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New Bugera Bass Cabs


Kelvinator

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I'm getting tired of lugging around 100 pound Ampeg cabs, so I'm considering going light-weight. A friend of mine told me about the new Bugera cabs; they are pretty inexpensive, and probably made in China. They're loaded with "Turbosound" speakers, which seem to have a good rep, but the product description is lacking a few important details - like what they're made of (plywood ? OSB? MDF?), and the actual dimensions & weight. I'd get the 2x10 first and use it with the Ampeg 15, then (if they're good quality) I'd get the 15. I've only seen one review, and it was good, but has anyone here seen or tried these??

http://www.sweetwate.../detail/BT210TS http://www.sweetwate.../detail/BT115TS

 

The BN115 (more expensive) shows "birch" in the spec; the BT series doesn't mention material. http://www.sweetwate.../detail/BN115TS

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Behringer is known for giving a LOT of bang for the buck, but what they offer has to come with a price and that's typically durability.

 

I agree, the details you mention them omitting are pretty important. They do offer a 3 year warranty though. Still....

 

For bass, inexpensive (relatively speaking) smaller and lighter cabinets typically have real compromises. Reproducing good low end with a 210 cabinet is not easy, especially using neodymiums and I have found you do get what you pay for. I'm not trying to talk you out of this, but 1000 watts of low quality sound has no realized benefit. I do understand the economics of it though. And I know you'd ultimately use it with a 15.

 

I needed something smaller and more manageable as well that could handle a smaller venue easily as a stand alone. I wound up with a Baer ML-112. Never tried one, only read reviews at TB (262 pages of rapturous players and counting) and figured not all of them were crazy. Shot in the dark and I couldn't be happier. It was not inexpensive. BUT - Though it only handles 300 watts it fills a room with a low E that shakes the place, and it weighs 38 lbs. Clear & focused sound that carries (very well engineered) and built like a s**thouse. Bass on my back, amp in one hand, cabinet in the other and it covers 80% on my gigs. Anything big or outdoors gets the 212 (76 lbs). My 2 cents.

 

Having said that, I say get it and try it. You never know. You can always send it back if it doesn't work for you.

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Behringer is known for giving a LOT of bang for the buck, but what they offer has to come with a price and that's typically durability.

 

I agree, the details you mention them omitting are pretty important. They do offer a 3 year warranty though. Still....

 

For bass, inexpensive (relatively speaking) smaller and lighter cabinets typically have real compromises. Reproducing good low end with a 210 cabinet is not easy, especially using neodymiums and I have found you do get what you pay for. I'm not trying to talk you out of this, but 1000 watts of low quality sound has no realized benefit. I do understand the economics of it though. And I know you'd ultimately use it with a 15.

 

I needed something smaller and more manageable as well that could handle a smaller venue easily as a stand alone. I wound up with a Baer ML-112. Never tried one, only read reviews at TB (262 pages of rapturous players and counting) and figured not all of them were crazy. Shot in the dark and I couldn't be happier. It was not inexpensive. BUT - Though it only handles 300 watts it fills a room with a low E that shakes the place, and it weighs 38 lbs. Clear & focused sound that carries (very well engineered) and built like a s**thouse. Bass on my back, amp in one hand, cabinet in the other and it covers 80% on my gigs. Anything big or outdoors gets the 212 (76 lbs). My 2 cents.

 

Having said that, I say get it and try it. You never know. You can always send it back if it doesn't work for you.

 

The weight factor of a cab does seem to be becoming more of a factor now, then it was in the past. I guess because most cabs years ago that sounded good, were heavy.

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When the low weight trend started with the neodymium speakers it was a tricky thing. Those speakers with the light weight super powerful magnets were not interchangeable with the same cabinet designs already in place. You could not simply substitute some neo's and get the same results sonically. It took some time to realize this substitution required a different design (engineering)approach to achieve the same kind of results that coincided with the weight reduction.

 

There's some good info here, though this thread is from 2005. Just to give an idea of what was going on at the time - now take it 10 years forward to see what's available now.

http://www.talkbass.com/threads/neodymium-%C2%93light-weight%C2%94-speaker-cabinet-review.167954/

 

The science of lightweight bass speaker design has come a long way. The R&D for engineering and design is a significant cost in producing high quality cabinets with proprietary speaker designs. However, the results are pretty impressive.

 

For me, getting another Baer ML-112 would give me all I need for any situation, with 600 watts of supreme bass reproduction. I am so happy with the one I have that I'm sure doubling it would be awesome. That's 2 X 38 lbs per cabinet. I can manage that even when my knee acts up....

