Cars and Cabs?

[Edword]

This...



...will fit this...



...plus my lead guitarist and his SG. I don't want any more capacity or I'll be schlepping the whole band around.

[DerTeufel]

Originally Posted by TheEmptyCell

I know there have been threads on this before, but searching isn't bringing them up (except on the UB side).

My wife and I had our mopeds stolen, so we're in the market for a car; preferably something decent on gas, and unique.

We've found a 1973 VW Super Beetle.

Now that my band is going to start gigging, I'm going to be buying a bigger cab. I've read that you can fit a standard guitar 412 in the back, but I want to know what the biggest cab I can fit in it is.

What kind of car do you drive, and what kind of cabs can fit? Post pics! Fictitious awards for the most cab in the least car!

Sorry to hear about your scooters being stolen..but I would not consider an air cooled VW to be a worthy daily driver (unless you want to have an intimate relationship with it on a frequent basis). If you're set on a VW, get yourself a later model water-cooled VW Rabbit/Jetta/Golf. To echo what so many have already said, a hatchback can swallow a large cab and haul other gear and still carry a passenger.

I have an 02 Honda Civic coupe, and can easily put a 410, my bass, bag of cables and my amp head in the trunk without having to fold down the back seat.

[iualum]

Nissan Titan pickup. Hauls pretty much whatever I want, usually though, just an LDS 215, Mesa 400+, my Valenti J and/or Gretsch Broadkaster, & half a dozen or so pedals. Lots of leftover space.

[TwentyHz]

I am pleased to be able to fit my Hartke full stack, big pedal board, and bass in my little Mazda 2, and still have room for a passenger and 2 small overnight bags!

[sludgelord3000]

I have a 2005 Prius hatchback. I can fit my Sunn 2000s head, matching 2x15 (which is gigantic), a big pedal board and a few basses. And still have room for a passenger. All for 45 mpg.

I can also comfortably fit my upright plus a combo amp.

[aetheldrea]

+1 on the deathtrap comment. I think the airbag laws went into effect in 1992, so anything made after that and you might survive an accident. If you do drive around your beetle for fun, don't do it night.

[spankdaplank]

Back in the day I had an early '70s VW Type III squareback station wagon. With the rear seat folded down I could carry an Ampeg V4B folded horn cab, SVT head, a bass on either side of the cab, and gig bag. As this was a rear engine car there was a small trunk in the front for my suitcase. Plus a passenger seat for the catch o' the day (I was single at the time).
This car had the first generation of electronic fuel injection, so out of necessity I became an "expert" at repiring VW fuel injection.
Thanks for the memories.

[3mrhythm]

I would love to get my hands on a square back.. not too easy to come by in NH. I found one but didn't have the funds at the time.

[boristhespider9]

That car sounds like a money pit!

In any event, if you want a large sounding cab that's light, affordable and takes up little space (and you want to go bigger than a 1x12), I highly recommend the GK NEO 1x15. If you ask Musician's Friend for 20% off, they'll likely give it to you (or at least 15% off). I've used this as a stand-alone cab with a Markbass Little Mark III in large venues without any problem and it's super portable. Sounds better than my 4x10 to me. Man, does it move air in a small package. Pro gear!

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/ampli...peaker-cabinet

Did I mention that car sounds like a money pit?

[Danno1985]

Here's a suitcase Fender Rhodes in the back of my Crown Vic with plenty of room to spare for...whatever else stereotypically goes in the trunk of a big American sedan, haha:

[3mrhythm]

Yeah my 73suitcase isn't even close to fitting in my cabby

[sailorofcheese]

I had a 66 bug that i sold last year. I got plenty of equipment inside. what i did was detach the back rest that folds down in the rear. and you can probably lay down a 4x10 and 1x15 on top of each other. you wont be able to see out your rear window. you might be able to fit more if you take out the front passanger seat. a death trap? yes. but then again I'm a 23 year old dirt poor college student about to graduate. my life is a death trap.

