Just how important is my cab at this point?

[Core Creek]

In my current band no one uses IEMs and everyone has pretty loud stage volume. If I want to hear myself, I definitely need volume. I even get asked to turn up by my BL from time to time.

But I have been shifting gear around to get lighter stuff. I think the days of 70+ pound cabs are dying. I replaced my Carvin BRX 15” (still have it but it’s so heavy) with a Markbass 3x10”. The Markbass is less than half the weight a little punchier.

I agree with what others have said - it really depends on your situation. Whenever I’m in a new situation I evaluate what I have and see what I need to change. If it’s working, I’ll change nothing. If it’s not working, well, purge time.

 

[jimmydean]

IEM are great once you get used to them , used them for a year or so . Prefer a rig behind me with good monitors......old school guy . Nice not transporting equipment except a bass and a carry bag to a gig .

 

[Pings Bass]

If I were in your shoes I'd just go ampless. What function is an amp serving if FOH is DI and mons are IEM?

 

[Grinderman]

I still like to feel the bass even when on ears. Even if it’s offstage pointed at me and drums. There are lots of cabs that would sound great with your TH. But if you’re home in LA right now this GS410 looks to be in great shape and would be killer. Not exactly lightweight, but not horrible. I toured with one for years.
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Not light compared to what's common in new cabs made these days.

I saw that listing a few weeks ago leading me to look further into the specs of those cabs. I have no first-hand knowledge of how they're voiced or their tone, though I've read they are mid-focused. From those vague descriptions, the visual appearance, and the specs on paper they seem strikingly similar to Eden D410XLT cabs. I have the 4 Ohm version of that Eden.

Aguilar DB410 cabs, ported at the back, with a more old-fashioned or trad livery, I gather sounds more like Eden D410XST cabs. The GS and DB cabs also weigh as much as Eden cabs too so that's to be considered--98 pounds each.
___________

In general, I dislike playing through any kind of setup that doesn't deliver any feel at my feet. When I play I'm barefoot, or wearing socks, or wearing thin-soled shoes.

 

[Artman]

Sounds like all you need is your pedal board. Presuming you or your sound tech keep a spare IEM.

Congratulations on your headlining tour.
Cheers!

 

[micguy]

I've done about 1000 shows on in ears at this point. There is a bit of a learning curve (You should DEFINITELY rehearse before you play out with IEM's), but once you are past that, I find that an amp stack behind me is much more of a hindrance than a help. You won't get the blaring wall of sound coming at you, but once you have your in ears dialed in, you will find that you hear what you are playing much more clearly. The thing that is still variable is how much floor shaking you will feel - that depends on the stage, and how hot the FOH person runs the bass.

When you get a FOH person that loves low end, and a stage that shakes well (concrete stages do not do this), the combination of clear (but not deafening) sound in your ears, and the earth moving is magical. In this situation, my typical comment to the FOH person is "my feet like the way you mix". When you end up on a concrete stage, it's not as fun, but you still hear yourself very well - doing your job well becomes much easier on in ears.

One thing that in ears unlock (which you might not expect) is stage plot versatility. Most of us are used to being right next to the drums, which helps with timing. With in ears, you can be anywhere, and still be locked in time wise with the drummer. I was located about 50 feet from the drums once, and it was the clearest mix I ever had - NOT having the wash from the drums is actually a benefit. Eye contact was....pretty much non existent, but it was surprising how well that worked. Now, when I am put next to the drums, I typically stand 5 feet or so further from them than I would have before, so that the wash is a bit less - most of the stages I play are big enough that those 5 feet are inconsequential.

The combination of clearer sound, you rears not ringing after a show, and a one trip load in/load out is really nice. So to your original question: Your cab is....not necessary. I'd leave it at home. Mine sits next to my practice desk, as a stand for my pedalboard to sit on. It's been there for a few years.

 

[TheArchitect]

I go IEM, but with a real rig behind me.
I can't stand IEM only. I use them mainly to hear everything else than the bass. There is a little bit of bass in it but most of it comes from behind me.
I tried IEM only once and it was the worst experience onstage IMO. Lifeless is the only word that comes to my mind.

I know this is very common but to me the point of going to an IEM system is to not have amps and monitors blasting on stage. My IEM's seal off my ear and I don't hear much of what's on stage directly anyway. I would rather get it right in the IEM's. That way its controllable and doesn't change as I move around

 

[dbsfgyd1]

Gonna try and make this as concise as possible.
Started playing at a professional level (1,000-10,000 cap rooms, major festivals etc.) in 2022.
I have a headline tour coming up in about 3 weeks ( these rooms will range from (1k-3,000 cap)so I got an Aguilar TH500 (Aguilar has been the brand that never lets me down when I've backlined rigs in the past) but I'm trying to figure out the cab situation as soon as possible.
I did a support tour with an Amp Rocket RB-210 and even played Radio City Music Hall with it but I just feel like I need to upgrade my personally owned rig at this point.

We will be on ears and our FOH engineer says the majority of my tone in the FOH mix comes from my DI signal. I have my pedal board dialed in at this point, it ends with an Origin Effects BassRig64 which acts as my DI.

Just how important is my cab at this point? Part of me thinks I should just spend the bread on the Aggy SL210 or bigger but the cost is a bit much right now.

Thanks in advance, glad to finally not just be a lurker anymore!

Usually a good side fill monitor is all you need using IEMs. I’d have a talk with the sound engineer prior to the tour.

