15's as stand alone cabs?

[whyachi]

I love the sound that comes out of 215 cabs, especially Fender's PRO 215. But I have no real reason for a 215 and would need a new car to haul one, so I've been looking into something a little smaller.

It seems 15's on combo amps are considered just fine, but a 115 cab and head generally gets stupid looks and people saying it sounds horrible. Again, in my case the only store near me is a GC and it has a few 115 combos and some 410's in a small back room like bass players have airborne herpes or something and must be shunned, so I can't test this.

I was looking into a GK 700RB-II + 115RBX cab for a while until I figure out how to build the cab design I posted. Has anyone tried something similar? I've honestly seen thousands of 115 combos, but never anyone using a 115 cab as anything but a woofer with a 210, 410 or 212 on top.


Would a 115 hold up by itself, or should I look into a 210 to go on top? I play from SoCal punk to country on a passive P bass.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

....but a 115 cab and head generally gets stupid looks and people saying it sounds horrible.

I'm in this boat.  I despise 15s.  But that is my preference.  The only problem I can see with a 115 stand alone cab and a head is that the combos generally have a horn/tweeter to cover for some of the highs.  They are in effect a 2-way cabinet.  15" stand alone cabs act as offer sub-woofer that compliment another cab, so when by themselves in a non-combo situation, they do sound horrible.  Believe it or not, a bass rig produces more than bass. 

But back to the preference thing, I'd much rather have an 18" to handle my lowend with a complimentary 410 or 210, or just use a 410 or 212 cab.

 

[whyachi]

So tweeters are the difference, okay. That makes sense. Thanks!

 

[tubby.twins]

... the combos generally have a horn/tweeter to cover for some of the highs.

Some, but there's still a big gap there.  Most 15" drivers don't do a particularly good job at midrange, which is arguably more important than the extreme treble (unless you do a lot of slap, etc.)  I tend to think most 15" two-way cabinets would do better with a midrange driver than with a tweeter.

But I guess it all depends on what you play, and what frequencies you want to be heard.  A well-designed 4x10" cabinet can give most 1x18" cabinets a run for their money, and still have enough midrange detail and clarity.

 

[MUYFUE]

A well-designed 4x10" cabinet can give most 1x18" cabinets a run for their money, and still have enough midrange detail and clarity.

Amen.
I used to play an Eden 4X10 and it sounded great on it's own. I did want to add a 'bigg bottom' cab, so I tried out the SWR 1X18, but I didn't like the way it 'felt' when I played. I stopped using it, went back to just the Eden and it sounded fine as it was so, I just went with it.

I ended up wanting more stage volume so I eventaully switched to a ported 2X15 for live gigs. Man that sounded mighty! The size of the thing got old real quick though and I got tired of lugging it around, so...

I went back to the 4X10, this time from Trace-Elliot. It's got a central horn and a passive crossover. I'm good with that one, It's a good pair for the Trace/Mesa half stack we usually use for the guitar now.

I am going to build a 15 for it, you know for live "ka-boom" but really the 4X10 sounds great by itself.

You know...you may want to check out the SWR that has the 15, 10, and a horn. It's called the Triad. It's a bit expensive, but it's pretty sweet!

 

[AndyG]

I've always been a 4x10 player as well.

What you need really depends on your situation.  If you're gonna be playing clubs where they have a PA that is not JUST for vocals, you can save your back and have a small cabinet on stage as your personal monitor.  If you play smaller venues where the PA is only for vocals, and you feel you need the extra thump, a 1x15 is a pretty good way to go.

However, when I was playing live often, I had a "1 size fits all" rig, Hartke amp and Hartke 4x10 (with the horn), and a Boss GT 6B.  I loved the tightness of the cabinet, and found it had enough "boom" to fill any venue we played.  It also made load-in and load-out a snap!

 

[tubby.twins]

You know...you may want to check out the SWR that has the 15, 10, and a horn. It's called the Triad. It's a bit expensive, but it's pretty sweet!

I'd love to try out the SWR Triad cabinet.  It has always sounded great whenever I've heard one played live.

I sold off my SWR rig a few years ago.  I had a Bigfoot (2x12") which sounded wonderful, and a few other cabs that had great midrange but didn't do well in the low bass.  Eventually I got tired of carrying around so much.  My current rig is more compact.

 

[whyachi]

How would a WorkingPro 400 with a Triad stack up to say a GK 700RB-II + a 210 / 115 stack? The GK would have a 80 extra watts and one extra 10" but if I could get close with one cab, that sounds good for me.

 

[MUYFUE]

IMO the Working Pro is really underpowered...or something.
If you used the GK head with one Triad, that would be plenty loud, full sounding, and ony a two piece rig.

