# The BEST cab I have ever heard. Period.



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

This has been on my wish list for a long while. Finally had some time and cash to put the order in. It arrived today. So small! I ordered it in British Racing Green tolex with a silver grille and a Celestion G12M-65 Creamback Classic speaker at 8 Ohms. What kind of tones can this little thing put out anyway?

Hooked it up to my Orange Micro Dark and my God, the tones. Full, rich and harmonically complex. Loud too. Way loud enough to gig with a heavy drummer in a large room. This cabinet is unbelievable. It fills my entire room. And, it's non-directional. No need to be standing directly in line with it to hear the damn thing. You know how with traditional guitar cabs, if you move more than 10 degrees off-axis, the sound cuts out by about 80%? Not this one. 

Currently hooked up to the H&K Black Spirit which doesn't put out a lot of bottom end on the clean channel. Flicked the low-filter shelf to off (little switch beside the speaker jacks on the cab) and the H&K came to life.

I still can't get over how good this sounds. It's pricey but what a feeling when the sound makes you feel alive.


----------



## MarkM (May 23, 2019)

Never heard of this before, did you bring it in from the UK directly?

Pricey is right!!


----------



## Tone Chaser (Mar 2, 2014)

How effective is the adjustment at the back of the cab?


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Nice looking! 

Will have to read up on it.


----------



## Brian Johnston (Feb 24, 2019)

Curious to hear a sound comparison, if you can.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

MarkM said:


> Never heard of this before, did you bring it in from the UK directly?
> 
> Pricey is right!!


Yup, direct from the UK. Only took two days to get here after they shipped it. Pretty impressive. I guess the airlines are filling seats with cargo now


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Tone Chaser said:


> How effective is the adjustment at the back of the cab?


Very. My Orange Micro Dark was on a setting that made the cab bass heavy (like a subwoofer) once I flicked the switch, it just went to rich and full. The H&K doesn't provide much in the way of bass frequencies at all so I turned off the cut for it and it sounded glorious. Another factor was moving the cab from the floor (more bass) to a shelf (less bass). The switch let me quickly adjust for cab position without having to make any adjustments to the amp's EQ.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Frenchy99 said:


> Nice looking!
> 
> Will have to read up on it.


This is the video that got me interested in it.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Brian Johnston said:


> Curious to hear a sound comparison, if you can.


I've since moved my other cab to the living room and it's hooked up to an iPad-based interface so it wouldn't be easy. Check the video I linked above. All I can tell you is that it's small, light and puts out the tones and volume of a 212 but with a much wider spread of sound. Might not be ideal for a band on a small stage unless the other musicians don't mind hearing your amp in a way they never have before. Key points of this thing:

It's small as you can see in the photo with the two amp heads
It puts out more sound pressure for the same volume settings as my other cab
It's as loud and full as my 212 cabinets
It's as harmonically rich as an FRFR speaker but geared for guitar. You won't feel that you're missing your normal guitar cab.









Reformer 112


Barefaced Audio 1x12 guitar loudspeaker cabinet. Lightweight and loud, with AVD technology. As seen in Sound on Sound Magazine.




barefacedaudio.com





They also make a 212 which would be crazy given what this 112 can do.

I researched every Celestion before deciding on the one I had them put in this cab. If anyone does order one, I'm very happy with this speaker choice.


----------



## Ti-Ron (Mar 21, 2007)

I know about their bass stuff, they are praised in the low end community, but I didn't know they had a guitar version. You got me curious!


----------



## greco (Jul 15, 2007)

Interesting "techie" stuff...Barefaced Bass - Generation Three Enclosures










@1SweetRide 
Thanks for the thread
ENJOY your new cab!!


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

greco said:


> Interesting "techie" stuff...Barefaced Bass - Generation Three Enclosures
> 
> View attachment 330178
> 
> ...


The guy's a minor genius. What he says makes sense but I wonder what our local guru thinks? Calling @mhammer.


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Not any particular sort of "guru" when it comes to speaker cabs, but I did spend some time reading up on cab design decades back, and perhaps some of it is relevant to this discussion..

An "ideal" cabinet not only provides enough internal volume to complement the speaker and its particular resonances, but should also keep its own "voice" well in the background and let the speaker do the talking. Think of it like someone giving a speech. They step up to the podium, and the location and size of the podium allows attention to be focused on that person, and all murmuring in the hall should be at a minimum in order to hear the speaker clearly.

One of the reasons we equate weight with cabinet "quality" is because thicker walls and baffle will not resonate nearly as much (I'm just finishing up some stereo speakers that I used spare 3/4" MDF for, for precisely those reasons). A thick baffle and walls is like an audience with duct-taped mouths, allowing only the speaker to be heard. However, increasing thickness is not the only way to make baffles and walls resonate less. Bracing can also be used to stiffen the perimeter of a cab such that it can be lighter yet not resonate. You may be able to bang it and it sounds acoustically "inert". Additionally, boxes with parallel sides can create standing waves, yielding unwanted resonances. One can create the sort of internal space in a cab that gives the optimal air pressure to support the backward and forward movement of the cone, yet still break up the potential internal reflections that create standing waves. In theory, this should provide a "tighter" low end, where a deep transient sounds like a nicely damped kick drum "thud" and not a tom-tom "booooooooooooommmmm".

