Does size matter?

[Wasnex]

IMHO size is somewhat irrelevant. I want the smallest rig possible, but it has to be loud enough to do the job and capable of producing a tone that I like.

The first bass amp I ever bought was a brand new MIT era SVT and 810. I had it special ordered after doing a bunch of research. I read several articles and interviews, and it seemed unanimous that everyone loved the SVT. But within a few minutes of playing through it for the first time, I knew I had made a mistake. I really struggled to hear myself clearly without blowing out the room and never could get a tone I was happy with. To make it work, I wound up biamping the SVT with a Fender Twin loaded with JBL E120s stacked on top.

 

[Marko 1]

MHO size is somewhat irrelevant. I want the smallest rig possible,

That's all the poll asked, so you'd be down for A)

Thanks.

 

[Marko 1]

If I have to schlep it, I choose A.

If I have roadies & toadies, I choose B: the space occupied by 4x Trace Elliot 410+118 stacks, each capped with a 400W amp, and a 24u amp-depth, shock-mount, ATA-rated effects rack.

From the OP: "Note: I can't cover every possible particular, I'm hoping to avoid tedious semantic arguments- please try to get the gist of the poll question; thanks."

You would be an A) ie the Post-it size is acceptable to you. Thanks.

 

[Wasnex]

That's all the poll asked, so you'd be down for A)

Thanks.

In my experience super small cabs will not cut it in many situations. I mentioned being pretty happy with an Eden D210XLT, which is not exactly a small cab...but it's not exactly a huge cab either. I also had a D410XLT, but usually did not take it on tour because I did not feel the benefit was worth the extra effort

I guess my point is compact and light has a certain charm, but you reach a point where the cab is too small to do the job. Also, a cab could actually be way bigger than a D210XLT and still not really do an adequate job based on my tone goals. This is why I mentioned the SVT and 810.

So size can be a factor, but it's not necessarily the determining factor. My primary concerts are adequate volume, good tone, and reasonably manageable size.

I would love to try out a Trace Elliot ELF 2x8, but I might wind up wanting four of them, to make it possible to scale the rig to suit different situations.

I have done gigs where people took one look at my GK 700RB/112 combo and said, "Don't you have anything smaller?"

Sorry, but I choose C. for carrots

 

[Marko 1]

n my experience super small cabs will not cut it in many situations.

Bro, get out of engineering mode here, we're dumbing this down, try hard, give the brain cells a break for a sec.

Again... the OP assumes that it works, everything works, anything works, the tiny teeny little post-it note rig works, it has nothing to do with working...

it's about size, nothing but size, visual, what can you take visually, what do you need to see. How small can you handle before it looks ridiculous to you?

That's all.

 

[Wasnex]

Bro, get out of engineering mode here, we're dumbing this down, try hard, give the brain cells a break for a sec.

Again... the OP assumes that it works, everything works, anything works, the tiny teeny little post-it note rig works, it has nothing to do with working...

it's about size, nothing but size, visual, what can you take visually, what do you need to see. How small can you handle before it looks ridiculous to you?

If a post-it note size rig would work, would you find that satisfactory. That's all.

Unsub

 

[Marko 1]

Unsub

You honestly can't dumb yourself down enough to participate in a troll thread...

God bless you, but dang.

 

[Matthias]

I would like to have an "inflatable rig" that I can pump up to fridge size in my rock band and shrink to the size of my trusty old GK 150MB-E for bands and gigs where a fridge is not appropriate.

 

[Marko 1]

I would like to have an "inflatable rig" that I can pump up to fridge size in my rock band and shrink to the size of my trusty old GK 150MB-E for bands and gigs where a fridge is not appropriate.

Thank you, the visual is important to you, you are a solid B), congrats!

 

[SteveCS]

In my experience super small cabs will not cut it in many situations.
...

I think the OP is presenting some fantasy la-la-land scenario where a rig the size of a post-it note that runs off a couple of watch battteries can shift enough air to disrupt the weather and produces sufficient SPL to take the roof off Carnegie Hall. Perhaps the whole thread needs moving to the "Bass Humor and Gig Stories" sub-forum?

