Weight Problems with my amp =( advice please

dumelow · #1 03-28-2010, 02:03 PM

I have an old Marshall DBS 72410 combo... it sounds fantastic but it weighs 65 kg or something like that, its rediculous. Im trying to think about how to battle the weight problem. I came up with these possibilities and wondered if anyone could tell me which would be the best thing to do.

A - Rackmount the head and buy a lightweight cab to go with it.
Im not 100% sure whether this can be done but the head of the combo is just a DBS 7200 head i think, which are actually rackmountable, but I dont know anything about racks and wouldnt know which to buy, and then would it sound totally different through a lightweight cab??

B - Replace the speakers in the combo with lightweight ones
Would this make much of a difference to the weight of the thing? And can I put any 10" speakers into the combo?

or C - Sell it and buy a lighter rig which is all well and good but the DBS sounds fantastic and id probably only be looking at putting around £400 with whatever I make selling the marshall, so probably cant afford something as good as the DBS

What are your thoughts? People who gig regularly with heavy amps, how do you make light work of lugging your gear around?

Selta · #2 03-28-2010, 02:16 PM

My band is just helpful with gear all around. We all help each other load in / load out, so it's no issue that I have an 80 some odd pound head and a light 60 some odd pound cab. When I get home, I just make a couple of trips and do it. For me, it's part of the job.

SirGrotius · #3 03-28-2010, 02:19 PM

I'd sell that bad boy and invest in a lighter, and probably more expensive amp. If you're already having weight problems I can't see how they'll get any better. If anything you might tweak your back at some point and that's the beginning of the end.

I don't think you need to get carried away with how loud the thing is too, because if you're playing out you can always hook up to the PA system and sometimes that's more balanced anyway.

dumelow · #4 03-28-2010, 02:46 PM

thinking about the whole choosing a new amp adventure does make me slightly giddy

Jeff Scott · #5 03-28-2010, 03:50 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dumelow

thinking about the whole choosing a new amp adventure does make me slightly giddy

There is a cure for that, you know?

aledeville · #6 03-28-2010, 04:15 PM

That's the way it is.
The light heads out there weight about 2kg and the cab (410) is around 25kg. Easy moveable with one hand.

Mike19 · #7 03-28-2010, 04:17 PM

Sell the overweight rig and buy a lightwieght one. Your back will thank you for it.

carlos840 · #8 03-28-2010, 04:57 PM

I would say that if you really love the sound that much, get one of those

http://www.amazon.co.uk/Wolfcraft-TS...9817027&sr=1-2

And start going to the gym...

mike costelow · #9 03-28-2010, 08:35 PM

Carvin bx500 with 2 carvin brx210's would be a great modular rig! stack 210's vertically for big rig(LOUD!) or use one cab for small scale rig(Still damn loud!).I really dig the brx's and so far really dig the bx500.Lightweight, powerful,good tone!

seedokebass · #10 03-28-2010, 10:50 PM

I always get help with my cab, mainly because I have to! That 4x12 ain't gonna move itself

If light weight is what you need, you'll hear a lot of recommendations for Markbass. I have one of their 750 watt heads that weighs 7.5 lbs / 3.4 kg!

Munjibunga · #11 03-28-2010, 10:59 PM

Well, if you're dead set on keeping the amp, I'd go with A. Then buy a Neo 410 of some brand. But if it were me, I'd sell the whole rig and get something lighter and better, both of which shouldn't be too hard to find.

dhomer · #12 03-29-2010, 02:14 AM

Two wheel hand truck is your friend.. You'll find out the rest of the band wants to use it, too...

lowfreq33 · #13 03-29-2010, 02:45 AM

You could replace the speakers with NEOs, and it would cut the weight a decent bit, but maybe not enough to make a difference to your back. You could maybe cut 10-15 pounds off (sorry, I'm a yank and don't know my metric weight conversions too well).

NEO's also have a slightly different tone, so there's a chance you may not like how they sound with your head.

i_got_a_mohawk · #14 03-29-2010, 05:07 AM

Lowfreq33, 1Kg = ~2.2lbs, 1lb = ~0.45Kg, so if it's 65Kg it'll be about 140lbs.

To the OP, the sound is influenced by both the amplifier and the speakers, so changing one or the other will impact your sound.

The DBS amp's are great, and unless something popped up at a steal of a price (Best one I remember seeing was a Marshall VBA400 + VBC412 (400 watt tube amp with a 4x12 bass cab), in brand new condition on ebay for £500 (buy it now!) ).

Thought about getting a cart or something if it's that much of a problem?

Or, you could always just start going to the gym, but, I don't know if you're 17 or 71, and knowing the age spread on these forums, it could be anywhere within that +/- 10 or so years

! (but then again, I'm one of those people who isn't fussed with the heavy load out, it gives the sound I want, which is what matters most)

Edit - Also, make sure you're lifting with your legs!

dixie1983 · #15 03-29-2010, 01:50 PM

I have a DBS rig, and yes it is really heavy but damn it sounds good. I was using an ashdown rig before which was lighter but the Marshall rig just is amazing. Anyway I gig with it about twice a week and we have a 5th member........The sack truck. And in general a really helpful bunch of lads, so lugging it in and out is always fairly good. Also yes the DBS head is rack mountable. :-)

dumelow · #16 03-29-2010, 07:48 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by dixie1983

I have a DBS rig, and yes it is really heavy but damn it sounds good. I was using an ashdown rig before which was lighter but the Marshall rig just is amazing. Anyway I gig with it about twice a week and we have a 5th member........The sack truck. And in general a really helpful bunch of lads, so lugging it in and out is always fairly good. Also yes the DBS head is rack mountable. :-)

It is? thats awesome. I know nothing about racks. Would I need a standard 19" 3u unit do you know???

Also, once rackmounted, its 200w into 4ohm right? So when choosing a cab to run it into I would be best off getting another 4x10" 4ohm around 400w right?

OldBaldyBassGuy · #17 03-29-2010, 08:01 PM

I just canned my SWR amp and JBL-loaded Music Man cab for a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 and ordered two Neo 115 cabs from Flite Cabs in CT just for the reasons you mentioned. Not getting any younger but still playing quite a bit and the stairs seem more daunting w/heavier gear. Yes, my bandmates give the ol' guy a hand, but an amp that weighs less than 4 lbs and cabs at 20 lbs ea, I feel I can do my own hauling and not need a sherpa for help, like usual..