What are you guys using for your FRFR needs?

[Will Chen]

I just want it to sound like a cabinet with IRs and not be gross in the low end or ear fatigue harsh in the upper midrange and treble. I hear good things about the CLR, Friedman, and EV.

The issue is everyone has different ideas about what they want and the recommendations will reflect that. Also, every room sounds different so even if you have things dialed in at volume on an FRFR if you take it to an outdoor gig you will have a radically different response as even a well treated room isn't going to be perfect vs outdoors with no reflections at all (or a wooden riser where the bass disappears...or setting up in the corner of on untreated club with low ceilings where bass will be massive...etc). If you play out often especially without PA support, probably worth the dough to pay up a bit for a high wattage solution that's as flat as possible to use global EQ to address the specific scenario you're playing in. But if you're primarily a home player, IMHO you're far, far, far better off going the studio monitor route.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

The issue is everyone has different ideas about what they want and the recommendations will reflect that. Also, every room sounds different so even if you have things dialed in at volume on an FRFR if you take it to an outdoor gig you will have a radically different response as even a well treated room isn't going to be perfect vs outdoors with no reflections at all (or a wooden riser where the bass disappears...or setting up in the corner of on untreated club with low ceilings where bass will be massive...etc). If you play out often especially without PA support, probably worth the dough to pay up a bit for a high wattage solution that's as flat as possible to use global EQ to address the specific scenario you're playing in. But if you're primarily a home player, IMHO you're far, far, far better off going the studio monitor route.

Fair, but the speaker will be holding a corner of the living room carpet down. I don't play gigs or go jam.

 

[Will Chen]

Fair, but the speaker will be holding a corner of the living room carpet down. I don't play gigs or go jam.

Any, and I mean any, speaker in the corner of an untreated room is going to be boomy without significant correction due to the physics of the placement.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Any, and I mean any, speaker in the corner of an untreated room is going to be boomy without significant correction due to the physics of the placement.

So what I'm hearing is that i need to pick up the banjo instead. Gotcha.

 

[Eagle]

Two Xitone passive wedges with Celestion F12X200s and a Matrix GT1000fx 2U. It sounds like guitar cabs and feels like it too as long as you turn it up.
As good as Xitone products are I seriously don’t recommend buying anything from them because they take you money and ignore your emails and send nothing these days . So second hand only if you want anything from them.

 

[deathbyguitar]

I recently bought four Yamaha DHR12ms, mainly because they were on sale at the time. They're pretty great although I have yet to use them live. I play in a metal band and wanted to have two per guitar player connected to the Axe-FX we both share.

Some people prefer the EV coax monitor but I tried them side by side with the Yamahas and preferred the Yamahas just a little bit more. Plus they look great when stacked.

 

[PorcinePicker]

Gigged extensively with RCF NX 12-SMA on medium to largish stages (or an FBT Verb 8mA on postage stamp sized stages or stuffed into dark corners of dive bars...so mostly that). Both monitors worked fine.

Now that I don't have a band anymore, I've been experimenting with a vBoutique VFRLR 1x12 driven by a Powerstage 170. You can't leave the cab on the floor 'cause it booms like crazy. Decoupled on an amp stand, it makes you sound like Zeus tossing lightning bolts, but I reserve judgement until I can play it in a band context.

 

[OrganicZed]

I have a quad of passive Atomic CLR's that I power with QSC solid state power amplifiers.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Two Xitone passive wedges with Celestion F12X200s and a Matrix GT1000fx 2U. It sounds like guitar cabs and feels like it too as long as you turn it up.
As good as Xitone products are I seriously don’t recommend buying anything from them because they take you money and ignore your emails and send nothing these days . So second hand only if you want anything from them.

They weren't really on my radar, but thank you for letting me know in case they got on my radar. I'd heard of them, but wasn't something I was looking at exactly.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I recently bought four Yamaha DHR12ms, mainly because they were on sale at the time. They're pretty great although I have yet to use them live. I play in a metal band and wanted to have two per guitar player connected to the Axe-FX we both share.

Some people prefer the EV coax monitor but I tried them side by side with the Yamahas and preferred the Yamahas just a little bit more. Plus they look great when stacked.

