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Is there realy any need for huge rigs?

#62
ZonGuy said:
They make PA's, ya know. Anything beyond 500w goes there with me. With a lot of bands Like Neil Young and Crazy Horse, they all work w/ less than 100w amps miked.

For those needing a security blanket, consider investing in a chicken rotiserie.
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Geddy +1

Now he has the ultimate set up. Just a preamp, power amp, and speaker simulators into the house PA.

Michael Case said:
Psycho Bass Guy said:
Have you heard Geddy's tone lately? It's crap!
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Talk about classy.
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Also +1.

Geddy has always had fantastic tone, and that includes now.
 
#64
I have a Kustom Groove stacked 2x10 combo at 600 watts. I usually run my amp a little loud on stage as a monitor and DI out FOH if the club is bigger. I have never needed anything else. It sounds fantastic and I get tons of compliments from sound guys on the clarity and ease of getting a good sound.

I finally started going the combo route after years of lugging a trace 4x10, with an ampeg 1x15 and an SVT rackmount 4pro in a rack with a tuner, power conditioner and compressor. It was always difficult to get from gig to gig, and way too coplicated to guarantee a good sound every night. Frankly, I hated it.

Simple, clear and powerful. That's where it's at.
 
#66
Michael Case said:
Talk about classy.
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There's a large difference between not liking someone's tone and personally insulting them. Since you can't tell the difference, let me spell it out for you: I HAVE heard Geddy live recently and his tone was nothing like it should have been. It was very distorted, snarly, thin and mixed well below what it should have been. Telling someone that a large amp is a security blanket for them is a personal insult. If you can't distinguish between the two, I suggest you revisit english class. In the future, if you intend to comment on class, please excercise some next time and do the rest of us the courtesy of being topical.
 
#67
Psycho Bass Guy said:
There's a large difference between not liking someone's tone and personally insulting them. Since you can't tell the difference, let me spell it out for you: I HAVE heard Geddy live recently and his tone was nothing like it should have been. It was very distorted, snarly, thin and mixed well below what it should have been. Telling someone that a large amp is a security blanket for them is a personal insult. If you can't distinguish between the two, I suggest you revisit english class. In the future, if you intend to comment on class, please excercise some next time and do the rest of us the courtesy of being topical.
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The way you described his tone in this post is classy. Just saying it's crap isn't.

Anyway, I tried in my feeble manner to give my opinion on the matter. I don't think it's so simple, we all need to know what our needs are. I have a 410, 210, and a 400 watt head that can be used as a stacked unit or in smaller units. I also have a 125 watt head and 110 cab that I have found many uses for. Once again, I have gone from full stack to no amp at all (I actually used a DI into the FOH at the Continental in NYC once). It all depends on the gig.
 
#68
To answer the OP, yes, although maybe not for every genre of music.

There's a certain visceral feel that comes with a massive wall of amps that can't be duplicated any other way, and it's that visceral feel that's such an important element of live rock and metal shows. I like to be able to get right up front and feel the air moving past me.
 
#69
An 810 rig is what I use in most situations because it is extemely rare that I've come accross a PA guy competent enough to get the stage mix right. The last thing I want to be doing through an entire set is pissing and moaning about foldback levels and gesturing for them to go up, down, sideways......whatever.
My rig saves me this pain and as a wise fellow said in another thread, "Better to have and not need than to need and not have."
I can always turn my amp down to a nice stage volume that suits me and my band.
Besides, my tone sounds way better coming through my cabs than some lottery of crappy foldback speakers farting in my face.

Yeah big rigs are the go!
 
#70
I like having a big rig. My band is a small time act (and will likely shrink even more if the self proclaimed band leader doesn't get his head out of the clouds) so we don't have any PA support or fancy sound guys. ;) Every man for himself, I suppose.

I need a way to cut through an overly loud guitarist and nearly 1000 watts going through a 212 and a 410 usually does the trick. It's nice not having to turn it up very much, but still being able to certainly has it's advantages.

