FOH is always a good solution.

[Downunderwonder]

Dude in grey Tshirt:

 

 🤨 "shouda brung his other 212".  

[BassmanPaul]

In my mind it's better to have too many speaker cabinets rather than too few. If what you bring turns out to be not up to the job you can't really go back home for more.

 

[LITTLEWING]

FWIW, I used my small Hartke 15" tiltback combo rear ported cab (Fane 400 watt fitted/dead amp head removed) with my Hartke 3500 in our local pub garden and my wife recorded it loud and clear from our house 10 minutes walk away. You'd be surprised how it carries!