Barefaced Bass - Ultra lightweight high power bass guitar speaker cabs

F.A.Q.
What? How? Why? Are these right for me?
Why aren't all the established manufacturers making cabs like these?
Email barefacedbass@gmail.com to add your own questions

Ask me some questions! Email barefacedbass@gmail.com

Question: Why does your website look so cheap?

Answer: Because we're spending our money on speakers instead! Also we want to have a lot of content on this site and so it needs to be easy to change or expand.

Question: Aren't 15" speakers boomy and muddy?

Answer: If they have weak motors or are placed in undersized or badly tuned cabinets then they can be boomy. These speakers have very strong motors and precisely sized and tuned cabinets. No boom or mud - unless you want it!

Question: Can I get a 4 ohm cab?

Answer: No. There are plenty of modern amps that can produce enough power into 8 ohms to push these cabinets to gigging volumes - with lower powered amps there would be marginal benefit from a 4 ohm model but the huge extra cost and extra design work required to make 4 ohm models is not money well spent (much like a fancier website would be!) 4 ohm vs 8 ohm is much more of a marketing issue than a performace issue.

Question: I'm in the USA - how can I order a cab?

Answer: Sorry, at the moment you can't. Demand from the European market is taking all production capacity and the cost of shipping to the USA is high!

Question: Could you add an on/off switch or a volume control to the midrange speaker on The Big One?

Answer: We could but there is little reason to. If you don't need the upper mids and treble then turn down your tone knob on your bass or your active EQ on bass or amp. If you don't need the midrange speaker then save yourself the extra cost and buy The Big Deep One!

Question: What drivers do you use?

Answer: Eminence Kappalite 3015 and 3015LF woofers. Beyma 605Nd midrange. Compare the performance of these raw speakers to anything used by the competition!

Question: I prefer rear-ported cabs, could you make a rear-ported version?

Answer: The port location should have no bearing on the sound of a correctly built cab. Your favourite current cab may be rear-ported but that isn't why you like the sound. Saying you prefer the sound of rear-ported cabs is like saying you prefer how white cars feel to drive! I use front slot ports because I like the extra bracing they add but on a smaller cab you might struggle to fit a big enough port on the front and the size of the port is critical!

Question: What is the current wait time?

Answer: Although there is a waiting list it is somewhat flexible depending on your needs - if you need a cab right now then those higher up in the list but not in a hurry may be happy for you to skip to the top.

Question: Could I come and try one of your cabs?

Answer: These cabs are designed for dealing with the high SPL of gigging - you can arrange to visit but you won't get an accurate picture of how they perform without trying them in a loud live music environment - hence the trial period.

Question: How well does the GB Shuttle 6.0 work with your cabs?

Answer: Having tried this I can say it sounds outstanding! Ample power, excellent tone and EQ and just as light as the cabs. A great pairing.

Question: Do you have any plans to design a new cab(s) when the Eminence 3012 & 3012LF come out?

Answer: If the 12" speakers turn out as good as their 15" cousins, then yes. Expect a 3012 cab to be like a smaller, lighter and less loud version of The Compact and a 3012LF cab to be like a smaller, lighter and less loud version of The Big One. I'd expect the prices of the 12" versions will be very similar to that of the 15" versions so you don't get as much output for your money but you do increase portability if you don't need as loud a cab. Potential ETA late '09.

Question: Since my amp only puts out ~350 watts at 8ohm, do you think this wouldbe enough to drive The Compact to gig volumes?

Answer: 350W is easily enough to drive the The Compact to gig volumes. Bear in mind that most 1x12" and 2x10" cabs can't handle more than 150W in the lows and that this cab is both more sensitive than any of those and can comfortably handle 350W with farting out. My drummer uses one of those Bonham style acrylic kits with 26" kick etc for louder gigs without good PA support and with 550W into it (and bear in mind that is less than a 3dB increase) I managed to almost totally drown him out at one point during a gig (got a bit carried away myself!)

Question: Also, I've recently started using effects quite a bit and it's been quite a while since I've used a cab without a tweeter. I'm guessing that overdrive/distortion/fuzz will sound killer through this cab, but do you think other effects (phaser, filter,etc) would benefit from having a tweeter? And can the 3015 handle sub effects like octave and synth?

Answer: In my experience (and I used to use a huge pedalboard with a dozen FX units) tweeters and effects are rarely a good mix. The Compact has plenty of clarity for letting effects come through loud and clear but smooths off the harsh edges of distortion and synth effects. Regarding the sub-octave and synth effects The Compact will do better with them than the vast majority of cabs due to the high Xmax - few amps have enough power to cause mechanical damage to the cone unless you concentrate it all into one big 30Hz spike. Certainly less likely to kill The Compact than any 1x12" or 2x10" or traditional 1x15". Likewise thermal damage is rarely an issue because few amps will sustain enough power to overheat the voice coil. But beware, these speakers may be tough but serious abuse can kill them!

