How does an Ampeg fare with drop A bass compared to our cabs?

Alex and Geoff return with more bass content, comparing the ol' reliable Ampeg 810 to our Big Twin 3 and Six10.
This time, however, the real test is in the looooow frequencies. Alex's custom Rim 5-string makes an appearance, as well as a £50 car boot sale Tanglewood precision copy for good measure.
Both basses have been set-up by our very own ‪@bonguitarworks‬ (@bonguitarworks on IG / bonguitarworks.com) and are playing like a dream.
Check out the first 810 vs. Six10 vs. BT3 below:
• How to make an Ampeg 8...
And for those that want to learn more about the new Three10:
barefacedaudio.com/collection...
Rim basses:
/ rimcustombasses

[@jxorz6013]

I can't recall any other company that will demo their cabs next to another manufacturer, let alone the industry standard. Really love that approach - takes guts. My ears say Barefaced wins, regardless of convenience and design bonuses.

[@laurieharper1526]

Interesting. The 810 has that typical low mid/upper bass emphasis. The 610 has some, but more clarity and depth. The BT is much more hi-fi and goes a lot deeper, which can fool the ear into thinking it has less poke because it doesn't have the emphasis. For the style of playing that the 810 is favoured for, I reckon the 610 is better. A lot less trouble to own and shift, too. The BT is more honest, though. You pays yer money and takes yer choice.

[@edhornby4885]

The 6-10 and 8-10 were closer when driven and with low A but the big twin is a different vibe to both 10s, interesting

[@theghosty99]

Those sound incredible.

[@jesuguru2394]

I'd love a "vintage cab" BT3, as long as the tonal profile wasn't affected!

[@peterbryan9652]

Great cabs. I’m biased towards the BB3. Only because I own one.

[@carloscorreal4684]

I own a Barefaced Big Twin 2 since 2018 or so. In the meantime I must have played around 100 gigs. Some of them gigs I get to play with my BT2, some other gigs I just play with whatever is available on the stage (4x10, 6x10, 2x10+4x10, 4x10+1x15...; GK, Warwick, Hartke, Orange, Ampeg...). I can safely say that none of those come closer to the clarity and volume of the BT2... But...I also own a full Marshall stack (two stacked 4×12s)... hahaha... I did A/B the BT2 and the full Marshall stack. The Full Stack blows the Big Twin 2 out of the water in terms of punch and volume... :D However, the BT2 still beats the full stack in terms of clarity and tone. I guess I'll need to buy an extra BT2 in order to beat the Full Marshall Stack... lol... I would be curious to know how does a Barefaced 8x10 compare to the Full Marshall Stack... I guess I'll have to buy a Barefaced 8x10 to find out... Which I'd do if my BT2 was to come short of power on any future gig... which has never happened so far and I think it will never happen!

[@BarefacedAudio]

Is the Marshall full stack two guitar 4x12” cabs like Jack Bruce used to use?

[@carloscorreal4684]

@@BarefacedAudio the ones I have are Marshall 1960 Vintage 412 Cabinets with Celestion G12 vintage speakers. They sound awesome with my 1980 Super Bass MKii for both guitar and bass.

[@BarefacedAudio]

@@carloscorreal4684 The thing about guitar cabs like that is that they're insanely efficient - you've got eight 12" speakers in the stack, each rated at 100dB sensitivity. So once those speakers couple you've got about 109dB sensitivity vs the BT2's 100dB, which means you'll need 1000W into the BT2 to match 100W into the dual 412 stack. The stack won't do much in the way of true lows (Fb too high and Vd rather low) and there's way more colouration. Cool sound but very different animals!

[@carloscorreal4684]

@@BarefacedAudio Dear Alex, this is what I experienced from my A/B testing. I put Bergantino HP 1200W into the Big Twin 2, max volume, and it is really really loud and clear and punchy and perfect. Then I put Marshall Super Bass 100W into the Full stack, volume only around noon, and it already beats the Big Twin in terms of volume (although very distorted, it might be either amp or speakers overdrive, no idea)... Pity I don't have a SPL Meter... It could be an interesting video for my channel to compare the BT2 with the Full Stack. What do you think?

[@BarefacedAudio]

@@carloscorreal4684 having the volume “only at noon” could actually be full power, depends on the input level and the gain staging. We did some recent videos (some lost because of total mic overload!) with a JCM800 and for that we had a dB meter out front and an RMS voltmeter on the amp’s speaker outs so we could accurately see the power and loudness.

[@aaronl7669]

i'd like to hear a comparison of the big twin through a modeler vs the six10. i love that tone from the six10. it has the growl, clarity and depth.

[@aaronl7669]

it would also be great to hear them mixed in with a band so you can hear how they sound in the mix, which is pretty key! thanks so much for all of the effort you put in with these great videos!

[@Terrible_Peril]

Cut my teeth with a 410. Now I'm used to a PA speaker experience, so my brain says to favor the BT3, but my heart pushes me towards the six10.

[@matevzsega]

Hard to hear those low A. Had to boost my headphones to max to hear anything. But to me it felt like big twin added another sub octave.

[@ruslanshalintsev4793]

You need to do something with this cardboard and find another way to do it without bending over)))) Great experiment! BIG TWIN is my favourite!

[@BarefacedAudio]

I am confused! What cardboard?

[@laurieharper1526]

@@BarefacedAudioThe cardboard that has the name of the cab on it I think. It can be hard to read when it's being turned and the light catches it. Worth adding a caption to the vid'?

[@ruslanshalintsev4793]

@@BarefacedAudio the thing with the names of the cabinets that you rotate.)

