BarefacedBass The Compact

The Compact is a single, high-excursion 15" neodymium magnet speaker, housed in a 9mm hardwood ply, extremely well braced & dampened cabinet.

Dimensions: 25.5" high x 19.5" wide x 13.5" deep
Weight: 32 lbs
Sensitivity: Louder than almost any 2x10" cab, close to many 2x12" cabs
Frequency Response: Similar to the classic sealed 8x10" fridge
Recommended Amp Power: 100 - 500W RMS
Maximum Output: Similar to a quality 2x12" or 3x10" cabinet
Impedance: 8 ohms
(Measured specs are not available yet, but will follow).

Other features:
Textured re-touchable coating
Single strap handle on one side
Powder coated steel grill
Airtight Speakon jack
Speaker "run in" prior to being shipped

The only negative is there's no 1/4 inch jack input, but apparently this is because no airtight 1/4 inch or combo 1/4 inch/Speakon inputs could be sourced. (Just don't forget your Speakon cable, 'cos nobody will have a spare...).

Amp: Markbass LMII, Bass: Dingwall ABII 5-string played fingerstyle, clean and with effects. (My band plays experimental - but still commercial! - music, with a dark edge, in the vein of Nick Cave and PJ Harvey).
Single 15 cabs aren't too fashionable at the moment, so although The Compact goes against the flow, it's nothing like those wooly, muddy 15's from the past. The manufacturer suggests that: "...because The Compact is so small, it doesn't naturally have massive bottom, but it won't mind if you crank up the lows on your amp to get that fatness." Doing this, I can get a seriously hefty tone with thick lows, that organic, woody chest-thump that I love and natural-sounding top end, ie no squawk or hiss and at surprising volume too. It easily handles the lows produced by my Dingwall without crapping out, right down to the dropped A of the 37" B-string. It won't appeal to players wanting glass-shattering highs, but those wanting a VERY light cab that doesn't compromise on tone will love it. (Although I haven't tried it yet, I know The Compact will make a no-nonsense recording cab too, due to its high quality, single speaker configuration).

Have rehearsed and gigged with the Compact: a particularly good test was in a medium-sized venue with full PA, large stage and separate monitor mixes. The other bands were using a large rig - a powerful amp with a 4x10 & 1x15 - but I have to say my micro amp (Markbass LMII) and The Compact combination sounded so much better, in spite looking less impressive! Yes, the giant rig would have gone louder than mine had it needed to, but only moderate volume was necessary and The Compact gave me a much more integrated sound - a good solid tone that was easy for me to hear. I definitely didn't miss having a tweeter either and my effects were clear and crisp too.

N/A for reliability so far - not had it for long enough.
Time will tell if the thin cabinet panels will hold up under serious gigging conditions, but, as noted previously, it's very well braced, so I'm not too worried.

Build quality is excellent, although a couple of the corner caps were slightly crooked, but I'm being really picky here!

Alex answered all my questions quickly and patiently - can't ask for more really!

I've been playing bass for over 25 years and it's only been in the last few that, as we all know, lightweight amps and cabs have become a reality - good enough for me to ditch my back-breaking all valve (tube) head and monster cabs!
Having used an LMII through a variety of brands' top of the line cabs: 2x10, 3x10, two 1x12's, and 4x10, I never thought a single 15 with no tweeter would work on it's own. So many lightweight cabs tend to sound "middle-y" and can't reproduce real low end at gig volumes - in spite of their so-called "specs" - but The Compact really does the business and is lighter than any of those. From my perspective, it's the next step in lightweight cabs and it's made by a company in England...hooray!

So yes, as the name says, it's compact. It's also loud, beefy-sounding and very portable - the handle is ideally placed for convenience & balance - which means other band members don't mind carrying it! (Our [female] singer/guitarist picked it up and said, "Wow, it's really light, but it doesn't look it. And it's much lighter than my guitar amp...").

If I ever need more than one Compact, I'll just get another!