FRFR/Cabinet for 8-String

D

Dave_I

Member
Funny story. I just got an Axe-FX III and FC12 then found out it needs a preamp or FRFR. Turns out my research only went so far so I'm catching up reading through threads on amp cabinets and FRFR recommendations or philosophies for one over the other.

That said, I'm transitioning from tube amps to the Axe FX in large part because the Axe-FX III sounds amazing with a ton of options, and also because I want something that I can play at fairly quiet levels that tube amps just can't. I'm also a fairly recent ERG adopter and mostly play my 8-string these days. I have 6-string guitars as well, but I definitely want something that will let my 8-string guitar shine. I realize a lot of that comes down to the programming options that I'll figure out as I go, but I'd love any suggestions or recommendations for reading material. I have a Carvin 4x12 with V30's, but I'm fine either going with a nice FRFR for now, or if it's more than I budgeted for at the moment just getting some nice headphones and saving up for a nicer FRFR down the road. I just think the FRFR route makes more sense overall but I'm open to suggestions.
 
Brief follow up, after reading the 30-page EV PXM thread I'm considering the (apparently very popular around these parts) EV PXM 12MP. I'm not sure if playing an 8-string makes a difference or not and I'm still early in the research process.

Also, this will mainly be for basement playing although eventually I wouldn't mind playing in a gig scenario, so want something that sounds good at sane levels and capable of playing in a band setting. I also play very clean stuff and very heavy stuff, but it sounds like FRFRs are kind of made to cover that range just by virtue of their design.
 
Hey Dave, I'm curious what you come up with.

At home I've been using HS8s but I've been invited to go jam persistently lately and I was considering the QSC K10.2s...but I was reading about the "protect mode" kicking on for someone on another thread and now I'm gun shy so I'm exploring options and in particular something I can go try out.

Anyway, I've got no clue on 8 string frequency range. I'd think the K10.2 would be fine for 7 string drop A...does 8 string start getting into sub territory? No idea.
 
Unboxed said:
Hey Dave, I'm curious what you come up with.
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Honestly, I feel almost entirely unqualified to answer that. That said...

I ended up researching some of the FRFR options and the Electro-Voice PXM-12MP came up a lot, as did a few other options. So I called Sweetwater where they were very nice and surprisingly zero-pressure, they gave me some options in various budget ranges and feedback on what they thought was better and what was great but probably overkill, and I ultimately ended up ordering an Electro-Voice PXM-12MP. Apparently any true FRFR should handle the full range from bass to guitar, and any vocals or just about anything else. As I understand it, it's more a matter of which qualities a speaker has and you can easily blow ~$2k or more on a speaker.

So I cannot really give an educated response, or at least not a highly-educated one.

As for 8-strings, it depends on the tuning but mine's tuned a half-step below standard (F-Bb-Eb-Ab-Db-Gb-Bb-Eb), but it's set up to sound/play like a guitar, so less percussive than a bass. I'm not sure that makes much difference as far as the impact of that range on something like the QSC K10.2s. That's where I might defer to a sales engineer at Sweetwater. I was skeptical but it was a really pleasant experience working with them and they were open to letting me choose what was right for me after helping explain my options, so I can see why they're so highly regarded. Others may be able to offer you more qualified opinions than mine, this is still pretty new territory to me.
 
Dave_I said:
Brief follow up, after reading the 30-page EV PXM thread I'm considering the (apparently very popular around these parts) EV PXM 12MP. I'm not sure if playing an 8-string makes a difference or not and I'm still early in the research process.

Also, this will mainly be for basement playing although eventually I wouldn't mind playing in a gig scenario, so want something that sounds good at sane levels and capable of playing in a band setting. I also play very clean stuff and very heavy stuff, but it sounds like FRFRs are kind of made to cover that range just by virtue of their design.
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It would be a pretty good choice! I played some Bass guitar through the pair I have a few weeks back and was quite surprised at how well it did.
 
In the off chance anybody finds this relevant, I went with the Electro-Voice PXM-12MP. It's great (as you might expect from all the rave reviews on it), and handles the low-end of the 8-string just fine (as you might also expect from Sixstring's review right above this). I'm sure it's overkill, but it's very nice and has a conveniently light weight design and a small footprint.
 
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