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Has anyone switched from a monster rig to a rig "lite"?

#2
O.K... I switched from a 6 space rack (power conditioner, tuner, Read "Purity" preamp, Stewart 2.1) into a Schroeder 21012, and Schroeder 1210. from taht I am now using only the 1210 (occasionally adding a mini 12 if needed) run by a Focus SA power amp.. and I'm constantly changing between a True-Voice preamp.. an EBS Microbass II, and any other small non rack mounted pre I can get my hands on..

I gained.. easy to load in, load out.. plus the awestruck look of people that wonder where all the sound and tone is coming from..

I lost... a little bit of power that I've only missed once..... and even then it wasn't really needed.. I could hear myself.. the crowd could hear me.. and there wasn't any distortion. OH.. and I lost extra trips from the truck to the stage.

Seriously... I think that bass gear will continue to get lighter, and more powerful.. and soon we will all be carrying a cab in one hand, our "rig" will weigh about 10 lbs in a small bag in the other hand, with our bass in a gig bag over our shoulder.
 
#3
My last three main rigs (with a couple minor variations in between)

2 yrs ago:
Rack:
Hartke HA7000 (2 amp head, 350+350 watts) and HEAVY
Aureal Sonic Maximizer
Furman Power Conditioner
SKB Solid Rack
Prob 65 lbs rack total

Avatar 4x10 and 1x15 cabs

1 yr ago (slightly less)
Rack:
Kustom GB 1200
Sabine RT 7000 Tuner
Gemini Power Conditioner
Gator Rack Bag
Prob 45 - 50 lbs rack total

Avatar
2x10 and 1x12 cabs

Now (Current Rig)
Aguilar AG500SC Head
Gator Rack Bag
24 lbs rack total

Aguilar GS212 4 ohm Cab (or a GS112 if needed for smaller gigs).

Do I miss the bigger rigs??? Hell no! I'm still getting big sound, more than enough for just about anything shy of a stadium and if you are playing anything major big, you have PA support anyway. Do yourself and your back a BIG favor and scale down. Unloading HEAVY gear after a gig at 3 a.m. is NO fun man!
 
#4
I've used a lot of big rigs, and my last was a Bergie HT310 on top of a Bergie HT212. I've been having some back issues for a couple years, and spent a month in the hospital this past summer. :( I no longer use cabinets over 50 pounds, so now I'm very happy with any combination of a Schroeder 1212/ 1210/pair of mini 12's and Bergie HT12's. I've lost some massive, and I mean massive low end, but all my small cabs cut through any mix big time!!
 
#5
Biker4Him said:
O.K... I switched from a 6 space rack (power conditioner, tuner, Read "Purity" preamp, Stewart 2.1) into a Schroeder 21012, and Schroeder 1210. from taht I am now using only the 1210 (occasionally adding a mini 12 if needed) run by a Focus SA power amp.. and I'm constantly changing between a True-Voice preamp.. an EBS Microbass II, and any other small non rack mounted pre I can get my hands on..

I gained.. easy to load in, load out.. plus the awestruck look of people that wonder where all the sound and tone is coming from..

I lost... a little bit of power that I've only missed once..... and even then it wasn't really needed.. I could hear myself.. the crowd could hear me.. and there wasn't any distortion. OH.. and I lost extra trips from the truck to the stage.

Seriously... I think that bass gear will continue to get lighter, and more powerful.. and soon we will all be carrying a cab in one hand, our "rig" will weigh about 10 lbs in a small bag in the other hand, with our bass in a gig bag over our shoulder.
Click to expand...

Hey there Biker, got any pics of any configurations of your rig?
I'd LOVE to see what that's like! I'm looking for a non-rack
preamp right now. And there's definitely a Focus SA in my future!
Of course with a Schroeder 1210.

If no pics, could you explain how your setting up your non-rack rig?
I'm thinking of putting the SA and preamp in a pedal board
along with my wireless and a tuner.
Thanks a bunch!
 
#7
mikemulcahy said:
The question is what did you change to and what did you feel you lost or gained?
Click to expand...

I went away from a rack with a couple 410's to a small amp and a couple single speaker cabs.

I lost the ability to cause involuntary bowel movements in people listening to us play, and the chance to send earth shattering lows throughout my neighborhood.

I gained the ability to have a simple rig that only requires two cables to hook up. I don't need help moving my rig around, and it takes way less time to set up.

-Mike
 
#8
Not yet.. but here's how I set it up.. the 1210 sits one the drummer's right side... I put my Focus SA on top of it, and the True-Voice sits on top of it. (the true-voice will fit inside the front pouch of the padded bag that comes with the SA.. so it's REALLY easy to carry them!!!) then I put the mini 12 on the other side of the drummer and point it towards me. This way I never have a problem hearing myself.. and no one else does either. I also have a Peterson Strobostomp that goes right in front of my on stage.

It's a simple setup... and it's plenty loud.. and plenty punchy with the basses I use.

Yes.. I could be louder and more powerful before... but this rig still cuts through like crazy.. and I still have tons of punch.

