How hard is it to load a 100lb cab?

[Plutonium244]

Every rig sounds different, and the tonal goals of players vary, but to say a light rig can't compete with a heavy one is overgeneralizing, and also not true. I use mostly lightweight class D amps but also have a class A/B and a full-on tube head (65 lb Super Bassman). For some gigs/situations I like the SB more, but others the SB doesn't really work. To those who say they'll sacrifice a little tone and volume to lose the extra carry weight, I say, you don't have to. One might , say, prefer an SVT 4CL to a Quilter BB800, but it really has nothing to do with weight. A heavy amp, on average, is NOT better than a light amp.

 

[4-fingers]

I blew my back out improperly lifting my old GB Uber 410 cab up a small staircase. Jerked it with my back instead of lifting with my knees. I still played the gig. Needed back surgery a few weeks later to repair a herniated disk in my lower back that was causing sciatica. I'll sacrifice a little volume and possibly some tone for a lighter rig nowadays.

That is very unfortunate. I hope there weren't any lasting effects.

My Genz would move your bowels it went so low......but it was big, heavy and I didn't enjoy lugging back upstairs after each gig.

My cabs, 810 and 2X210s live in my garage now. No more stairs.

 

[Pedulla-Player]

That is very unfortunate. I hope there weren't any lasting effects.

My Genz would move your bowels it went so low......but it was big, heavy and I didn't enjoy lugging back upstairs after each gig.

My cabs, 810 and 2X210s live in my garage now. No more stairs.

The Uber 410 was an awesome cab. Great tone, super loud, but a little on the heavy side. Turning 48 in a week. Not as young as I used to be. I like lightweight that can still pack a punch now that I'm getting older.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

That AudioKinesis 112 looks sweet. I no longer play in loud bands.
Can someone front me $650?
I'm mostly good for it.

 

[Frank77]

That AudioKinesis 112 looks sweet. I no longer play in loud bands.
Can someone front me $650?
I'm mostly good for it.

Love mine! Lots of voicing options with this cab, with the switches to tame/unleash the highs and the mids, and the pluggable ports! Weighs 32 lbs!

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Love mine! Lots of voicing options with this cab, with the switches to tame/unleash the highs and the mids, and the pluggable ports! Weighs 32 lbs!

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I think I'd probably go for the Hathor. Although I do some acoustic gigs, that 25 lbs is very attractive. And it's cheaper than the Aguilar SL112.

 

[kilgoja]

it's easy they have wheels on them. just roll it and get help when going up stairs. i did it for 10 years no problems.

..then again these days you can just get two 4x10 cabs to make it easier.

 

[Frank77]

I think I'd probably go for the Hathor. Although I do some acoustic gigs, that 25 lbs is very attractive. And it's cheaper than the Aguilar SL112.

Tried one of those too - it is also loud enough for my band, you can't go wrong IMO. It packs an impressive punch and feels like a miracle when you pick it up. The taller Changeling has a bit more low-end boom, but the Hathor is an awesome cab.

 

[guy n. cognito]

Really? Do you have any examples to prove me wrong?

Gotta love this guy.

 

[seamonkey]

No - if it's too much cab for the gig you'll hate yourself for hauling around a big cab needlessly.
If it's not enough cab for the gig you'll hate yourself for hauling around a big cab that doesn't do the job.

Better to do light, and ask ahead for FOH support if you need it.

 

[JRA]

start a family, have some sons, train them for roadie work.




i did it.

 

[mesaplayer83]

The bravado wanes....

My Berg CN212 is a pleasure to carry. I can carry it with a double Mono bag on my back as well.

One of the ways I choose to help my band mates is by choosing good sounding, lightweight gear that doesn’t require team lift. I sound good, schelp my own gear, and save more time for moving PA and other heavy things. And no one snickers or questions my manhood for it, either. Funny how that works...

I call that gigging smarter, not harder...

 

[mesaplayer83]

Well let's agree to disagree. Pair an Ampeg SVT-CL/Mesa400/Superbassman/etc. with their respectable cabs and bring the light rig and watch it disappear.

Yeah, we're going to have to agree to disagree here - I have these rigs, as well as others:

 

[Sparkl]

Yeah, we're going to have to agree to disagree here - I have these rigs, as well as others:

Oh yeah, the TB favorite D800. While I don't deny that it is a great class D amp, that mesa 400 eats it for breakfast.

No comparison. Tried them both.

 

[Sparkl]

Gotta love this guy.

As hard as it is to prove me wrong it is equally as hard to prove you right.

You have the tech specs and equations and engineering. And then you have practical application. That's where these two start to fall apart.

 

[Sparkl]

That's a pretty big assumption on such a huge forum as TB IMHO. Not all of us are, in all honesty. I mostly do sub work these days for my increasingly rare gigs, sometimes don't even know many of the players until we meet onstage, and quite a few are in their 70s, 80s and even 90s in one case. And those big heavy dinosaurs that can be so great for things I never do (anymore) are not welcome on the bandstand at all in my world as a player anyway. If my 33 pound 112 can't hack the gig I simply pass on it. Works for me. I still have a 180 pound rig at home but it sounds virtually identical to my 41 pound one, and I never ever need the extra volume the big one can provide.

Well, the OP is 28 and the answer to the question "how hard is it to load a 100lbs cab in the car" is simply: Very easy.

I realise that you can't lift stuff when you are 80, so yeah lightweight gear fits those guys very well. For the rest of (younger) us, lightweight gear mostly imposes a tone compromise, as I have extensively tested, so we still stick to the heavys. Once my back goes to poop, or when a lightweight stack comes that is equal in tone and the mojo of the old tubes, I will switch to lightweight myself.

 

[Lance Bunyon]

Oh yeah, the TB favorite D800. While I don't deny that it is a great class D amp, that mesa 400 eats it for breakfast.

No comparison. Tried them both.

You're not going to get an argument from me. Any mesa full tube amp is going to stay any class D amp for presence and percieved volume.
Imma fanboy.

 

[Sparkl]

I hope and pray that you don't get old and feeble like many of us. Get to my age with health issues and you'll likely "do compromises".
As a matter of fact I am beginning to question the long term feasibility of keeping my 10.5 lb 5 string jazz bass as a primary for stage. By the third set I'm in agony!

Don't get me wrong, I am not making a fool out of old people. I am mostly speaking for young generation of bass players trying to pick their gear and instantly limiting themselves to lightweight because why... it is lightweight. A person in their 20s and 30s should have absolutely no problem lifting a 100lbs cab and putting it in a car and there is no reason why they (we) should keep away from them. They still sound best by far.

And since the OP is 28, I believe that many people in this thread voted based on their age and completely ignoring the OPs age. That's where my initial response in this thread comes from.

 

[mcnach]

Oh god...

 

[lexefx]

I went modular with my rig. 3 separate cabs at 50lbs each. I also have a cute little one hander combo. My rack is the heavyweight, but easier size to manage. Plan for the future. Your body will thank you.