How much should my new amp weigh?

[Ole Rumblekat]

Are the new compact 5 lb. ultra light amps as good as the standard 20 lb. heads? I'm thinking there must be some major differences. I'm moving up to a head and cabinet rig soon, and would appreciate all advice.

[Sav'nBass]

As much as you are willing or able to carry. Read up on some of the lighter heads.. Do a search here. Lots of info. I have a Shuttle.. and I have no issues with mine at all... There are a lot of happy MkBass guys here too.. and now SWR, Fender & GK among others are on the same tip...

[panama]

I didn't know there were standard heads with a standard weight.

[JimmyM]

weight is the last thing i consider when buying new gear, but i must admit that i am really enjoying my micro vr stack, and the head weighs very little. but if the sound wasn't there, it could weigh 3 ounces and i wouldn't want it.

[ezstep]

^^ Agrees with Jimmy again. Go for the sound, then pick it up - not the other way around.

That being said, I have a GBE600 and a Shuttle6.0 that I will NEVER lose. Perfect (for me). I also have a PeaveyMax700 (over 50 pounds) that I leave permanently at the church. Not a bad choice by any means, but certainly not portable as others.

[Ole Rumblekat]

Originally Posted by panama

I didn't know there were standard heads with a standard weight.

Thanks for your time Panama, but I think most people understand the question.

[NecroticImbecil]

How much should my new amp weigh?

Around 100 lbs.

[Munjibunga]

Dunno. Ask your back.

[coreyfyfe]

Originally Posted by Ole Rumblekat

I'm thinking there must be some major differences.

Those little featherweights use things like this to keep down the weight and bring on the power. Usually they have pretty transparent tone in the power section but much like larger solid state heads, or any head for that matter, the sound is not necessarily inherent to the type of topography but to the voicing of the amp itself.

[anonymous101511]

the lightweight amps sound like crap, just saying.

[lukelogandennis]

Originally Posted by vail_bass

the lightweight amps sound like crap, just saying.

Wrong.

[anonymous101511]

I've played every one commercially available in the US and all the lightweight amps are mushy, muddy, slow, and dirty when pushed a bit. In other words, they all sound like crap for me.
You can like whatever you want, I have my own opinion.

[GrowlerBox]

Originally Posted by vail_bass

I've played every one commercially available in the US and all the lightweight amps are mushy, muddy, slow, and dirty when pushed a bit. In other words, they all sound like crap for me.
You can like whatever you want, I have my own opinion.

Indeed you do have your own opinion, and given your penchant for such crass generalisations, I'm sure you'll understand when it's just as roundly ignored.

[DanNowhere]

It usually works out to about 1 lb. per watt, but it's a lot lighter if you do it in metric watts.

[JimmyM]

vail mixing it up yet again! love it! hey, vail may have strong opinions, but he's one of the best bassists in the business, so respek!

some people do believe that. i have a buddy who owns a pa rental business and refuses to use class d amps because he feels the same way about them. there does seem to be a certain something missing out of them that you get with the iron power transformers. some have taken to calling it "whomp." i think that's a good technical term to describe it. there's something about the way the dynamics work in the micros that they don't quite capture. like they're slightly compressed or being held back or something.

tonally, though, i think the micros i like sound way better than any other ss or hybrid heads i've ever played, and a handful sound downright tubey. unlike vail, i've never liked solid state amps so i don't mind trading off a little of that compressed feeling for the tones they can get. and i like mushy my micro vr/210av mic'ed in the pa sounds remarkably like my full size svt/810 in the pa, and i never got that out of any full sized ss or hybrid amp i ever used. but i can understand why some don't dig them. tonally they're there, but the whomp factor still needs some work.

[GrowlerBox]

All respect to the guy's playing, and I certainly don't flatter myself that my remark will be of any consequence to him .

I take him at his word that he's played every lightweight amp commercially available in the US and therefore even on that score alone vastly more experienced than I, but even the few I've played can't all be lumped together in the "muddy, mushy, slow, dirty" mould. Even when they're pushed. A bit. I guess it depends what you mean by "a bit." Everything has its limitations, but there seems to be huge gains in the outputs of these amps in recent times -- Genz Benz, for example, and the new TCE Blacksmith (I don't know if you'd count that as a lightweight, but 1600 W out of 12 kg/26 lb is a pretty good ratio). I don't know from "whomp", but it sounds dangerously like one of those terms that means whatever you want it to.

Anyhow, no disrespect intended.

[willsellout]

Originally Posted by GrowlerBox

I take him at his word that he's played every lightweight amp commercially available in the US and therefore even on that score alone vastly more experienced than I,

Why would you take anyone at their word? This is the internet.

but even the few I've played can't all be lumped together in the "muddy, mushy, slow, dirty" mould. Even when they're pushed.

You and 95% of players on this board feel the exact same.

Anyhow, no disrespect intended.

Meh, respect is earned, not given. Anyone who lumps entire spectrums of audio gear into one tidy box definitely doesn't earn my respect, regardless of playing ability. You want respect? Show the ability to have an opinion based on real world observations, not obvious bias and hyperbole.

In the end though...who cares what anyone else thinks. Go try the heads out and play what sounds good to you.

[JimmyM]

box, sorry man, i wasn't telling you to respek. i was just paying my own respeks while noting his ability to work folks up.

anyway, whomp is a pretty nebulous concept until you've ab'd a micro and a tube amp side by side through the same cab with a band. then it becomes apparent when you dig in hard that there's something not quite there in the micro. i've read up on it a little, and i believe it's called "burst power," which as i understand it, is the ability to handle peaks and translate them accurately to the speakers. when i dig in using an svt, i feel every little nuance. but with a micro, the outer reaches of my digging in feel slightly compressed. that's what i mean by whomp.

[GrowlerBox]

Originally Posted by willsellout

In the end though...who cares what anyone else thinks. Go try the heads out and play what sounds good to you.

Ne'er a truer word. Did that, lovin' the new RH450. Unfortunately, no more gigs to try it on 'til the end of the month, but it's a nice busy March....

And yes, respect is earned, but so is disrespect, and I'm not sure Vail's comment warranted that, if my remarks were taken so. Peace out, brothers and sisters!

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by vail_bass

the lightweight amps sound like crap, just saying.

Pfffft. This from a guy who has 208 posts and likes Kenny G. You need to come over and hear my GB Shuttle 9.0 and Berg AE212.