Members chubrocker Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm needing a good cab for a new SWR SM-400 I acquired in a trade. I thought about building a custom cab (like 12" with 6.5" speaker) so inquired about that. That has led me to finding cabs I really like by Schroeder, AccuGroove, etc. But, are these cabs REALLY worth the extra few hundred dollars?? Prices are good right now, but I do think about just getting a 2x10 Avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emprov Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 Better? Different? That's completely up to those who buy them. Personally, I went away from the boutique cabs after not too long because I felt that the tone that they provided was all but lost in most situations. For me, a good solid head and a cab that does a reasonable job are just about all that I need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted February 5, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2009 Better? Different? That's completely up to those who buy them. +1 Personally I haven't liked the tone of any Schroeder cab I've played (limited exposure and not representative of the entire line) and I wouldn't be caught dead owning an Accugroove. Others feel otherwise. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emprov Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 +1 Personally I haven't liked the tone of any Schroeder cab I've played (limited exposure and not representative of the entire line) and I wouldn't be caught dead owning an Accugroove. Others feel otherwise. I played through an ElWhappo once and I really, really liked it. I'd never buy it because of the size and weight, but I really dug it's smoothness and range. If you could get that tone and volume in a 110, I'd be all over it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 I am finding that most commercial cab manufacturers are overpriced and suck, or just overpriced. Also, that I do not like tweeters very much (at least not at the nomal xover frequencies folks use). Custom cab builders, like DR Bass and LDS are the bees knees as far as bang for the buck and quality. You get loud cabinets without the normal gimpiness of commercial cabs (too-small boxes, crappy crossovers, horns at 3000hz, rat fur, etc). For me, I will either go to one of those guys, or I will buy a cheap Peavey. Having owned a Schroeder for a while now it's nice, but not the holy grail or anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted February 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 +1Personally I haven't liked the tone of any Schroeder cab I've played (limited exposure and not representative of the entire line) and I wouldn't be caught dead owning an Accugroove. Others feel otherwise. I'm not much of a tone snob. Not sure I'd notice the difference overall in most cabs. I do want quality speakers tho. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emprov Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 I'm not much of a tone snob. Not sure I'd notice the difference overall in most cabs. I do want quality speakers tho.For me, weight and size are pretty important, mainly because I'm really lazy when it comes to hauling gear. What types of things are you looking for in a cab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 +1 Personally I haven't liked the tone of any Schroeder cab I've played (limited exposure and not representative of the entire line) and I wouldn't be caught dead owning an Accugroove. Others feel otherwise. Regarding Schroeder in particular, I do like mine in a band situation. It sounds like junk by itself, for sure. It's loud as hell, and provides a pretty good sound in the mix. Way more volume than you'd get out of most boxes this size (23.5 x 23.5 x 16 or so, would weigh like 55lbs with neos). Honestly though, I am thinking those angled woofers are ridiculous the more I play this thing. The dispersion on this cab is so weird -- it is literally much, much louder if you stand just to the left of it where the 12" speaker fires at you I need to try it with the 12" angled up or down, I guess. Regarding his frequency stuff though, I think he is a little full of it. It is dead obvious that this thing cannot reproduce the 2nd harmonic of anything below a D worth a {censored}. if its -10db point is 35hz then I'm Luke Skywalker. I would guess closer to 80hz. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators Kindness Posted February 5, 2009 Moderators Share Posted February 5, 2009 I played through an ElWhappo once and I really, really liked it. I'd never buy it because of the size and weight, but I really dug it's smoothness and range. If you could get that tone and volume in a 110, I'd be all over it. I think the Wappo Jr. I played was a fantastic sounding cabinet. I've thought the other Accugrooves I've played have been pretty damn good. Acme Low B1 will get you in the ballpark for tone, but not volume. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted February 5, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 For me, weight and size are pretty important, mainly because I'm really lazy when it comes to hauling gear. What types of things are you looking for in a cab? LONG ago I had a two bass amps. The smaller one distorted. I just LOVED that tone. It was my Billy Sheehan phase in the late 80's. I like bi-amping and the SM-400 offers that like my old 800RB. Honestly, I want a cab with some punch yet handle my 5er. I'm intrigued by the 12" with 6" speaker cab or something like that---2x8 with 5" speaker, etc. I want something that will reproduce a 5er well--at least a low C and D. I don't like Ampeg cabs---too dark. I don't care for Hartke--too bright or brittle or something. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members no-logic Posted February 5, 2009 Members Share Posted February 5, 2009 I've owned a bunch of cabs including Avatar and Dr. Bass. My Schroeder and my Epifani's blow them all out of the water on stage IMO. And that is where it counts for me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted February 6, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I am finding that most commercial cab manufacturers are overpriced and suck, or just overpriced. Also, that I do not like tweeters very much (at least not at the nomal xover frequencies folks use).Custom cab builders, like DR Bass and LDS are the bees knees as far as bang for the buck and quality. You get loud cabinets without the normal gimpiness of commercial cabs (too-small boxes, crappy crossovers, horns at 3000hz, rat fur, etc).For me, I will either go to one of those guys, or I will buy a cheap Peavey. Having owned a Schroeder for a while now it's nice, but not the holy grail or anything. I'm not a big tweeter fan either. I guess this is where my intrigue with smaller size speakers comes into play. Why not cut out a bit bigger hole and put a 5-6" closed speaker there instead of a tweeter??? I don't know much about cross-overs tho. My knowledge is limited there. