5.2 Vintage Feedback
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04/05/10 - Vintage
Gigged with the cab last Wednesday and I have to say, after the tweaks you suggested, it cut through like a knife. The cab is amazing mate and it’s definitely a keeper.
Many thanks
Pete
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15/03/10 - Vintage
The cab is awesome! Sounds deeper and brighter than the NV610, and maybe has a little more volume in it. I'm playing with an Orange Terror (my amp is being repaired) and I can't push the level over 2! So I'm glad I sold the Berg, I like this even more. Thanks again, it's worth the wait, hehe!
Regards,
Marcos
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07/12/09 (Vintage T)
In a word, GREAT!
After my initial trouble with the cable, and taking a spare cab just in case, which I didn't need, all was well.
Fantastic warmth of sound, loads of volume, and, oh joy, clarity!
I want to get a few more gigs done so I can try to get a bit more accustomed to it before putting a review on Basschat and inviting anyone in my area to come and try it.
We've an outdoor show tomorrow, if it ever stops bloody raining, which I'm looking forward to as I was having trouble with my Ashdowns in the summer, and was the main reason for wanting to change.
Our drummer wants to know how well it would work on its side as it's the right height to sit on and he liked the feel of it through the stage. Strange people, drummers!
I'll keep you updated with more feedback over the next few weeks.
Many Thanks,
Neil
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Right. You know the black monolith from 2001: A Space Odyssey? That's the Vintage. And yes, my god, it's full of stars. I checked.
It arrived without me realising what it was, because the FedEx guy literally sauntered into my shop with it. I thought it was probably just another box full of bibs or highchairs. Then I saw the senders address, and I was amazed by just how light it was.
The lass who works for us helped me open the box just before her shift finished. Now, she used to work in a recording studio as a full-time session singer, so she's no fool when it comes to music gear. Her first three comments when we got it open were:
1. Wow, that's the biggest one I've ever seen.
2. It's beautiful!
3. How much did that set you back? A couple of grand by the look of it.
The first two are standard comments in a day in the life of BottomEndian, but they made me grin extra-wide today. And the third... well, it says it all. It really is beautiful to behold. The pictures we've seen so far really don't do it justice. The finish is black. None more black. And the cloth's just... cool. No other word will do. It's cool. Really reminds me of my parents' old hi-fi speakers.
I can't stress how light this thing is, at least in comparison to its size. I'm used to things like my Peavey 410 TVX, which is 102.5 lb, and I can't lift it on my own. The Vintage is actually an easy lift. I suspect it might even be lighter than my Peavey head. Seriously. The side handles seem to be perfectly positioned and balanced for lifting, and the tilt-back handle-and-wheels combination seems to work nicely. Note that although the box itself is 38" tall, it actually stands just over an inch taller than that, because of the feet. It's really quite imposing, in a good way.
Hopefully I'll get a chance to at least test it this evening, but I won't be able to really crank it until tomorrow night, when I'm meeting my guitarist for a jam. It'll be going up against a brutal onslaught of Les Paul > Big Muff > 150W Carlsbro bass head > one or two 4x12s. My Peavey rig (700W into a 410 and 115) has always struggled a touch to keep up with the guitar. Let battle commence...
(cont...)
OK, I'm going to waffle on for a bit now, but here's the TLDR version: I've never sounded this good before. Or, in the words of guitarist Tim, the Vintage is "f***ing immense".
Now, the phrase "I've never sounded this good before" comes with a small caveat: I've not used that much decent gear before, but I've played through plenty of Peavey, bits of Hartke, a smattering of Marshall, some Ampeg and a dabble with Trace Elliot and Fender. So although I don't necessarily know my onions, I'm at least acquainted with a few shallots.
Here's last night's setup:
MusicMan SUB or Ibanez BTB775PB > Boss NS-2 Noise Suppressor > a handful of dirt pedals in switchable loops (more later) > Hartke VXL Bass Attack preamp pedal > Tapco Juice J800 power amp (bridged @ 800W into 4 ohms) > Barefaced Vintage
Everything was set with flat EQ (basses and preamp) for the majority of the evening, so we could hear exactly what was going on.
In all honesty, I can't really add anything that hasn't already been said about the Compact (although I'm sure Merton will fill us in on the differences). All the standard Barefaced adjectives apply: deep, full, but very clear, articulate and above all... PRESENT. The Vintage has a sort of almost "vocal" quality, like there's a little peak around 1kHz like an SM58. I'm sure this would help you "cut through" the mix if that's what you were after. To me, it allows me to reach the holy grail of being able to blend properly with the guitars. The noise we make is kind of a massive, down-tuned, chunky, riffy, stonery, doomy wall of fuzz. Tim's guitars occupy much of the lows and low-mids, along with a smattering of high-end fizz. Previously, my Peavey rig (410 TVX, 115 BVX) has never been able to muster the high-mids I've been looking for in order to sit properly in the mix. I've just ended up with a rumble of ultra-lows and loads of high pick clank, which fits around the guitar, but leaves an aching void in the middle.