I certainly don't have enough experience with cabs to have any opinion on whether these cabs are "best ever". But in theory, at least, they seem to have done many of the right things. The rest is up to the speaker, the amp, and probably the player.


----------



## DaddyDog (Apr 21, 2017)

Very impressive video! And I was off to their web site with wallet at the ready. Then I thought: I've heard this somewhere before. Ah yes, Port City Amps, and Stephenson Amps (Canadian!) have done something that is at least similar:






1X12 OS Wave Cabinet | Port City Amps







portcityamps.com







1 x 12 Speaker Cabinet by Stephenson Amplification



I have the Port City cab. Want to do an A/B test? 
I can't say I've ever experienced the Port City filling up the room with sound. I guess I need a box to allow me to switch cabs with a stomp switch.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

1SweetRide said:


> This is the video that got me interested in it.


Great way to give every one GAS....


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

DaddyDog said:


> Very impressive video! And I was off to their web site with wallet at the ready. Then I thought: I've heard this somewhere before. Ah yes, Port City Amps, and Stephenson Amps (Canadian!) have done something that is at least similar:
> 
> 
> 
> ...


Sure, would love to do an A/B. You close to Ottawa?


----------



## mhammer (Nov 30, 2007)

Much of this regarding bracing and ports in closed-back cabs has been known, at least in principle, for decades. For instance, look into the "Tone Ring used for early '60s Bandmaster cabs. The trouble is, applying that knowledge to a physical product is a lot more labour-intensive and the market does not always justify the production expense and effort.

Part of my interest in such alternative cabs was sparked by the review of the Feiten cabs in _Guitar Player_, somewhere in the '90s, that raved about them, and their ability to sound like a 4x12 stack in a much smaller cab with only two speakers.. Buzz Feiten licensed the design to Fuchs, and no longer makes them himself, concentrating on other things.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I knew calling you into this thread was going to be informative


----------



## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

It looks really interesting but the width is an issue for me.
It's an inch (or more) too narrow.
Height and depth are fine.
I guess maybe they had their reasons that they went with 18" but I suspect aesthetics played no part of that.
Most small heads and combos (at least any of the ones I personally would be interested in or already own) are over 18" wide.
My Boogie is about 19" and most others (that I like) range from 19" to 21".
I have to imagine there must have been some other possible set of dimensions that arrive at the same internal volume and dispersion that they could have chosen.
When I combine goofy looking aesthetics with a $900+ price tag (before shipping and taxes) it really halts any GAS I might have been experiencing.
It's not like a V30 is priced stupid-high like an AlNiCo Blue or anything.
I have a beam blocker in my Boogie and while it's not perfect, it's better than nothing and only costs a few dollars.
I think I'll pass.
Thanks for the heads up though.
Seems like good tech and other makers may follow suit at some point.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I don't quite understand why 18" is a deal breaker for you.


----------



## zdogma (Mar 21, 2006)

I think the head hangs over the edge of the cab. Looks strange and is kind of tippy, especially with wider heavy heads like Mesas, Marshalls. Only an issue if you stack them.


----------



## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

zdogma said:


> I think the head hangs over the edge of the cab. Looks strange and is kind of tippy, especially with wider heavy heads like Mesas, Marshalls. Only an issue if you stack them.


This.
Combined with a fairly lofty price tag.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

Do what I did. Put the cab on top of the head or order the 212


----------



## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

With the heat rising up from your amp, effectively warming the cab's bum, you're giving it one sweet ride; heated seat and everything.


----------



## bolero (Oct 11, 2006)

that is a really interesting cab design!!


----------



## Diablo (Dec 20, 2007)

Doesn’t it depend on what kind of music you’re playing through it?


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I’ve played metal, rock and acoustic through it so far.


----------



## laristotle (Aug 29, 2019)

I bet that the LED string makes a difference?


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

laristotle said:


> I bet that the LED string makes a difference?


Setting the mood is as important as the meal.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

BMW-KTM said:


> With the heat rising up from your amp, effectively warming the cab's bum, you're giving it one sweet ride; heated seat and everything.


I sent the thread to the owner of Barefaced and he told me to tell you they are about to release a wider 112 cab. So there lol.


----------



## BMW-KTM (Apr 7, 2015)

Cool.
Thx.
Still a bit pricy though, no?
What did yours set you back?
I mean all in.


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I’m travelling right now but I believe it was $950.00 all in. It’s a cab for life though and tones alone make me feel it was a worthwhile purchase.


----------



## GeorgeMich (Jun 6, 2013)

$950 isn’t outrageous for a cab of this quality. It looks excellent and the OP seems very pleased. The Marshall Studio Vintage 112 is $749 plus tax, getting into the same ball park. Just as a comparison to large mass manufactured cab...


----------



## 1SweetRide (Oct 25, 2016)

I am considering buying another in the future and sell my other cab. I’ve more heads than cabs now which I guess is normal.


----------



## Frenchy99 (Oct 15, 2016)

Lots of head is a good thing...


----------



## TheYanChamp (Mar 6, 2009)

I could use some head... 

Looks great! And I agree, I've sold off some shitty cabs, guitar and bass, to buy two good cabs and I don't know why I waited so long.


----------



## Hammertone (Feb 3, 2006)

I dig the speaker riser.


----------

