My own Reformer 1x12 arrived in Malaysia today! It’s clear crisp balanced loud and really great! Light too! Thnx Alex & team!

I'm so happy you've made this video, as it's fun to have you explain precisely WHY your cabinets sound SO GOOD, and yes, you're explanation was well presented and easy to understand. Rock on!

If politicians spoke with this kind clarity and openness there would be no wars. Lol

@linguafranca86

9 ай бұрын

🙂Contradictio in terminis.

I like plywood's flat response profile and the layering of sounds it produces, pronounced dampening when married to High pigmented Tolex made of virgin petroleum distills the Music like no other!!

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

A poetry career awaits!

ALHAMDULILLAH. I love it brother never stop bringing them LOWs.

I obviously left my comments before I let you speak for more than a minute. Wish I were in the UK we could have a grand time. Pine cabinets… Must say they are magical. But highly variable and sloppy and all of that. But they are nice and light and I have some very very lightweight aluminum nickel cobalt magnet speakers that altogether compose what has to be the world’s lightest 2 x 12. And it just sounds fantastic.

Thank-you! I'm sick to death of all the snake-oil used to market guitar amps (tube replacement) and cabs. Somethings matter and make a significant enough difference to justify their pursuit, and somethings don't. Adding 'cost' is not the same thing as adding value. My background is in acoustics, engineering, and the physics that comprises them, and I have fought and struggled with musicians who ears are ultimately dictated to by identity politics. They love my sound and then denigrate it when I explain how its differentially achieved.

Brilliant, thanks. Matching amp and cabs in term of power and impedances could be subjects of interest for future videos.

It's true. Anyone who doesn't believe it can watch "Where does the tone come from in a cab " by Jim Lill

Absolutely brilliant video, really good to hear your thoughts on construction and materials :-)

I love how frank you are about this.

Cool, yep great explanation! Interesting the use of insulation and pushing resonances up and diversifying in the structure to dissipate them.

More great info, Alex! What's the origin of the "Barefaced" name? Thoughts on speaker "break-in"?

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Two good questions!

Another question, thoughts on "combos"? Does it still make sense to combine amp and speakers in the same enclosure?

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

No. Yes. Maybe!

@jaycee30865

Жыл бұрын

If you like rattling your tubes to death now that they are triple what they used to cost.

@jaycee30865

Жыл бұрын

But not only that… I had to buy an amplifier and two configurations to learn this (Because I am a dumb ass)... Generally you would rather use that extra volume as a larger resonant chamber for your speakers. In other words the amplifier takes up space inside a speaker cabinet. Taking the amplifier out very carefully (do not get shocked) and hooking your cabinet up as a satellite dummy you will see this for yourself. All of a sudden you will have a totally different sound.

@adaptercrash

Жыл бұрын

Of course why not you aren't gonna crank your amp anyway. I can get it at bedroom level and it sounds incredible I might just add another 2 x 12. That's 7 speakers! I also use an attenuator for the alnico combo.. plywood works fine, they probably get thrown around a lot with touring bands. But get a head Amp. You don't need to stack amps. If that system was played in a club it would be amazing. You don't even need a sound engineer and it has a moniter input for your guitar, you can put the other cabs around the drummer.

Companies like Fender, Gibson, Marshall etc are all limited by their own history. Everyone wants things exactly the same as vintage models. It also creates a lot of snake oil salesmanship with boutique companies as well, especially true when it comes to pickups. Yamaha which are not as tied to history just released a new version of their Revstar guitar with carbon fibre parts in neck and body. They also made the guitar look quite cool. It's very hard to design something with the beautiful iconic lines like for example, the products Fender designed. I have looked at cabinets recently and I think they are overpriced since I can easily make the same thing myself. I have the tools. Your cabinets are quite expensive but I can see that this is for a reason.

I am so glad you were born.

Great video...very informative and interesting.

