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Anyone else NOT into lightweight mini rigs?
- Thread starter Rambazamba
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- lightweight mini
I plugged into one of those at GC and liked it quite a bit. I was really surprised how good it sounded for the price/usability.
I liked mine so much that this is the 2nd I've owned - kept my eyes out for a deal on one after I flipped the first... Even though I have much more expensive rigs at home, I gigged the Rumble 200 Combo last weekend and it did great - so convenient!!! Tilt it back, and they give a nice blend of warmth with clarity...
Give me small and light any day. The smaller and lighter the better as long as it's loud and still moves air.
I've used small rigs that sound real good, and they're very nice, but I don't really have any more room for them...
If I didn't still mind hauling big, heavy gear, I'd still own all that crap. I'm in my late 50's. Those days are over. I'm also NOT a rocker so I never needed the 'image'. More power to those who still rock the old stuff.
Oh, and yeah, I tore a bicep tendon last year lifting heavy crap. So yeah, Class D and lightweight cabs for me from now on.
Oh, and yeah, I tore a bicep tendon last year lifting heavy crap. So yeah, Class D and lightweight cabs for me from now on.
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I'm still waiting for a REAL miraculous breakthrough that defies the laws of physics as we know them! All I ask for is a 5 kilogram rig that fits in a laptop bag, and can put out 130dB @ 1 Meter, with ±0.5 dB flat response from 20Hz-25Khz...
Hey, does anyone remember those flat-panel speakers that were gonna let you haul your whole PA in a briefcase?
Hey, does anyone remember those flat-panel speakers that were gonna let you haul your whole PA in a briefcase?
Together or separately?
Well, you basically called them crap, even though you posted an emoticon.Was it really so bad?
Seriously, an emoticon? That's a topic of discussion in itself!
Turnaround
Commercial User
Just came off two back-to-back gigs in very different settings. In both cases I was using lightweight gear - class D amp with a preamp in pedal format that both fit into a small suitcase along with all the cables power cords, my iPad, iPad mount and microphone. I used a cab I carried upstairs in one hand. At one venue the cab was flapping my pants and sounded huge. The audience was impressed with the bass sound. In the second venue the boom was crazy and I had to turn down below what I customarily use. Neither was a large venue. In a large venue I will be feeding FOH and then the audience won't be hearing my rig.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...
So now I don't understand the need for a big rig. On New Years I will be playing a gig to an audience of about 40,000 people. The contract says that I need to supply my own backline. I won't be doing that. The sound company has good gear and I will ask them to provide me with two monitors - one for the vocals and the band mix, and the other for my bass. If the band wants more on-stage bass volume I will ask for a larger side-fill monitor on the far side of the stage. I'm not lugging anything larger than my bass case to the gig.
Been there done that ain't going back! For the sake of my back....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...
I used to lug the big iron all the time but finally figured well I'm getting up there and the joints aren't as good as they used to be and sometimes my lower back hurts the next day after I lug the big stuff so I gave in and settled on these little things:
Players who use ankle blasters for rigs tend to be sensitive
. Incidentally I played through a GK class D with two 112 cabs rig yesterday in a little club at a jam that sounded great. Would I trade my SVT(s) for one because it's a hell of a lot easier to move, well..... no.
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i lift my rigs a lot.
heavy stuff gets old fast.
i 100% think any modern bass player that gigs all the time is nuts for using any amp that weighs more then 8-10 pounds. any markbass amp, genzler, and certinaly my new favorite the genzler D-800, move all the air you need.
cabinets, however, i see the value in the oldchool technology. neo speakers are nice, and really can sound great, but i don't think they'll ever sound better than the heavy duty stuff.
heavy stuff gets old fast.
i 100% think any modern bass player that gigs all the time is nuts for using any amp that weighs more then 8-10 pounds. any markbass amp, genzler, and certinaly my new favorite the genzler D-800, move all the air you need.
cabinets, however, i see the value in the oldchool technology. neo speakers are nice, and really can sound great, but i don't think they'll ever sound better than the heavy duty stuff.
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...
Not me, 2 Eden 210 cabs, one xlt, one xst, Navi pre-amp with a WT-1250 stero power amp. More than enough oomph for upto playing in 15 piece bands outdoors. Might lack a little sand in the pants with a power trio playing ambiently with no FOH support and a ridiculously loud guitarist ( one of the reasons I carry cable cutters for that second open back cab if you get my drift) but other than that, the rig will take on a lot of comers.
Actually, I’m the one getting old fast.. my rig is fine..lol!
Oh hell yes. Who doesn't? But the micro heads do all that too.
I'm getting ready to do a gear purge, so I had to do a shootout of my old and new rigs a couple of weeks ago.
Old rig:
BBE BMAX
QSC USA900
SWR Goliath I
New rig:
Markbass 800
(2) SWR Golight 15s
They don't really sound too different. I was quite surprised. Thought they would.
For bass guitar, I use a 4x10 and 2x15, with 700W bi-amp head, old heavy Hartke rig. I absolutely love it. I've compared it with smaller stuff, and just haven't heard anything that is as powerful, rich, and clear. My load-in and out is like 10 minutes, which includes enjoying a beer and stopping for conversation. But small efficient rigs are cool too. I'd like to have a small but powerful combo for my upright, so I'm watching the trends.
I used to carry a QSC MX-1500 and an Eden WP-100 into 2 Eden 4x10's. It moved some SERIOUS air. I needed a pickup truck to haul it all around. Then I moved to a small class D rig and guess what--it moves some SERIOUS air.
And I get to drive a smaller vehicle that gets way more mileage, is more reliable, and has a way better stereo than my old truck. And I set up and break down in under five minutes. And I don't blow breakers at the venue when I turn my bass rig on. And the new (-ish) bass rig has a feature set that totally suits my needs. I truly don't miss the old one for even one second.
And I get to drive a smaller vehicle that gets way more mileage, is more reliable, and has a way better stereo than my old truck. And I set up and break down in under five minutes. And I don't blow breakers at the venue when I turn my bass rig on. And the new (-ish) bass rig has a feature set that totally suits my needs. I truly don't miss the old one for even one second.
