Anyone else NOT into lightweight mini rigs?

[Plutonium244]

Obviously, nuttin' wrong with either preference. Also no reason to get bent because someone states their preference; of course we can have both, we're just here discussing what our preferences are, not what is objectively "better."

I like big AND small, AB AND D. I play enough smaller gigs that, hellllll ya, mini rig is essential. Everything from One10 + MB200 to Super Bassman and Four10, or MBF800 over Barefaced 12's. But, even my big rig involves lightweight cabinets; and the heavy stuff only comes out when called for, or when I just feel like it. Otherwise, being a working musician, efficiency in tools of the trade is pretty important. I like bringing out the 65 pound Super Bassman, but not every time I have a gig to play.

 

[Plutonium244]

I don't like mini rigs either.
IMHO an amp that weighs less than 4 lbs and speaker cabs that weigh less than 30 lbs are useless!
That's where I draw the line.

Depends on the amp, and the cab. If you think a 29 pound cab is useless, try a Barefaced Big Baby 2. Now, with an "average" brand, a small cab would perhaps be a compromise in sound; not with the good stuff. And, my 5 pound GK MBF800 is also hardly useless. I do keep some heavy stuff at home that works fine there, but at 100 pounds for a 4x10 and average sound quality, it isn't going with me to the gig. Stationary, the implication of its gravitational attraction to the mass of the earth means little.

 

[agedhorse]

"Made in USA" has always meant bigger and better than the rest of the world - automobiles, trucks, aircraft, ships, tanks, bulldozers, bombs, interspace rockets, skyscrapers, hi-fi's, bass amps, speakers and national debt - to name just a few.

Seems like the lightweight bass gear fans have given up and are becoming like everyone else - is a pity

Big rigs give me all the exercise I need - saves going to the gym

"Yeah, big rigs are cool, man!"

Ummmm, maybe you are not aware that the US was (and maybe still is) the world leader in miniaturization, specifically in medical, aerospace and semiconductors?

 

[Killens84]

In 2017 (nearly 2018), I don’t feel like class D amps and neo cabs are lacking anymore. I feel that my Mesa Subway D-800+ and Subway 112/115/115 stack can match any of the heavy rigs in terms of girth, heft, depth, punch, clarity, etc. There have been some amazing engineers as of late, innovating and developing these great modern rigs that can now do what the heavy rigs have always done.

 

[BadExample]

I can put two Ampeg SVT HLF 4 x 10 's in the back seat of my cadillac..bass amp and rack and cables in the trunk..my good looking girlfriend and I are in the front seats having a big time..life is good..I sometimes use more cabs..when I do that..I have a small pull behind trailer..easy livin'..

I tried the two 4-10's in the back, but eventually went to 3 12" Subs (2 get up to 60 Hz or so and 1 get 60 or so to 80 or 100 Hz), 2 10" bass woofers, 2 10" midbass woofers (same as bass woofs, just fed a different freq range), 2 6" mids, 2 6x9 full ranges in the front doors, and a pair of soft dome tweeters on the dash. I had other tweeters I took out because it was too tweety. Now the back seat is open for use, but almost never sees a butt.

 

[Cheez]

 

[Marko 1]

I see guys all the time telling me they like the sound of the bass and at least one person a month comes up and asks about the 5 strings.

More people notice us than we think, even though most of them won't bother to walk 10 yards to tell us. . . . but many do notice. In the end it's our job to make them notice. If they don't we're not trying hard enough.

The most important people to impress with our tone and playing is the band. If they like what we are doing then they play better and the audience always notices that.

Last gigging project I was in, it was just one guitar, bass and drums (plus frontman, very vocals-oriented band) so I was not buried behind others, and super busy (per guitarist's request) to keep the sound full (guitarist was also good at keeping the sound full). I got LOTS of compliments, handshakes, etc, so yeah, people notice.

 

[otp57]

Everywhere I look people praise the tiny class D gear, leightweight neo speakers, their rigs that fit into a handbag. Some old rockers stand strong to their SVT with their 8x10 for rocker reasons. But honestly - isn't there anyone around who just likes a big fat iron transformer and a big bad speaker in a massive cabinet that reeeeally moves some air, that you can physically feel when you play it and handles all the heavy low-end you could ever possibly want? I mean, come on! Who needs that tiny little mini poopie anyway when you can really rattle some bones instead? Just saying...

