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Downsizing from rigs of doom...which path did you take?
- Thread starter VS
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Daaaaaaannnngggg.
that’s like going from an old main frame to an iPad
I play a 5-string and it handles the low B very well. The overall sound and volume is amazing with this speaker. Haven't had any clipping with this rig either.
More like this:Daaaaaaannnngggg.
that’s like going from an old main frame to an iPad
To this:
Although in it's defense, the Cray did have seating...
At the peak of it's absurdity I was playing through this.
Sold off that huge bass rig and played through a Peavey Combo 300 until I got a cheap 215 cab that was more portable.
Currently I've replaced the 215 with a Hartke HL410 that is half the weight and has the added benefit of being compact enough to fit in the front seat of my Camaro.
Sold off that huge bass rig and played through a Peavey Combo 300 until I got a cheap 215 cab that was more portable.
Currently I've replaced the 215 with a Hartke HL410 that is half the weight and has the added benefit of being compact enough to fit in the front seat of my Camaro.
Thanks for so many interesting replies and input!
8x10 fridge and VB2 all tube head down to a 4x10, then down to just an Ampeg Rocketbass B100R.
At 65 pounds the Rocketbass was still 30 pounds heavier than it had to be by modern standards, but it sounded amazing, rolled in easily on castors and worked great alone for bars and for bigger gigs with PA support. Gigged it almost weekly for 4 years until I left my band a bit over a year ago. Never let me down and never felt like I didn't have enough juice.
Recently picked up a Rumble 100 locally (was stupid cheap, couldn't resist) and it's 95% as good sounding as the Rocketbass at about 1/3 the weight. Might be my new rig if I get to gigging again. It also sounds great with upright and pedal steel.
For those keeping score at home, that's about 175 pounds down to 22!
At 65 pounds the Rocketbass was still 30 pounds heavier than it had to be by modern standards, but it sounded amazing, rolled in easily on castors and worked great alone for bars and for bigger gigs with PA support. Gigged it almost weekly for 4 years until I left my band a bit over a year ago. Never let me down and never felt like I didn't have enough juice.
Recently picked up a Rumble 100 locally (was stupid cheap, couldn't resist) and it's 95% as good sounding as the Rocketbass at about 1/3 the weight. Might be my new rig if I get to gigging again. It also sounds great with upright and pedal steel.
For those keeping score at home, that's about 175 pounds down to 22!
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It’s a GK Legacy 800 amp. I like the way GK amps sound but every brand has small lightweight heads these days and they are all good.
The cabs are the sauce in this rig. Audiokinesis Changeling 1203s. They’re 31 pounds each. They use Eminence Kappalite 3012LF 12” drivers which have lots of excursion. So they can play loud without sounding like they’re shouting, if that makes sense.
There are two 3” Faital Pro 3FE22 midrange drivers in these, one of them firing rearward. Together with the very completely thought through crossover Duke LeJeune uses, it’s a very satisfying upper end for an electric bass - no clickiness or harshness, just the kind of slightly compressed upper mids and attenuated highs that a bass needs.
Not sure how many of these Duke is building these days. They are exquisite. The big cabinet in my past wasn’t an Ampeg fridge but rather a Dietz 2x15 that was equally monstrous. There are no days I wouldn’t rather play through this rig.
The cabs are the sauce in this rig. Audiokinesis Changeling 1203s. They’re 31 pounds each. They use Eminence Kappalite 3012LF 12” drivers which have lots of excursion. So they can play loud without sounding like they’re shouting, if that makes sense.
There are two 3” Faital Pro 3FE22 midrange drivers in these, one of them firing rearward. Together with the very completely thought through crossover Duke LeJeune uses, it’s a very satisfying upper end for an electric bass - no clickiness or harshness, just the kind of slightly compressed upper mids and attenuated highs that a bass needs.
Not sure how many of these Duke is building these days. They are exquisite. The big cabinet in my past wasn’t an Ampeg fridge but rather a Dietz 2x15 that was equally monstrous. There are no days I wouldn’t rather play through this rig.
Those are what are in this LDS cabinet.
I can certainly attest to how loud they can get and sound great while doing so.
i went from a Trace Elliot V-Type 220 W head and 4x12 cab to a rack-based systems with three different preamps and an SWR Power 750 power amp with Trace Elliot 2x10 and 1x15 cabs, back to the Trace Elliot V-Type rig, and then to a Mesa/Boogie Walkabout Scout 12 combo. Originally, I had intended to buy two Walkabouts, and use one for smaller gigs, two for bigger gigs, but I never got around to actually buying the second one.
My new GR Bass carbon fiber 2x12 cabinet (26 lbs/11.8 kg) with my Bergantino Forte amp (6 lbs/2.7 kg). The cabinet is so light for a 2x12 that I literally laugh when I pick it up. The cabinet is rated at 900 watts and the Forte at 800 watts.
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I went from a Alembic pre->QSC PLX1202->Accugroove Whappo Jr. to a Fender Rumble 500C. When I play outside or in a very large room, I add a BFM Simplexx 1x15 that I built from plans and Fender makes a 1x15 or 2x10 matching cab that would probably work just as well. I only use the 1x15 once or twice a year as the Rumble 500C has all the volume I need most of the time. The Rumble may or may not satisfy your tonal needs so it would be best to try before you buy. Any Guitar Center should have one on the floor for demo as they are as common as Coke bottles.
I went from 2x acoustic 370 heads into 2x acoustic 360 tubs..through all kinds of gear to eventually a Mesa subway WD-800 into 2 x modular Subway 1x15s. I got sciatica lifting some heavy paving blocks 10 years ago so the lighter weight and smaller size of this gear is very important to me. I also have intermittent tinnitus in my right ear. Anything shoved directly into my ear canal( eg.IE's) sets it off , so it looks like it's amps and cabs for me all the way no matter what. The Mesa WD has an excellent DI so that's also covered. I gotta say I do miss the big stuff at my back though.. .