Esquillama said:
Hey there Biker, got any pics of any configurations of your rig?
I'd LOVE to see what that's like! I'm looking for a non-rack
preamp right now. And there's definitely a Focus SA in my future!
Of course with a Schroeder 1210.

If no pics, could you explain how your setting up your non-rack rig?
I'm thinking of putting the SA and preamp in a pedal board
along with my wireless and a tuner.
Thanks a bunch!
Click to expand...
 
#9
i switched to a smaller rig after years of hauling around massive cabs and power.
bottom line is you get a better sound for your audience if you have a decent sound system and competent engineer.
as for loosing sound on stage, that decent system includes good monitors and side fills, so that's not an issue.
for me, it was a conscious decision to try to get the best sound for my group, and compliment the music as opposed to trying to be the loudest thing going on. but that's just my current scenario(i don't play for slayer at the moment ;))
i also can get the same quality sound, if not better, out of a rig 1/4th the size and weight of my old rig in '85.
so, i lost nothing, and gained a better mix of the music for my audience.
cheers
dk
 
#10
I was running an Aggie db750 with an Eden 4 X 10 and a LDS 2 X10. I have made the switch to an Eden WT550 with the LDS 2 X 10 and an LDS 2 X 12 on order. I will be reviewing when the whole thing gets put together. But weight and space (looking at a smaller vehicle) forced the change.
 
#11
I'm considering moving from a

Navigator > CA9

to

A TFunk


I'll lose A LOT of power but I'm willing to bet the TFunk will handle anything I'll ever need.


I'm all about the feel and the sound. I also love the sound of my current rig... Tough choices :o
 
#12
I subscribe to the "different horses for different courses" theory, and as such, I float between gargantuan, massive, large, medium, compact, small, and miniscule rigs in an effort to bring the "ideal" rig to a given gig. At least that's one reason which I use to attempt to justify my gear lust. ;)

The advantages of bringing the "right" gig to a rig are several. The most obvious one is the simple fact of fitting the rig to the size of the stage area (and to a lesser extent, the venue as a whole - although if there is no PA support, then this actually becomes the most important factor). Another is the feeling on inner piece knowing that you have brought enough rig to handle the task at hand, but that you have not forced your back to carry "unnecessary" weight by bringing too much rig (this is one that I struggle with... :hmm:). In addition to "how much" rig to bring, I find that when I am working a room that I know well, being able to bring a rig that naturally compensates for the rooms anomalies is helpful (but really, a parametric EQ or two can handle this, too).

Okay, enough rambling. Some examples of the bigger rigs that I have brought would include:



and



A slightly smaller rig:



The smallest rig that I would consider playing a loudish rock gig (with PA support) is a Walter Woods Ultra into a Hevos Midget. Yes, a 1x10, but it is a really, really loud 1x10. For acoustic only jams, the Phil Jones Briefcase gets the nod.

One rig which really hits a sweet spot is a Walter Woods Ultra into two EA VL-208's. I brought this mighty mini rig to a recent benefit, and I was killing other rigs using much larger cabs (there was an 8x10, a guy using two 4x10's, and a 4x10/1x15 setup). The sound guy kinda laughed at it as I was setting up, but then had to come ask me to turn down because I was overpowering the PA! :D

Later, Tom.
 
#14
I've had numerous rigs. I think my largest rig was an 8 space rack with 2X10 and 4X10 cabs. I am now using an Eden WT-550 and a Bergantino HT112.

I have missed the extra power maybe a couple times, but for 95% of my gigs, the little rig is more than enough.

I don't miss anything about the big rig days. Most nights I can load in and out in one trip. I hear myself fine on stand alone gigs, and it works great as a monitor for PA assisted gigs.
 
#17
I rarely get PA support, so the smallest rigs I use are:
1) 2x10/1x15
2) 3x10

Unfortunately I play fairly loud gigs, so I often bring more gear. If that ever changes I'd like to get to the point where I could use the 1x15 alone, or perhaps justify the purchase of a pair of 1x12 cabs.
 
#18
jerry said:
I've used a lot of big rigs, and my last was a Bergie HT310 on top of a Bergie HT212. I've been having some back issues for a couple years, and spent a month in the hospital this past summer. :( I no longer use cabinets over 50 pounds, so now I'm very happy with any combination of a Schroeder 1212/ 1210/pair of mini 12's and Bergie HT12's. I've lost some massive, and I mean massive low end, but all my small cabs cut through any mix big time!!
Click to expand...
I can't imagine more lows than a Bergie 3x10/2x12 stack. :eek: :) But your back should indeed take precedence over your ears.
 
#20
10 years ago, I was using an Ampeg SVT-P preamp, an AC-1600 power amp, and SVT 2-10 & 1-18 speakers, eventually dumping the rack for an old SVT. Five years ago, I was using a Mesa 400+ with a Mesa 2-15 roadready cab, but I soon dumped the cab if favor of a Mesa Deisel 4-10. Now I have a Mesa 400 with an EV B-410 cab, but I'm thinking of dumping the cab in favor of a Genz-Benz neo 2-12, because I'm 41 and live in a 2nd story apartment, and I don't have any back issues yet and don't want any.
 

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