I could see myself getting a small but powerful combo or lightweight head and cab setup (like the Shuttle 6.0 or something in that class), but I don't think I'd ever abandon the big rig.
 
#71
Know what the difference between guitarists and bassists is?

Guitarists try to hide their equipment from other guitarists, lest they cop their "signature" tone.

Bassists not only tell you what they use down to the last detail, they get offended if you don't want to use what they want to use.

What the hell ever happened to "Live and let live?" You're all so judgmental! I personally see no need to bring a 1500w amp and three 6-ft stacks of cabs into a 100 seat bar, but if it makes a dude happy to play through it, is it hurting you so bad where you have to insult him? Ya, I've goofed on guys with 1500w amps before, but it was all in fun and I'd never presume to tell them they shouldn't use them. Likewise, if a guy is fine with a B-15 or a 210 combo for an arena gig, or even no amp at all, what's it to you?

There is no one-size-fits-all option. We are all free to have our opinions about what we like and want to use, but when you tell others that they shouldn't like it, then maybe you should take a step back and check yourself. Hey, I've done it on occasion as well, so I can't point too many fingers, but jeez, develop a little tolerance.
 
#72
with this I don't need a rig ...

But I use one anyway ...

pedal.jpg
 
#75
Need is a term that is a bit hard to define. You need what you need to be satisfied. With big FOH all you really need is a IEM system or good monitors. But, if you aren't satisfied with the way you sound on stage than what is the point. If you are satisfied with your sound then you will play much better. If you are using a rig that doesn't really turn your crank than you can't relax and get your sound. If you need a big rig to get your sound in a phone booth than that's what you need. Use whatever makes you happy. We've only got so many gigs in us and we might as well be satisfied with our sound in as many as possible.
 
#76
Big rigs are like doctors, they're not needed until they are actually needed (and then, if you don't have one, you're screwed). For myself, I do fine with a 215 and an old GK400rb because I don't play outdoors anymore and most of the places we play are pretty small (+ our PA is tiny).

For the record, a soundman who gets whiny when bassists arrive with full stacks is being a stupid douche unless said bassists actually order him to help unload or move the stuff. None of his buisiness, he is there to mix the stage and room levels to the staisfaction of the band and the management, not to pass judgement. A lot of guys who say they're not cool about something so trivial as this usually are overly stubborn in their opinions and don't work with the band to get THEIR sound: ie. bad soundmen.
 
#78
BillyRay said:
For the record, a soundman who gets whiny when bassists arrive with full stacks is being a stupid douche unless said bassists actually order him to help unload or move the stuff. None of his buisiness, he is there to mix the stage and room levels to the staisfaction of the band and the management, not to pass judgement. A lot of guys who say they're not cool about something so trivial as this usually are overly stubborn in their opinions and don't work with the band to get THEIR sound: ie. bad soundmen.
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+1
 
#79
For small, crappy gigs that all of us aspiring pro musicians have to do in small, crappy bars, those little combos like the Markbass models that other TB'ers praise (I haven't tested any of 'em) seem to be very nice. Specially when you've had to visit a chiropractor at least once, because you busted your back unloading some heavy thing for a crappy gig. I also like small, light cabs that can be stacked together into a big, menacing mother.

But, when it comes to looks, and you play good shows, you just tell everybody "DON't MESS WITH ME" with huge, badass fridges, period. OK, OK, unless you have a couple washing machines lying around there.
 
#80
I used to rent out big stacks about last year for gigs (like 800W -> 8x8) and after the hassle of transporting and not even using a quarter of the power I realized that it is completely unnecessary. PAs do all the work, not your amp - in fact, large amps are only needed for small (yes, that's right, SMALL) venues where there is no decent PA system. Now I gig with a Laney HCM65B (65W 1x12 combo) and my trusty MXR M-80 DI box (partly because I can't buy a nice head/cab combo yet). Soooo much easier and I still get compliments on how good my bass sounds. The only reason to get a nice head/cab is for the tone and not loudness. :bassist:
 

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