Let's talk about weight

[corinpills]

No, not your tummy, your bass amp. Inspired by hundreds of threads on talkbass about tube heads, I am often struck by how often the weight of an amp seems to be at the top of players' priorities when it comes to amps. As someone who loads in and out a hundred or more times a year, and has done so for 20+ years, I always just consider the weight of my gear part of the much bigger picture. It's not like you have to hold the amp up all night. You just put it on a cart and heft it into place and then do the reverse at the end of the night. Obviously, some people have back problems and I certainly sympathize with that, but without being judgemental at all, I ask: how can an amp's weight really matter? It has just always struck me as totally inconsequential. Explain it to me. I mean, if you wanted a lightweight gig, shouldn't you have become a lead singer instead?

 

[shawshank72]

Played all the heavy gear in my past.
Hell my amp head weighed more than an entire rig does nowadays.
But im one of those with the back issues.
So bad it can be crippling.
So lightweight gear has become my friend.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

If you can get a great tone from an amp that weighs half (or less) of what you currently use ... seems like an incredibly obvious benefit.

 

[basss]

I guess if your car is parked in your driveway and you can park right in front of the gig it's ok.

Here was my load in for a wedding I played recently: It's snowing in NYC. Go get car which is parked 2 blocks from apartment. Make 2 trips to load upright, electric, small amp for cocktail hour and large amp for reception, park 4 city blocks away from the hotel. Make 2 trips through crowded sidewalks from the car to the loading door which is around the back of the hotel and up a flight of stairs. Repeat in reverse at the end of the night after a 5 hour gig. Considering that my lightweight rig sounded great I'll stick with it.

 

[corinpills]

If you can get a great tone from an amp that weighs half (or less) of what you currently use ... seems like an incredibly obvious benefit.

Sure, but I see a lot of posts expressing something along the lines of "Sure, I love my SVT at rehearsal, but I'm not carrying that thing to gigs". I guess it's hard to really have a discussion on the subject without dealing with the tube vs. solid state thing, which has been beaten to death and never changes anybody's mind. By the way, basses, I've been doing those same gigs in Boston so you know I feel your pain this winter. And, to some degree, I think you have always have a pass on wedding gogs when you are just going to be asked to turn down all night.

 

[Luke19Boarder]

Sure, but I see a lot of posts expressing something along the lines of "Sure, I love my SVT at rehearsal, but I'm not carrying that thing to gigs". I guess it's hard to really have a discussion on the subject without dealing with the tube vs. solid state thing, which has been beaten to death and never changes anybody's mind. By the way, basses, I've been doing those same gigs in Boston so you know I feel your pain this winter. And, to some degree, I think you have always have a pass on wedding gogs when you are just going to be asked to turn down all night.

Hoping not to get into the tube/ss debate ... but I think what it comes down to is that a large number of people are more than happy with the tone/volume they can get out of a micro/lightweight setup, and a simple cost(weight)-benefit(tone/volume) analysis makes it advantageous to go with the lighter one.

 

[modulusman]

Because most people are fat, lazy or old. In my case just getting old. We also haul and set up our own PA at most of our gigs. I'm perfectly happy with the sound of my Genz Benz rigs so why buy a heavy tube amp when we have good PA support. I could play all of my gigs with my 30 pound combo but in my main band I will use my Shuttlemax12.0 and usually one of the cabs in my avatar.

 

[lakefx]

For what it's worth, I have to go up 3 flights of stairs just to get from my practice room to the car. Then I usually have at least a few more steps into the venue.

I don't need featherweight gear as I'm still young and fairly strong, but there's big advantage to 40-50 pound cab in one hand, a PA cab in the other and a backpack with all the cables, my pedal board, and head in it. That saves me a few trips vs the 90 pound 410 and 20 pound head I used to have.

 

[pfschim]

I'm old and strong, and have hauled big iron forever. I also really like the sound/feel of tube amps pushing cabs with enough drivers to make a sonic difference several blocks away. So, I can, and do, deal with the weight for the right gig (right type of music, right size of venue etc.). But, for all else, the smallest and lightest rig that still sounds great gets my vote every time. Gone are the days when I imagine I am Mel Schacher (warning, historical cultural reference ) standing in front of a 8 ft stack of amps/cabs are over ... waaaay over. (and hey, he had roadies!)

