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Bass equipment + Compact car = Headache

#41
I live just over 30 miles outside the city and my daily commute car is a BMZ Z3 Conv.
For small rig gigs and rehearsals I use the convertible...top down to load, top up if weather warrants.
I put my SWR Workingmans 15, bass, quad box, fan, guitar stand & Gruv Gear Solo Lite into this little car. The SWR lays on its side in the passenger seat. The bass (in a gig bag with cable, strap, tuner, etc) lays on top of the amp, headstock on the dash board. The hand truck folds up and goes in the trunk with a soft bag next to it containing my electrical quad box-extension cord and cooling fan along with Hercules stand.

I have just enough room left for me and a drink in the center console cup holder.

For bigger rig gigs I use my Chevy truck.
 
#44
I regularly fit two jazz basses in a double gig bag, a 2x10 cab, my shoulder bag containing a MarkBass head, mic stands and PA cables and Eagle Scout-level backup supplies, with plenty of room to spare, into this

2004_bmw_z4_silver_convertible_01.jpg


No passenger tho. If I "get lucky" my guitarist is happy to take my cab.
 
#45
I have managed to carry 2 basses in a double bag, two 4-space racks, stands, two full gear bags with backups for everthing you could imagine, AND an Epifani UL-610 in my Toyota Matrix (AKA Corolla hatchback). And still get about 30 mpg.

Or swap the 6x10 for a 310/410/212-sized cab and throw in 2x4 Par 56 lights on T-bars and stands (8 total), dimmer packs, and controller.

Or swap the 6x10 for a 310/410/212-sized cab and add in a guitar player, two guitars, and a 2x12 combo amp.

Or swap the 6x10 for a 310/410/212-sized cab and add in a keboard player, two smaller-sized key (61 key max) and a combo amp.

To the OP, I personally think it's the combination of four people and the Yaris that's causing the consternation...those things are TINY! And that's exactly the reason I bought a Matrix over a Yairs. You might could fit a pair of Bergie 1x12s, a micro head, and a single bass in gigbag in it with 4 people, but I can't see much else fitting.



dcr
 
#47
guy n. cognito said:
Now that we're totally off track....

I love my WRX hatch.
Click to expand...

Add me to the list of Subaru owners. Got an older Forrester. Traction? Fuggeddaboudit! (We get slippery conditions often in the winter, and this is hill country.) Plenty of load space.

Hey, a serious suggestion for the OP or anybody else wondering about using a compact rig for gigging. There are a bunch of "super 12" cabs (HT: KJung for the term) available lately. Check out the Baer ML112, the Glasstone Li'l G, the XSonics ...whatever the model name is, the Thunderchild variants, and (of course) the Greenboy fEarful/fEarless designs.

I own a pair of Baers and a pair of Glasstones, and they are serious cabs for gigging.
 
#48
two fingers said:
I know a drummer AND a bass player who have those cars. They are MASSIVE in the back. And they drive great too. Really sporty for the money. The 5 speed is a lot of fun.

Oh, and I drive an old Tahoe or a TrailBlazer SS. I once took my old SVT fridge rig, two basses, my wife and two kids, and enough stuff for us to stay at the beach for a week in that Tahoe. And the TrailBlazer SS (390HP Corvette engine) will get a massive bass rig to the gig in about 2.3 seconds.
Click to expand...
I have a 2010 mazda 3 hatchback, with the 6 speed manual transmission, and I have no problems fitting all of my bass gear, my wife, and camping gear when needed. It is a very fun car to drive, as others have stated before.

I will usually bring only one bass and my combo amp (a Genz Benz neo x 400t with a single 12) as well as my cables and pedalboard. If I need to, I can also fit in an extra cabinet (a 1x12 or a 2x10) and another bass. Also, plenty of room left for beer! ;)
 
#51
Best investment in a vehicle I ever made - our current Dodge Nitro. Highway mileage is great - tons of room, and the 4x4 means you never miss a gig up here in NE for snowstorm. Can fit whole band & gear in this puppy with my 8x8 cab. (Sans drummer & his crap - you know how drummers are).

Mobile broadband & XM a bonus as well ;)
 
#53
I really like Subarus, but it's like they intentionally try to make Impreza trunks and hatches hard to use. Foresters and Legacy's were always fine, but the Impreza? Let's make the oddest shaped hatch w/ protrusions and oddness. Once inside? you could probably fit another Impreza inside, somehow(Tardis?), but getting something of any size through the hatch... grrr
 
#54
mrbell321 said:
I really like Subarus, but it's like they intentionally try to make Impreza trunks and hatches hard to use. Foresters and Legacy's were always fine, but the Impreza? Let's make the oddest shaped hatch w/ protrusions and oddness. Once inside? you could probably fit another Impreza inside, somehow(Tardis?), but getting something of any size through the hatch... grrr
Click to expand...

That is incredibly true lol, even the impreza WAGON, you'd think, ok more space... nope.
 
#56
I just go with what I can take with me.
I usually pack the cabinets & heads first, then drums, then guitars, then merch, and pack the lady in the front seat and put the snare & booze on her lap.

I am lucky to have 2 cars though, a toyota corolla and a honda CRV. I am usually able to pack everything I need into each by some miracle.

Unless I am playing upright bass, and on those gigs, I just take the big fiddle, a small combo amp (Roland KC120), some merchandise, and that's about it. It all fits somehow, and we get there, though sometimes the headstock of the fiddle sticks out the passenger window.

Just be careful when packing, you can stuff things everywhere to make it all fit.
 
#58
So years ago I had a 69 Dodge Charger that almost literally fit an entire bands worth of gear and people with proper packing. So then off to college I go and I find I have to downsize to a geo Storm hatchback ( think 2dr wagon). It fit a Carvin 2x15m, 2x10, and SKB 6 space rack with Amp, Preamp, and rackrider Plus 2 basses and a 2 bass stand and accessories bag. Plus had room for one passenger. Had to pack it right. I later downsized the 2x15 to a 1x18 but if fit worse in the space. Had to be much more creative. My current gear would barely require the need to lower the back seat of that car but thank fully I am now back into a Ram 1500 crew cab so space is not a huge issue any more.
 
#60
i used to get my stuff into a beetle,cant remember what gear i had but the front seat was converted by my welding mate so i could remove it easily and i had the speaker cab as a passenger. it was a bit of a drag if you were lucky with a bird but where theres a will theres a way as me ole gran used to say.
 

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