If you play bass and guitar, and want a cab that can do it all, check out the...

J

JGR

Inspired
...Bergantino NV412. It is a sealed 412, stellar for bass but also sounds killer on guitar - the mids and top end remind me a lot of my EVM 12L cabs, but with more low end capability being that it is a bass cab. Being sealed, it is nice a tight, so you shouldn't have any problems with it being boomy on guitar - it still retains the familiar punch/feel, just much bigger. The driver arrangement also helps improve dispersion compared to the crummy side-by-side arrangement of conventional 412s, so the sound is more even as you move to the sides of the cab.
 
I was looking at this a while ago... great cabs for sure. Traynor makes a similar 4x12 for less, I believe.
 
In my particular case, meh. My eyes see a 108lb weight spec and my back says "no freakin' way!", even with the tilt-back and wheels. Eventually this stuff has to go up and down stairs. I'm sure it's a nice sounding cabinet and all, as it should be for $1300+ US, but for flexibility and easier moving, I'll take a pair of smaller Full Range cabinets over the bigger single cabinet. (I already have an SVT 8x10, and though I love the way it sounds, I HATE moving that boat anchor around for club dates.)

The Bergantino is only a small step down in cabinet form factor from the SVT for my purposes as a bassist, but it looks like a nice cabinet non-the-less.

My personal setup is a pair of cabinets, each with 15" coaxial Ciare speakers (Neodymium), bi-amped (active crossover). Each cabinet weighs +/-35 lbs., and I can use a single cabinet for lower volume gigs. Most of the time with both cabinets, people tell me I'm too loud (go figure). These are true Full Range speakers which kick the arse out of the 4.5kHz high end spec of the Bergantino, and are thus also suitable for other generic PA purposes, as well as Full Range with the AxeFx on bass or guitar. With proper EQ shaping/flattening of these speakers, IMO they are very powerful, clean-sounding, and a portable/lightweight solution that fit my price point (with much emphasis on weight/portability).

All added up, power amp, cabinets, speakers, cost is around $2200 US. My SVT rig cost that much when I bought it 15 years ago, and it only does one thing (and very very well, I might add, but at the expense of size/weight). Now I can effortlessly fit my entire rig in my subcompact commuter vehicle with room to spare. It's not as loud as a full SVT rig, but I almost NEVER had the thing anywhere near max power output (Yikes!!). And, my back now stands a fighting chance.
 
I'm totally with jim on this one......that cab looks great, but no more of this hauling around heavy arsed gear for me neither.....had enough same-day gigs (sometimes going from one to the next to the next) to appreciate the axe and a nice light FRFR setup :)
Going up stairs is a pain, then after the gig you have to load crap up to go to the next one? Thanks, but no thanks! ;)

Won't mind getting an IR of one of those tho - it's much lighter hahha :D
 
Yeah, I didn't mean to throw a wet towel over the intent of the OP...apologies for that...

I just figured while he brought up the topic of cabinets that can cover both guitar AND bass, I'd share my rig and the reasoning behind it. The Bergantino looks to be a nice cabinet certainly, and I'm sure there a users who will consider using if for dual purpose if it floats their boat.
 
JGR said:
...Bergantino NV412. It is a sealed 412, stellar for bass but also sounds killer on guitar - the mids and top end remind me a lot of my EVM 12L cabs, but with more low end capability being that it is a bass cab. Being sealed, it is nice a tight, so you shouldn't have any problems with it being boomy on guitar - it still retains the familiar punch/feel, just much bigger. The driver arrangement also helps improve dispersion compared to the crummy side-by-side arrangement of conventional 412s, so the sound is more even as you move to the sides of the cab.
Click to expand...

I respectfully submit this an alternative: fEARFULL Bass Cabinets

the best, lightest FRFR system for bassists on the planet. And as a matter of fact, for guitarists too.
Composite Construction yields: UNDER 40LBS. 2 or 3 way FRFR. Rigid as all hell. Able to reproduce the lowest fundamental you can deliver.

Will rock your world.
 
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funny_polymath said:
I respectfully submit this an alternative: fEARFULL Bass Cabinets

the best, lightest FRFR system for bassists on the planet. And as a matter of fact, for guitarists too.
Composite Construction yields: UNDER 30LBS. 2 or 3 way FRFR. Rigid as all hell. Able to reproduce the lowest fundamental you can deliver.

