Good feedback after a gig.

[jazzyvee]

Last night I did a gig with Musical Youth at a three reggae band event at a large theatre. We were the last band on and after the gig as I was packing my gear away, the guy who was doing the stage sound came over to me raving about the sound I was getting and really curious as to what gear I was using. This is not an unusual occurrence and this time I ended up having about a 15 minute chat to him explaining all about my alembic bass ( series I), the pickups, hum-canceller, LFP's  and then the DS-5 & SF-2 he was genuine and really interested on what I was using to get such a great sound. He told me he was also a bass player and trying to get a decent sound from his gear and rig. In the end his boss the FOH guy came over and joined the discussion and told him that this is probably the only time he will ever get to hear one of these basses on stage!!
For me I think it's great that sometimes people doing the sound are actually interested in what is creating such a good sound and taking the time to come and talk.

[pauldo]

 



We know it really comes from your fingers!     

[StephenR]

Always nice to have the FOH crew complimenting your sound, it usually means you have made their job easier. I have a feeling that a big part of what they were liking was the sound of your Series bass being played through the Barefaced cabs. The Barefaced cabinets are a perfect match for the sonic goodness of Alembic electronics and for Reggae they have an amazing amount of low-end extension. I looked at the picture you posted in the other thread and couldn't quite tell which of your cabinets you were using. Guessing one was the Dubster... can't tell if the second cab is a Big Baby II or Big Twin II. Do you send a flat signal to FOH?"

[jazzyvee]

Thanks Stephen, you are right. The cabs are a Dubster II and big Baby II. I gave the FOH the signal straight from my ds-5 and then they put  a mic in front of the BB2. They are really great sounding and performing cabs. The bottom end delivery is perfect for reggae and if you like that clean thick non vintage type of sound from your cab. Actually I did a dep reggae gig last night with a ska/reggae band using my Big Twin II cab and my mesa walkabout head in a small pub and that sounded so good even i was impressed with how I sounded hahaha. I used my maple europa bass for that gig which, contrary to what you might expect from maple, gives the most amazing powerful bottom end clarity. The guitarist and MD for the band was complimentary all night and had the biggest grin on his face whenever we started a new song and the bass hit him.

[StephenR]

I have never thought of sending a FOH feed directly from the DS-5, interesting concept and something to try if I don’t want to bring my Avalon U5 to a gig.

Big Twin II probably sounds great on its own. My Super Twin sounds much beefier on its own than my Big Baby II. Having two 12” drivers instead of one makes a huge difference. Both cabinets used together really kick.

[rv_bass]

Are you guys just using 12s, not paired with a 15 for fuller bottom? 

[jazzyvee]

The Barefaced cabs don't really need a 15" they are amazingly responsive and have long excursion speakers so they shift a lot of air, sound really hifi and can go properly loud before breaking up. My Dubster is a 1 x 18" speaker.


This is from the barefaced site.
https://barefacedbass.com/technical-information/12XN550.htm
"What does this mean for anyone considering switching to a Barefaced cab?
 

If size/weight is critical and your current rig is loud/fat enough then you can go a size smaller: i.e. replace a mid-sized expensive cab (4x10", 2x12") with a 1x12", or replace a large expensive cab (6x10", 8x10", 4x12", 2x15") with a 2x12". If your current rig struggles with loudness/punch/fatness/depth then you can replace your cab with a similar sized Barefaced cab and expect a substantial leap forwards, with a comparable increase in output to doubling up your current rig but with improved tone. If your current cabs are older or less expensive then expect an even bigger difference in clean output (especially in the lows) and tone."
The photo is of Alex, the owner of Barefaced Audio tying out my Series I through a selection of his cabs.

[rv_bass]

Thanks, Jazzyvee, I’ll check them out if I can.

[StephenR]

Hey Rob,

I have always used at least one 15" speaker in my rig for exactly the reason you stated. With the Barefaced cabinets I don't miss it at all if anything you have to learn to control the ultra-lows when using these cabinets, the 12" cabs are basically flat but are very responsive to EQ. The 12" drivers were designed by Barefaced, manufactured by Eminence and exclusive to the Barefaced line. My 2x12 SuperTwin (no horn)  has response down to 37 Hz, my Big Baby II with one 12" driver, no horn has response down to 30 Hz. The Big Twin II has 2x12s and a horn and shares the same frequency response as the Big Baby II. All their cabinets are super efficient, loud, and capable of handling huge amounts of power. Light and easy to move, too. I usually don't care for horns but the ones in the Barefaced cabs sound really smooth and you don't hear the crossover. The crossover is continuously variable from 2 kHZ to 10 kHz so if you want to send the majority of the signal to the 12" driver you can do so. They are expensive but I find them to be worth every penny.

[edwin]

I love 15s but I have to say that the 2x10 configuration of my MAS 210 Flex just leaves them in the dust, when it comes to bottom end. I'd love to try a Barefaced (another good reason to live in the UK?), as I would imagine they are probably similar in impact and projection. Although Barefaced seems to be a lot lighter.

OTOH, nothing like a big rig of K140s....

[rv_bass]

Stephen, just saw your reply, thanks for the summary.  Condensing to two light weight portable 12” cabs that cut through with clean powerful lows (especially with the low B) and can be combined when needed would be great. 

Edwin, I had an Eden 210xst that provided great lows with punch, but it was way too heavy.

[edwin]

 

Edwin, I had an Eden 210xst that provided great lows with punch, but it was way too heavy.

I had a pair of those and hated them. Very scooped and way way way too heavy! My MAS 210 Flex is bigger but much lighter and has all the delicious mids. But still, Barefaced seems so enticing....