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Big Rigs, Small Cars, Tight Spaces!

lowendgenerator

lowendgenerator

All panic, no disco.
Mar 26, 2006
3,104
91
48
CHI/NWI
#1
So, I can fit my 810 cab in the back seat of my Ford Focus. With all the talk of "I play a 1x12 because I have a small car" nonsense, let's hear from some of the guys (like me) that cram incredible amounts of gear into small vehicles!

Bonus points if your car is a 2 door!
 
#3
I get a 4x10 cab, a six space rack, two guitar stands, two basses in bags, and a utility bag into my Chevy Aveo - it's a subcompact 4 door whose back seats go down. It was a blessing when gas was $4.00 a gallon.

Some people are impressed with the volume of gear I can transport in that car, while others expect 2 dozen circus clowns to come tumbling out when I pull up.

Years ago, I could stuff a SVT 8x10, an SVT head, and a bass in a Renault Le Car. Those familiar with the petite dimensions of this vehicle would have every right to call shenanigans on me for saying this, but I'm 100% dead serious. It wasn't a comfortable or safe ride loaded up like that, though
 
#5
In my 4 door 90 civic once I had:

my 4x10 and 6 space rack.
guitarist 4x12
Both Guitarist heads
My bass in my Flight Case
One of their guitars
3 toms
Symbol bag

And a passenger.

Car was lowered and I feared speedbumps.
 
#8
Acoustic 301 folded 18", 450 head, Hellcat shortscale six string, Suzuki Vitara. With someone (me) riding (uncomfortably) Shotgun. For my next trick, I'll fit my Orange halfstack on top for biamping, and have to breathe shallowly all the way to the gig. \m/
 
#9
On the way to record my bands demo (no one told us to not bring cabs lol) in a volvo wagon:

3 people
marshall 4x12
marshall head
guitar
bass
mesa 400+
GK 4x10
assorted junk
cooler bag thingy (we brought food to save on money).

yeah I road home with the 400+ on my lap for the most part. on the plus side...i got really familiar with the amp ;D
 
#11
RX-212 cab in passenger seat, gig bag w/cables/strings/tools/fake books on parcel shelf, Bass in gig bag between footwell and back window, Peavey head in trunk. Mazda Miata. I've got a beat to hell Ford Escort wagon for local stuff, but the Miata is more reliable.
 
#12
I fit my Goliath III cab, GK 400RB-IV, 6-string bass, 3 guitar stands, 2 electric guitars, one 2x12 combo amp, 4x10 extension cab, peavey tube head, peavey 4x12, large effects board, 2 small effects boards, a pa system (two 2x10 speakers with 2 full stands, a mixer, a mixer table, 6 microphones, 3 regular stands, and a hanging stand), full drum kit (2 bass drums, snare, low tom, high tom, 2 floor toms, 7 different cymbals), and a passenger in a Dodge Durango.

Not a small car, but come on.
 
#13
Most I've ever had to fit was a bass, head and 1X15" cab into a '95 Ford T-bird. It's not a small car, but it was more challenging than it sounds for three reasons:

1. The trunk on that car was miniscule (too small for the cab)
2. The back seats did not fold down or anything fancy like that.
3. That car only had two doors. And the front seats didn't scoot up very much.

The head and the bass were easy to load into the trunk. Putting the cab in the back seat took about ten minutes because of the careful wiggling involved.


I much prefer to use my family's pickup truck when transporting gear, now. It can comfortably fit my head, a 2x10, a 1x15, two basses, two guitars, and two guitar combos. Or a guitar head and one of those monstrously huge old Peavey 4x12"s. And a combo. And a couple guitars. No, it is not a long-bed. It is, in fact, an old stepside.

I do usually transport my upright in a Ford Fusion, though. I can even carry a passenger while doing so. And a bunch of luggage.
 
#14
This thread calls for the unofficial SMART Car SVT 8X10 Challenge! :D

I have never purchased any car that would not haul my 8X10.

Since the day of the first upright bass, you have to think about how you're going to get around with your rig.
 
#17
In my Volvo 240 wagon

My ply doublebass
My Acoustic BG
My GK Head
Two 112 cabs
My POD XT LIVE
Two Congas
bongos
Djembe
Chimes
small percussionist hand instruments
2 percussionist equipment/instrument stands
Cables for speakers,line inputs,ext for band and mics
& both me and percussionist
 
#19
This is exactly what drove my decision to go after smaller, lighter, but very loud cabinets and amps. At 3:00am, when I get home from a gig, I don't want the hassle of wrassling with a fridge, which feels exponentially heavier after you have used it all night.

If I had roadies, I would have the SVT, Mesa 400+, 8x10s, the whole enchilada. Or even if I didn't have to fully unload when I get home, and just let the stuff stay packed until the next gig, which is not an option. But since it's just big old me doing the schlepping, I opt to maintain my back for more profitable endeavors, such as avoiding bulging discs.

There is no doubt that one can pack an immense amount of firepower into a small car. Thing is it keeps getting bulkier and heavier as the day (or night) gets longer.

Smaller, denser, louder, lighter. That's for me.

YMMV.
 

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