LFSYs Monaco - how good?

[Freddi375]

https://www.lfsys.co.uk/bassguitarproducts

 

Hey guys 

 

Before I pull the trigger on one of these, just want to hear some gig experiences and understand just how good this cab actually is.

 

I've already spoken to Stevie who seems like a real gent, but it's still a lot of money for something i knew nothing about only a few days ago.

 

This needs to be the very last cab purchase I make otherwise the missus will divorce me 😆.

 

I've tried most cabs, mainly 212s (Barefaced, Vanderkley, Bergantino, EBS).

 

The measurements of this cab mean it will fit in the boot of my MX5 which is a big plus, however I do not want to compromise on sound. 

 

I have a 5 string bass so must be able to handle the low B, and must be loud enough without any speaker distort/farting out.

 

How does it compare to barefaced 112s and other high end 112s?

 

Anyone played one on an outdoor gig?

 

I'll stop blabbing on, but you get the gist.

 

Thank you!!

Freddie

Edited 3 hours ago by Freddi375

[pete.young]

I have a  Monza, which is the 10" version, it copes perfectly well with my 5 string basses and so did the Goodwood pre-production cab that I had on trial for a short while, so I'm sure the bigger driver in the Monaco will be absolutely fine.

 

it replaced an EBS2x12, which wasn't being worked particularly hard, but the Monza copes with a relatively loud blues band. Not tried it outdoors yet.

[Lozz196]

There are a good few threads on here about them, all very positive.

[Chienmortbb]

 I had a Monaco and swapped it for a ......Monza. It's hard to compare many makes but compared to Barefaced, you have a number of BF ranges to compare to. Some are coloured, some not, some are full range but IMHO none sound as good as the LFSys cabs.  

 

While both Barefaced and @stevie have now a few years making and designing bass cabinets, the important thing is that @stevie has spent decades designing crossovers. He tunes that cabs both by measurement and by ear, then gets the designs road tested before release. 

 

AS for high end 112s, Vanderkley seem to have disappeared, and I have covered Barefaced above.

 

You do not say where you are based but try one if you can. Your ears and bass will love you. 

[Freddi375]

8 hours ago, Chienmortbb said:

 I had a Monaco and swapped it for a ......Monza. It's hard to compare many makes but compared to Barefaced, you have a number of BF ranges to compare to. Some are coloured, some not, some are full range but IMHO none sound as good as the LFSys cabs.  

 

While both Barefaced and @stevie have now a few years making and designing bass cabinets, the important thing is that @stevie has spent decades designing crossovers. He tunes that cabs both by measurement and by ear, then gets the designs road tested before release. 

 

AS for high end 112s, Vanderkley seem to have disappeared, and I have covered Barefaced above.

 

You do not say where you are based but try one if you can. Your ears and bass will love you. 

Thanks mate, I'm down in Sunny Swindon 🌞 😆

 

Would really love to try one.

Edited 3 hours ago by Freddi375

[Mudpup]

I have a Monaco. Used it for the first time in anger at an outdoor festival last Sunday and I've done a few rehearsals with it. Bloody brilliant. Dispersion is fabulous and the cab didn't break a sweat with a 5 string Spector. The build quality feels better than my Barefaced BB2 cabs I used for 10 years - they never failed on me but the cabinets always felt a bit fragile.

 

I've used various Bergs as well and sold them all after a couple of gigs - they didn't have enough booty for what I was looking for at the time. 

 

The thing I haven't seen anyone mention so far is that the Monaco is really good at lower volumes too. The BB2 was always a bit full on for home use - it just sounded huge all the time which isn't necessarily great for in the living room. 

 

Wholeheartedly recommended 

Edited 3 hours ago by Mudpup

[Freddi375]

Thanks buddy.

[Mudpup]

34 minutes ago, Freddi375 said:

Thanks buddy.

Oh and if you ever change your MX5 in for a Boxster I can confirm it will fit in the frunk with a bit of room to spare.....🙂

[BassAdder60]

I too had a Monaco and it was a great single cab gig rig 

 

Highly recommend 

[eude]

I have a Monza, the little 1x10" brother of the Monaco, but I can only begin to imagine how incredible the bigger cab would be!

I replaced two Barefaced One10s with a single 1x10 Monza, and the cab is louder and goes way lower in a much more controlled way at 8 ohms, than the other two 1x10 cabs combined, at 4 ohms!

The cabs are hifi, but without sounding harsh, you get out what you put in, but better without adding colour.

The Monza handles low B like an absolute champ, and I'd be more than happy to gig with the single 1x10, having previously had no issues gigging with a 1x12, so the 1x12 Monaco will be even better.

As also noted above, build quality is fantastic on the LFSys cabs too. Some BF cabs can feel a little fragile, have issues with peeling tolex or chipping finishes, but no such worries with these guys.

 

I also highly recommend these cabs.

 

Eude

 

[Sean]

I've been looking at LFSys lately as there's one thing on the website that really resonated with me and I need to understand more. 

 

It says on the About LFSys page, and I quote, "The lightweight amps were great but the cabs proved a disappointment. First, my (highly regarded) compact cab regularly ran out of steam when I needed to play really loud and second, more importantly, I struggled to hear what I was playing when I was standing close to the cab. Which was more often than not."

 

This is my biggest issue gigging. I've been using one of my (no tweeter) TWO10s vertically on an 18" high platform (alu workbench) and a Gramma isolation pad so I can hear it but the guys in the band are wondering why I'm so loud on stage when we're setting up and soudchecking. When I come down to an acceptable stage volume, I can't hear my rig very well, I just hear the room (but obviously on a lag). I'm between 3-8 feet in front of it depending on venue and where I stand. 

 

Now, the "really loud" isn't an issue for me, the venues are pubs/clubs/marquees and I never need the second TWO10, in fact the folding aluminum workbench has replaced the second TWO10 as that was being used as a shelf in some cases. 

 

Is a Monaco going to meet my need to hear myself better on stage and if so, how does it do that and why doesn't the TWO10 do it? Also would it still need to go a platform? The guys in that band are "a bit wary" of me having the cab raised as they've never really seen that before.

 

 

 

Edited 32 minutes ago by Sean