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Don't skimp on the Lbs

#42
I gotta be honest, I prefer the older heavier stuff, and I have no concrete reason for it. I think it just feels more solid, which fools my brain into thinking it is sturdier, will hold up to more abuse, and perform better in worse conditions. Call it a mental pacifier.

But I also gotta be honest, my body is older and more deteriorated than it was three decades ago, and it won't be that much longer before I am forced to consider newer lighter gear.

I had an experience in the early 80's when I was convinced I never wanted a car that didn't have a V8 engine in it, but test-drove a car with a high-compression 4-cylinder engine in it -- then bought it after I was surprised at how peppy the car was. I fully expect my future experimentation with light gear to be equally pleasantly surprising.

But until then, I'm sticking with the older heavy stuff.
 
#44
Sundogue said:
Heavy is as heavy does.

After all, if one has a rig that sounds great, but it's heavy, one will rationalize the necessity of carrying the extra weight in any manner that justifies it.

Besides, everyone knows tone is all in the hands and they weigh, what...couple of pounds apiece?
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lol!

anyway, i won't rationalize it at all when i use the heavy stuff. i like it, i use it, rationalization done. i also use my micro vr and 210av a lot...i like it, i use it, rationalization done. i certainly don't need to explain myself to anyone.
 
#45
JimmyM said:
lol!

anyway, i won't rationalize it at all when i use the heavy stuff. i like it, i use it, rationalization done. i also use my micro vr and 210av a lot...i like it, i use it, rationalization done. i certainly don't need to explain myself to anyone.
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Exactly. It does what you want. Weight is irrelevant.

However, if you posted a thread saying your SVT rig sounds great and better than everything else because it's heavy, you'd have some 'splainin' to do! :D
 
#46
Sundogue said:
I think his post was more about how thrilled he is with the way his current rig sounds as opposed to his old one.

Don't quite understand why weight has anything to do with it though. Perhaps to him, that is the only discernible difference between them.

philipleonard: Perhaps you could look again at your gear and tell us if you can manage to figure out if there is anything else different between your old rig and your current one. Maybe it is just the weight.
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The point is I'm simply thrilled with the new gear. The weight thing was really just opening a can of worms. Oops.:crying:
 
#49
The quest for small light bass gear for me has lasted about 40 years. More than once I've gone into a music store with money in hand and tried every cabinet in the store. Quess what I bought, the biggest cabinet they had (just cuz it sounded better). I'm sure there are exceptions, just havn't found one yet. And one of you (the smaller the better) folks please explain why my "pignose" (smallest amp I got) has absolutely no tone at all. I'm in the "bigger the better" camp. YMMV
 
#50
James Judson said:
The quest for small light bass gear for me has lasted about 40 years. More than once I've gone into a music store with money in hand and tried every cabinet in the store. Quess what I bought, the biggest cabinet they had (just cuz it sounded better). I'm sure there are exceptions, just havn't found one yet. And one of you (the smaller the better) folks please explain why my "pignose" (smallest amp I got) has absolutely no tone at all. I'm in the "bigger the better" camp. YMMV
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Because weight is proportional to tone.
 
#51
My progression:

SVT and 8x10
Trace Elliot AH500 and two Hartke 4x10XLs
Ampeg SVP Pro/PV DPC1000 and one Hartke 4x10XL
AMP BH420 or Eden WT400 and Flite 1x15
Genz-Benz Shuttle 9.0 and Flite 1x15

No need to ever going backwards.
 
#53
philipleonard said:
I started playing about 20yrs ago then stopped for a number of years. Two years ago I started playing again, but in the meantime all the gear had changed. The lightweights had appeared. There are a lot of lightweight threads and interest in the new fandangled lightweight gear. So much so that I ended up going down that road myself. I bought a Markbass CMD102P 18KG and 300W and what I believed to be a great sound, loud, clean, plenty of bottom...

That was untill I got my new rig - Trace Elliot V6 head and Eden D410XLT.
The new rig (Trace/Eden) is secondhand and cost about 1200Euros and weighs 60+ kilos.
The old rig (Markbass) was new and cost around 1200Euros and weighed 18 kilos.

The sound of the big and heavy stuff - Deeper, fatter, bassier, ballsier, crunchier, smoother, sweeter and the rest.
Trade in the kilos and you trade in sound quality. Some brands with boutique price tags can limit the damage but at the end of the day BIG(and heavy) = Beautiful.

Be a man and start lifting the weights!


Phil
Click to expand...

It traces back to Ampeg SVT being designed for 2 x 8x10 cabs. Some wimps decided they could only carry one. :hiding:


With everything loaded, that $4 a gallon is hurting.
 
#58
Huh. Me thinks someone hasn't played the right "light" gear. Which is too bad, because there's some KILLER stuff based around lightweight drivers, lightweight amps and cabs. My rig has gotten BIGGER and LOUDER and more TONEFUL since things got lighter.

But hey, if you want to carry something heavier than a boat anchor, has middle of the road power handling, distorts easily and then is difficult to move, go ahead...I mean, that's what dreams are made of, right?
 
#60
philipleonard said:
The point is I'm simply thrilled with the new gear. The weight thing was really just opening a can of worms. Oops.:crying:
Click to expand...

Yep, getting into the "Great Weight Debate" here on TB is going to get the wolves after you for sure. That said, the reason you are so happy with your new rig has very little to do with weight and everything to do with the fact that you found a rig that suits your personal tone preference. IMO, the Trace V6 is a really great sounding head and you've combined it with a great sounding cab (one of my favorites). Great choice in components and it's no wonder that you like it.

The lightweight stuff doesn't appeal to everyone and if you're happy with the tone your'e getting and don't mind hauling the weight, then congrats on putting together a great rig!
 

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