[@josearjona3728]

I agree. I little editing in the video to show the words on screen and the videos would be a lot better

[@BarefacedAudio]

@@laurieharper1526 it’s plywood! But yes, I see your point. The constant challenge is that time spent editing videos is time not spent making actual products.

[@virgilrytaar9083]

What have I learned from this? 1. There's just something magical about the whole SVT rig. 2. The Dubster or the Big One blows all of these away 3. Alex ain't a great bass player 4. You can't disagree with him, he'll go in the huff or have a massive rant. I go way back with Barefaced before the hate starts, at this point I've bought 9 cabs direct from BF and more cabs than I can remember 2nd hand. At this point in time I am gigging a Dubster & a Big One, both of which have 15 inch speakers, you know, the ones that Alex says don't have a 'sound'. This is where our worlds collide; 15's in my 45 years experience of gigging do have a sound. Why did he ever use 15's if they don't work for bass? Having said the above, the 15 inch BF cabs are INSANE. I gigged my Dubster last night to a 2000 seater and I didn't need P.A.

[@BarefacedAudio]

@@virgilrytaar9083 15” speakers don’t have “a sound”. Like all different speakers, they all have different sounds - the 3015LF 15” in a Dubster sounds nothing like a Celestion 15” Fullback and a lot more like a 3012LF 12” speaker. I’m glad you like the Barefaced cabs you own and I’m happy to disagree with your assessment of my bass playing. 😉🤘

[@virgilrytaar9083]

@@BarefacedAudio we'll disagree forever. Vive la difference

[@haatock]

BT3 is smoother less low mids in front more equilibrate to my ears

[@KeithCopeland778]

The Big Twin is on a different planet as far as deep bass and clarity and the 610 is deeper and punchier than the 810!!!

[@solemashi]

If no SPL meter - throw some stems of each amp and the source DI visa vi a reamp situation so its the same performance just different amps ~

[@BarefacedAudio]

We can do all these things - they just take time. We have a professional grade SPL meter and more advanced measurement software with calibrated mics, and obviously re-amping is no problem at all.

[@solemashi]

yup. ive got total confidence. cant wait to get one ~

[@ztopalusic]

Big twin wins ...

[@ace1usmc]

Great comparison video - but can't you guys find a real bass player and not a failed guitarist to play a real bass??

[@BarefacedAudio]

Sorry, I’m confused! I’ve always been a bassist although in the last year or so I’ve been dabbling with guitar more. Geoff plays guitar and bass, most recently he’s been gigging more on bass. And out of the rest of our current team, one plays mostly bass, one plays mostly guitar, one plays bass and drums, and three play guitar and bass (and all of them gig on those instruments), and then we have people who do mostly drums or production. We just like doing music and don’t see the need to put up barriers! (The song I’m currently writing I started on ukulele and now I’m back home I’ve transferred it onto bass - an octave lower obviously! Still works!)

[@ace1usmc]

@@BarefacedAudio The meaning of my post is that a real bass player doesn't think like a guitarist, as seems to be the case here. There are a lotta nuances like ghost notes, and string noise that are a key component of a real bassist grooving with a drummer. Those nuances take a really tight, expressive cabinet to capture and reproduce accurately with the right amount of both punch and warmth. That's where the SVT810 excels - the accuracy of what you are putting into the strings of a good bass. Those little things will be important for real bassists to hear whether or not your cabinet accurately reproduces all those subtle nuances of a real bass player. I know that's what I'm looking for and how I landed on your videos. I'm pretty tired of lugging around my SVT810's after 35 years of playing. I'm desperately trying to find another cabinet that can capture the power, punch, projection, clarity and accuracy of my 810's - without the mass. I have five SVT 810's, but also own 3 Hartke XL series cabinets, SWR, Mesa-boogie, Peavey, Yamaha, PJB cabinets - all in a quest to get the venerable 810 sound - in a smaller, back-friendly cabinet. None of them compares, which is what brought me to your videos. I was endorsed by Ampeg at one point in my career, along with Yamaha, and GHS. So, I do think I know a little about what I'm talking about when I say how incredibly important it is that you utilize a REAL bass player to showcase your cabinets, and not let just any Joe Schmo to pick up a bass (and a PICK!!!!) and plug into your cabinets. I assume you're a small start-up. I get it, I gave a lot of good help/advice to Dave Aguilar when they first got started in the same building I worked in at 599 Broadway in NYC.

[@BarefacedAudio]

@@ace1usmc as a bassist (and the person who started Barefaced, and remains the boss and chief engineer at Barefaced) I have always been obsessed with the nuances and details of bass playing and know that I’m a damn good groove player. And my frustration with many bass cabs (including the various iterations of Ampeg 810) is that they don’t let those details through - every single cab we make at Barefaced is better than a fridge in that respect. The fridge was a very important cab in bass history and there are a number of reasons why it became the standard but we have a number of better solutions, especially when it comes to accuracy and hearing EVERYTHING you play.

[@BarefacedAudio]

I will also add that there is no “right” amount of punch and warmth - it’s entirely a matter of context and taste. Personally I’ve found every sealed 810 I’ve tried to be annoyingly muddy, with a excess of upper bass boom and a lack of depth in the lower bass, allied to poor dispersion and insufficient treble clarity. However if they’re what you’ve used for years then I understand how may have developed a sound around them, in which case our 10CR cabs get much of that vibe with less of the deficiencies (but I’d rather use our 12XN models).

[@MikeKobb]

@@ace1usmc Ya could have said that in a less rude fashion to be sure.