Congrats on the gig. Sounds exciting.

 

[squish]

I've recently converted over to IEMs, so I'm still new with the concept. Made sense for us because we are on the road (or air) to most shows now. We also lost our trailer (band member quit and took it with them), so when we drive to play a show we have to travel very light - no cabs. I was initially resenting it (blaming the band member), but now that I'm getting a great tone, I'm feeling better about using the IEMs.

 

[baxter_x]

I know this is very common but to me the point of going to an IEM system is to not have amps and monitors blasting on stage. My IEM's seal off my ear and I don't hear much of what's on stage directly anyway. I would rather get it right in the IEM's. That way its controllable and doesn't change as I move around

I agree, however I simply can't get used to the only IEM thing. My amp doesn't blast the stage, it's just a presence that I really need to feel fine.

 

[DJ Bebop]

I still like to feel the bass even when on ears. Even if it’s offstage pointed at me and drums. There are lots of cabs that would sound great with your TH. But if you’re home in LA right now this GS410 looks to be in great shape and would be killer. Not exactly lightweight, but not horrible. I toured with one for years.
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As cool as they sound, oh heavens no.
I myself don't have the back or time to move that heavy thing around.

Most big gigs with provided sound have subs. They usually provide all the low end one needs. A small speaker cabinet or a nice modern monitor wedge is enough to augment an IEM monitor situation, a little heft in the background.

 

[ElCrowg]

I don't know your situation- but when I was in your shoes some 10 years ago and my sole job was touring and playing I never played my own amps. I just didn't. I had high quality IEMs with me no matter what and the amp/cab situation was always handled by the production/management/logistics side of things depending on what was happening (was it a fly-in gig with a backline provided? was it a bus tour run with a production home base? etc). Some of this was that the band I played with most was based on the other side of the country. Everything was fly-in for me.
But it also was just part of what I perceived to be a professional situation: I'm hired to play bass. The employer is providing the work materials based on what they want. I'd bring myself and my IEMs and sometimes my bass (sometimes not, we had a few promo based runs/peformances where certain manufacturers wanted their instruments to be seen and paid for it, so we played what they gave us), but the production itself provided everything else.

All that's to say, I wouldn't spend my $ to get a new cab, especially if you're playing big stages with IEMs and you have a functioning cab already. My 2c: save your money. Music is a tough and uncertain business that's feast or famine. The best thing I did on my meager musician's "salary" earnings: save it and put as much as possible in my Roth IRA, track everything in expenditures for tax season (a real pain in the tuckus...), and save up my per diems, club buyouts, etc. I lived like a college student and my future self (i.e.: me now, 10 years later) is super glad that I did as I'm in a much better financial place having prioritized saving than if I hadn't.

 

[chris_b]

You need cabs? Is the guy you're playing for famous? Get a deal.

You probably don't need it on this gig, but if you want to build a rig around your TH500, 2 SL112's might be and easy solution.

I put my TH500, TH700 and AG700 through 2 Barefaced 112 cabs.

 

[RGerhart]

I really wish that more bassists would discover these, especially if you are an IEM player primarily. I've done several gigs without a cab on stage and have actually liked it better. It's more of an immediate sensation, since it's right on your back.

Get these, and you won't regret it. Game changers! You won't think twice about getting a better cab.

Buy Now | BackBeat - Play Bass, Feel Bass

 

[baxter_x]

I really wish that more bassists would discover these, especially if you are an IEM player primarily. I've done several gigs without a cab on stage and have actually liked it better. It's more of an immediate sensation, since it's right on your back.

Get these, and you won't regret it. Game changers! You won't think twice about getting a better cab.

Buy Now | BackBeat - Play Bass, Feel Bass

Interesting as I thought about trying that thing a several times before.
Does it totally feels like there is a real cab behind you?
Is there any delay between hitting a note and feeling any delay?

 

[RGerhart]

Interesting as I thought about trying that thing a several times before.
Does it totally feels like there is a real cab behind you?
Is there any delay between hitting a note and feeling any delay?

Every time I've been at a gig and shared the bill with another band, I try to get other bassists to try them. Every single one has had the same response: eyes get wide, surprised, then a huge smile. They love them.

 

[SteveC]

IEM (In Ear Monitoring): I find the bass rig useful on stage if the IEM rig goes down for whatever reason. In reality though, you could avoid the bass rig on stage and simply play through your IEM components. Upgrading your cabinet would be a "you" thing, not a requirement.

For shows that you do not go IEM, having the rig is QUITE IMPORTANT. In your situation, I suggest you save your money.

I tend to agree. Most shows are DI/IEM/Silent Stage these days. I have a combo amp that I rarely use just in case. I play at church and in a cover band and both places are DI/IEM/Silent Stage, and I'm not a touring pro. I have a Shure GLXD+, HX Stomp with synth bass presets as well as bass, and a Radial DI, all powered with a CIOKS DC7 on a Nano+ board.

 

[DJ Bebop]

My 2c: save your money. Music is a tough and uncertain business that's feast or famine

 

[Harper]

If you are playing to 1,000 to 10k people, I would wager you are doing better than 99% of the folks posting here.

Do what suits you and don't sweat it.

 

[Jeff Hughes]

A sealed 410 is a nice compliment to feel the bass as well as get the mix in your IEM. Too large of a cab is hard to move as well as annoying the sound person.

A 210 can work, but it is a little less pleasing on a big stage. On big stages a 210 feels like you are lost in the vortex of sound.