Also, with good FOH, why haul all the big stuff when the PA is going to do all of the heavy lifting anyway. For me, big stages - where I might have used big gear back in the day just to cover the venue - now almost always have major pro PA rigs. I bring great sounding small/med gear with great sounding DI's and totally enjoy myself. When the gig is over, its a 5 min walk off. Whats not to like about that ?

FWIW my "big rig" these days is a either a Fender Studio Bass or Ampeg SVT 6Pro into a Bergantino NV610, so even that rig is smaller/lighter than in the past.

 

[nashvillebill]

I'm in my mid-fifties, and though I'm not a fat invalid, my Peavey Classic 400 head weighs 97 pounds. To lift that head and set it on top of the 2x15 cab, all by myself, is a real struggle.

Not all of us are weightlifters!

 

[froghat]

It doesn't sound so bad on paper to haul a heavy amp in and out, but in practice, I found myself simply unwilling to do it. I had both a heavy 410 cab and a Mesa Scout 15. I never decided not to use the heavy cab, I just found myself always grabbing the Mesa for gigs. Finally dumped the 410 and never looked back.

 

[B-string]

I could never handle being a lead singer, all the weight on my shoulders from BS and attitude? NO WAY

 

[hsech]

Old age has become a problem for me. I just can't schlep the big stuff anymore without help or the use of a cart. The best thing to come along has been the light weight Neo cabs. Even the Fender Pro Neo cabs are a big improvement over the old stuff. I use Markbass when I can, Fender Pro Neo when I must.

 

[BurningSkies]

No, not your tummy, your bass amp. Inspired by hundreds of threads on talkbass about tube heads, I am often struck by how often the weight of an amp seems to be at the top of players' priorities when it comes to amps. As someone who loads in and out a hundred or more times a year, and has done so for 20+ years, I always just consider the weight of my gear part of the much bigger picture. It's not like you have to hold the amp up all night. You just put it on a cart and heft it into place and then do the reverse at the end of the night. Obviously, some people have back problems and I certainly sympathize with that, but without being judgemental at all, I ask: how can an amp's weight really matter? It has just always struck me as totally inconsequential. Explain it to me. I mean, if you wanted a lightweight gig, shouldn't you have become a lead singer instead?

Cool story.

 

[blowinblue]

Explain it to me. I mean, if you wanted a lightweight gig, shouldn't you have become a lead singer instead?

If I'm a lead singing bass player does that mean it would be acceptable for me run a lightweight rig?

I could never handle being a lead singer, all the weight on my shoulders from BS and attitude? NO WAY

Is this why my shoulders ache all of the time and I have to play lightweight basses?

M. M.

 

[Humbled]

I like old classics, some of them are heavy, and some of them sound better to me. Might be in my head, might be.

At 56, I feel a bit older than that, actually. Hard living, I guess. But I still walk a little over five miles every day, and I mean every day.

Maybe that helps. I don't do high altitude rigging anymore, but heavy stuff still doesn't make much of a dent in me.

 

[JimmyM]

I would have gladly become a lead singer! I sing lead on some songs but I'm not a lead singer. That's the cool gig right there. A lot of responsibility but a lot of reward if you can make it work.

A few years ago, I gave up giving a crap what anyone else does, and I also gave up caring what they thought about what I do. No bass player is ever going to hire me for a gig, so why should I care what they think? It's pretty freeing. I have big amps, I have little amps. If I want to bring a big amp, I'll bring it, and if I want to bring a little amp, I'll bring it, too. Anyone who has a problem with it is welcome to leave.

 

[seamonkey]

If you don't really care about the weight, then it doesn't matter if the amp is heavy or light if it gives what you need. Lightweight amps today are not a compromise in tone. They sound great, and just happen to be lightweight.

 

[buldog5151bass]

I haul all my own stuff. At 2am, I am packed, and can carry it all in one trip to the car, in under 5 minutes. I haven't found anything under 150 pounds for a reasonable price that sounds better or puts out more volume.

 

[Basshappi]

I've just never considered the weight of gear to be an over-riding issue.
I play what I like, it weighs what it weighs.
I realize that if I lived in a place like New York City, where I had to travel everywhere by subway or park significant distances from the venues on a regular basis, then I would have to factor those conditions into my gear selection choices. But that isn't my situation so I don't have to make those trade-offs.
These days there is great sounding gear at many different price points and size/weight configurations and I am glad that the days of so many options have finally arrived for bassplayers.