I have '92 Nissan Pathfinder. I can fit my upright, Tobias 5-string, Ampeg BA 210, effects pedals, small duffle (strings, tape, batteries, tools, wine, etc.) 2 y.o. daughter (cutest damned thing, EVER!), her toys, and still have the front seat open for whatever may come my way. Not too bad.
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Bass amp and vehicle question
- Thread starter stratovani
- Start date
Seats 8, hauls family, gear, and just plain hauls! Decent mpg for a 13.5 sec car too!
Let's see the engine in that thing. You're going to need at least 600 hp to run in the 13s with it. Unless you're talking about 8th-mile. I don't see any header dumps either, so I am forced to express my skepticism.
I've got a 2006 Ford Focus hatchback. I only had 2 requirements when I was looking for a vehicle... it had to be manual, and it needed the means to haul gear.
I use my Ford F-150 pickup but, on occasion, I swipe my wife's Chevy Venture minivan, rip out the seats, and load it to the gills. With the rear hatch and sliding side doors, I can have it packed / secured in 5 minutes.
Riis
Riis
I drove manuals for 20+ years and have had enough. Today's automatics are made so well and perform as good or better than manuals so there is no real reason to buy one...unless you really think shifting gears all day long is fun.
I have a Subaru Imprezza AWD that goes through snow like it's not even there. I live on the Canadian prairies and won't do without AWD. My Hartke 410 cab fits nicely in the trunk out of sight, which is nice because I often go places after rehearsals and don't like leaving my gear in sight.
svtb15
Inactive
- Mar 22, 2004
- 13,004
- 4,741
- Disclosures
- I play it all. Whatever works for the gig. Q+
Honda Element is great.. but my beater was a Honda CRX 41 mpg and in the hatch i could fit FOUR aguilar GS112 cabs and a 4 space rack rig of doom. The basses road shotgun.. dont have either car right now since i have a saturn and it aint happenin
I like my Scion xB (first gen, based off Toyota bB). It's great for hauling cabinets and other gear. I don't like the current incarnation of the xB, it's bigger and uglier and there is less visibility in the blind spot due to those huge rear side pillars...
I have decided (when a little more $$ comes in) to look for a '95-'97 Toyota Previa, one of their early minivans. They stopped selling them here in '97, but continued in other parts of the world. They seem to be indestructible, and run forever - 200k mi or more without major repair is very common - you see tons of them on the road. Users report that they are great to drive, get good gas mileage and are HUGE inside. I have seen them for $1500-up. This seems like the best buy in a van vehicle and, it's a Toyota!
I've been using our Chevy Tahoe. Holds my cab's (4X12's & 1X15 ), Amp, effects, cables and 2 basses plus more. The 4WD is great for the Wyoming/Colorado winter gigs but the high lift point is definitely a drag. I like the idea of a trailer or a roadie ( or both ) but I don't see it happening any time soon.
I guess you could say driving an automatic is to playing with a pick, as driving a manual is to playing with your fingers.
Some would say you get better control with your fingers, but really it's all personal preference. I prefer to drive manuals (but i play with picks).
I have a MINI Cooper Clubman and it's perfect for me (Clubmen are 9" longer than a regular MINI but it makes a huge difference. No one seems to know what they are!). I can fit a two 4 x 10 rig no problem. An 8 x 10 barely squeezes in but I have to fold the front passenger seat forward.
I've got a mercury grand marquis I got a couple months ago, the trunks in these things are huge, it swollows up my entire rig(610, amp, bass) no problem. Aside from being percieved as granny cars, their powerful(4.6l v8), reliable(same engine as crown vics and lincoln town cars, used for cabs), and sturdy.
Seats 8, hauls family, gear, and just plain hauls! Decent mpg for a 13.5 sec car too!
2 pa spkrs & stands, pa head, 2 basses, full drum kit, and my cabs... though I haven't used these two together in a few years (typically a 1x15, with or without a 1x12 on top these days...).
Sorry to repost a second time but omfg! thats the car I was dreaming of getting, whats worse is the same dealer I got my merc from has a caprice wagon now, shoulda waited, but I feel better having a newer more powerful car that isn't a wagon, lol plus I hadta get a car right then cuz my old one died. I can still fit everything in the truck and have my friends come along. Hopefully I'll have enough expendable income to get one and trick it out like yours. I've been tryin to convince my fiance to get the caprice wagon but she dont wanna drive a boat, lol.
Either the Honda Element SC (which I have) or the Scion mentioned earlier would work great, depending on how much you want to spend. The Element is bigger, but Scion is quite a bit less expensive and will carry a lot of gear.
Though it has been mentioned a couple of times already - Ill bring up the Honda Element. I have a 2003 with about 120,000 miles on it. I love it. It is very versatile you can take the one or both of back seats out or fold them up (which actually adds padding too). Great stereo, all plastic inside, very comfortable and decent gas mileage (about 25 mpgs for me but you will loose a little when it is all packed up). Though they don't have a bass player there is a band The Stereofidelics, who have been on my radio show a couple of times, that have been touring the US for a couple of years in a Honda Element - keyboards, guitars, drums, violin, amps etc. (and two people - a realy great and talented couple)
I use a mini van for our DJ set up. I haul 6 Peavey PR15's. 2 tables. 2 EZups for outdoors. 4 chairs. One mixer. One amp. Milk crate full of cables. 6 speaker stands. Lights. Laptop. Accessory bag. Fan. Power cables. A sub or two.. Me and a helper....give or take a fuzz.
Love the mini van for hauling gear plus a bunch of other reasons. A man can live in the mini van down by the river in post apocalyptic times.
Love the mini van for hauling gear plus a bunch of other reasons. A man can live in the mini van down by the river in post apocalyptic times.
I haul my gear around in a Pontiac Vibe (same as the Toyota Matrix). As far as safety goes, it has a tie-down system to secure your gear.
I typically transport the following gear to a gig in the Vibe:
amp head (4 space rack)
210 cab
115 cab
2 basses in hard shell cases
pedal board
fold up 5 space guitar rack
medium sized gym bag with odds and ends
... all with room to spare
In a pinch I've loaded in all of the above plus:
combo guitar amp
two more guitars
the guitarist's pedal board
and the guitarist
I typically transport the following gear to a gig in the Vibe:
amp head (4 space rack)
210 cab
115 cab
2 basses in hard shell cases
pedal board
fold up 5 space guitar rack
medium sized gym bag with odds and ends
... all with room to spare
In a pinch I've loaded in all of the above plus:
combo guitar amp
two more guitars
the guitarist's pedal board
and the guitarist
