How suitable that my first night gigging the J12 was on valentines day because.... man I love this cab.
My original bass rig was a Carvin r1000 pushing a 4 x 10 + 1 x 15. Main bass is a Ibanez SR505. Lots of stuff to haul and sounded loud, but undefined. Sold. Bought a Gallien Krueger RB700 and a 1 x 12 Hartkey Hydrive. Sounded better but obviously not as loud. Great low end in the 60 hz area but the for the life of me could not coax any lower mid range out of it. The upper register sounded great with the horn off. I like a little sizzle and the 1/2 paper + 1/2 aluminum driver had smooth and crisp top end. Problem, with no mids it was very difficult to "hear". Enter the J12. Keep in mind I have not broken in the driver properly yet. My first reaction was, Whoa, way too much midrange. (playing at home with no other accompaniment). I tried it in conjunction with the Hydrive but they did not compliment each other at all. So with maybe 30 minutes of goofing around trying to dial it in it was time to pack up and head to the gig. At first I thought it sounded a little better in the noisy venue but still too midrangy. Once the drums were mic'd and pumped through the PA, i thought hmmm, this isn't too shabby. Once the full compliment was up and running, it was like wow, thats it! It's punchy, full and almost bright enough for me (built with no piezo). Very "Flea" esque sound and the best part is, I can hear it now. I used to have issues with playing higher register, I would lose volume and not hear the high notes. Now everything is pretty smooth. I would prefer a bit more low end which may come once the driver is broken in. And a little more sizzle which may call for me putting in a piezo. But, for a single 12 it was very impressive. The build was slow but I am a hack at woodworking so that's on me. I feel an itch to build another one (or 2) coming on...... god help me. A 3 x 12 Jack stack would be incredible. I am not kidding when I say the 2 best cabinets I ever have owned have been my two BFM cabs built by me. I like that!
J12 3012HO first night out
- stinkfinger
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2011 6:35 pm
- Location: Brussels, Wisconsin
Re: J12 3012HO first night out
Sorry Sir, you have caught 'the' disease. Unfortunately there is no cure, but we can help manage your symptoms. You might as well just buy the CD and fat stack of ply nowstinkfinger wrote:I feel an itch to build another one (or 2) coming on...... god help me.
Re: J12 3012HO first night out
Great review! And the best comment is the last one!stinkfinger wrote: I am not kidding when I say the 2 best cabinets I ever have owned have been my two BFM cabs built by me. I like that!
+1escapemcp wrote: Sorry Sir, you have caught 'the' disease. Unfortunately there is no cure, but we can help manage your symptoms. You might as well just buy the CD and fat stack of ply now
TomS
- LelandCrooks
- Posts: 7244
- Joined: Thu May 04, 2006 9:36 am
- Location: Midwest/Kansas/Speaker Nirvana
- Contact:
Re: J12 3012HO first night out
Pl in the veins hurts good.
If it's too loud, you're even older than me! Like me.
http://www.speakerhardware.com
http://www.speakerhardware.com
- stinkfinger
- Posts: 33
- Joined: Wed Nov 09, 2011 6:35 pm
- Location: Brussels, Wisconsin
Re: J12 3012HO first night out
Speaking of pl in the veins... Because I'm a slob when I build, I wound up with lots of that crap all over my hands. One thing I learned was if you have blistered or just sore fingers, rub some pl glue on them and let it dry. Forms a rock hard surface that can lower the pain level.
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- Posts: 148
- Joined: Tue Jan 20, 2015 4:37 pm
Re: J12 3012HO first night out
In which case you should change your username to PLfinger
I'm glad you like your new bass cabinet.
What do I have for bass? 2 Omnitop 12 vertical stack with 2 Kappalite 3012lf bass reflex corner loaded!
I'm more of a full range man myself for solo playing though either Omni 15 or Fearful 15,6,1 would be good for me. I've often had trouble not hearing enough bass guitar on stage though so it seems like the mids are useful and you could EQ them out for solo use I suppose.
I'm glad you like your new bass cabinet.
What do I have for bass? 2 Omnitop 12 vertical stack with 2 Kappalite 3012lf bass reflex corner loaded!
I'm more of a full range man myself for solo playing though either Omni 15 or Fearful 15,6,1 would be good for me. I've often had trouble not hearing enough bass guitar on stage though so it seems like the mids are useful and you could EQ them out for solo use I suppose.
- jswingchun
- Posts: 1073
- Joined: Fri Dec 01, 2006 9:43 am
- Location: Cedar Rapids, Iowa
- Contact:
Re: J12 3012HO first night out
stinkfinger wrote:I would prefer a bit more low end which may come once the driver is broken in.
Adding more cabs will probably get you the "bit more low end" you are looking for. I know getting my bass rig up to 3 drivers is what got me what I wanted. I am using four Jack 10's, though three is really all I ever need. I would bet two J12's would get you where you want to go.stinkfinger wrote:I feel an itch to build another one (or 2) coming on...... god help me. A 3 x 12 Jack stack would be incredible.
Omni 10
Omni 10.5
OmniTop 12 x 4
Wedgehorn 8 x 3
XF212
T39 @ 18" x 2
T39 @ 20" x 2
T39 @ 28" x 2
Jack 110 x 5
Jack Lite 12
XF210
XF210 (Slant only, no crossfire)
Omni 10.5
OmniTop 12 x 4
Wedgehorn 8 x 3
XF212
T39 @ 18" x 2
T39 @ 20" x 2
T39 @ 28" x 2
Jack 110 x 5
Jack Lite 12
XF210
XF210 (Slant only, no crossfire)