Barefaced Audio –
15 Years of History
Introduction – Who is Barefaced Audio
Barefaced Audio is the brainchild of English engineer and cab builder Alex Claber. Barefaced bass, pro audio, and guitar loudspeaker cabinets have been designed and built in their micro-factory in Brighton, England since 2008. The company now has a 15-year history of manufacturing some of the most advanced small lightweight guitar cabs, bass cabs, and FX pedals directly to customers all around the world.
Their approach is an engineer meets musician approach, where products are made to last as long as possible, to be repairable and non-disposable. When designing new products, Barefaced Audio carefully listens to its customers’ feedback which is the best way to know what works in real musical situations.
We see that with all mentioned above, Barefaced Audio indeed deserves our attention here on Easymusicgig.com.
How it all started
It all started in 2008 when Alex wanted to have a better bass cab than any that he could buy. It all started as a DIY project and ended up being a business.
He was always on the lookout for a cab that was small, yet powerful for bass guitar, and for guitarists, he wanted to make a lightweight guitar cabinet that would sound good even if the speaker pointed at your knees.
The scientific and musicians’ approach paid off in the end for Barefaced Audio.
For 15 years now they have been manufacturing some of the best guitar and bass guitar cabinets in the world, possibly the best!
Innovation and technology
Barefaced Audio is widely known for its Augmented Vent Diffractor (AVD) invention. This series of guitar cabs combines both worlds of guitar cabs: closed-back and open-back types. The cabinet looks like a normal amp from the front. But wait until you see the back of it! Two angled baffles create a narrow vertical slot at the opening between them in the center of the back of the cabinet.
Here is a little bit of explanation:
The difference between the two back types is how the sound is projected. An open-back cab projects sound from the front as well as from the back. Sound from the back bounces all around the place, and at some point meets sound projected from the front. The Sound coming from the back is the opposite polarity to the sound coming from the front, which is 180 degrees out of phase.
Without going into physics too deep, the thing is that the high and middle frequencies, after they meet (front and back-projected) add up producing more output, while the low frequencies mostly cancel each other out, contributing to very little bottom end. That is why open-backed guitar cabinets produce less bottom end than closed cabs.
The trick is to work with the sound coming from the back since there isn’t that much you can do with sound coming from the front. So, this is what the AVD does: it acts as a Helmholtz resonator, smoothing out low frequencies, and at the same time working as a diffractor for high and mid frequencies, creating better dispersion.
The Augmented Vent Diffractor (AVD) guitar cabinet is like having the best of both types of cabs. It gives a warmer and bigger tone than a closed-back but with the clarity and room-filling quality of a closed-back.
Most guitar speaker cabinet makers use 15-18mm (5/8-3/4 inch) panels, while Barefaced cabinets are made of panels of almost half the depth of that. This has a huge impact on the weight of these practically custom guitar cabinets.
What makes this manufacturer stand out are also its custom drivers specially designed like the Barefaced 10CR250 driver.
Product lineup
Here is a list of some of the most interesting guitar and bass guitar cabinets sorted by product categories.
AVD guitar cabs
Upsetter 110 / 112N
The smallest and lightest AVD guitar cab from Barefaced Audio. A 10-inch guitar cab with a weight of 6kg with the standard Celestion G10 Vintage speaker, and an unbelievable 5kg with a custom Celestion driver. You can even order this custom guitar cab with a 12” speaker, yes it fits!
Reformer 112/110w
Comes standard with the Celestion Vintage 30 12” speaker, weighing 10kg, or with a custom neodymium speaker weighing only 7kg.
Reality 112FR
This is an FRFR (full range flat response) cabinet intended for use with guitarists or even any other acoustic instrument players who shape their unique sound with a modeling amp instead of coloring their sound with speaker and cabinet features. This makes for a consistent tone wherever you play.
10CR bass cabs
They come in versions with one, two, four, six, and even eight 10” speakers.
One10
One10 is the smallest model, which looks like a practice bass guitar cabinet but can handle lots of scenarios. In fact, my bass player has one, and we play gigs for hundreds of people, and no one is missing any thump from the bass guitar on stage. We still don’t believe the sound coming from it after years of using it.
Main Features:
- Dimensions: (H W D) 38cm 29cm 28cm (15″ 11.5″ 11″)Weight: 7kg (15lbs)
- Driver. Single 10CR extended-range driverMax output: 119dB
- Max power: 250W (500W clean)
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Frequency range: 30 Hz – 6kHz
Two10S
Two 10S is as loud as a 4 x 10” cab but half the size and super light.
Main features:
- Drivers: Dual 10CR extended-range drivers
- Dimensions: (H W D) 38cm 61cm 33cm (15″ 24″ 13″)
- Weight: 13kg (28lbs)
- Max output: 125dB
- Max power: 500w (800W clean)
- Impedance: switchable 4/12 ohms
- Frequency range: 30 Hz – 6kHz
12XN bass cabs
Super Mini
Super Mini is the best choice for players looking for a small 12” cab with full-range accuracy and tons of volume but in a small package. Liked by double bass players, as well as guitarists looking for an FRFR guitar cabinet for modelling.
Main Features:
- Dimensions: (H W D) 45cm 42cm 28cm (17.5″ 16.5″ 11″)
- Weight: 9.5kg (21lbs)
- Driver. Single 12XN extended-range high-accuracy driverMax output: 127dB
- Max power: 600W RMS
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Frequency range: 37 Hz – 20kHz
Super Twin
Super Twin is a 2 x 12” driver bass cabinet that sounds like a 4 x 12” one with outstanding dispersion. It’s built very simple with no tweeters and no crossovers. Weighing only 17kg this cab is the right choice for bass players who need maximum thump and don’t want to break their back.
Main Features:
- Dimensions: (H W D) 74cm 48cm 34cm (29″ 19″ 13.4″)
- Weight: 17kg (37lbs)
- Driver. Dual 12XN extended-range high-accuracy drivers
- Max output: 133dB
- Max power: 1200W RMS
- Impedance: 4 ohms
- Frequency range: 30 Hz – 4kHz
FRFR guitar/bass cabs
Reality 112FR (see AVD guitar cabs)
Big Baby 3
With a single 12 “ driver be prepared for the sound of a 4 x 10” cabinet! It has high sensitivity so you can use it with low-power lightweight amp heads. Very good as an FRFR guitar cabinet and even a PA speaker with no need for subwoofers.
Main Features:
- Dimensions: (H W D) 56cm 52cm 32cm (22″ 20.4″ 12.6″)Weight: 13.5kg (30lbs)
- Driver. Single 12XN extended-range high-accuracy driverMax output: 127dB
- Max power: 800W RMS
- Impedance: 8 ohms
- Frequency range: 30 Hz – 20kHz
Conclusion
If you are looking for a lightweight bass cab or a custom guitar cab available with different cone sizes, amp grill cloth colors, and even driver stacking orientation, Barefaced Audio is a manufacturer that has proven its quality to thousands of musicians worldwide. Not only are their cabinets lightweight, but unbelievably small. If you’re looking for a way to gig easier Barefaced Audio is a fantastic choice. Their products come with a higher price tag but are worth every dollar. Their products can only be purchased directly from them.
