How hard is it to load a 100lb cab?

[pbass74]

I had a Peavey 215 cabinet for about 40 years. It weighed 100 pounds. When I was in my 20s, I carried it up to the third floor by myself. It was on casters and it loaded easily in the back of my pickup since all I had to do was tip it back, grab the casters and slide it in. However, I discovered the Fender Rumbles a couple of years ago. Now, I save space, my back and sound great with a 200 combo which weighs less than the head of the old Peavey.

 

[bobyoung53]

had two of those!!! like thunder when slapping on 4 string lol. I LOOOOOOVED beating on that .110 low D on a stingray

Yeah, best 410 I've ever heard, I'm thinking of picking up another one, they're cheap now. I have a couple of 810's but the bottom out of this thing is unbelievable.

 

[InhumanResource]

I have never owned a heavy bass cab, but, I am thinking of getting a cheap used 4x10 (Peavey 410 TVX) that ends up coming in at ~96lbs. It has handles on the sides... Is this a feasible one man load in? Should I spend an extra $150 and buy a light cab like the rumble 4x10?

It's fine. I load in with two cabs at 96lbs. It gets a little aggravating, but if you need that much volume your options are limited.

Believe it or not, an 810 is easier to get around. You just need a big enough vehicle to transport it.

 

[arbiterusa]

Is this a feasible one man load in?

Sure. In your teens and twenties. I can still do it at 52...I took my old SWR cab (95 pounds) out a few months back...but it was zero fun. Spend the extra $150.

 

[InhumanResource]

I'm 65, 5'6" and have been lugging big cabs and heads since before 1970, SVT's since 1976, you just need to stay in decent shape and learn mechanics, the sound is well worth it, also know when to ask for help.

Exactly. The shape of the cabinet helps, too. An awkward, large volume cab sucks to lift at 60 lbs. My 410HE at 96lbs is a pretty easy lift using the side handles.

 

[bobyoung53]

Exactly. The shape of the cabinet helps, too. An awkward, large volume cab sucks to lift at 60 lbs. My 410HE at 96lbs is a pretty easy lift using the side handles.

The Ampeg PR410-HLF I have is so damn deep I can hardly get both arms in the side handles so I never left it, I'd kill my back but I can get it up right over the tailgate pretty easily of my SVT hauler (94 Buick Roadmaster estate wagon). I fit two 810's, SVT head, couple of basses and an upright in that thing once with room for my wife in the front.

 

[TjMetalhead]

I had one of those myself a while ago and I loved it, but then the van I was using went away and I couldn't fit that 4x10 into the Corolla. Solution: I also turned my 4x10 into a pair of 2x10's and haven't missed that big cab one bit.

The working man 2x10's are also great cabs, what did you end up getting? After playing a 2x12 combo amp I'm hoping to get two 2x12's, they'll be all the cabinets I'll ever need.

 

[BogeyBass]

I'd rather have a taller heavy cabinet than a " light" 4x10

It's easier to tilt and slide in or out of the vehicle. Then roll.

1x15 2x12 or 4x10 require a lift and if rolling you stoop over awkward. It's more back breaking regardless if 55 or 35 pounds

I carry around a pair of 8x10s and I'm old and haven't " lifted" a cab in years. Don't be wise ass and mention stairs. Cause those are easy too. Actually small stairs leading up to stage...nah I tilt it over and skip the stairs completely.

I've used 10" drivers for years but I refuse to use 4x10s or any ported 10" speaker system. Be better to use 2x15 or 4x12 for ported

 

[rd2rk]

I'm 67, 5"6". I deadlift 275lbs 5x5 (315 singles). On a nicely balanced barbell. It's not the weight, it's the size. Getting it in/out of the car is no big deal. Getting it down the stairs to the car and up the stairs at the gig is another matter. Doing the reverse at 3am REALLY sucks. And by the time I get it loud enough to put a smile on my face (oh yeah, big cabs sound GREAT, at high volume), the bartender is waving a shotgun at me!

40 years ago, when I needed that kind of volume/low end, what choice was there? I sucked it up and did what I had to do. Today I have a choice. I'll take it!

 

[ThumbBum]

Can’t say, depends on how it sounds.

I carry a Super Bassman and GB Uber 410T as my main gigging rig, however I have a few light weight head and cab options as well.

Side bar convo but has your Super Bassman ever showed one red dot on the back signifying a blown tube but then when you put it in stand by, back on, its back to green?

 

[fhm555]

I have never owned a heavy bass cab, but, I am thinking of getting a cheap used 4x10 (Peavey 410 TVX) that ends up coming in at ~96lbs. It has handles on the sides... Is this a feasible one man load in? Should I spend an extra $150 and buy a light cab like the rumble 4x10?

