Appreciation for modern equipment

[evs]

I’ve been gigging for about 30 years in cover bands.

I remember the struggle at the end of my gigs loading the heavy equipment at the end of a big night.
I mainly used 4x10’s back then.
They weighed a lot and were awkward to load.

Nowadays I play in a band that typically pulls around 100 people into medium sized venues.

On Friday night we had the 2 guitars, vocals and electric drums into the PA.
The bass wasn’t in the PA as we found it sounded better coming direct from the cab in this venue.
The bass sounded full and perfect.

It surprised me that I was able to fill the space with just my 2x10 cab and a 500w head.
Total weight of both cab and amp is under 30lbs.

While I know volume knob positions are not linear, in this case the volume was at 9 o’clock position for the gig.
That really did surprise me.

It’s crazy to me how far we’ve come.
We live in a great age for bass equipment!

I know there are many who love big rigs, heavy rigs etc and that is awesome.

Just wanted to share my appreciation for what we can do with modern equipment.

Crappy pics from friday:

 

[SJan3]

I'll bite. I wholeheartedly agree. I'm older at 68 with some chronic health problems and light gear is a must for me. But I feel no compromise. My class D amps and neo cabinets sound great! I feel I've lost nothing tonally from heavy iron. I know there are those hard core loyalists who think (in their brain) that today's technology can't compete with trad amps from yesteryear.
When I was a babe, I thought heavy=good!
Then I grew up and wisdom prevailed.

 

[evs]

Forgot to mention that it was a 4ohm cab that I’ve got

 

[evs]

I'll bite. I wholeheartedly agree. I'm older at 68 with some chronic health problems and light gear is a must for me. But I feel no compromise. My class D amps and neo cabinets sound great! I feel I've lost nothing tonally from heavy iron. I know there are those hard core loyalists who think (in their brain) that today's technology can't compete with trad amps from yesteryear.
When I was a babe, I thought heavy=good!
Then I grew up and wisdom prevailed.

I’m still fit and can lift heavy things.
However I can imagine how much of a relief it must be, to be able to have todays gear available for those that can’t lift heavy stuff, but still require power and tone

 

[J Wilson]

I could still move 215's, folded 18's, etc., like I did in the old days.

But why would I want to? I can think of none of my previous amps that would be toneful enough to prompt me to lug any of those old beasts around today. Cars don't have chrome bumpers and carburetors, I got rid of my 8-tracks, and the world and myself have moved on. I don't miss having to own a van or a pickup just to be able to haul my rig around any more.

But past that, most of them were just crappy amps, farting, noisy monsters that would run out of steam way too easily, and in a way I resented having to buy a preamp/power amp rig just so I could hear myself properly and maintain tone and performance IF I really had to be loud. And I often did back then.

 

[Marko 1]

Sweet rig for sure.

I also enjoy having my bass out of the PA in similar circumstances, for similar reasons.

 

[pingvuiini]

I too have gravitated towards ultralight amps & cabs as well as uke sized basses. I really enjoy being able to carry everything by hand in one trip.

 

[rickwebb]

"Close to 60" here myself- and i'm all about Class-D electronics and Neo speakers! Not to mention lighter bass guitars as well.
That and i think they sound just as good as my old heavy gear.

 

[CallMeAl]

I’ve used the very similar Markbass CMD 102p, and it slays. What an age we live in!

 

[MegaSwing]

Accept every mechanical advantage. It’s what makes you human—in the best possible sense. There are no extra points for making a job harder.

 

[Marko 1]

When my latest cab purchase arrives, three of my five cabs will be Neo (ranging from 37 to 95 pounds)...

I carry a 600-watt Class-D head (as a backup for now, but totally gig-worthy), but still lugging ~30-lb heads in light-weight plastic racks.

 

[wysiwyg248]

Old school here I guess, SWR SM-900 (900 Watts @ 4 Ohms, 26 Lbs) and Goliath Sr. (6x10", 115 Lbs).
I drive an SUV, the cabinet fits just fine and the built-in wheels make it moving it quite easy.
However, an Advil is required now and then. I could replace them for something lighter I guess, but they work perfect to me.

 

[Dincrest]

I remember from around 2011- 2015 rolling in with my "pee wee rig" (a 500ish watt head and a pair of Bergantino 1x12 cabinets) and people would scoff and snicker at said pee wee rig... until I plugged in and their eyes would bug out like, "OMG that thing is LOUD!" And I was playing in punk and metal bands where it was thought bassists needed robust gear to compete sonically. Most of the time, I only needed 1 cabinet making my rig "mini pee wee."

Nowadays, gear is even more compact making my current pee wee rig seem clunky, but I still love the fact that I can bring in my bass, head, and cabinets into a venue in 1 trip. This is important for Philly gigs (or any city gig for that matter) since many places were/are upstairs venues so I had to haul gear up a flight or two of stairs. So I was definitely on the "smaller, lighter, but still powerful" gear bandwagon in its earlier days.

 

[Marko 1]

This is important for Philly gigs (or any city gig for that matter) since many places were/are upstairs venues so I had to haul gear up a flight or two of stairs.

As much as I enjoy larger pieces, were I in that circumstance I'd definitely have to adjust accordingly.

 

[bigdaddybass12]

Yes on this. I use a Hartke HD210 cab that really rocks !

 

[salmon256]

I love lighter/smaller gear for public transport and also small cars. And it's a nice vibe at a coffee house.

 

[fourfinger]

Similar rig; GK MB500 Fusion and two Neo 112s. Routinely used without PA support. Fits in my trunk. Gratitude and warm fuzzy feelings every time!

 

[Five or Six]

I just got home from a private party on lake. The crowd was big and the lake was loaded with pontoon boats. Anyway, I've played my last gig with my Trace Elliot. 2-10s and a 15 bottom. I'm over it, and I can still lift. Its just too much!! An I miss my roadies from my Touring days. I'm going to start to use my Rumble. Its capable of what i need. I was hanging in on old school. As of tonight, screw old school!

 

[Coot]

My car was on the fritz when my gear arrived at Long and McQuade a few years back. I got a Mesa WD800 head , two subway 1x15's and a Hofner violin bass in case into the trunk of the smallest taxi I ever saw ... (I did keep the head on the seat beside me though in case he was a lunatic driver) ... lol
A far cry from lugging Acoustic tubs, Ampeg fridges, and big iron. ( I do have a Traynor YBA 100 tube head but it stays at home mostly)So yes , we do indeed live in great times for our bass gear options.

 

[themickster]

I know there are those hard core loyalists who think (in their brain) that today's technology can't compete with trad amps from yesteryear.

It's more guitarists than anyone that will die if they use technology newer than 50 years old.