LearnGospelMusic.com Community
Gospel Instruments => Bass Guitar => Topic started by: mike234 on September 24, 2006, 01:14:59 PM
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Who makes, in your opinion, the best 4x10 cabs ?
For the longest time ive been trying to buy one but im having trouble deciding
So far ive put ampeg out of the picture, but im mainly looking eden and swr
Ive played most of the cabs both these companyies produce and im having a hard time seperating the differences
I also have to take into consideration that a couple months down the line i will probbly pair it up with either a 1x15 or 2x10
thanks in advance
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What is your price point? You'll get a lot of punch from the 4x10. I wouldn't pair it with a 1x15 but with a 2x10 on top for a 6x10 like effect! You'd be suprised at the bottom you'd get out this combination. 1x15's slowly going out of style. Smaller speakers have become so much more efficient and can handle a lot mor power these days!
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1x15's slowly going out of style. Smaller speakers have become so much more efficient and can handle a lot more power these days!
I agree. I have blown a few 1x15 cabs in my time and I switched to a 2 x 4x10 setup for quite a few years now. Speaker technology has improved so much over the past 10 years. Neodynum speakers are becoming very common in a lot of cabs. There are indredibly robust and very powerful. The Baby Goliath cab that SWR produces uses 8" drivers and you can still get a powerful, fat low end from that cab...it's very impressive. You can now buy 4x10 cabs that are more powerful than a full rig these days, so that cuts a lot of cost, easier to transport and saves stage space.
As far as what is the best 4x10...that's really down to your own preference. There are several things that you may judge about a 4x10 cab:
- Power handling
- Weight
- Size
- Tone
- Tweater option
- Front or back ported
- Construction
Don't be fooled into believing a powerful cab is going to do the job. I have only ever played through a handful of powerful 4x10 cabs that I thought were actually worth the money. Some cabs are not constructed to handle all that air movement, so you have to get some info about the quality of the wood, glues and structure of the cab. If any of those things are not up to scratch the cab can actually undress itself due to the sheer volume. Building a good quality cab to match a good quality amp has sometimes been an after thought on a couple of occasions for even the best manufacturers in the market. Some companies take it very seriously.
I believe quality, not quantity. My favorite cabs for very solid and versatile tones are David Eden, EBS, Hartke, Epifani, Aguilar and Euphonic Audio (though they don't manufacture a 4x10 :(). All those cabs have something special about them, but they are also very different from each other. Not all of those cabs have ground shaking volume, light weight or pretty to look at, but the build quality and tonal versatility is second to none. I have to say that Hartke cabs have great tones, but the aluminium speakers are not the most reliable. I have blown many in the past. I spoke to a Hartke salesman about this at the BMF show in the UK about 4yrs ago (shortly before I changed over to Warwick) and he said that the alumium cones cracks with humidity and change in temperatures (stage lights). Because they are made from metal material they are prone to air condition and heat up and cool down very quickly, which causes a lot of stress which normal paper, kevlar etc..speakers don't experience .
Anway, I'm babbling (as usual!). The only advice I would give is to play as many cabs as you can. You will find one that will suit your every need, but spend a little time researching to get to know the product before passing your credit card over the counter.
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Check out www.avatarspeakers.com (http://www.avatarspeakers.com). I have a 2X12 and a 4X10. I use the 12s most of the time. But, paired with the 4X10s at the right gig, it's an awesome combo.
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David Edens 410XLT cabs are great. They have the XST models which produce more bottom but the XLT is more than capable and enough. This cab paired with the 210XST I've heard is the best setup.
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Check out [url=http://www.avatarspeakers.com]www.avatarspeakers.com[/url] ([url]http://www.avatarspeakers.com[/url]). I have a 2X12 and a 4X10. I use the 12s most of the time. But, paired with the 4X10s at the right gig, it's an awesome combo.
I agree! See my sig! I'm an Avatar endorser!
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I think I'd go with Avatar, they cost just a bit more then Behringer but I think we all now which cabs/products are better.
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Check out [url=http://www.avatarspeakers.com]www.avatarspeakers.com[/url] ([url]http://www.avatarspeakers.com[/url]). I have a 2X12 and a 4X10. I use the 12s most of the time. But, paired with the 4X10s at the right gig, it's an awesome combo.
Can you help me to understand what the right gig is. Everytime I ministered to people I was running through the PA system and never used an amp/cab.
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Can you help me to understand what the right gig is. Everytime I ministered to people I was running through the PA system and never used an amp/cab.
sometimes you may play at a gig that you wouldn't be able to run through the pa system. I've played on many occasions where I've been through the main PA and not. My current setup will allow me to play without running through the main pa on majority of gigs that I play at. Believe it or not, bass travels pretty evenly without going through a pa system. it gets kinda complicated in explaining it, but listen to a car that has a nice stereo system in it, and you can hear it from a distance, and once it passes, you don't hear the sound. Don't quite understand it, but 2x10 in the trunk of a car being pushed by a 350 wattt amp, can produce tons of bottom, so it's the same with a bass rig. ( I don't quite understand what I just said, hopefully someone else does ;D)
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I sometimes look at speaker specifications and I find that many 10in speakers have a lower frequency range than 12s and 15s. So I would think a 2X10+ cab would have better response.