 

[Marko 1]

I think the OP is presenting some fantasy la-la-land scenario where a rig the size of a post-it note that runs off a couple of watch battteries can shift enough air to disrupt the weather and produces sufficient SPL to take the roof off Carnegie Hall. Perhaps the whole thread needs moving to the "Bass Humor and Gig Stories" sub-forum?

You some kinda trouble maker? Snitch? Debbie Downer? Does a bit of humor upset you? I bet you have double 4" speakers, amirite? And you can't 2032 batteries in a Post-it note, genius.

This is not humor, it's a study of the evolution of bass players, their performance rigs, our priorities as we evolve, and what the future will hold.

Important stuff.

 

[Wasnex]

I think the OP is presenting some fantasy la-la-land scenario where a rig the size of a post-it note that runs off a couple of watch battteries can shift enough air to disrupt the weather and produces sufficient SPL to take the roof off Carnegie Hall. Perhaps the whole thread needs moving to the "Bass Humor and Gig Stories" sub-forum?

I get that....now . I still vote C:

 

[JimmyM]

I love the sound of big tube amps and cabs, but after a health crisis last year that I’m still not fully recovered from, I’ve downsized and sold off most of the big stuff. But make no mistake…my little gear kicks much ass and I can put out as much as I need in any situation with it.

 

[SteveCS]

You some kinda trouble maker? Snitch? Debbie Downer? Does a bit of humor upset you? I bet you have double 4" speakers, amirite? And you can't 2032 batteries in a Post-it note, genius.

This is not humor, it's a study of the evolution of bass players, their performance rigs, our priorities as we evolve, and what the future will hold.

Important stuff.

Not one bit. If by some technological miracle the rig you/I described could be achieved then I'm all in. As it happens, my GB Shuttle with 1 or 2 1x12" is about as close to that as I've ever owned or played that fits the scenario you presented - capable of carrying the stage and the room without occupying too much real estate and easy to schlep. The funny this, and really it is perhaps not so funny, is that although the classic 'big iron' rigs look great and can really add to the impact of a stage setup, for a lot of modern players that is secondary to having a rig that first and foremost makes the right noises - many of the classics fall short in that regard (IMHO, IME, YMMV, etc).

Case in point - I had a guitarist in a band many years ago who had a DFA* Marshall 4x12 cab - he/we could have the look of the full stack but only the top 4x12 actually had drivers in it. Sometimes image matters no matter how long your middle leg happens to be.

* Does F*** All

 

[5StringBlues]

I wash myself with a rag on a stick.

 

[Leigh Semmens]

Well, this isn't a "real" poll without carrots...
Just sayin'

Pick Me!!!! Pick Me!!!!!


Realistically I want a rig on stage that I can hear, regardless of size or other considerations. These days I use IEMs so anything else is moot.

 

[Snert]

and that minimum size would be (please share).

What SPL do you want at what low frequency? That will determine the volume of air needed to be moved. Now you can begin to select drivers that will meet that spec, which will determine the enclosure volumes and therefore overall size and somewhat relatedly, the final weight, depending upon what materials and style of construction you want. Curved reinforced CF will be the lightest and stiffest, but the most expensive, ply the simplest and probably cheapest construction in small build numbers. Well designed poly cabs can be as good and cheapest, if you have the sales volumes required to amortise the tooling costs
Juggle these factors and you'll start to see a convergence that will give a smaller range of final results.

DSP can do a lot, but it can't make a speaker move any more air, that's determined by the Sd x Xmax at a limiting distortion percentage but it can eke the last few % out of a given driver/cab combo with some clever dynamic filtering, compression and limiting.

Unless there is a radical new technology beyond cone/dome drivers, cabs are not going to change much for a given performance level in the foreseeable future.

 

[Element Zero]

If the post it note sized rig gave the volume and depth of bass that my Mesa 410 does, then I choose A… I think…

 

[Element Zero]

I wash myself with a rag on a stick.

Ok fat Bart.

 

[Nebadon2000]

In my younger days it was 'Shock and Awe' that has dwindled over the years; Now a post-it would be great since I don't do a lot of knob twiddling.