Best rig for musician without a car.

[salmon256]

You seem really sensitive to this. You do you.

I am. Why is that problem?

I like debating, and I mean no harm with it. I like hearing both points, if someone wants to make their point I love to hear it, but truthfully us debating won't change a thing so I make my point on dislike of cars.
I obv know people need to use cars and respect it but I like debating.

I'm prob gonna get ban but made my point.

 

[RandomKaren]

I've been back and forth over the years whether to go down the PJB route. The Bass Cub looks like a great practice and rehearsal tool, but I really not convinced it would be up to the task of gigging without FOH support or an extension cab. I think a Suitcase or similar sized PJB combo would be the minimum for gigging, but at 40lbs, I don't consider that to be a one hand carry, at least not over any distance.

It very much depends on who you're playing with - one country lineup I play with I can even use a Double Four in rehearsal as the drummer is very restrained. Would not work with any rock drummers I know!

 

[MultiScaleMale]

Ideally you want to just be bringing a bass in a gig bag and using IEMs. Second best is a amp already at the venue. But if you need to haul a amp and cab, that's where things fall apart and any suitable solutions really depends on the gig and how loud you need to be. Oh, and a lot of bands are going to want you to have reliable transportation. You'll need to find a band willing to work with your individual situation. Not sure of your area, but that would cut you out of at least 90% of the bands in my area.

 

[dfreeland83]

So, on page one, I was going to offer advice. But it's like throwing a cup of water on a grease fire in this dumpster fire of a thread. So, I'll ask... have you considered installing skateboard wheels and a small handle on an Ampeg 8x10 fridge and scooting around town on it like a big wheel?

 

[lermgalieu]

Showing boomers public transport for a second will give them a heart attack, they love killing our environment or also supporting classism.

Wow. Yes, there are a lot of silly uninformed comments on this thread about needing a car. Plenty of working musicians don't have cars, especially in big cities like Toronto, NYC, etc. But it isn't a "boomer" thing!! And no, I am not a boomer. When was the last time you were on a bus? I bet there were plenty of older people on it. If I wanted to get into a back and forth, I would point out that plenty of younger folks love Ubers and wouldn't know how to board a bus. But let's dispense with these false dichotomies. It's just not true. The people saying "get a car, get a car!" likely live somewhere that a car is practically a necessity and they just don't know any better. It isn't because of their age, it's because of their myopic regionalism. Plenty of people, of all ages, know better. Not even going to address the rest of the sentence, but I've got plenty of problems with it, too.

 

[salmon256]

Wow. Yes, there are a lot of silly uninformed comments on this thread about needing a car. Plenty of working musicians don't have cars, especially in big cities like Toronto, NYC, etc. But it isn't a "boomer" thing!! And no, I am not a boomer. When was the last time you were on a bus? I bet there were plenty of older people on it. If I wanted to get into a back and forth, I would point out that plenty of younger folks love Ubers and wouldn't know how to board a bus. But let's dispense with these false dichotomies. It's just not true. The people saying "get a car, get a car!" likely live somewhere that a car is practically a necessity and they just don't know any better. It isn't because of their age, it's because of their myopic regionalism. Plenty of people, of all ages, know better. Not even going to address the rest of the sentence, but I've got plenty of problems with it, too.

You are 100% right, I am sorry the boomer thing was very bad taste to put because all generations are guilty of having an opportunity to use the bus. You right in NYC tons all ages use the bus, I guess I just view NYC as nearly everyone using public transport. I for sure generalize right there, I let an act of kind of rage get me because of the users on here are older which is fine but some of the users I think just kind of annoyed me with the rudeness, I also am passionate about the environment, public transport because I think it help all ages especially young have tons of freedom early on and I think I may just upset by the US rough history of cars, I love cars but I think if someone can use a metro or anything of that nature it is awesome if they can. You open my eyes though, I think it is best though I end my TB journey here maybe my opinions clash too much with the age difference.

Have a good day thank you to all, sorry for unsavoury comments I will keep them to show the flame I threw gasoline on.

 

[lermgalieu]

You are 100% right, I am sorry the boomer thing was very bad taste to put because all generations are guilty of having an opportunity to use the bus. You right in NYC tons all ages use the bus, I guess I just view NYC as nearly everyone using public transport. I for sure generalize right there, I let an act of kind of rage get me because of the users on here are older which is fine but some of the users I think just kind of annoyed me with the rudeness, I also am passionate about the environment, public transport because I think it help all ages especially young have tons of freedom early on and I think I may just upset by the US rough history of cars, I love cars but I think if someone can use a metro or anything of that nature it is awesome if they can. You open my eyes though, I think it is best though I end my TB journey here maybe my opinions clash too much with the age difference.

Have a good day thank you to all, sorry for unsavoury comments I will keep them to show the flame I threw gasoline on.

Thank you!

 

[cnltb]

Any, provided by the venue.

 

[dfreeland83]

I am. Why is that problem?

I like debating, and I mean no harm with it. I like hearing both points, if someone wants to make their point I love to hear it, but truthfully us debating won't change a thing so I make my point on dislike of cars.
I obv know people need to use cars and respect it but I like debating.

I'm prob gonna get ban but made my point.

Debating on the use of cars (on either side) on an 'Amps and Cabs' forum where people talk about 200lb rigs regularly is asinine. That stuff belongs in the Off Topic forums. We're here for gear. Full stop.

 

[fourstr00]

Couple years ago I gave my car for the summer to a friend in a bad way and took the train to all my gigs.

Without going into brands, a light 1x12, micro head, and solid gig bag that can hold cables/straps is totally workable. I'm in pretty good shape and would show up sweaty; for festivals that's not a problem. If you're playing black-tie events, it could be.