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I am an Eden endorser, and I have 2 of the 410XLTs and they are awesome. The classic Eden rig is a single 410XLT with a WT800. I use that most of the time and rarely ever need a second cab. They do have a bump in the mids to help you cut through, so if you like to scoop the mids it may not be your cup of tea. I've also owned the SWR Goliath III. It's a good servicable cab, but obviously I like the Eden cabs better. The Eden 410XST is a more stereophically pure cab than the XLT, but for live work I don't think the XLT can be beat for an all around, all purpose cab.
I am in complete agreement with Andrzej in his post, including the comments about Hartke. I was going to buy one of their little kickback amps until I researched their customer service. That's what actually led me to start using the Eden stuff. Their forum is second to none in terms of the info you can get there.
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Their forum is second to none in terms of the info you can get there.
I second this statement. Because of you and the "Garden", I will be converting over to Eden cabs and heads. I'm going the nearest dealer this week to test drive some equipment.
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I went today and played through the Eden 410XLT and "WOW" is all I have to say.
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I went today and played through the Eden 410XLT and "WOW" is all I have to say.
He looked over the mountain and it was good! Yeah man, that cab is one hot potatoe!
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I ran two 410s in a large outdoor gig a couple of weeks ago and was the only one not running through the PA. I not only had no problems cutting through, but enjoyed hearing from the people who came up to tell me how good my bass sound felt.
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the setup at the store was a 410XLT being powered by a QSC PLX2402 Bridged at 4 ohms, with an alembic f-x1 preamp. that baby sang today at the store. If I can find some of this used, I will definately get it. I'm most definately getting the 410's soon someway somehow. ;D
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Incidentally, for smaller gigs, or if you have PA support, the Eden D212XLT is very good. It's quite loud close up, but doesn't project quite as far as the 410, so it makes for an excellent stage monitor. I should also mention that while I am an endorser, I am not a paid endorser, and I bought most of my Eden stuff in the used market just like everyone else. So I don't have to say anything nice, and I have a vested interest in making sure they have quality customer service.
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After looking at the eden amps I notice they ony have a 3 band EQ. :-\
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The also have an enhance knob, and a parametric eq. If you read posts on their forum, you'll be surprised to know that most people keep their eq's set at flat. That totally shocked me.
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After looking at the eden amps I notice they ony have a 3 band EQ. :-\
Most of the WT series amps have bass, treble and then the three frequency range knobs that can be cut or boost at what ever frequency you want. Most of the time I set mine flat with maybe a couple of clicks of bass. But let's say I wanted a real fat low end for a room that just sucked up low end. Instead of boosting overall bass level, I'd first boost the setting for the lower frequencies and then I'd start turning the frequency knob for that range until the frequency I wanted to hear popped out. I'd then change the amount of boost, or cut, that I wanted to the actual level I wanted.
While this sounds complex, it isn't. Most of the time you'll run pretty flat, but dialing in room specific settings takes seconds.
The enhance knob bassically scoops the mids and boosts low end and high end. I personally don't use it, because mids are what cut through, but for slap players, this knob would be gold for you.
The Eden "sound" is between Ampeg and SWR for bass, but they're very, very clear, and very, very loud. Whatever you play, good or bad, people will hear. My guitar player uses two amps and with my WT800 and D410XLT I can drown him out running about half volume. That's completely drown him out, perpetual bass solo.
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The Eden "sound" is between Ampeg and SWR for bass, but they're very, very clear, and very, very loud. Whatever you play, good or bad, people will hear. My guitar player uses two amps and with my WT800 and D410XLT I can drown him out running about half volume. That's completely drown him out, perpetual bass solo.
I was starting to think eden was better than those 2 from the posts here. So the rank is Ampeg, Eden, SWR?
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I was starting to think eden was better than those 2 from the posts here. So the rank is Ampeg, Eden, SWR?
Oh my, no. I was speaking tonewise. Ampeg tends to be quite warm, but unfortunately very muddy and SWR tends to be quite thin. Eden is a very warm, but very clear sound. Again, I'm an endorser and fanatic for Eden equipment. I have owned both SWR and Ampeg equipment and got rid of it to buy Eden equipment. In fact, if anybody wants an SWR twin 15 cab, the store I took it to is selling it now on ebay. Feel free to bid, I can use the money for some recording equipment.
Incidentally, the Eden cabs are a lot more efficient than the Ampeg cabs as well as being clearer.
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Well I guess I better hold out if i decide to get serious about bass. Or a may buy a cheap behringer and get a eden combo later.
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Well I guess I better hold out if i decide to get serious about bass. Or a may buy a cheap behringer and get a eden combo later.
You have to start somewhere. When i picked up bass again after several years off I started with an old, and I do mean old Crate 15" combo and an Ibanez SG800 that I bought for $200. I just bought stuff when I could get a deal on it and then traded it for something better later. The key is to keep an eye out for good equipment that they can't seem to find a buyer for, or have too much of at the time. Buy it, use it and then when the market improves, or another store is short on the item get rid of it for something you want. For instance, I bought a mint '78 fretless P Bass for a song from a store that was up to its eyeballs in fretless basses it couldn't sell. I used it awhile and then swapped it for a refinished '71 P at another store straight across. I actually traded an Ampeg 410 straight across for my first D410XLT. I couldn't believe it, but the other person needed to sell the thing fast and he knew someone who was familiar with Ampeg who he could sell my piece to so I graciously traded with him in a 3 way deal.
Ultimately, it's not about the equipment anyway, it's about you and how you play, and i would argue, who you play for and serve first. I'm convinced that I've been blessed because I offered my talent to God first and He opened other doors for me to expand my knowledge and playing experience.