Question: I've always liked 15s and I'm looking for something with not dissimilar voicing and response to my old Trace (sealed) pre-Kevlar 4x10 or my old Trace 1153 1x15 compact. How do your cabs compare?

Answer: I used an old TE 4x10" years ago and was impressed by the huge punch it had. Compared to The Compact I'd say The Compact is cleaner sounding, it doesn't grind so much when you push it hard, but the frequency response is quite similar, bit more extension at the bottom but similar character, a bit less high mids and a bit more treble.

Question: I compared the 1153 compared to the Aguilar GS112 (either singly or paired) I found the Aguilars, once the tweeters were turned off, to be more congested in the mids, less articulate and with less detail and top end, and nowhere near as punchy in a band situation. How do your cabs compare?

Answer: The GS112s are definitely short of midrange and are tuned for a hump in the lows, hence the fat sound from a small cab. Their shorter Xmax means that once you're at gigging SPL the distortion is higher which muddies up the sound. Originally I never intended to make The Compact but the woofer in The Big One sounded so good on its own, just needing more upper mids and highs that I bought the non-LF version if it and gave it a go. Amazing little beast - not naturally fat sounding, more of a tight bottom, tons of midrange punch across the whole mids not in one specific area and nice smooth top. And if you need more bottom just crank up the bottom on your amp, it can take a lot of power down there.

Question: Do you have any specs yet?

Answer: I haven't put specs on the site because the only manufacturer that puts true honest specs is Acme and everyone else just seems to make them up! Hence if you're going to compare my cabs with other cabs you need to have accurate specs for them, not the pie in the sky ones that claim sensitivity about 5dB higher than reality and low frequency extension about 20Hz lower.

Question: The only specs I'd be bothered with would be how well the Compact handles highs, just because I use effects - including an EBow - which need a bit more high end than my regular bass tone. The Markbass 102p's tweeter doesn't sound great - it can be rather harsh.

Answer: Here's a link to the 3015 spec sheet which shows the true measured response in an infinite baffle cab (in my ported cab there is more bottom) which should be near identical to the response of The Compact from 200Hz upwards: http://www.eminence.com/pdf/kappalite-3015.pdf It sounds great for slap, plenty bright enough, so it should quite happily do the job for you. Don't be afraid of boosting your HF EQ if need be - the natural roll-off will prevent you from hearing any hiss but you can get quite an in your face trebly tone if need be.

Question: I did see you mentioned a Bright Compact in your Basschat build diary, but then again, do I really need that kind of thing 'cos, I usually end up turning tweeters down anyway!)?

Answer: I have done the design work for a tweetered version but it seems that 99% of bassists just need a more fullrange woofer not a separate tweeter and it'll add about Ł75 to the cost and a few lbs to the weight - no cheap piezos going in my cabs! And it won't have an L-pad, so it'll be all or nothing.

Question: Is there a cover on the horizon too?

Answer: I've thought about doing covers myself but I don't really have the time - I did find a place in the UK that custom makes them so I'll provide them dimensions so those who want covers can order them. Personally I can't really be bothered with them as the cab coating is pretty tough and very easy to touch up should your cab start looking a bit battered. But everyone's different!

Question: The cover query was more because of it's usefulness when it's raining, rather than offering any protection from knocks (unless it's padded), although I'd make do with a bin liner at a scrape! (Those custom jobs tend to be pricey too for what they are, IMO).

Answer: The cab coating is weatherproof so if it's raining just tilt it so the speaker itself isn't exposed - it's not like carpet which will absorb the water and could then affect the plywood.

Question: The 14 day trial period is very generous - I'm sure you know this, but maybe you should mention on your website that a brand new speaker takes time to "run in" too. Guess the time varies from speaker to speaker but it makes a real tonal difference, something that's talked about in the hi-fi world (where I worked for a few years), but I don't think I've seen it mentioned amongst bass players...

Answer: Good point about running in - I do break the drivers in myself using a sine wave generator so they're ready to go as soon as you get them. What this does is loosen up the surrounds, often by cracking the coating on the fabric, so once you've pushed a high excursion signal through them for a few hours the specs then stabilise and they'll stay like that for ever (unless you really abuse them). The change in sound is more obvious with the extremely high excursion woofer in The Big One.

Question: One more thing that I've just thought of: is the Speakon connector a dual connector ie can it take a 1/4 inch jack too?

Answer: The Speakon isn't a combo socket - I couldn't source one in the UK that is airtight and that's so critical with a woofer with that much Vd. Plus Speakons are a much better bet in so many ways - more current handling, locking connection and no shorting on plugging/unplugging (which can wreck the power modules in some of the current micro-amps).

Question: Where's your brand badge, huh?!

Answer: I'm still getting the badge sorted - it'll be a nice rectangular aluminium anodised one with rounded edges - as I have to order 100 I need to get the design absolutely right! Once I have them I'll send you one - will be self-adhesive but may need riveting as well but I have a plan for that...

Question: Can I pay via Paypal?

Answer: Yes but you'll have to cover their extortionate fees! 3.4% plus Ł0.20 which works out at an additional Ł14.29 for The Compact