Deleting resonances. Super critical. Must say one of my best sounding 112 cabinets is made of MDF and has an off center both vertically and horizontally speaker baffle. I was astonished how good it sounds. Made me want to get rid of everything else... including ones that are ported and so much more thoughtfully assembled with a much better respected brand name. You would laugh if you know who made it. But this company is obviously staffed by big brains who know how to make things very very economically for maximum margin. Without sacrificing great tone apparently. Just tragic that this brand name is shunned and consequently players don’t get the great sound they desire based on snobbery. I am one who knows. I have probably 60 cabinets. My father made cabinets. But in the classic sense in a classic era. I would kill for a nice factory tour. Via a time machine to his and an airplane to yours.

It’s a combination of marketing BS and a lack of understanding of acoustic engineering. I just threw together a scrap cab with MDF the last few days, using the same blueprint as my normal plywood cabinets. I’m sure people will balk at the fact that it’s MdF, even though MdF is used in car and pro audio for good reason: lack of resonance! I can’t tell you the amount of people who are shopping and looking at my cabinets on Reverb. That asked me what kind of wood the cab is made out of and what kind of joints I use. I’m guessing that this information or misunderstanding comes from forums and people telling them that certain joinery and certain types of wood, improve the tone, which, as you know, is pretty much nonsense . The difference is so small that it doesn’t make much difference, it’s all about the internal volume and the rigidity of the structure along with the acoustic properties of the baffle and where it’s facing, along with what kind of structure is behind the speaker. Of course you know this…. I really appreciate you sharing g your thoughts on all of this, like you, I want to build products that are not hamstrung by tradition in the past, and that allow my speakers to perform to the best of their ability, of course I don’t have a CNC machine like you but I’m still using modern gluing techniques and efficient, super strong joinery to throw together some really nice cabs with very simple and effective designs, and getting great performance! Cheers Alex!

Nice bicycle analogy. Carbon fiber is rigid in the direction you need and compliant in the direction you need at the same time. If only it were possible to have a super lightweight super rigid cabinet that behaved as if it were also very massive... The bolt down cabinet!

I don't care what wood a cabinet is made of, so long as it's built strong enough to not fall apart when it's inevitably dinged, knocked, or dropped lol... I saw a GK 8x10 fridge being sold locally for cheap, and it had a freaking hole punched into it o.O I love that you brought up "historical" too. A lot of things are built around "tradition" and then confirmation bias and suddenly we have all kinds of marketing bs working at selling things XD Thanks for the video! I've noticed a lot of the "big" bass speaker makers (Fender, Ampeg, Hartke, etc...) seem to be around 95-98 or maybe 99db efficiency, meanwhile companies like Barefaced, EBS, etc start at 100dB and go up from there, or seem to. Kinda generalizing here. Anyway, I'm definitely going to be an owner of a Super Twin or Big Twin II with a purple baffle someday (it's my "goals" speaker cab) :D

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

I'd be wary of efficiency ratings on most bass cabs - far too many are fictitious. Our ones are real world and are right on the limit of what's possible according to the laws of physics.

The new lightweight fender deluxe reverb that is solid state and is designed to mimic a deluxe reverb… It is so lightweight that it vibrates itself across the floor. Removing all variables mass comes into the sound.

Great videos! Subscribed. Also, where can I get one of those impossibly thick sweaters??

Rigidity and mass are the issue. Thin high-grade ply will have greater rigidity than thick low-grade. But mass is a co-issue because if a speaker can thrust a cabinet around you lose efficiency. And selective frequency responses as a result.

@BarefacedAudio

Жыл бұрын

You have to have extremely heavy cones and extremely light cabs for Newton's third law to be an issue!

@jaycee30865

Жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio Watch the modern deluxe reverb. It’s not just a cone you are moving you are moving air. I swear to you the damn thing is so lightweight it rattles itself across the floor. And without a doubt this has an effect on tone. Isaac agrees with me. He just told me. The Saturn five rocket? Got to the moon moving gas. Remember that.

@jaycee30865

Жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio sorry I figured you could see into my mind… This is what I was alluding. kzread.info/dash/bejne/opqN0ptmicq8crw.html

So what’s the consensus on MDF cabs? All other variables equal (construction, speakers, dimension, etc), are you implying it should not sound any worse than plywood?