Will rock your world.
Click to expand...

Works great for keyboard too!

I play guitar, bass, viola, and an 88 key weighted keyboard through mine. it's accurate, doesn't rattle, and is loud as hell!
 
cool. what is the assembled cost of the fEARFULL cabinets in their various configurations, un-loaded?
 
Mine is a 12/6/1 3 way system (they all have a high-freq rolloff knob on the back to adjust, but I tape it wide open and use the EQ on the AXE). About 1300.00 shipped ground, with the optional Kevlar reinforcement. Robert (owner) is a very good dude too.
 
Oh, and it's ported, not sealed. Frankly, I HATE most sealed enclosures for anything other than studio monitors - they always seem to have a strangled sound to me - and are less efficient. I'm sure there are exceptions, but all my guitar cabs were ported or open-backed after awhile. I still own a Harry Kolbe single EVM-12 ported enclosure I had custom made that I use with my cut down Fender Twin head (when I use an amp - it's usually just for visitors!).
 
ok. well, that pretty much tells the story. different strokes. I personally prefer two cabinets for many reasons (coverage options, redundancy, one for rehearsal & one for performance, etc.), but that price tag puts the fEARFULL just a bit out of my financial comfort zone. If I DID have the extra coin, I'd likely go the fEARFULL route...but I don't.
 
funny_polymath said:
I respectfully submit this an alternative: fEARFULL Bass Cabinets

the best, lightest FRFR system for bassists on the planet. And as a matter of fact, for guitarists too.
Composite Construction yields: UNDER 30LBS. 2 or 3 way FRFR. Rigid as all hell. Able to reproduce the lowest fundamental you can deliver.

Will rock your world.
Click to expand...


I have been highly interested in fEARful for the Axe for quite some time, but it seems like they barely get mentioned. I recently bought a Carvin LS1523 because this line is essentially the same thing with cheaper components (the idea for fEARful came from these cabs originally, I believe). How do you like yours compared to other FRFR solutions?


Jimfist - maybe look into Carvin? I love mine, and they surely will serve me until a upgrade to a fEARful or something like that. They also make a 12" coaxial monitor that has gotten decent reviews and is dirt cheap.
 
see post #3. I've already got something that works very well for me, so I'm all set for the time being. Thanks for the info, though. ;)
 
Glad to to see the fEarful cabs getting mentioned - I'm friends with Greenboy, the designer, and they are great cabs indeed. I've mentioned the AxeFx a few times on Talkbass and also on Greenboy's forum, and I think that his cabs would be a great matchup for a lot of the folks that are going the FRFR route. I think the bass players who use his cabs would also embrace the Axe if it had more bass amps - a lot of them are really into experimenting with different tones, effects, EQ, etc., and would probably enjoy the depth of the unit. The cool thing is that you should be able to run cab sims and get a very accurate response similar to the PA or studio monitors, so there's a lot of options there. They will pretty much crush all the powered stuff out there in total output and low end. They would also sound great for bass without the cab sims of course, and likely for clean guitar. Now if you're going for overdriven guitar tones, the cab sims are a must.

The Bergantino falls on the other end of the spectrum, and I find it cool that it sounds great for guitar and bass without cab sims - the stock response and tonality are very musical and might appeal to a lot of folks who go a more conventional route. Not much heavier than a regular 412, a heck of a lot easier to move, better dispersion and form factor, and with some big power, it will bury a full stack or two.... it's great to have options! :)
 
MotherSea said:
I have been highly interested in fEARful for the Axe for quite some time, but it seems like they barely get mentioned. I recently bought a Carvin LS1523 because this line is essentially the same thing with cheaper components (the idea for fEARful came from these cabs originally, I believe). How do you like yours compared to other FRFR solutions?


Jimfist - maybe look into Carvin? I love mine, and they surely will serve me until a upgrade to a fEARful or something like that. They also make a 12" coaxial monitor that has gotten decent reviews and is dirt cheap.
Click to expand...

Just for clarification, I believe the original version of that Carvin was one of the avenues GB tried, along with Accugroove and some other cabs before he took matters into his own hands to get what he was looking for. He had some decent luck tweaking the Carvin, but they kept cheapening each iteration and ultimately the performance wasn't there. Not to knock it, but other than having a similar driver arrangement, there is absolutely no comparison. A much better one to look at on a budget is the one that Avatar offers.
 