I used a 96 pound Hartke 410XL for around ten years averaging about four nights a week out playing. There were a lot of two and three night stands in there so it was not as bad as it sounds but I still had to carry it out of the house and load it on a pickup then unload it and carry it wherever it was going to be used, including up and down multiple flights of stairs on occasion, but I was in excellent condition and young enough to not care about having to move it because the sound was what I wanted, and it was loud enough to play with 2 guitars and a drummer, and an occasional keys player. It also has handles on each side and I'd just pick up and go with it.
If you are in good shape and the cab has spring loaded swing out handles on the sides so you can grab them without having to reach inside a set of recessed cups, I'd say go for it. The reason I mention the handles is if you can't reach out and grab them like you are picking up a bucket in each hand, it's gonna be a real struggle if you have to reach into a hole with a bar across the front. The 215 I had before the 410 has those recessed handles and it's almost impossible to grab them both and lift anything with any weight to it. They are great for one person on each handle but they really suck for solo lifting and carrying. I could just pick up my 410 and put it on the tailgate of my truck but I had to push the 215 up to the tailgate with the back facing the truck bed and reach down and grab the bottom and lift and tip the cab into the truck bed. The 215 was on casters but if it was on dirt or rough concrete or asphalt I had a hell of a fight on my hands unless I could get someone to spot the other side for me.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

Heavy 410s are the worst of all worlds, I reckon. I found it easier to haul a 60Kg (~120lb) Mesa 610 around back when I had one, because it was tall enough (with casters) to flip into my car or onto stages without having to lift the whole weight of it very often. A 410 has to be lifted much more often, and is not very easy to lift in a good position (i.e. with your legs and not your back).

 

[groove pump]

The working man 2x10's are also great cabs, what did you end up getting? After playing a 2x12 combo amp I'm hoping to get two 2x12's, they'll be all the cabinets I'll ever need.

I initially got a pair of Wkmn's 2x10's and they got it done for me over several years. Then the grass got a little greener and I got the itch to shop out some different cabs, but I also wanted to stick with either a pair of 2x10's or maybe something like a 2x10/1x15 layout.

The stars aligned and I found fantastic deals on both a Goliath Jr. (SWR) and an Acme Low B2 - always wondered what all the fuss was about with the Acme cabs, so this was a nice find. Despite conventional wisdom generally recommending that we use two of the same cab together, I've used these two on a couple of gigs and they earned a solid report card (play well together, etc.)

I haven't put either of these newer cabs on a scale, but they each feel like they're a good 10-12 lbs. lighter than my old Wkmn's 2x10's. The newer ones can handle much more power and they also sound wonderful to me, so this has been an improvement on an improvement.

The double 2x12 option should be unbeatable if you track down the cabs that check all the boxes for you. I've only noodled with a couple of those over the years and every time I do, I wonder what setting would justify my having a pair of them. Single 2x12's can sound mighty big!!

 

[fdeck]

My view is that if music is a job, then it should be as safe as any job. If I were running a factory, I wouldn't expect workers to regularly lift 100 pounds, even if they think they can do it without getting hurt.

 

[beans-on-toast]

96 lbs is a lot of weight when a cab is bulky. A cab on casters is easy to move, the problem is getting it in and out of your vehicle.

If you have a truck or a liftback, use a ramp or the cab itself to your advantage. An 810 can be easier to move. See the video below.

 

[Fun Size Nick]

96 lbs is a lot of weight when a cab is bulky. A cab on casters is easy to move, the problem is getting it in and out of your vehicle.

If you have a truck or a liftback, use a ramp or the cab itself to your advantage. An 810 can be easier to move. See the video below.

That's how it's done! So much easier than lifting a 410 or two into the car.

 

[RadioactiveGuy4]

I had a pair of the 410 TVX cabs back in the day. They sounded great and were cheap but they were heavy. I was able to lift them by my self and go up and down stairs but once I got up or down those stairs I set them on a skate board (the poor kids dolly) and rolled them. Once I got the money to upgrade to cabs that were easier to move and sounded better I did. I don't miss them but if I showed up to gig and that was the back line, I would be happy to see them.

 

[jnuts1]

ok we are missing a few pieces of info to make an truly accurate assessment.

how freaking big are you? are you a monster or 135lbs soaking wet?
are you in a town with cake venue parking?
are you in a big city where you will be lucky to find parking 6 block away?
do you drive a sweet mini van or a geo metro?
Do you like lifting heavy items up and carrying them around for no reason? If so, why?

 

[Inky13]

Gigged a Peavey and SWR 4x10 for many years.
I’m not going to lie, it stunk. A lot.
I went lightweight 1x12’s and it changed my life.
I wouldn’t go back even with a large caliber firearm pressed to my head.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I have never owned a heavy bass cab, but, I am thinking of getting a cheap used 4x10 (Peavey 410 TVX) that ends up coming in at ~96lbs. It has handles on the sides... Is this a feasible one man load in? Should I spend an extra $150 and buy a light cab like the rumble 4x10?

I load a Ampeg 410 bottom first into the trunk of my car and put the Ampeg 15 on the passenger seat. Loading in and out of the car isn’t that big of a deal to me. Rolling the cabs around isn’t that bad either with the casters but stairs would suck if you have to deal with stairs often and if you play anywhere with a gravel parking lot you might want to get a bandmate to help because cabs don’t roll well in gravel. If the cab doesn’t have casters I’d use a dolly no question