 

Are there a lot of lightweight neo bass cabinet choices? Yes.

Do they all sound good? No.

 

From what I've been able to ascertain, there are no bargains for quality. You'll need to try out and listen to the options and see what may be adequate for you.

 

I will add that certain high end makers i.e. Bergantino, do not use neo's and continue to use ceramic magnet speakers to maintain the sonic footprint they feel neo's cannot give them. Weight for them is not the deciding factor. (I will repeat that their 112 cabinet sounded amazing).

 

This is why I get leery of offerings that seem to be excellent values in this regard. If you're just looking for something to be light and loud, that's easy to find. These Bugera's may do exactly what you want. Like anything else, your expectations will drive your choices.

 

Again, I am only trying to point out there's a broad market out there for this kind of thing, and a lot of it is exactly that - something that's just getting marketed and not necessarily utile. The last thing you want when you're regularly playing out is something designed for your living room.

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Thanks for your input; lots of issues to consider. I did order one from Sweetwater today, and it should be here Thursday. That will give me a day to try it by itself and with the Ampeg Pro 15 before this weekend's jobs. I am not expecting miracles from a $250.00 cab, and I can return it within 30 days if I'm not impressed. But for the money, I might just keep it for rehearsals. I'm not lacking good sounding cabs - just light ones, so I'll give it a shot. I'll let you know what I think of it. I can tell if I like a bass, amp, or cab after about 10 minutes of noodling. We will see.

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Got the Bugera cab Thursday, and so far it has exceeded my expectations. The cab is particle board, and I think the speaker board is MDF with threaded inserts for the mounting screws. It seems to be well braced, the interior is painted, the horn pad and inputs seem to be of good quality, the handle is well-placed, and the grille is heavy-duty. This one is covered in carpet (not vinyl as shown or described @ Sweetwater), but I'm fine with that. The dimensions are 22.5"W X 12.5"H X 16.5"D. I haven't weighed it yet, but it's not as light as I thought it would be. The speakers are not Neo. Overall, I'm pleasantly surprised and happy with the build quality - especially at this price point.

 

I tried it out last night using the SD800 Markbass, and pushed it much louder than I'd ever need for stage volume. It didn't "fwap" out at high volume and pumps out low notes with ease. It handles more power and sounds as good or better than my Ampeg 400w 2X10 for less than half the price! The little Bugera would probably do fine all by itself, but I'll be using it this weekend with the Ampeg PR-15; both cabs together sound incredible.

 

IMG_0311.jpg

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I used the Bugera - Ampeg - Markbass rig last night, and it was just OK. We played on a stage that wasn't very deep, so I was only a a foot or two away from the amp. With the 15 blowing past my knees and the 2x10 hitting my back, it was way too close to really hear dry.gif. I did get good reviews on the sound from the peanut gallery, but there were no musician friends there to give me an honest critique. Next week we'll be playing on a deeper stage, so I'll have a better Idea of what the cab can (or can't) do. Our guitarist liked the sound of it, and only had one suggestion: put a piece of black tape over the "a" on the emblem -

 

Bugera! msp_lol.gif

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What happened with the Bugera?

 

I used the Bugera with the Ampeg 15 and the Markbass head Saturday night. It was nice being on a stage that was deep enough to actually hear the amp well, and it sounded very very good. I'm definitely keeping the little Bugera! Plenty of clean low-end, clear punchy mids, and smooth highs - nothing to complain about here! I'm impressed...msp_thumbup.gif

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I used the Bugera with the Ampeg 15 and the Markbass head Saturday night. It was nice being on a stage that was deep enough to actually hear the amp well, and it sounded very very good. I'm definitely keeping the little Bugera! Plenty of clean low-end, clear punchy mids, and smooth highs - nothing to complain about here! I'm impressed...msp_thumbup.gif

 

Very cool. [thumbup] It does help to have a bit of distance from the amp to really here what's going on.

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I used the Bugera with the Ampeg 15 and the Markbass head Saturday night. It was nice being on a stage that was deep enough to actually hear the amp well, and it sounded very very good. I'm definitely keeping the little Bugera! Plenty of clean low-end, clear punchy mids, and smooth highs - nothing to complain about here! I'm impressed...msp_thumbup.gif

 

Have you weighed it? Just curious.

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Nope - I haven't weighed it. Sweetwater said it it's 33 lbs, but I think it's heavier. Maybe it'll lose 10 lbs in the summer-time, like me!

 

Owner's manual says 43 lbs. The manual also states that it has two 200-W Turbosound drivers; that means it's a 400-W cab to me. I do like it though msp_biggrin.gif.

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