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) I traveled around the country hauling more damn heavy gear of the day than I care to remember. And when I was back home I was involved in the family business of antiques, hauling solid oak furniture. I also worked out with free weights regularly.
what the what?
Let me tell you what the "special vibe" to a wall of speakers is to the average gigging around town bass player. It's called sitting on top of your rig because there's no stage space. It's called taking an hour to pack up after a gig in the wee hours of the morning. It's called fighting with the sound guy about your volume level for every gig. It's called having him turn you down in the house and your monitor. And it's called being ignored and unheard if one happens to be a bass player in a rock band...Unless you're on that magical short list of rock bass players anyone knows or cares about. Big speakers do not equal big cajones. And drunk head bangers or drunk clubbers or drunk jazz snobs don't care about your rig. They really don't.
If you're lucky that one squirrely dude in the corner who's not been dancing but eyeballing you all night, may come up and gush over your speakers, because he's a bass player. But then he's usually mohlered up, too.
Yeah, that was a typo-meant to say "those of us for more speakers."
And Matt, it couldn't hurt to try a fEarful or three.
If this were true, I'd be doing it, but I have yet to hear any modern equipment that sounds like the old monster cabs and huge amps do.
I don't care what the crowd or soundman thinks of my rig. More often than not we've played places where we never need a single bit of PA support. Telling the soundguy he can take a break because we're about to crush everyone in the room without his PA usually isn't a problem. We have more problems with venues letting us fill their room with fog than we do getting them to let us play at the volume we want. And do you think we're not playing for crowds into our style of music? It's not like we ask to be on quiet coffee shop gigs and show up with a mountain of bass gear. We play appropriate venues, with other heavy bands, although we are definitely the loudest heavy band in our area. But that's the point of this genre of music. Volume and vibrations so intense it makes everyone in the room zone out. If it runs some people out (which it rarely has) it's nothing to us.
My rig is about 8 feet wide. Drummer sits to the left of it...
And for what it's worth, it takes us about the same time to set up as it does any other band. Drummer always sets his stuff up as much as he can somewhere else in the venue, and as far as my rig, three of my cabs are on the floor and I only have to lift two and then stack the three amps in the middle. Hooking everything up is a breeze since I know what cords go where and can almost do it with my damn eyes closed.
And so everyone knows, who may not know or understand. What most people in this thread have said is "big" is my "too small" in the genres of music I play. Absolutely massive air movement is a must. Sometimes while playing, my vision blurs from the soundwaves hitting me to give you an idea of how loud I'm talking. It's not negotiable for us, it's part of our show. My friend Ashley who isn't even into our genre of music said seeing us live is like getting a full body massage. And that's the point.
So if I'm an extreme case and rarely run into trouble doing what I do... then what the hell is the problem with the guys here running tube amps into 2x15's or 8x10's?
Your right is someone elses wrong and this applies everyone here including myself.
yes, let's tie a bow on it with YOUR SIDE getting the last word, right? what a load of crap! i'm 48 and i moved an svt 810 around for the first 20 years of my pro career constantly and i am neither anywhere close to deaf, nor do i have any back issues. the worst i have is a sore sholder from playing too-heavy basses. the deafness thing is always a concern, and that's why i never blast too loud. but even if you do, you can always wear earplugs. but as far as the lifting, i not only moved the 810, but i also moved giant pa, and i worked moving furniture and pianos and organs, plus i spent 3 years at ups in my early 30's. still have not had one day's worth of back pain.
let's tie a bow on this issue. Moving air is great, feeling the volume fine, lugging 200-300lb is fine if it's your bag. Those are subjective issues.
If a person wants to be crippled by 40 that's their business. If a person wants to be deaf by 35 that's their business. These aren't subjective opinions. These are distinct and real possibilities.
IMO I think most of us want to be able to perform our music for as long as we want and be able to come and go on our own terms, not the terms that infirmary or handicap or dictates.
I learned this lesson in a band with an excellent drummer about 5 years my senior when I was about 21...He at that age, had severe tinitis and complained constantly about the ringing in his ears...I knew I didn't want that to be me. I'm 34 now and still have my hearing and I exercise regularly and still have my health. You can always buy smaller more efficient equipment, you can't buy back a new spine or ears or hips or knees....
I mean if you like surgery and plastic in your joints, by all means have at it...
Way different than a V4B, so not really any downsizing option there unless you are doing modeling.
