• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

hey small head manufacturers: mini rant coming

#21
to me, a rack defeats the purpose of a micro head.

fortunately, my micro head is a micro vr and the knobs are recessed so less chance of damage ;) this is what they should do, imho. just recess the front panel. or just don't drop it. i know, easier said than done...but that's the way it goes, i guess.

nostatic, i'm impressed that you copped my swagger. nobody ever copped my swagger until i was well into my 40's, now everyone does it. too bad it couldn't happen when i could have used it ;)
 
#23
If the pots have metal bushings and nuts, then the circuit board will sustain little or no damage if the knobs get whacked. The jacks are typically more delicate.

I'm fortunate that I really don't need gear that can withstand the rigors of heavy touring. Still, I don't expect my micro head to get banged around a lot. It travels in a notebook computer backpack.
 
#24
JimmyM said:
to me, a rack defeats the purpose of a micro head.

fortunately, my micro head is a micro vr and the knobs are recessed so less chance of damage ;) this is what they should do, imho. just recess the front panel. or just don't drop it. i know, easier said than done...but that's the way it goes, i guess.

nostatic, i'm impressed that you copped my swagger. nobody ever copped my swagger until i was well into my 40's, now everyone does it. too bad it couldn't happen when i could have used it ;)
Click to expand...

And thankfully the interwebs (and the Chinese) have essentially rendered intellectual property null and void so I can cop with reckless abandon :D

When I look at my now-gone ABM-500, the case extended past the knobs so you had protection. I agree that putting a micro in a standard rack defeats the purpose. And actually I liked the Markbass bag for the LMII/III/Tube with the zipper access to the front and back, leaving the amp in the bag while playing. But it doesn't provide much protection even when closed. GK's solution is decent. I'm interested to see what the bag for the Streamliner looks like. What I'd like to see is a padded bag that the amp stays in (like the MB) but with a zip access front that has a semi-stiff pocket that protects the knobs from impact.
 
#25
naturalkinds said:
Well, unless you prefer the sound of a micro head to others. (Hard to believe, but just sayin'. I'd carry around a Glockenklang Heart-Core if I had the constitution.)
Click to expand...
if it ain't tubes, i'd just as soon have micro these days. honestly, i never liked solid state amps at all (did have a couple but it was never the same to me and i always wished i had gotten off my ass and sucked up the cost and fixed my svt), but i'm very impressed at how tubey some of these micros can sound. it would seriously take drop dead svt-level tone quality and feel to get me to ever buy a full sized solid state or hybrid again.
 
#27
I carry mine in a padded bag.

I was more worried about it vibrating off the top of the cab, so I got a 2x6" adhesive strip of velcro (the HOOK side) and put it on the bottom of the amp. When I set the amp on the cabinet the hooks grab the rat fur. I wondered if that would cause problems with cooling but the section with the velcro is no warmer than the rest of the metal case.

Dan K.
 
#28
This works well for me and is still under 20lbs.:smug:
 

Attachments

  • IMG_3122b.jpg
    IMG_3122b.jpg
    44.1 KB · Views: 142
#32
Stingray5 said:
Don't listen to him coastie. That's a sweet rig you got there. :cool:
Click to expand...
actually, that should have been directed to me, not hr. hr was sarcastically agreeing with coastie and taking a shot at me. but i agree...i'm not the one playing it, and coastie should be very proud and happy about his rig. it suits him just fine and i'm down with that. that's why i said "to me it defeats the purpose."
 
#34
hrgiger said:
someone here once postulated that the manufacturers get together and come up with a standard for micro amp/equip dimensions, so they could be mounted in a 'micro-rack.' I think that would go a long way toward full-blown acceptance by gigging musicians. I mean the living room guys can still have their rubber feet, and the world tour guys could have theirs mounted in a small rack to toss in the back of a C130...
Click to expand...

I'd like to see this as an option. As long as there was a standard format, the "rack" could be anything from a well-padded bag with a bit of structure to a mini rack case. It just sucks that you can spend lots of cash on a piece of gear and have no way provide really good protection when needed.

I actually have a pretty decent solution at the moment. I grabbed a cool old orange samsonite-style hard suitcase that I pack my micro, cables and pedal board into along with a bunch of foam. Bass on my back, suitcase in one hand and 1x12 in the other for cartless single trip in for small gigs. It works pretty well (and looks super cool), but I'd like to have other options.
 
#36
Derek Kiernan said:
I'm wondering if Genz Benz will be able to impress you with the Streamliner :smug: There's some pretty incredible expectations for that amp!
Click to expand...
i have always been impressed by genz benz, derek. i consider roger and andy to be two of my best talkbass pals, they're very forward thinking, they have cs that's second to none, and it's apparent with the streamliner that they're working very hard to bridge the "whomp factor" gap between micros and tube amps. i totally respect that and i have nothing but good to say about them and the products they make that i've tried.

but dang, i so don't need a 900w amp. even a 600w amp is ridiculous overkill for me. hell, even the b-15's clean power is too loud for most of my gigs, and it's only 25w! i think the market for high powered micros is way bigger than smaller power, most definitely, so i can't blame them for smacking down on that market, but it's so not what i need. if they ever make a streamliner 100, that would be more up my alley. don't see that happening, though ;)

but they are a wonderful company and i'll never say a bad word about them.
 
#37
Ah, sorry Jimmy, I shouldn't have used a partial quote. I actually it as meant more as a response to "it would seriously take drop dead svt-level tone quality and feel to get me to ever buy a full sized solid state or hybrid again". I'm sure you have love for GB and both Roger and Andy (phenomenal guys!), but I know your SVT only leaves so much room left in your heart :D
 
#38
My Genz Benz Shuttlemax in the manufacturers carrying case has logged about 300 gigs without so much as a tiny scratch. It has never fallin off my cab (put felt rounds on the bottom). I just don't understand the rant based on my personal experience but hope that you find a solution for whatever issues you have encoutered :)
 
#39
Derek Kiernan said:
Ah, sorry Jimmy, I shouldn't have used a partial quote. I actually it as meant more as a response to "it would seriously take drop dead svt-level tone quality and feel to get me to ever buy a full sized solid state or hybrid again". I'm sure you have love for GB and both Roger and Andy (phenomenal guys!), but I know your SVT only leaves so much room left in your heart :D
Click to expand...
lol! well i have been working the heck out of my micro vr stack ever since i got it for christmas, so i can appreciate a good micro even though i'm married to the tubes. but 150w @ 8 ohms is more my speed, and even that's too much power for me. but it sounds like a mini-svt should sound and it was a gift, so...
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back