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Do I really *need* a cab?

#21
BassmanPaul said:
If you do this why bother with the Backline, just go from the RPM. Obviously you are the kind of player who does not consider your amplification chain as part of your "sound". I on the other hand do. I hate going direct and prefer to mic one of my cabinets.

What happens when you roll up to play a gig and find no PA or one only capable of vocals? How do you play that gig. If your band carries its own PA to every gig that's a different matter. How many guitar players would ask the same question you did? I'll answer for you NONE!

Paul
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The most gigantic +1 to all of this. I too, consider my amp and cab to be fully half of my instrument.
 
#22
incircles said:
Geez. All the hate :)

I injured my calf last year, and my gear-hauling abilities are still limited. Plus I've already got a vocal rack, a monstrous keyboard, and various other things to lug around and I've only got a small car.

Perhaps a 210 will be enough.
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Trust me, there's no hate here. Just the experience of 47years of playing.

If you are doing some keys, some bass and are also a vocallist I think I would look at a PA with speakers and monitors able to handle the duties. I did this for a while using my bass cabs as subwoofers. That way I still had the sound I liked from my cabinets but they also worked for the other instruments in the band: keyboards and electronic drums.

I use 2x10s exclusively BUT one is not enough. I own four but I gig with a pair.

Paul
 
#23
I've got a massive PA at home, but bringing it to a venue that already has a PA system seems like it would be overkill.

I've heard good things about the GK 210-BLX cabs, despite their ridiculously low price. Perhaps I should pick up a couple of those?
 
#26
Right now, you can get a Carvin BXR 10.2 2X10, 600 watts capable, 4 ohm cab for $400. It's supposedto go down to 30 Hz or handle a low B string. It weighs very little (~40 lbs) and would allow you to drive your GKBL600 @ 300 watts RMS. Then you would at least have some volume if the PA isn't up to the DI only. The BLX cabs are only 8ohms and will only run your amp @ 180 watts RMS, unless you get two of them. My $0.02.
 
#27
www.avatarspeakers.com

They are cheap, well made, reliable, loud, and MANY people on this forum use them. For the price, they are the best deal out there and most of us will agree on that.

You need a rig. You walk into the gig and find out their PA is inadequate and you're screwed if you don't have one. Leave it in the car once you get there and find out the PA is to your liking, but have it in the car "just-in-case". It's better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. Anyone who has gigged and not brought their rig with them regularly will tell you they got into tight spots where things were not OKAY.
 
#30
incircles said:
"As of 2002, Lee no longer uses traditional bass amplifiers on stage, as he prefers to go direct into the venue's FOH console which helps the sound reinforcement during their concerts. Faced with the dilemma of what to do with the empty space left behind by the lack of large amplifier cabinets, Lee chose to fill the space in a unique way. For the 2002 Vapor Trails tour, Lee lined his side of the stage with three coin-operated Maytag dryers. Other large appliances would appear later in the same space."

That being said, you've got a good point about the sound system disparity.
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"I only use one Trace amp. The other is just a spare.

After the original signal is split, I take one of the signals and send it to the input of the Trace. I then take the speaker out from the Trace and go into the Palmer PDI-05. The Palmer has a switch to go from speaker in to line in. If you are going to do what I do, MAKE sure that switch is set on speaker!
This particular Palmer has a thru jack from the input jack. I now run a speaker cable to a Trace 4x10 cab which I try to place in a spot that won't kill everybody!! The Trace amp volume is on full!
I have to do this to place a load on the Trace. The PDI-05 does not provide a load for amps.
We have tried 'dummy' loads but they don't react the same as an actual speaker so to us, it doesn't quite sound as good.
I only use Trace cabs as we have them from when Ged use to have cabs on stage. This cab I use is not mic'ed. It's only there for what I said above.
Also, we use the Trace amp as it it from Ged's early days and we find it sounds quite good. I usually replace the tubes in the Trace amp every tour."

From Russ Ryan (Geddy's Tech) Posted on this very site 2/26/08.

http://www.talkbass.com/forum/showthread.php?t=393208&highlight=geddy+signal&page=16
 

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