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Everyone's downsizing these days..

#42
Well, I don't play metal, but still, I do like a big rig. Sadly now that I am an old man, I have to go modular, i.e. lots of little cabs! Combo amps and single little cabs just don't do it for me. But if someone can get by with a 1x10 good for them.

In my experience less power into more drivers is better than more power into fewer drivers. Of course, more power into more drivers is pretty cool too. :D
 
#43
I guess one way to look at it is how many cabinets are you bringing. My 100 lb cab is 2x10 + 1x12 + horn; it's a big cab in my mind but a common thread here is that 2 smalls can equal a large
Also, pretty clear that the requirements for a religious gig are very different than a full blown rock band
I've recorded many multi track gospel projects and even the largest choir, in the biggest church, has a much quieter drummer and bass player than a standard rock gig (at least if I have any say)


DWBass said:
Honestly, how many people are actually gigging with a single 1x10 % wise?

I get what you're saying but speakers are very efficient these days and huge cabs are no longer needed. 2 1x12's pushed by a 500w+ amp will be pretty damn loud. My main rig is a 2x10+1x12 pushed by an 800w Yorkville. Believe me, I can be heard in ANY situation if I chose although my main gigs are R&B or Jazz. You're probably in those situations where you need to be loud for the sake of being loud and image is also a part of your M.O. Yes we are all different and have different needs.

There is also the portability factor. When get in your 40's and 50's, you WILL be singing a different song! Granted there are some older cats here still slinging big rigs but at some point, they'll be singing a different song too!
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#44
I upgraded, down sized,and added 410's and still about the same size as a standard 410 rig with WAYYYYY more output and fidelity then my Svt rig. With 2 Orange Sp410 and 2 Terror Bass heads.
For me I like the feel of the thump behind me when I play. As long as I'm under the FOH mix then we are all good. In the band I'm in now we all use in-ears. I chose to get my with ambient hearing in them so I can still hear my rig and some things around me. So some bass in my ears and some thump behind be and I'm good to go!
 
#45
Though I do have (and use) a sort of mini rig, (Mesa WA head, GB Uber 212), that rig is as small as I'm likely to want to go. I still play with a party band where the PA is "vocal's only", and for that, I need a much bigger rig. That bigger rig just got even bigger, and heavier, with the addition of a Mesa Bass Buster 210 combo, sitting atop my Deisel 215 cab. (over 200 Lbs combined) But I know for sure, there's no micro rig 1x anything that sounds as monstrous as this sucker does.
 
#48
I kind of agree with the OPs sentiments, but come on man, youre kind of embarrassing those of us who play metal and rock. Atleast make an effort to use proper grammer and punctuation, and try not to come off like a meat head. Im not saying you are, youre just coming off that way in this thread and adding to the 'stereotype' that a lot of us rockers live with on here.
 
#50
I'm 56 and expect to gig until I die- I'll be leading the sing alongs in the rest home someday. Quicker and easier 2am loadouts make my life much better, so I love smaller stuff. Also, I can do country club duo stuff and move-the-juke box-and-pool-table-to-set-up roadhouse gigs with a small efficient p.a. and bass amp that I couldn't do at all with my 70's gear. That said, if I were playing metal I'd still want the SVT experience, but that's not what I'm doing. Do metal guitarists still put banks of empty Marshall cabs on stage, btw? There's something about having a van worth of equipment and a 14' truck worth of empty cabs that I thought was cool, although not for me.
 
#51
Holy War said:
I kind of agree with the OPs sentiments, but come on man, youre kind of embarrassing those of us who play metal and rock. Atleast make an effort to use proper grammer and punctuation, and try not to come off like a meat head. Im not saying you are, youre just coming off that way in this thread and adding to the 'stereotype' that a lot of us rockers live with on here.
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We all have our crosses to bear!! :D

But I have to chime in- the language is indeed getting lost, thanks in no small part to this instant "communication" we have here! But it's still okay to know how to write stylistically correctly and succinctly. Say that five times, fast...:p
 
#55
chicago_mike said:
If I dont feel the bass....then its worthless. pa's are okay, but most the time you have to be on top of the damned monitor to feel the bass. Oh sure maybe you can hear it, but I mean feel what the heck youre playing. I dont care how many class d watts will go into a 112 combo or "mini stack". I have to feel it. And it has to EASILY compete with 2 50 watt fenders, and a loud drummer.

And if you play places that the PA is worthwhile...count youreself lucky.
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I agree with the above - if I don't enjoy the playing experience, why even bother showing up??? I typically play in hard rock/metal bands - that typically have a fairly loud drummer - and have found that my minimum cab is a 410 to hear myself well enough to play my best... I also hear myself better when I have some speakers up closer to ear level - although my 410 will get more than loud enough, I prefer a 610, 810, or 215 for that reason... Sure, I can elevate the 410, but I don't like the way it sounds then... Currently, I have a 610, 410, 215, and 115, so I'm pretty much set for any gigging situation - but I tend to use the 610 for hard rock/metal gigs, and the 215 for classic rock and blues... I wouldn't mind adding an 810 to my modest cab collection - because I like them, but might just add another 410 instead, and stack 'em when I want the 810 vibe - it'll depend on what kind of deal that pops up...

I only play gigs with good PAs, so that part doesn't apply to me - but the rest pretty much nails it for me... I figure that the load in/out is only a few minutes - but I play for a few hours each gig - I'd rather do a little work for a few minutes at the start and finish, and enjoy myself while actually playing the gig - then to sacrifice rig performance for the sake of convenience... I drive an F150, so hauling a good sized cab is no big deal to me...

As always, to each their own - but that's how I roll...



- georgestrings
 
#56
Just thought I'd add that although some people consider a 410 to be a "big" cab, I don't - and at 47, moving one of those is really no trouble at all... With the bands I play in, getting someone to help with a lift when needed is never a problem...



- georgestrings
 
#58
Being that I can't really afford a full complement of cabs (big rig/small rig) just now, I've found the stacked Bag End S15-D cabs a decent compromise. The top speaker is about close enough to ear-level, and positioned properly (not aiming the back ports into a bass trap situation) I can get a good hit of low end wrapped around my head. The BE drivers do a nice "crunchy" thing I like, and they can take a good wallop. And they're loud enough for anything.

Small gig? One cab. Otherwise two of these are a surprise to the sensibilities.

Again, not the wider presence of the old SWR 8x8, but dang close.
 
#59
Count Bassie said:
We all have our crosses to bear!! :D

But I have to chime in- the language is indeed getting lost, thanks in no small part to this instant "communication" we have here! But its still okay to know how to write stylistically, correctly, and succinctly. Say that five times, fast...:p
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Writing grammatically correct sentences, however, seems to still be optional. ;)

On topic, my Orange 1x15 is just as loud, if not louder, than my 80's Peavey 2x15. I plan to pick up another OBC115, and I can't see myself ever needing to get louder or bigger than that. As long as you can shake valuable objects off of walls if you should desire, then does it really matter how many speakers you have?
 

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