I used to jam with this guy who had the Working Man full stack; the head, the Working Man 4X10 and the Working Man 15, and it just dissapeared behind the guitar. The guitar amp at the time was also pretty wimpy. It was the full stack of the Crate Flex-Wave! 2 billion watts of "HSSSH".

Anyway, the Gk head you mentioned is pretty good, but instead of taking two cabs around, just use the Triad.
The problem is that nobody ever has them in stock to try out...you know, to see if you like it.

 

[whyachi]

IMO the Working Pro is really underpowered...or something.
If you used the GK head with one Triad, that would be plenty loud, full sounding, and ony a two piece rig.

I used to jam with this guy who had the Working Man full stack; the head, the Working Man 4X10 and the Working Man 15, and it just dissapeared behind the guitar. The guitar amp at the time was also pretty wimpy. It was the full stack of the Crate Flex-Wave! 2 billion watts of "HSSSH".

Anyway, the Gk head you mentioned is pretty good, but instead of taking two cabs around, just use the Triad.
The problem is that nobody ever has them in stock to try out...you know, to see if you like it.

I'm used to that. If its not Markbass or Ampeg, I can't go anywhere I've found within 30 miles to test it. My local GC only has one GK cab, an 810 Goldline cab that's been there since time began because it has two blown speakers. Its pretty obvious, six are gold and two are black.

 

[tubby.twins]

I used to jam with this guy who had the Working Man full stack; the head, the Working Man 4X10 and the Working Man 15, and it just dissapeared behind the guitar. The guitar amp at the time was also pretty wimpy.

That sounds very familiar.  My first bass cabinet was the SWR Workingman's 4x10", and it had trouble in live gigs as well.  I quickly learned that the SWR "Professional" series cabinets had a better sound and could cut through better.  The Workingman's cabinets were VERY weak in the midrange, and didn't extend nearly as deep in the low end.  The Goliath 4x10" cabinets are supposed to be a lot stronger.

I can't comment on the SWR Workingman's (or Working Pro) amplifiers, since I've never really used them.

 

[SlingBass]

I may be old school...BUT the use of 2 single stand alone 15" cabs isn't at all unusual to see (check over on the TalkBass site).  I've had a number of custom and factory cabs with 1-15", and IF one uses the right speaker - will cover a broad spectrum of juicy bass tones efficiently and effectively.  LDS (Low Down Sound) is an ideal place to shop for ideas, and they will help you assemble the cab of your dreams at an affordable price point that you set.

I, myself, use 2 custom single 12" cabs (NO tweets or mid-speakers) that are rear ported.  I currently have Eminence Kappa Pro-12A's in them, as I go for that gut thump...and quite effectively I might add  

 

[MUYFUE]

Sounds like a cool setup!

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The same way when one learns a new word, they suddenly hear it everywhere, I've been seeing a lot of stand alone 15s and 215s lately.  Some w/out mid drivers and horns.

I know you're familiar with Dr. Bass, but have you seen their DRB 1580?  A 15" with horn and 8" mid driver that can both be turned down or even off.

http://www.drbasscabs.com/3-way___LF_cabinets.html

 

[whyachi]

That's pretty sexy, but I'm not into paying for cabs and not receiving them, as seems to be standard Dr. Bass policy.

 

[AprioriMark]

1x15 can be fine, depending on what you're looking for.  Just make sure it's a decent 15 and that you're pushing enough watts (300+).  There's no accounting for taste, but I've used 1x15 at enough gigs that I wouldn't hesitate to do it again.  That being said, it's been years, and I only recently bought a cheapie 1x15 GK for the house stack and dive bar-sized gigs with my 4x8.  I don't know if I'd choose to run 1x15 anymore on its own, but I just plugged it in and cranked it, and I don't hate the tone... and I'm effing picky.

-Mark

 

[whyachi]

I can't see if you posted any photos, but are you using the BLX 115? Or the RBX? Those were the two I was looking at.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

I've had the 115 BLX.  It doesn't get any cheaper than that, and it sounds like it too.  BTW, only 200 watts at 8 ohms.  It's screaming for an extension cab or speaker swap.

 

[whyachi]

I emailed LDS with my designs to see if they could make my cab from the GK Combo thread. Now I'm just waiting to see if he says yes and how many arms and legs he wants in return.

 

[SlingBass]

Emails with specs of size, materials, and speakers are OK, and a good start......but nothing beats personal conversation and discussion of options.  You'll benefit from their experience making the many different cabs LDS has built. Everybody has a budget of some sort.  A chat will allow you to covey these things and just the type sound you're going for.  Just sayin'......