@joeltunnah

8 ай бұрын

Many companies make highly regarded hi-fi speakers out of MDF. The only downsides are weight and impact resistance for gigging.

I have a Marshall 1965A 4x10 cab that no matter what speakers I put in it, I just don’t like the resonance I get from it. It’s made from 1/2” plywood and built like a typical cab, no extra bracing. Perhaps it vibrates too much?

@BarefacedAudio

Жыл бұрын

That could certainly be the case - the panels are big on a cab like that so they don't need to vibrate much to both suck sound from the speakers and generate sound of their own.

So what’s the score with the old pine fender cabs?

@joeltunnah

8 ай бұрын

Solid pine is probably the worst material to make a speaker cabinet out of. It flexes, it absorbs moisture and changes dimension, it dries out and cracks...

I'm a mountain biker too !!!

Very cool Sir. Tone first.

As a builder, I mainly agree. The size and shape of the air volume in a cabinet is the most important thing, not what the walls are made of. So, why not use good hardwoods? They sure look better! Some of them, like cedar, are light too.

@BarefacedAudio

Жыл бұрын

Is any hardwood as good a cab material as a quality plywood though? Plus, you don't get to see the wood once it's tolexed!

@marcusdavey9747

Жыл бұрын

I’d never cover an amp with that, or black fur. Tolex is a weird, anti-cosmetic obsession!

Great videos, very informative about structure of your cabs and the mention of some classic speakers still being produced today because they are a great design as well. I am wondering if you are going to make an angled cab in the future? Or is it unnecessary because your cabs seem not to be as directional as other bass cabinet makers? Also do you feel confident with a bass head maker and a possible combo amp in the near future? Thank you again for your designs and your in depth knowledge of a very hazy information subject. Joe

@BarefacedAudio

Жыл бұрын

I've experimented with angled bass cabs but with the superior dispersion of our designs there's not much of an advantage (if at all) and quite a few disadvantages. And yes, we have an amp in the works!

@josephlafreniere9813

Жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio fantastic! Looking forward to hearing it! I’m sure it’s my next purchase!

What you say makes perfect sense. But the guitar industry is based on "heritage", I'm afraid - and so are guitarists. Guitar payers, more so than bass players, are very conservative when it comes to their equpment. Just consider the hype about terms like "PAF" or "Plexi". Companies claim that their products sound like these pickups or amplifiers - and they seem to be successful doing so. Anyway, I wish you all the best. Take care

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Very good points! We're trying to keep the great stuff from our heritage whilst making progress where we can - thankfully enough guitarists and bassists are willing to make that step forwards that it's a viable business model!

When you crank an amp super loud, that's when you realize only plywood resonates properly. I would never buy an MDF cab again. Marshall cabs from the 60's and 70's sounded fantastic, resonating together with the speakers. By the late 80's, not as great. Wetter, more dead. Then you only heard the high powered speakers pumping out the sound.

You dont want wood resonatin in a speaker box

doesn't having super light cabs make them more prone to damage though, that's my only concern with very thin wood

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Not if they’re properly designed. We’ve been making cabs like this since 2008, there’s thousands of them out there and I only know of a handful getting damaged during gig/tour life (and those few were repairable). Just a question of using good materials, making good joints and adding reinforcement where necessary. Also, the only way I’ve heard of gigging cabs getting damaged is being dropped or falling off stages/trucks and a lighter cab has less weight and thus less energy to dissipate in a falling impact. We’ve actually lost about the same number (three I think) to severe flood situations - they still worked but they smelt of raw sewage forever which basically made them only fit for scrapping.

@danolivier4899

2 жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio that's awesome. Can I just ask you while you're here, would I have any problem fitting EVM12L speakers in a barefaced 2x12?

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

@@danolivier4899 Yes. See here: barefacedaudio.com/pages/unloaded-guitar-cabs and here: barefacedaudio.com/collections/celestion-12-guitar-range/products/no-speaker-unloaded-cab-12

@danolivier4899

2 жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio fantastic thanks, just wanted to make sure they will fit, they have a pretty big magnet - cheers!

How long/large would an upright bass and an electric bass have to be to fully realize the low notes?