JGR said:
I think the bass players who use his cabs would also embrace the Axe if it had more bass amps - a lot of them are really into experimenting with different tones, effects, EQ, etc., and would probably enjoy the depth of the unit.
Click to expand...

Yeah, I agree 100%. Obviously Cliff's passion is for electric guitar, and he focuses a lot of energy perfecting his vision of the AxeFx for guitar. Perhaps when the modeling tech comes to a slower burn, he'll think about indulging bassists in an AxeFxBass version with an expanded selection of bass amp/cab models. Evidently there must not be enough market share (yet!) to motivate FAS to go down that path...and that's cool and the gang since it IS their product. I'm biased b/c I'm a bassist, obviously.

In the meantime, the Ultra and AxeFxII are still very worthy preamps/fx processors for bass guitar. The SVT model covers a lot of ground, but there are so many other tools and options available to create good bass tones that I HIGHLY recommend the AxeFx for bassists, regardless of the lack of "bass love" being shown at the moment. It used to bother me a bit, but it doesn't now. And with the firmware 6.0 tone matching feature, that really opens up a lot of doors to copying other tones that might have been elusive otherwise. IMO, the AxeFx is the future NOW for serious bassists...but you know bassists....just ever so slightly behind...LOL!
 
jimfist said:
cool. what is the assembled cost of the fEARFULL cabinets in their various configurations, un-loaded?
Click to expand...

Didn't read correctly: I would NOT recommend unloaded. The fEARFULL spec. is VERY specific about drivers (excursion distance, transient response) and crossovers. If you 'load your own' and you don't exactly the same stuff, you will not get the same performance.
 
JGR said:
Glad to to see the fEarful cabs getting mentioned - I'm friends with Greenboy, the designer, and they are great cabs indeed. I've mentioned the AxeFx a few times on Talkbass and also on Greenboy's forum, and I think that his cabs would be a great matchup for a lot of the folks that are going the FRFR route. I think the bass players who use his cabs would also embrace the Axe if it had more bass amps - a lot of them are really into experimenting with different tones, effects, EQ, etc., and would probably enjoy the depth of the unit. The cool thing is that you should be able to run cab sims and get a very accurate response similar to the PA or studio monitors, so there's a lot of options there. They will pretty much crush all the powered stuff out there in total output and low end. They would also sound great for bass without the cab sims of course, and likely for clean guitar. Now if you're going for overdriven guitar tones, the cab sims are a must.

The Bergantino falls on the other end of the spectrum, and I find it cool that it sounds great for guitar and bass without cab sims - the stock response and tonality are very musical and might appeal to a lot of folks who go a more conventional route. Not much heavier than a regular 412, a heck of a lot easier to move, better dispersion and form factor, and with some big power, it will bury a full stack or two.... it's great to have options! :)
Click to expand...

I think it's very odd that fEARFULLs aren't touted for guitar and keyboards too. I mean, essentially it's a light (in the case of the Art of Noise version, VERY light) FRFR PA speaker, but one that can reproduce the low findamentals associated with a subwoofer-equipped PA - all in one box. The flatness plus the extended range, means it can work for almost anything. It's mostly talked about in Bass circles, as were accugrooves, but really, this format transcends bass. Dunno why it hasn't penetrated farther afield. Although I play keyboards, viola, and various flutes and toy instruments (and sing) though it, I am first and foremost a guitarist - and it works great for that too.
 
They are touted for keys as well as bass - for guitar, the fEarful's are overkill since you don't need that kind of low end, but I would imagine the new Crazy 8's would work very well and be even smaller/lighter to boot.
 
JGR said:
They are touted for keys as well as bass - for guitar, the fEarful's are overkill since you don't need that kind of low end, but I would imagine the new Crazy 8's would work very well and be even smaller/lighter to boot.
Click to expand...

Well, if you do things like play guitar with pitch shift/octave effects, Ring Modulator, or 7 or 8 strings, then you may very well need such extended low end.

I guess my point is, the damn thing is small and light, so if it's really flat and uncolored, why *not* have that low end in case you need it?
 
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