Where to rehouse my amp head?
 

Hey all, how's it going.
I have a great Mesa Boogie Buster Bass 200 combo amp, and It's the nicest sounding amp I've ever played through IMHO. The only issue though it that it's RIDICULOUSLY heavy. I mean, I'm 18 and this thing seriously kills my back every time I need to move it around for a gig.
I'm looking to get it rehoused into a lighter cab, but I don't know where to start or who to ask.
If any of you know someone who can do this or can direct me in the right direction I'd really appreciate it.
Thanks,
Gabe

Most of the weight is in the amp chassis and speaker so that isn't going to change much if you got a cab made out of a lighter material. At least now you can wheel it around which makes moving it easier.

Having a custom built speaker enclosure and head cabinet is going to be pretty expensive.

Its not really the cabinet as much as the amplifier transformers and the speaker. this is where much of the weight comes from.

As separate loads the amp and cab is not to bad, since they are connected as a combo then you have no choice.

and yes tube combos with large ceramic drivers thrown in are very heavy.

newest way to lighten things is to use 1/2 plywood instead of 3/4 and brace the heck out of it.

but if you want it rehoused as a combo again a lighter housing wont really change the weight much. because no matter what your stuck with heavy transformers and speakers.

neo speakers could shave 10 to 15 pounds.
that is about it, i would not want lighter plywood being used in a combo because it supports the weight of the head as well.

maybe hit the gym, your 18 and could bulk up pretty quick, chicks dig it too :D

otherwise rehouse as a head and seperate cabinet then lighter wood could used for the cab only, again the very desired EV speakers it comes with are very desired and.....heavy. lighter wood wont change that much.

Thanks for the help, guys. I had a hunch that most of the weight came from the amp, but I didn't want to accept it.

I'll see what I can do, but how much generally would it cost to rehouse the head and maybe buy a different cab for it?

Perhaps a neo driver AND a different cab would shed some pounds. But just putting the same speaker and amp into a different cab won't help much.

As for who does it? Here's a start.
http://www.lowdownsound.com/

Wow, only 18 and already facing the Tube Snob Crossroads. Breaks my heart to see it happen so young.

I have the same amp and ran into the same situation with the awkward wedge shaped thing. I decided to remove the head for more versatility (since I have various/various sized cabs) and easier/more delicate transport.

I actually dig the wedge cab as just a cab, has a nice midrange voicing and is loud enough for a lot of stuff. Since it came with a 6" speaker wire and I didnt feel like doing some routing project on it to put a proper jack in there I just installed a longer speaker wire and put the male end back on it.

I got quotes from various places and it was like $300-400 for a professional job to get a case made. A zillion years later I finally finished making this (don't have a pic of it loaded right now... can't find my camera).



I wouldnt rebuild the cab enclosure. That's some precision work and the original heavy construction is part of the tone.

JJ long plates in the preamp are great for Buster!. :bassist:

I would sell it those amps are legendary and separating the head and cab still yields the same weight and pairing the head with a different cab may or may not sound the same? sounds like you want a lighter setup.

Awesome! That looks great man, i definitely could not do it myself, and $400 would be way too much for me. I guess the weight is a small price you have to pay for a killer sounding amp.

I got a really good deal on it actually, only $600 and the thing was in great condition. I feel like it was worth a lot more. :ninja:

You're right. I shouldn't have picked the best sounding amplifier for my playing style, that would be idiotic.
Any recommendations?

You lift bro?

Get a nice dolly and some help with deadlifts?

Hmm I can carry it just fine thanks, just every gig I play there is always a steep set of stairs and it takes some time (I'm sure you take a long time getting up the stairs too, amp or no amp :smug:).

Oh, a wiseass, eh? Well you're lucky that was funny ;) But at age 51, I just ordered a new SVT and 810e, and at age 18 you're looking to lighten your load from an amp that doesn't weigh nearly as much, so I wouldn't be challenging any old folks to a race up stairs any time soon if I were you!

Don't mean to be rude or offend, just putting in my two cents, you know how it is :D
I'm wondering- how much does the amp weigh by itself, and the cab?