If there is PA support, why have such a large rig on stage?

[bassicmike]

...bandmates request loud, deep bass on stage ... i use my rig as a side-fill.

The gigs where we have decent PA, my 1x12 is usually pointed past the drummer and across the stage.

 

[DJ Bebop]

thats fine, and thats why I use a rig on stage event



is that your Guild in the bottom pic? If so what are those mods that were done to it?

Nope, the Guild and gear belongs to edwinhurwitz

 

[chadds]

Hey, these days it's all the exercise I get! Although I'm down to two 112s and a class D. But the keyboard and all the other crap make up for it.



They always do. Until they actually get old and finally figure out that they may have been wrong. But that's OK, you're exactly like us, you just haven't figured that out yet.

That is their weakness. They disregard tradition then discover it and flock to it as cool. They don’t know what they don’t know. They have no vision and can’t because they are young. Every conversation could include “and.”
We need the tempering of the different visions. The balance makes our lives healthy. It means we get neo, class D and our love for tubes and analog. Any call to toss out or reject either should be questioned on the motives of the caller.

 

[Joe Nerve]

They always do. Until they actually get old and finally figure out that they may have been wrong. But that's OK, you're exactly like us, you just haven't figured that out yet.

I'm an older people .

 

[pie_man_25]

I'm an older people .

I wouldn't overthink it. Some people think they actually know more than other people, even when they don't. I don't hold myself as innocent from this one, either.

That all said, to some people an amp is like a wrench - if you're not working with a wrench you probably don't care to have one that's any nicer than what you need. You don't get one any bigger or smaller than you'd need either since it literally wouldn't work. In this regard some folks will still have and need a big amp for a backup - sometimes stuff goes wrong in front of house or with the sound guy, heck, I've yet to see a pa that actually accommodates my bass.

BUT, to some people an amp is a lifestyle commodity. You get a cool amp to be a cool guy that has the cool experience of a cool amp. That's where you get the guys that would play their huge amps regardless of what's there. That's also where you get dudes calling people hipster weaklings for no carrying bigger amps than they need. Honestly, if you're willing to lug your own gear or hire a roadie, it's as valid a reason as any, I just scoff at elitism about hipster weaklings and "rock the way God intended."

As far as I care? Sure, an 810 or two and a three quarter tonne truck to haul them in alongside the drum kit and a couple half stacks would be awesome. But the way my life has turned out my pf 500 and 115 cab gives me a great sound with enough volume to do what I needed when I was gigging, and fits in the back of my civic with enough room for my bass, and the guitarist's gear too, and if the guitarist does their part it's a one trip deal for me. I'm not about to spend a few grand to live somebody else's dream.

 

[LowActionHero]

Ya know, I've said I usually have PA support, but it is just support - my amp carried most venues, even outdoor gigs, our sound guy added me to the PA as needed. Not even sure how much.

That said, I was all for having less weight to move, when I first started with that band as a 3 piece I didn't have a bass amp, I ran through the PA only (tiny venues). I often missed those days - tuner on my phone, 2 pedals, everything fit in my bass case. I could have probably rode my motorcycle to the gig.

 

[Joe Nerve]

I wouldn't overthink it. Some people think they actually know more than other people, even when they don't. I don't hold myself as innocent from this one, either.

That all said, to some people an amp is like a wrench - if you're not working with a wrench you probably don't care to have one that's any nicer than what you need. You don't get one any bigger or smaller than you'd need either since it literally wouldn't work. In this regard some folks will still have and need a big amp for a backup - sometimes stuff goes wrong in front of house or with the sound guy, heck, I've yet to see a pa that actually accommodates my bass.

BUT, to some people an amp is a lifestyle commodity. You get a cool amp to be a cool guy that has the cool experience of a cool amp. That's where you get the guys that would play their huge amps regardless of what's there. That's also where you get dudes calling people hipster weaklings for no carrying bigger amps than they need. Honestly, if you're willing to lug your own gear or hire a roadie, it's as valid a reason as any, I just scoff at elitism about hipster weaklings and "rock the way God intended."

As far as I care? Sure, an 810 or two and a three quarter tonne truck to haul them in alongside the drum kit and a couple half stacks would be awesome. But the way my life has turned out my pf 500 and 115 cab gives me a great sound with enough volume to do what I needed when I was gigging, and fits in the back of my civic with enough room for my bass, and the guitarist's gear too, and if the guitarist does their part it's a one trip deal for me. I'm not about to spend a few grand to live somebody else's dream.

I have 2X12, IEMs, and roadies. And I'm grateful for all 3. I was being only half serious in my response .