Ok so you want to move some Air I clock a tiny little mini poopie class d amp at over a 160db and move AIR.
I am not going to say what brand it is but it is one of the good ones.
To me that is MOVING AIR ,PEOPLE,KING KONG ETC.
It is not what, but how the amp and speakers are made.
But I must say I do like a big xformer in my amps

 

[Joedog]

To each their own. Now get off my lawn!

 

[Acoop]

Depends, which one you're buying I think. ... Most stages are small these days so a small, 1x12" quality cab and head, I like TC, Aguliar and EA and would love a Bergantino, makes a lot more sense than a 8x10 cab you can't stand far enough away from to hear it correctly. ... A quality D-class amp should sound great just plugged in with tone controls run flat. ... A lot of the class D's leave me feeling flat so, they're not all the same.

 

[pomegranesis]

To each their own. Now get off my lawn!

FWIW, my rig MUST weigh as much as a bus or else my crops wither and my livestock dies.

 

[benneunsinger]

Everywhere I look people praise the tiny class D gear, leightweight neo speakers, their rigs that fit into a handbag. Some old rockers stand strong to their SVT with their 8x10 for rocker reasons. But honestly - isn't there anyone around who just likes a big fat iron transformer and a big bad speaker in a massive cabinet that reeeeally moves some air, that you can physically feel when you play it and handles all the heavy low-end you could ever possibly want? I mean, come on! Who needs that tiny little mini poopie anyway when you can really rattle some bones instead? Just saying...

Nothing wrong with Class D. Honestly for most gigs unless you play super loud music all you really need is a 2x10. I use a 4x10 but I just like pushing a bit of air and really getting the setup to growl and punch as needed. A 1x15 can work but I think they lack a bit of definition.

I prefer running a GK 700RB-II into a Trace Elliot 4x10.

I would like to experiment with a lighter more portable amp though, but they just don't have the grunt

 

[HertzWhenIPlay]

I like having both.

 

[bassdude51]

Obviously, this guy's not into light weight mini rigs!

 

[Manticore]

BTW, I should point out that I have never obsessed over tone. I try out gear, I either like it or I don't, if I don't, I move on and try something else, and if I do, I generally stop looking. People who obsess over their tone need to practice more if they want better tone.

Festivals and fly-in gigs taught me quickly how to get a serviceable tone out of just about anything. Obviously if you're buying, you'll want to be more selective. If you can't get what you really want out of a rig within a few minutes, move on to the next one.

 

[Manticore]

Three pages in and nobody has mentioned that the air volume displacement of modern high-end speakers easily bests older designs. A modern cab that's whole lot smaller and lighter can absolutely move just as much air as something spine-shattering from the 70s.

The rigs from the '60s and '70s did the best they could with the technology available. The world has moved on and we have lighter, more versatile gear now. Still, the easiest way to achieve the sound from back in the day is to use vintage gear. The Academy of Saint Martin in the Fields uses vintage instruments to achieve the sound of a specific era as well, but their gear doesn't weigh hundreds of pounds.

 

[rtslinger]

I still have and love my 1975 Svt to me nothing sounds better, however the reality is I no longer have roadies on the payroll moving two 80 something pound amp heads and 3, 8*10 cabinets for me so, in order to continue playing live and enjoying the experience of playing bass, I have move on to a class D amp in combination with a amp modeling pedal set to SVT, I can get close enough to satisfy my need for that tone. Lastly my damaged back thanks me every day.
the old saying goes, when life hands you grapes you make wine

 

[StatesideRambler]

It's melancholy to read so little on TB about working out ways to blend with the rest of the band so the audience gets a great earful. Too many of you are only interested in "my sound." Nothing makes me happier than to nail it with the band and to hear, "Man, you guys are tight!" from someone who's there for the show.

 

[bassdrop]

Lightweight vs heavy rigs are not binary; and all things are not usually equal. It is nice to have options to meet individual requirements, especially when those requirements change over time. I think it speaks for itself that so many players would opt for, say, an SVT on a provided backline but there is a lot of convenience to having a lightweight rig as well. I've had this debate with my bandmates and I think it was settled when we played two gigs in the same night—one with a Class D amp and one with my tube head into the same cab. The latter rig just sounded "better" and was more inspiring to play, so that's what I will play until I can't manage it anymore. But at the point where I can no longer manage the heavy gear, I can always opt for that lightweight rig and at least still be playing with a pretty decent tone. That is definitely a plus for both sides.

 

[LCAirPasta]

There's something to be said for the look you get when you lug an 8x10 ampeg cab with a Fender Bassman 300 on top into a room. I remember playing a smaller venue and hearing some older gentleman compliment me by saying "now THAT'S an amp!".