If I was smarter with my money, I would've just bought an Axe FX III to do it all, rather than buy a bunch of separate pedals. However, I have a job in IT, so troubleshooting shit and being tied to a computer for my hobbies make me want to take up rapping (I'm not a huge fan, but I enjoy Brotha Lynch Hung a lot) or some shit. Lol

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

Gigged extensively with RCF NX 12-SMA on medium to largish stages (or an FBT Verb 8mA on postage stamp sized stages or stuffed into dark corners of dive bars...so mostly that). Both monitors worked fine.

Now that I don't have a band anymore, I've been experimenting with a vBoutique VFRLR 1x12 driven by a Powerstage 170. You can't leave the cab on the floor 'cause it booms like crazy. Decoupled on an amp stand, it makes you sound like Zeus tossing lightning bolts, but I reserve judgement until I can play it in a band context.

I'm not sure what the hell was the case, but I had 6 speakers ruined by -- I guess -- a Powerstage 170. 4 of them were Eminence Lynch Super V12 speakers, which I am still really salty about. The general concensus was that low volume would never have ruined a speaeker, neither would gain staging, so it was possible the power amp was letting DC get to the speakers. The speakers basically ended up sounding "hoarse" when using gain (regardless of what I used; whether it was the preamp -> Powerstage or my VHT Sig:X I had at the time). Kind of like when a singer would sound hoarse on tour when they are losing their voice.

Just a little context for what I am using IRs and a full range speaker.

 

[Stone]

2 Powercabs Very happy with them So far
But thanks to @JiveTurkey
The GAS for those new Fenders is starting to Ferment

 

[littlebadboy]

Headrush 108 was good enough for me. The 112 were too boomy for me. These are the only ones I tried.

 

[Whizzinby]

I still think for home use a good set of studio monitors is infinitely better than an FRFR solution. FRFR is Latin for “You’re never going to like it, you will merely tolerate it”.

Otherwise just get a normal guitar cab. You can still get all the benefits of volume control with your modeler, but you get that cab in the room sound and feel.

Having said that, I am actually considering kicking the can on the new Fender 112 FrFr to pair with the IRX in a different setup in the room. I’m always looking for problems in need of solutions.

 

[Deleted member 490]

I have a pair of CLR active cabs and they're probably the best you can get for amp modelers (and not only for that), but I'm selling them cuz I don't play out anymore atm and for jamming I just use a couple of traditional guitar cabs powered by a small class D power amp.

 

[Stone]

So i tossed the Idea out there to my Wife about Maybe trying those new Fender cabs

and this exactly the reaction i knew id get from her

 

[laxu]

So i tossed the Idea out there to my Wife about Maybe trying those new Fender cabs

and this exactly the reaction i knew id get from her

 

[laxu]

I still think for home use a good set of studio monitors is infinitely better than an FRFR solution. FRFR is Latin for “You’re never going to like it, you will merely tolerate it”.

Otherwise just get a normal guitar cab. You can still get all the benefits of volume control with your modeler, but you get that cab in the room sound and feel.

Having said that, I am actually considering kicking the can on the new Fender 112 FrFr to pair with the IRX in a different setup in the room. I’m always looking for problems in need of solutions.

Agreed. To me FRFR/PA type units work best when you play louder, but at home a good set of studio monitors does many things and works just nicely for guitar at low to moderate volumes.

Guitar cabs tend to have similar issues to FRFR where they benefit from more volume.

 

[Spaced Out Ace]

I still think for home use a good set of studio monitors is infinitely better than an FRFR solution. FRFR is Latin for “You’re never going to like it, you will merely tolerate it”.

Otherwise just get a normal guitar cab. You can still get all the benefits of volume control with your modeler, but you get that cab in the room sound and feel.

Having said that, I am actually considering kicking the can on the new Fender 112 FrFr to pair with the IRX in a different setup in the room. I’m always looking for problems in need of solutions.

I don't use guitar cabs anymore because I was blowing speakers for whatever reason. I ruined some Super V12 Lynch speakers that I'm still mad about.

 

[Whizzinby]

I don't use guitar cabs anymore because I was blowing speakers for whatever reason. I ruined some Super V12 Lynch speakers that I'm still mad about.

Never blown a speaker using a guitar cab with modelers, and I’ve used a PowerStation100, PowerStage170, BAM200 etc to to provide power. Wouldn’t even know what to suggest unless the cab was somehow wired wrong. Maybe some sort of impedance issue? I’ve turned mine up on occasion to Live At Leeds levels and never had any issues.