Well, the Vintage changes all that. Just naturally, with everything flat, it's got the mid to high-mid voice I need. Perfect. Playing with Tim's guitar, it fitted in beautifully. And the lows... oh lord, the lows. Smooth, fat, rounded whump. Even from the SUB, which has that typically Stingray mid-heavy "crack". In fact, speaking of the lows, when I got the BTB on the case, there was too much bottom. I've never had that before. Never in my life. I think we both wept uncontrollably before haemorrhaging internally. Thankfully, it was tameable using the BTB's onboard preamp -- I think I had to knock about 10 or 12 dB off the bass control! I should mention here that the BTB has the highest output I've ever come across, the electronics are naturally a bit dark, and it's strung with flats, so it doesn't entirely surprise me that there was too much bass. Still, when I was playing the low B, I took off my shoe and stuck my sweaty, stinky foot in front of the ports. Instant cooling airflow! tongue.gif So yeah, too much bottom for rock, but easily EQable, and it sounded smooth and sweet playing a few (terrible) jazzy walking lines.
I'll point out here that I've had a PM from Alex stating that (and I quote): "don't forget that it'll get a bit fatter and deeper sounding as the cone suspensions loosen up". ohmy.gif blink.gif I can't believe that's physically possible. I'm sure I'll report back when it happens, unless the building I'm playing in collapses due to bass-induced structural failure.
Talking of how much air was moving, yes that was impressive, but what was even more impressive was how the speakers didn't even seem to be breaking a sweat at 800W. I don't doubt that the Vintage could cope with 1000... 1500... maybe 2kW without distortion from the cones. And yes, while we're on volume, this thing is LOUD.
Dirt
I've had trouble in the past with the top end on some of my dirt pedals. They can get too fizzy, and even the bass-specific ones have seemed to lose a bit of low-end punch through the old Peaveys. Enter the Vintage. The Bass Big Muff was absolutely pant-flapping, especially in "Bass Boost" mode. Smooth, creamy lows and mids, with enough top to add definition but not so much that your ears die. Beautiful. The Wren & Cuff Pickle Pie B has been a bit of a mixed bag in the past: loads of low-end fuzz, but a real harsh brashness through the mids and highs. Now sorted. The Vintage eased it all off, especially when combined with a bit of the tube-simulation grind from the Hartke preamp pedal. Smooth but biting. Lovely. And the Hjärt-Müller gave a sweet, thick, grindy, old-school drive.
For dirt-lovers, I'd give the Vintage a big thumbs-up. I think I actually did last night.
Guitar
This might be sacrilege to some, but in the interests of completeness, we decided to run Tim's guitar setup into the Vintage. Now, Tim's a registered lurker on here (he tends to use a fair bit of bass-end gear in his rig), so he may pass better comment than I can. I would say his sound is somewhere between Smashing Pumpkins and Sunn O))), so plenty of scooped fuzz. He usually runs Les Paul > Big Muff > old Carlsbro bass head > Eminence Tonker-equipped 4x12. Last night we tried running from the Muff into the Hartke bass preamp pedal + Tapco power amp out to the Vintage, and we also tried just swapping the 4x12 for the Vintage (running from the Carlsbro). Either way, it had awesome punch and bottom end. Obviously, it's not voiced for guitar, so we had to pull out a lot of mids, but once we had, it was incredible. Tim is a very, very jealous fella.
In summary, there were two very smiley faces in a Newcastle rehearsal room last night. A lot of awed silences. A lot of grins. A lot of thumbs up. To quote Tim again, the Barefaced Vintage is "the balls".
The only downside I've found is that (being a short guy) the side handles are at the exact distance from the top that causes me to whack my larynx on the top edge when I pick it up. But hey, I can pick it up. I've never had that from a bass cab before.
I would heartily recommend the Vintage to anyone with a need for severe volume, unbelievable bottom end or a huge collection of dirt pedals. I'd love to hear it with a valve head. Probably not one for the slappers or the Michael Manrings of this world -- not enough top-end sparkle. But I didn't start playing bass to sparkle. I started playing bass to make people's clothes fall off, to make people's skin stretch back past their faces like they're in a centrifuge. The Vintage is the answer. cool.gif
EDIT: Note that this is all first impressions. I reserve the right to get even more enthusiastic when I actually gig this baby.
