LFSYs Monaco - how good?

[chris_b]

17 hours ago, Sean said:

I've always thought that Spector + GK is magic but add in a Monaco and there's the holy trinity right there.

 

Surprising what an improvement a well designed cab will make to the sound of a bass. Makes you realise how much other cabs are just a bunch of speakers thrown together in a box.

[Chienmortbb]

19 hours ago, Sean said:

Worth mentioning too is that I had that experience where I thought I was loud enough and they were telling me to turn up. I think that is a rite of passage with these cabs, isn't it?

Yes, I had the same experience.

[Wolverinebass]

2 hours ago, chris_b said:

 

Surprising what an improvement a well designed cab will make to the sound of a bass. Makes you realise how much other cabs are just a bunch of speakers thrown together in a box.

There is that Chris.

 

I'm someone who is quite particular about how I sound. I can say that @stevie's cabs are possibly the best I've ever played. A lot of people gauge things on the low end. I always compare on the treble end. If that's off then I'm not interested, because if it is, you can pretty much guarantee the mid range is wrong and the bass end will probably be hyped or coloured.

 

I hasten to say that I'm not on retainer, nor do I even own an Lfsys cab. They're just really, really good and if you value sonic fidelity of what you put in is what comes out, then this is what you're after.

[Pirellithecat]

Update, ..... Used theo Monaco at several gigs and rehearsals now.   

It's definitely the best cab I've owned. 

I'm an old git though and have a pretty rounded sound.    

Did a double header recently. 

I used my PA for both bands, and due to time constraints, the bass player for the first band used my rig ( Trace Elliot 1200 plus Monaco) .    Uses a pic, unlike me, and plays more " modern" rock than my band.   Usually uses a 500W  Mark Bass Head plus a new 4 x 10 MarkBass cab.   

He sounded Fantastic!  Best I've heard him.  PHENOMINAL sound and plenty loud enough with the tiniest amount of PA support.  I've done their sound before and this was the best ever!

 He contacted a friend of mine the next day to ask " What was that cab,  where can I get one , and how much are they!" 

Put me to shame.... But certainly showed what this cab can do .......  

So, short summary.
Bloody Great!

Edited Thursday at 19:43 by Pirellithecat

[Inga]

everything i've heard is solid 👍👍👍👍👍

👍👍👍

[Phil Starr]

On 15/10/2025 at 19:42, Wolverinebass said:

I'm someone who is quite particular about how I sound. I can say that @stevie's cabs are possibly the best I've ever played. A lot of people gauge things on the low end. I always compare on the treble end. If that's off then I'm not interested, because if it is, you can pretty much guarantee the mid range is wrong and the bass end will probably be hyped or coloured.

Bear in mind I'm a friend of @stevie

 

This cab could hava been designed for you. The low end is exemplary, it goes down further than most cabs and is flat down there but is a 'shelved response' due to the power of that neo magnet in the special drivers. The magic is in the crossovers which would put most PA speakers to shame. We did a lot of listening tests with female vocals where our ears are very sensitive to problems. Sade was quite a feature for a while  Stevie spent a long time listening, re-measuring, tweaking and then listening again. Frankly it was more like watching the development of a high end hi-fi cab than a bass cab. I don't think there is a bass cab out there to touch the Monaco or Monza for the way it covers the midrange, you'd struggle to find a PA speaker that accurate. I can't see you managing without one for long.

[Sean]

11 hours ago, Pirellithecat said:

Theo Monaco

That's my new stage name, that is. Thank you.  

[Sean]

My next adventure with the Monaco is gigging it with my 12-string using a bi-amp patch in a couple of weeks. It sounds great at home but it'll be interesting to hear it at the venue, see what the sound engineer says and hear any reactions. It's a jam night that's attended by quite a lot of gear hounds who always like a nosey at who's using what, so we'll see. 

[Sean]

On 14/10/2025 at 23:30, Sean said:

I went to an audition in a rehearsal room today. Monaco, GK Legacy 800, Spector. All I had between songs was how good it sounded, what is it? never heard such clarity from a bass rig, never seen anything like it before. What brand is that? etc etc.  

 

I wasn't even using my pedal board, just the Comp4 on the GP5. 

 

I've always thought that Spector + GK is magic but add in a Monaco and there's the holy trinity right there. 

 

I don't know if I got the gig but the gear made people smile and I had a lot of fun.  

 

 

 

They offered me the gig! 

[Sean]

3 hours ago, Sean said:

 

They offered me the gig! 

 

On Sunday at the SW Bash, I’d decided to not take a Spector to that audition, I just thought, nah, they’re so Marmite, they’re too “Spector”, especially the way I just run them all with a Haz-clone flat out. I was going to take my Valenti PJ or the BB2024x. Anyway, when I tried to play the songs on the Yam, I was all over the place, two frets out, what a mess and thought, well just be yourself and go for it.

 

The fella in before me was wheeling out a Trace on a big dolly. It looked like it weighed a ton. I went back to the car afterwards in one trip. 

 

 

Edited 8 hours ago by Sean

[Lozz196]

Think that was two wise moves there, taking the Spector/you, and a rig that can be moved easily. 

[Wolverinebass]

8 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

Bear in mind I'm a friend of @stevie

 

This cab could hava been designed for you. The low end is exemplary, it goes down further than most cabs and is flat down there but is a 'shelved response' due to the power of that neo magnet in the special drivers. The magic is in the crossovers which would put most PA speakers to shame. We did a lot of listening tests with female vocals where our ears are very sensitive to problems. Sade was quite a feature for a while  Stevie spent a long time listening, re-measuring, tweaking and then listening again. Frankly it was more like watching the development of a high end hi-fi cab than a bass cab. I don't think there is a bass cab out there to touch the Monaco or Monza for the way it covers the midrange, you'd struggle to find a PA speaker that accurate. I can't see you managing without one for long.

Thanks for putting the idea into my head! Ha! I'm happy with my Vanderkley 2x12 currently, but things change, especially as they've went out of business. It might be worth a punt to get one for smaller gigs.

 

Having said that, the bass I took to the SW bash and the HX Stomp settings I used I know exactly how they should sound and that's exactly how it sounded. As there's so much top end and percussive distortion in my signal, it's something that I have to be able to hear clearly to be able to relax. If the cab doesn't reproduce it, then, that's a problem.

 

I'm sure other people at the bash would have much rather I was a precision with flats person. They didn't get to relax because I could hear what I wanted to. Ha!

[Chienmortbb]

1 hour ago, Wolverinebass said:

I'm sure other people at the bash would have much rather I was a precision with flats person. They didn't get to relax because I could hear what I wanted to. Ha!

Now I remember you. 😂