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Big Rigs, Small Cars, Tight Spaces!

#23
Used to have a Chrysler Laser(2 door sport hatchback). Could fit my Fender B300c combo, a 210, the guitarist's marshall head, his slant-top 412(If it had been straight I never would have got it to clear the rear window), a milkcrate full of chords, two collapsed light trees with par 34's, two basses in gig bags, two guitars, and both the guitarist and myself. Took about an hour of packing the first time, ten minutes after that. Of course, when I finally bought a Crown Vic wagon to make packing easier the band broke up.
 
#24
I love the big cabs. It's always a treat to use them if they are already at a venue--and can stay there when I am finished. The loading-unloading process takes place at least four times on any given gig night, if you include what you do at home.

For me it is just a matter of economics: the less energy I spend liffting, pushing and carrying means more left for playing, which is paramount to me. With any luck, I have enough left to get home again, unload and flop.

I used to have a Geo Prizm. I could stuff that boy like a can of vienna sausages. It was funny. And I was always a little too loud anyway.

The new amp and cab technology and the creative choices that come with it in sound, efficiency, and heft are positively awesome.

I feel sorry for those who gigged in the days when the best solution was the 25-watt bass amp that weight as much as a boulder.

I have no agenda in this matter, just a preference.
 
#25
My gig and get around car is a 1987 Toyota FX16 2 door hatchback ...

I call it the Little Red Rooster my band call it the Clown car (may be a referance to the driver) :p

Load up consist of

Bass in gig bag
personal gig bag
mic stand
Peavey 260 monitor amp
2 1x15 PA cabs
cord carry case
MB Little Mark II in bag
Genz Shuttle 3.0 in bag (backup amp)
Shure wireless mic in case
Yamaha EMX 5000 PA board in bag
Pedaltrain Jr in case
2 1x12 PA monitors
2 1x10 MOjO Mini cabs
Stage lights in bag

All that and still room for a passanger in the front seat ...
if I take a 2x12 or 4x10 instead of the Minis, I put the monitors in the front seat.

ToyoyaLoad.jpg


:) ... The car has a re-built motor new struts and tires and everything works, got it for $1500.00 and it gets 30+ MPG!
 
#26
In a band I played in during college we would fit all of our gear plus us into my olds bravada.

SWR Goliath 3
4 space Rack
JCM 900 Half Stack
Hughes and Kettner Half stack
Pearl Kit
6 guitars
4 people.

That got a little uncomfortable if the gig was more than an hour away. Literally PACKED floor to ceiling in all but half of the back seat.
 
#28
I understand the complaints about heavy equipment, and some guys moving to smaller combo rigs for ease of loading & unloading equipment. I have a Hyundai Accent (01) as my primary vehicle, & every once in a while I get to use the wife's '07 Sonata.

I travel with 2 Peavey cabs, a single 15" & a 4-10, a long with a 8 space rack housing the Tour 700 head, tuner & power conditioner + misc items stuffed in it. I also bring my mic stand, 3 space guitar rack, a 4 wheel dolly to move everything, my Warlock bass, T-Bird, bag full of misc items like towels, water, etc.

How do I do it?? Luckly my dad had a 4' (w) X 4' (l) trailer that he gave me last year when I needed to move my stuff. I modified the trailer so that now stands 4' tall and is still 4' square. Now I'm able to load both cabs, the 8 space rack, guitar stand mic stand, and dolly inside.

We gig almost every weekend so I just leave the trailor loaded and park it in the garage. The nice thing, now all I have to do is hook up the trailer, load my basses in the car, grab my misc items, then I'm on the road!! No 4 am unpacks of cabinets, etc. Just grab 2 basses & in the house I go!

Only down side is that the trailer is about 6" too short to also house my basses. Oh well, it's better than it used to be!!!
 
#30
I can fit my 2x Warwick 411 Pro's into my Ford Focus Wagon without folding down the back seat which leaves the backseat for basses amp and whatever else. I did briefly own an 8x10 and it fit just folding down the "2/3" size of the back seat but I just could not wrestle it in and out alone.
 
#31
I got tired of stuffing gear into cars loading in to get to show and having to take all the gear out when i got home was simply ridiculous!I bought an old white telephone company van for 1500 bucks a couple years ago and my gear stays in it all the time.was a great investment! try to find one without windows or tint them so no one can see your gear.
 
#34
My family celebrates Thanksgiving and Christmas at the same time. I had a gig the day after Thanksgiving, and I fit the following into my '96 Honda Accord:

Ampeg SVT 410HLF
SKB Roto 4 space Rack
SWR Working Pro 15 Combo
Two basses in cases
Small duffel for cables, pedal, things like that
2 guitar stands
Cardboard box from Aldi's full of leftover food
Christmas gifts
2 smallish duffels for clothes etc, since we stayed the night for the holiday

All of it went into the back seat and trunk, leaving the front seats wide open for my girlfriend and I. I was pretty happy until I got home at 3am.
 
#36
Back in the ‘90s I drove a Honda CRX, I could get all my stage stuff into it.. A SWR ST-220 in an SKB case, two Mesa Diesel 1X15s, an EV monitor (1X12 w/ coaxial horn), Two Fender Bass cases (Jazz Bass Plus 5s), Anvil briefcase with my mike, tuner and extra strings batteries etc. Mike stand, guitar stand and, if need be, one other person. Of course, fully loaded like that meant I couldn’t go uphill at 100 mph.


O Yeah, now I drive a mid size truck.
 
#37
in my volvo 122s wagon

2 ea 8 x 10's
1 ea svt head
1 ea showman head
2 ea bass guitars
a gig bag
misc stuff

then i down sized
to 2 each 2 x 15's
and still the rest

then i sold the car
and most of the cabs
now
1 each 2 x 15
and 1 each 1212L
1 showman head
1 mesa walk about head
and 2 basses
 
#38
Those old CRXs are great. I sold a Korg piano, can't recall the model, but it was the type that looked like a home spinet, not a portable stage type thing. Girl shows up to buy it with a Chevy Corsica. It won't fit, no way. Back seat doesn't even fold. She goes and gets the boyfriend's CRX. No problem at all.
 
#39
Lowend-
It's been a while, but I use to get my 6x12 Acoustic cabinet, head and LP bass in my VW Beetle. I would pull the backseat out and slide the passenger seat all the way forward. No room for anything be me and my stuff.
Also couldn't see anywhere but forward... I was a ticket just waiting to happen.
Oh to be young again.
 
#40
Currently driving a '98 Ford Escort Wagon (29 mpg, 156k miles).
We both carry this 417 lb load with no complaints:

Goliath II 4x10 (92 lbs)
Epifani NYC 2x10 (58 lbs)
4-sp rack--2 pres and CA-6 (75 lbs)
SWR 350 spare head, tools, etc. (42 lbs)
black box mixer, mics, cables (45 lbs)
mic stands (15 lbs)
3 bass in cases (45 lbs)
long PA speaker cables (25 lbs)
Music stand (3 lbs)
hand truck (17 lbs)

Sometimes it is an upright instead of the 4x10 and rack.
 

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