Owain
Riffland
View Member Profile
post Jul 4 2009, 02:06 PM
Hi all, this my first ever post on this forum.
I will also add that I am the 'Tim' of which BottomEndian speaks, and thus I have heard the mighty Vintage.
I've been waiting to hear, see, and perhaps touch this cab for some time now (smelling and tasting might come further down the road). It was worth the wait! Firstly, it looks fantastic. As stated, the pics thus far don't do it justice. It looks almost innocent in its 'vintage' guise, yet the black rippled finish is rather menacing on closer inspection. The weight, or lack of, made my spinal column weep as I looked at my cabs. But what joy as the guy from the "far North East" started cranking some noise through the 2x15.
So much volume, so much presence, and compared to the Peavey cabs of yesterday, so much SOUND. "You can actually hear it" we remarked. The drive/fuzz pedals worked great with it, a lot of definition throughout the frequency range. We jammed some riffs together and it felt great to really hear (and feel smile.gif) the bass alongside my guitar. There was so much information coming through from the highs and mids whilst there was a lovely low end, and not just rumble, but defined notes. I'm amused by the news that it'll get fatter and deeper once the speakers are run in. blink.gif
And, yes, we did try the detuned Les Paul>Big Muff>Carlsbro Stingray head>Vintage setup. WOW. I WANT ONE!!!!!!!. It sounded huge. I play with a fair (or unfair mellow.gif) amount of bottom end and have used solid state bass amps for several years now, I think a 2x15 Vintage cab could finish things off nicely.
I am very jealous, like a child. I really want one of these for geeter. Plus it'd look pretty nifty on stage.
It's going to be really interesting to hear how this comes along, both in terms of the speakers running in, and in terms of tweaking and tuning the setup - basses, pedals, preamp. Once the rig is tuned with the new 'Monument to Bowel Destruction', there's going to be some serious sound being pushed.
"The horror. The horror."
I just need you guys to bully him into buying me one.
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Gigged it twice this weekend people, and it has very quickly become my favourite bass sound ever. I finally hear only the bass and amp, no speaker distortion. The cab will do deep or bright, middy or smiley, and it will do all without breaking a sweat. And my god is it loud. And light. Lovely! Gigged the Vintage twice this weekend, yesterday was a sh*tty pub gig with lots of emo haircuts using my rig. One guy, with a really cool mullet, thought the best thing to do was use his Hartke HA3500 head, boost all the lows and turn the wick up to 10. Honestly, the bass sounded like it was going through my function band's 6kW PA subs but was only going through the Vintage. Awesome power! Seems to have survived the haircuts too
Martin
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21/10/09 (Vintage)
That is really something else! Can you believe that I had my V4B on
about half the volume that I would normally use with that band in that
venue....I can only imagine one of these with an SVT or VR on top!!
Used it on 4 ohms - very strong lower mids, really sat well with the
kick drum. Lots of clarity, no mud, no boominess - a bit hard to
describe really, yes my amp was sounding like usual, but very clear
without being squeaky clean? Just my usual Ampeg/Precision with heavy
flats sound but a lot more clear and present - very vintage! The whole
band commented on the sound (and the volume initially!)
Im really pleased, Im getting the sound I like from the amp, my
Precision sounds just as intended, no boom, nice tight bottom end. I
hear so much 'same old' dull, muddy bass in other blues bands and im
pleased to say that i reckon Im getting a pretty unique sound.
Another gig on Saturday....
Nice one mate!
Mark
16/10/09
Collected! Been playing for an hour or so with V4BH (at home, quietly)
- real sweet mate! Tried 4 and 8 ohm, bit too quiet to tell a real, but
8 sounded smoother with less top end - do you think 8 will have less
output than 4 ohms?
Im out with a band on Monday, so will be able to tell more then. It
really looks great with the Ampeg on top!
I mainly used an SVT 410HE or an SVT 15E - rarely both together.
Nice one, will put something on BC when Ive tried it properly.
Mark
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04/09/09 (Vintage)
[Barefaced: How did it perform?]
I dont know yet!!!!!!
The rehearsal was cancelled last minute, im not a happy man as we have a gig saturday,
so hope all will be fine,
tried it out at home cant tell at low volume.
but did weigh it 21kg 46lbs!!!!!
if my scales are right.
thanks again will let you know after gig how all went..
cheers trev.
Update, 26/11/09:
very happy with cab i don't use the 8x10 anymore.
cheers Trev