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ivanthetrble Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm needing a good cab for a new SWR SM-400 I acquired in a trade. I thought about building a custom cab (like 12" with 6.5" speaker) so inquired about that. That has led me to finding cabs I really like by Schroeder, AccuGroove, etc. But, are these cabs REALLY worth the extra few hundred dollars?? Prices are good right now, but I do think about just getting a 2x10 Avatar. Of course more expensive cabs are better. If they weren't they would cost the same as every other cab. All seriousness aside, the difference are subtle but they are there. I played thru a couple of Carvin's 210 cabs for a while until I bought a couple Eden 210XLT cabs. There was a noticable difference. Is it a big enough difference to justify the cost. Well, that is the real question isn't it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members LanEvo Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 Honestly, I want a cab with some punch yet handle my 5er. I'm intrigued by the 12" with 6" speaker cab or something like that---2x8 with 5" speaker, etc. I want something that will reproduce a 5er well--at least a low C and D. I don't like Ampeg cabs---too dark. I don't care for Hartke--too bright or brittle or something. I know I've been a big Bag End fanboi lately, but I think this combo would absolutely kill. A Bag End D10BX-D on top of a Bag End S18B-D. Phenomenally deep (but well-controlled) lows. Punchy, tight mids. Smooth highs. Sounds like exactly what you've been looking for. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm not a big tweeter fan either. I guess this is where my intrigue with smaller size speakers comes into play. Why not cut out a bit bigger hole and put a 5-6" closed speaker there instead of a tweeter??? I don't know much about cross-overs tho. My knowledge is limited there. Eminence makes a 3-way crossover PCB that is pretty affordable. Buy one of those, a nice midrange, and a Kappalite 3015LF and make yourself a Greenboy fEarful. Seriously Go search Talkbass for the plans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted February 6, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 Eminence makes a 3-way crossover PCB that is pretty affordable. Buy one of those, a nice midrange, and a Kappalite 3015LF and make yourself a Greenboy fEarful. Seriously Go search Talkbass for the plans. Yep, these are the plans that started all this thinkin'. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Emprov Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 Eminence makes a 3-way crossover PCB that is pretty affordable. Buy one of those, a nice midrange, and a Kappalite 3015LF and make yourself a Greenboy fEarful. Seriously I'm really lazy today. Is that a 4 or 8ohm cab? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chubrocker Posted February 6, 2009 Author Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 IIRC, you can make it either. I'm too lazy right now to check for you. :-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T. Alan Smith Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 Personally, I went away from the boutique cabs after not too long because I felt that the tone that they provided was all but lost in most situations. ...depending on your situation. Even in the loud rock-type situations I've been in, I could hear the qualities of my cab. ...and that's what makes buying what inspires you important. Personally, I'm mostly a Bergie guy, but found inspiration in BagEnd and Aggie cabs as well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rpsands Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I'm really lazy today. Is that a 4 or 8ohm cab? Sorry, I meant the 2-way crossover not the 3-way. This one:http://www.parts-express.com/pe/showdetl.cfm?partnumber=290-632 That would make an 8 ohm cab with one kappalite 3015LF. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members James Hart Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 by Schroeder, AccuGroove, etc. But, are these cabs REALLY worth the extra few hundred dollars?? I've owned both... and not really. I was a Bag End guy in the 90s... jumped after the buzz in the early 2000s only to happily come back to Bag End. If I didn't go Bag End, I'd most likely get an Acme. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T. Alan Smith Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've owned both... and not really.I was a Bag End guy in the 90s... jumped after the buzz in the early 2000s only to happily come back to Bag End.If I didn't go Bag End, I'd most likely get an Acme. All of which are clearly nicer all the way around than Avatar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members James Hart Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 All of which are clearly nicer all the way around than Avatar. true. but Bag End and Acme can be had for closer to Avatar moneys than a lot of the big names Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members GreaserMatt Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've played through junk for years & sounded great, ahahahahaha... Here's my "cobbler's special": a 70's sunn concert bass head grafted into an old kustom 2x15 cab... yes I'm drunk Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T. Alan Smith Posted February 6, 2009 Members Share Posted February 6, 2009 I've played through junk for years & sounded great, ahahahahaha... Here's my "cobbler's special": a 70's sunn concert bass head grafted into an old kustom 2x15 cab... yes I'm drunk I'll never forget rehearsing with my GK 400RB thru a buddies Acoustic 2x15", and it rocked my world. That same head thru a Peavey 210TX was dreamy. That said- a Thunderfunk or Aguilar thru a Bergantino or Aguilar cab is a whole 'nutha world. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.