 

[MotorCityMinion]

currently i have a big bass amp that would require me to use uber but i do have a tech 21 bass fly rig pedal/preamp and a yorkville 50 watt bass amp for practice but anyways what should i get that could work for someone without a car.

A "J-O-B"

LOL, good thing I read the whole page before posting. I hate redundancy.

 

[Pocket Dave]

Damn. I would've thought there'd be more respectful answers here on TB, but what do I know.

At the risk of restating the obvious:

Some don't have a car due to cost/living circumstances. Ex: it's a whole other car payment just for parking if you live in cities like NY, London or Paris. Then by the time you walk to and retrieve the car from the carpark, where are you going to park it at the venue?

Some can't drive due to medical/neurological and PTSD limitations.

Some can't drive due to past mistakes/life choices. Nobody's perfect; Most of us do well to aim in that general direction.
-
Some of y'all might need to get over yourselves.

 

[Bassdrifter]

i want to keep all my commute on the bus with a backpack and my bass guitar.

A cajon backpack will normally fit a Barefaced Super Mini. 10kg. Should be manageable to comute with combined with your favorite lightweight head.

Meinl Percussion - The Modern Percussion Brand - Meinl Percussion
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I think this tread were supposed to be about rigs that met your requirements: https://www.talkbass.com/threads/mini-rigs-of-doom-four.856038/page-108#post-27850006

 

[lowfreqgeek]

I've been using a Trickfish SM110 (now TF110) since around 2017 or so. I jumped on that pretty much as soon as they were released, mainly for upright, but I was blown away at how great it sounds for EB - including 5 and 6 strings. I've probably used that cabinet alone on hundreds of gigs. It's about 12"x13"x15" and weighs just under 22lb. Pair that with a micro head (like the Trickfish Mini, or any micro of your choosing) and you can do a LOT with that. Add a 2nd cabinet if you need more, and still have a killer rig that fits on a small 2-wheel dolly and takes up a very small footprint.

I used a Phil Jones Super Flightcase (and many other PJBs) for a number of years, and that was pretty great, but not exactly light weight or expandable, and I had some reliability issues with it. PJB tech support was helpful and let me handle the repair on my own (a bad relay - I'm an EE and qualified for that job), but I never trusted the amp after that.

 

[djmay]

I do not have a car; I use a BQ500 amp and Phil Jones C2. Bass in gig bag, amp, music, electronics and cables in a Rimowa rolling case. and C2 in my hand. If I had to walk a long distance I would use a hand cart. I also have a C4 but I have not taken it on public transportation.

 

[kesslari]

I live in a rural place where it would be extremely difficult to gig without a car. The folks I know who do it depend on rides from bandmates.
That said, if I lived in a place with great public transit I would probably get a GR combo and call it a day.

 

[Michedelic]

Never once did I say EVERYONE has public transport. Of course someone who lives in a farm in the middle of the midwest shouldn't need a bus system, an old truck is fine, but the OP lives in a city with an ok bus system, I have a friend who plays Upright in Toronto and commutes by bus with an Upright.

But the pure irony of you saying I'm narrow minded is funny. I am in no way wanting to change your style of living saying you have to use the bus, have to ride your bike, but a decent amount of people do live within those means.

Also you defending those on here making fun of those without car? It's a double edge sword you are defending, you can still use your car or live that way, but you can not deny that cars have negative impacts and to shoot down someone simply because your lifestyle needs car makes no sense. People who can use public transport in cities or small cities that are pushing for it should, we are all guilty and have to use cars but I am on the boat that if you can move to a city to make a change. But don't call me narrow minded even though you just made my point basically of this sub not looking into other people's lives, because the OP doesn't use a car but everyone is quick to judge them and to tell them to go get a job without knowing a thing of their life or understanding they use a public transport system.

I don't care to debate this, because we aren't going to change the world fighting on TB, but please consider my point for a minute. Peace.

Yet you still jumped to the knee-jerk conclusion that everything bad is caused by 'boomers'…who do you think instigated, or at least took to the next level, the environmental movement(not to mention most social justice efforts)in the first place?

 

[Freight Train]

currently i have a big bass amp that would require me to use uber but i do have a tech 21 bass fly rig pedal/preamp and a yorkville 50 watt bass amp for practice but anyways what should i get that could work for someone without a car.

I'm visually handicapped and can't drive, haven't owned a car in 15 years. So I have a Fender tube amp with a 410, and an Ampeg tube amp with 2 1x15's. May not work for those who also don't have a girlfriend with a car.

 

[smoothbrain]

currently i have a big bass amp that would require me to use uber but i do have a tech 21 bass fly rig pedal/preamp and a yorkville 50 watt bass amp for practice but anyways what should i get that could work for someone without a car.

IMHO

 

[Sid Fang]

A lot of unhelpful noise here, but the OP didn't provide a few key parameters that would be necessary to give good advice, most importantly

• What kind of music are you playing, in what sort of venue? There are pretty compact and lightweight amps out there that are easy one-hand carrys, but most of them won't keep up with a rock drum kit. 130W and a 12" driver seem to be the minimum, though the Phil Jones stuff gets loud with multiple small speakers (not cheap or light, though).
• If you don't have a car, how are you getting to/from gigs/rehearsals? The best options will depend quite a bit on whether you're walking, biking, taking a bus, taking a subway, hitchhiking, or bumming a ride with bandmates.

I saw that someone recommended powered full-range speakers. I have some of those for PA and floor monitors and while they're decent sounding and compact, they are actually pretty heavy. They also tend to be a little light on bass "thud" response unless you get particularly big and heavy ones.