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Good questions! I don't think the phrase "fully realise the low notes" is the right way to look at it - upright basses and electric basses already achieve this goal (unless they're faulty). I know you're referring to the fundamental frequency content on the lowest notes which, as I explained, aren't a big part of the sound of string bass due to the physical limitations of the instrument. If you artificially increase the lowest fundamental content you change the instrument in a big way which will change how it functions in music. However, if we look at the grand piano, the lowest note on a concert grand is usually A0, only two semitones below the low B on a 5-string bass, and this string on a Steinway Concert Grand is 79 1/4" (201cm) long - over twice as long as the longest bass guitars (37" Dingwalls etc) and almost twice as long as a typical upright bass.

@TomSJazzBass

2 жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio wouldn't it also be possible to increase the gauge of the string to get this same effect? Or possibly to use a different material for the string? For example the electric U-Bass from kala was a hilariously fun concept that was tiny and used a rubber like material for exterior windings. I don't remember the specific string gauges they used but it felt larger than standard electric bass strings. And they managed to get a very deep tone from this comically small instrument.

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

This is a very interesting subject to cover in another video!

@benrosow7997

2 жыл бұрын

The Ubass ...super low tension = lower frequencies. And it sounds dedicated quite good to my ears. Interesting thing about pianos and the Ao note: on even the best pianos, those notes don't sound great, and on lesser pianos, the entire lowest octave sounds rubbish. Maybe heavier guage strings would sound better.

@benrosow7997

2 жыл бұрын

@@BarefacedAudio And...On all but the very best and largest pianos, the fundamental of the lowest few notes seems to be lost to the ear. There's an envelope to the partials and all but the longest/best pianos have reduced fundamentals in th elowest strings due to roll-off i nthe envelope. Whenever I actually DO hear a fundamental on a piano's lowest note, it surprises me. The energy required to get the fundamental to ring would require a heavier hammer and more leverage on the key. Long scale 5 string Electric basses have so much fundamental because they aren't trying to make lots of acoustic noise, they just need to provide frequencies for the pickup. So, comparativey, they are being plucked less hard and the frequencies are more even.

Marshall 1912 cabs sound bloody awful

It's marketing b.s., and guitar players are very susceptible because they're very superstitious, want to emulate their heroes, and most aren't technical enough to know what's really going on within amps and cabs. Many hi-fi enclosures are made of MDF... but tell a guitar player a combo is made of MDF and they'll poo-poo it immediately.

I'm pretty sure that the Barefaced cabinets are basically best at everything no matter what genre, player or speaker, but regardless, there is a very romantic 'tonewood' exception that I would looove to try out our at least hear live, and that's Mark Bartel's new cabinets. His whole thing was to find the perfect combination of wood resonance, construction and cabinet dimensions in order to create a very resonant, tuned cabinet, and looking at the videos and pictures of them, they're like luthier masterpieces much in the same way as some coveted violin or cajon(?)or something. I love that as a concept. It feels so artistic and inspiring. I suspect that it also means that the cabinets are meant to sound and be played a certain way, so less flexibility, but it would be so cool if they do live up to his claims. I doubt that will ever buy one of them, though. Contrasting the cost including import and taxes with what I've earned netto as a musician since Covid hit, it would be completely irresponsible. Besides, I could probably buy 15 to 20 Reformer 112 cabinets for the same amount. (For what it's worth: I think Barefaced cabs are very reasonably priced)

So you want the stiffest and non-resonant box to host the speaker?

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Exactly!

@benrosow7997

2 жыл бұрын

Thick concrete would be best, yes?

@pharmerdavid1432

2 жыл бұрын

You could say that about electric guitars too, but the guitar wood obviously effects the tone of the pickups, which while not exactly the same - is a similar concept as speakers mounted in a baffle, mounted in a cabinet. The cabinet WILL effect the speakers tone, and the guitar WILL effect the pickups tone, which may be good or bad depending on factors, including personal preferences.

@BarefacedAudio

2 жыл бұрын

Pharmer David yes but that would be wrong because electric guitars work completely differently to speakers! I’ll make a video about it.