 

[Steve_D]

One of the reasons I picked up the bass was to hear and feel the musical lows. Don’t like pumping the bass to the PA, because of the fact it’s harder to hear. Of course without hearing aids I don’t hear much anyway.

 

[coy garcia]

One of the reasons I picked up the bass was to hear and feel the musical lows. Don’t like pumping the bass to the PA, because of the fact it’s harder to hear.

I had a few years where I went ampless using a tech 21 on stage...one day I dusted off my boogie 400+ for fun and strong armed it into the venue. I then knew what I had been missing those years.

 

[pie_man_25]

I have 2X12, IEMs, and roadies. And I'm grateful for all 3. I was being only half serious in my response .

I'll never let that stop me from ranting

 

[MikePlaysBass]

I was a gear humpher for a while as a teenager at the big concert venue in my town, and I saw more than one big rock act bring in Marshall facings on a fold-up concertina-like thing that they just expanded across the back of the stage. The actual amps were often miced up in isolation boxes backstage.Kiss had a huge wall of speakrs setup, but they were all facings.
Like this, but with cabinet fronts

They always looked so real to me. I guess that was the idea. I had just assumed they were empty cabs, but that would be an extra truckload to take to every show, so using a fasade definitely makes more sense.

 

[actionpig]

For me it’s stage volume. I play in a metal band and my drummer hits hard. We also play a lot of small venues and I don’t trust the house gear or sound guy. Some time there are only monitors for the singer. I simply can’t leave it up to chance and I need to control my own situation.

 

[glitchslap]

I use a Mesa amp and Aguilar cabinets ( SL2x10, DB4x10) because I want my tonalities. NO system can give me what I need. It's a individual choice. I use FOH for support, not origin.

 

[flybynight]

I have only once in my life played on a rock-fest stage (back in the 70s), and they miked my Bassman head driving a 4x10" Bassman bottom. I had never before (and doubt I ever will) feel my bass through my feet while standing on 1" of well-braced plywood. I liked it. A whole lot. That Bassman setup was more than adequate for even large halls.

 

[TJL]

I prefer to be self sufficient on stage. I might run a line into the PA, but it is so minimal...just for ambience. If I were to go full volume into the PA, I would blow the speakers up, and once you destroy a clubs PA or worse, your lead singer's PA, you will never want to experience that again. I also find that I play much better when I can hear what my bass really sounds like and just as importantly, feels like. If I was just playing simple support bass quarter notes, it would not matter, but when you have to solo through jazz fusion and funk, I want to know exactly what my bass is sounding like. In ear monitors are ok when you have a great tech who knows how to mix perfectly, but most gigs do not afford such a luxury.
The downside to the big rig is of course the abuse you get from the guy monitoring the PA who invariably screams at you to turn down your rig since it is bleeding into the PA.

 

[Jeffery Axthelm]

Bass gets you hired, gets those honeys dancing etc. It is the rhythm section. Send your guitarist our there by himself...........after a measure or two, crickets.

Yep. I had a gig with a dance band. An older lady who'd been up dancing all night came up at the break and said, "You are the Pied Piper with that bass!" What a compliment!

 

[oldscratch943]

It's pretty amazing to feel the floor shake and air move around you when playing through a giant rig. Maybe overkill and ridiculous, but I enjoy it.

 

[chadds]

Yep. I had a gig with a dance band. An older lady who'd been up dancing all night came up at the break and said, "You are the Pied Piper with that bass!" What a compliment!

I had a gig in the parking lot at the opening of a health center. I had two SWR G3s side by side and a Bass 750. In other outside gigs I'd been taken out of the mains because it covered so well. Okay it was loud. So this gig we are bringing it hard and I'm jumping around and I look to my left and there are all these older folks in wheel chairs right there. Like next to my amps next to me. They are bugging to the music. I didn't meet them. They could have all been deaf though I saw no hearing aides. But man the appreciation! They were getting the body feel.

 

[bigtone23]

I'm very practical in terms of bringing gear to a gig. I do sometimes bring bigger pedalboards to stages that have the room for it. Having a big amp behind you can look cool, but it's also a labor of love. Typically, venues that have plenty of PA support also have cool lights and screens, so eye candy on stage is pretty unnecessary.
It's really nice to pack up in under 10 minutes and walk out in one trip because all I have is two instruments and a small duffle bag with my FlyRig, wireless and IEM system.

 

[BruceG63]

When Ive been to some multi band events not that many soundmen want to mess with individual monitor mixes and you might have 30 minutes between bands where they want you to set up,your first song is basically the soundcheck and when your done your out of there and everybody else on stage doesnt want to hear the bass at the same level I do.When its just us with our pa there is more leaning in minimal stage rig direction.It all depends where your at,playing.