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Floor or on a stand, crates or chair when using one cabinet.

Bass Cabinet - On Floor or Crates/Chair?

  • Total voters
    81
  • Poll closed .
Wally Groove

Wally Groove

Mar 13, 2020
68
51
#1
Will be playing a lot of gigs coming up. I'm old school and used to having 2 cabs stacked on stage but these will be one cab only gigs. My question is should I keep the cab on the floor or can I put on crates or a chair, etc. so I can hear better? It may just be in my head but I always liked my cabs at about waist level. Thanks!
 
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#2
Get a mixer stand. It's collapsible, fully adjustable, and super sturdy. Unless you are playing dive bars, a crate or chair will simply look... bad. I've used one like this off and on for years.

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#5
Wally Groove said:
Ohhhhhh, ok, great idea. Question, do you lose bottom when you do this?
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No. I have used it with an Epifani UL410, Euphonic Audio VL-210, a Mesa Walkabout 15" combo, and a Mesa Subway 115.

The only way you can "lose bottom" is if the stage is hollow and (in essence) "becomes a speaker" (or passive radiator I guess?) using the vibrations of the speaker. If your cab being "coupled" with the floor is a good thing to you, this may not be your solution. I prefer to have bass wrapped around my ribcage. :D
 
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#6
two fingers said:
No. I have used it with an Epifani UL410, Euphonic Audio VL-210, a Mesa Walkabout 15" combo, and a Mesa Subway 115.

The only way you can "lose bottom" is if the stage is hollow and (in essence) "becomes a speaker" (or passive radiator I guess?) using the vibrations of the speaker. If your cab being "coupled" with the floor is a good thing to you, this may not be your solution. I prefer to have bass wrapped around my ribcage. :D
Click to expand...

"I prefer to have bass wrapped around my ribcage". ------all of this!!!! Thanks for the info man. Looking for that stand now! Thanks again.
 
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#7
two fingers said:
Get a mixer stand. It's collapsible, fully adjustable, and super sturdy. Unless you are playing dive bars, a crate or chair will simply look... bad. I've used one like this off and on for years.

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Can't wait to find out how well this works. I bought one of these stands last year to use when I only take one cabinet (i use a pair of 1x12s), but never got to use it. I got it after our last gig before the pandemic shut us down. :facepalm:
 
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#8
I'm also curious to hear how that stand works. Initial thought is, will a stand made for a "static" piece of equipment like a mixer be sturdy and secure enough for something that is vibrating all the time like a bass cab?

I've looked at stands in the past for when I play a single 12 cab. I like the ones that tilt back a little. But I've never found one that has both height and tilt adjustments. Still looking....
 
#9
I don’t gig but I recently moved my cab off the carpeted floor of my rehearsal space onto a cheap plastic set of drawers. The sound is much richer and fuller and the volume is more apparent. Get a cheap crate and put a black cloth over it.
 
#10
Your cabinets should be (this goes double for guitarists) pointed at your ears the heights and angles of things are what facilitates that goal. It's really not any more complicated than that - if you don't do that, you end up cranking the treble, and it sounds crappy - to the audience.

If you want to be a success at music, not making your audience listen to crappy, overly bright sounds is a heck of a good start.
 
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#13
I went from an 8 10 to a 2 12 a few years ago. Like the 8 10 , it has stayed on the floor. Reason? Sloth. I'm far too lazy to drag anything I don't absolutely have to have on stage. Heck , any back-up gear waits out in my truck cause I'm not dragging that stuff in either. Stands , crates , chairs , not gonna happen with my lazy butt. No problem hearing my self with the gear I've got so no problem at all. YMMV.
 
#14
babsobass said:
I'm also curious to hear how that stand works. Initial thought is, will a stand made for a "static" piece of equipment like a mixer be sturdy and secure enough for something that is vibrating all the time like a bass cab?
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If your cab vibrates like that you need a new cab, not a riser.
 
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#15
babsobass said:
I'm also curious to hear how that stand works. Initial thought is, will a stand made for a "static" piece of equipment like a mixer be sturdy and secure enough for something that is vibrating all the time like a bass cab?
Click to expand...

It's sometimes marketed as being suitable for keyboards, so "static" might not necessarily apply here. ;)

I have two of those stands, IME they are much more stable if you remove the leg extensions and/or use the provided holes for added bracing.
 
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#16
StatesideRambler said:
If your cab vibrates like that you need a new cab, not a riser.
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Vibrates like what? All bass cabs vibrate when you put a bass signal through them. People have posted here about their light weight heads wanting to walk off the edge of the cab as they play. Cab vibrations are good, a cab falling off a stand not designed for bass cabs was my point.
 
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