[singlemalt]

A forty year old VW is a toy, something to scratch the hobby itch, spend money on, and drive around once in a while when the weather is nice and it's running.

Why not get something practical like an MGB or a bug eye sprite? Oh, wait you want to drive at night? Nevermind.

I get a fEarful 12/6, 4 space rack, gear bag, and bass in a gig bag in the trunk of a Corolla, all locked up and out of sight. Average 33+ mpg on the highway. This 1995 has over 250K with very little spent on parts or repairs. I've got $3000 in it and driven it over 100K of those miles.

I'd get something made in this century, Toyota, four doors, four cylinder, used but clean.

[4Mal]

Oh jeeze Mark. You gotta be the voice of reason ?! Lord, next thing I'll find you on skis in the lift line :-)

Just buy the V dub, have funwith it and Then buy something that will actually fill the bill. In my situation, it would be the latest Subaru Outback wagon I could afford. No, ot osn't great on gas... Yes it will fit a boat ad of gear. ... And it will climb snowy, icy hills when other stuff won't - provided you pay for good tires... Important point if you live whereI do...

[darius8]

2001 - 2005 Subaru Forester. You can put 2 8x10's in there easy.

[fercorellia]

My "fridge" 8x10 Ampeg travels on the Citroen Picasso of my guitarist. My Renault Laguna can take a 4x12 Marshall with no problem, plus SVT head, bass, etc.
I'll post pictures ASAP.

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by spankdaplank

Back in the day I had an early '70s VW Type III squareback station wagon. With the rear seat folded down I could carry an Ampeg V4B folded horn cab, SVT head, a bass on either side of the cab, and gig bag. As this was a rear engine car there was a small trunk in the front for my suitcase. Plus a passenger seat for the catch o' the day (I was single at the time).
This car had the first generation of electronic fuel injection, so out of necessity I became an "expert" at repiring VW fuel injection.
Thanks for the memories.

Originally Posted by 3mrhythm

I would love to get my hands on a square back.. not too easy to come by in NH. I found one but didn't have the funds at the time.

I had a type III. The fuel injection issues are for real, and ultimately emptied my bank account. Still, great on gas and terrific form factor for gear hauling.

I have another suggestion besides the Elantra Touring. Try finding a Ford Escort Wagon that has had a valve job or is on it's second engine. Should be under $1000. They get ~26 mpg, and can haul as much as my Touring.

I have had two of them. They die at about 110k by dropping a valve into the #4 cyclinder, so you either want one with a rebuilt engine, or with a low mileage junkyard motor.

I recommend a 1996 or 1997 Escort wagon. Skip the earlier ones.

[SnowCal]

In my Ford Escape I sometimes haul a PA. 2 1x18s with dual horns. 1x18 may sound small, but these things are anything but. In cubic inches each one is about double the size of my 2x15 and they crank. Between those two cabs and my 2x15, everything behind the front two seats is filled floor to ceiling. If you look in the windows or open the doors you can't tell that there are cabs in there. Just utter blackness. Next time I load that thing up I'll take some pics for you. It's a perfect fit. Anything any larger and I couldn't fit all three cabs in the SUV. I bet I'm low riding all the way to the show.

[JamesGoodall]

I fit 1 410, 2 412's, 2 full size guitar amp heads, my 8 space rack, 5 drum heads, a massive case for all the drum hardware, two guitars in hardshell cases, my bass, and a small man of about 5'5 in my minivan ('04 toyota sienna) for the band I was in last summer.

Or me and one of the guitarists fit my 410, his 412, my 8 space rack, his valveking, both our axes, and ourselves into his tiny Ford Fox (hatchback). A feat I still take pride in.

[jastacey]

I just got tied of all the smaller cars ...sure there great on gas, but I like several tons of steel around me to protect me from the idiots who drive smaller cars ..... just get a Yukon/Suburban and go lite on the gas and you'll find out they really aren't that bad on the gas miliage ....IMHO