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Let's talk about weight

#41
For me light is where it's at. I can get all the umph I need for any situation I have been in between my GB SL9 & Max 9.2 and Lil G / Tri 115 and T21BPW with my B3. That is for the stuff I do... I imagine if I were a regularly gigging musician say every week the light stuff would be even more important. For me all it takes is tweaking my back or aggrivating my shoulder or knee to the point where working the bread and butter gig becomes problematic... then I have bigger problems.. so for melight makes right.
 
#42
Our keyboard player had $30K in gear, so my little ol SVT tweren't nuttin.
It was never an issue loading in and out at a gig, it was those lonely loading out times at home @ 3:00 AM with no help, so I had to make it easy. Right vehicle, right house, everything planned around my gear.
 
#43
I made the transition to a heavy cab this year... it weighs about 92 pounds, without the casters. This is truly the heaviest bass cab that I own. It's convenient, because it has a 112 and 210 in the same box. I try to save it for special occasions tho. If I can get away with the Phil Jones C4, I will. As far as moving it, I prefer a furniture dolly to the wheels. That way I can couple it to the floor.
 
#44
I prefer the tones I get out of my four and a half pound Markbass Big Bang to my 700RB and older SVT-2 (granted i've never been a big fan of tubes), though perhaps not as much as my fairly fragile SWR SM500. Found several of the ultra light and class d amps on the market today to be much more lively than most older solid state heads to be honest. My personal preference for very clean tones probably comes into play quite a lot here. As for cabs, just about every neo cabinet I've ever played so far has been incredibly efficient as well as sounded pretty damn great while weighing next to nothing. Add onto that that I also live in a fourth floor walk up apartment, the parking in most cities I play in is just pure crazy, and a lot of my gigs tend to happen up a few flights of stairs... making the switch seemed like an obvious move as I couldn't think of one drawback or tonal compromise. Havent regretted selling the old stuff at all.

Maybe the SM500.
 
#46
TomB said:
Actually, I find 2 am a bigger problem than 60 lbs these days. Don't call me old school, just call me old! But 150 lbs? ...nah. Somebody used flake board.
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My old Trace Elliot rig (2x10 combo with 1x15 extension) weighed about 165, although the sound was great. Now I have a Revsound 2x12 (38), and Carvin head (6). The sound is not quite the same, but it gets the job done, and the drummer and I are packed in one hatchback before our money arrives.
 
#47
I'm 59 w/a bad shoulder and my Markbass stuff reduces the wear and tear on an old man!!!...and sounds better than my old Acoustic370/2X15"EVM that weighed 4 times as much.I also don't do this full time anymore so I'm not going to drive a full size van or pickup just to be able to haul some monster cabinet around.I like getting great gas mileage w/our Yaris and really good mileage w/our Forester,all my stuff fits easily in either but I wouldn't be able to fit my 2X15" in either vehicle.
 
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#48
One man's backache is another man's treasure.

You can get some great deals on barely used tube amps simply because the previous owner didn't realize how loud or heavy their rig would be.

It also makes perfect sense to have a primary rig for important gigs and a more portable rig for local weekend warrior stuff rehearsals & jams.

I used a Univox UB-250 single 15" cab as my lazy gig, rehearsal cab.
 
#50
I always thought it was somewhat of a moot point as well. Then I bought a class D amp, and then cycled through a few others (trying out different sounds, etc). Then I went to use my old lead sled one day. All of a sudden it was appallingly heavy and the idea of making a trip just to carry that was annoying. I became spoiled. If you're perfectly happy with your current head then stick with it. It'll save you the money and time that would be spent finding a class D you like.
 
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#52
I've had heavy bass setups and I've had light ones. I generally pick what I like the sound of, but certainly don't mind light given that many shows end up with me loading my stuff and band PA stuff into our walk-up by myself...often at 4am. While I prefer help, it doesn't always happen and when you're making 15+ trips up a set of stairs or two, you start appreciating light gear.

Also, Jesus invented class D and SMTP to sound good and be very loud with a fraction of the 'old weight'.
 
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#53
corinpills said:
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?
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I think the better question is, if you are happy with the sound you can get from a modern SS or even better digital amplifier, why would you WANT to schlep around a 90 lb head? Again, when there was no option in the early days when only NUBES and the tone-deaf were playing SS, this was a valid comment. But today, all major amplification companies have become quite good at making SS sound GOOD. Especially when on considers the advantages of SS in terms or reliability/maintenance requirements, the question becomes almost silly.
If you love the sound of your SVT and are willing to load it in and out, who am I to tell you different? But if I can get a sound I like that works with my band out of something I can carry in one hand (or at least in one trip) than why not? (and incidentally why do you care?).
As far as NEO cabs go - again, if someone likes the sound - more power to him - as long as his SOUND is heavy I don't care if his (or her) cabinet is! I personally use conventional speakers because the ones I like are that, but that's not because they are HEAVY (much less does that imply they are inherently better - just what I like).
 
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#55
danosix said:
I think the better question is, if you are happy with the sound you can get from a modern SS or even better digital amplifier, why would you WANT to schlep around a 90 lb head? Again, when there was no option in the early days when only NUBES and the tone-deaf were playing SS, this was a valid comment. But today, all major amplification companies have become quite good at making SS sound GOOD. Especially when on considers the advantages of SS in terms or reliability/maintenance requirements, the question becomes almost silly.
If you love the sound of your SVT and are willing to load it in and out, who am I to tell you different? But if I can get a sound I like that works with my band out of something I can carry in one hand (or at least in one trip) than why not? (and incidentally why do you care?).
As far as NEO cabs go - again, if someone likes the sound - more power to him - as long as his SOUND is heavy I don't care if his (or her) cabinet is! I personally use conventional speakers because the ones I like are that, but that's not because they are HEAVY (much less does that imply they are inherently better - just what I like).
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My rig for the past 5 years has been fooling people into thinking it's heavy. I get comments from other players all the time about how they love the sound but wouldn't want to carry it...except one cab is under 40 pounds, the other is under 50 pounds...my complete tube preamp/poweramp rack is about 15 pounds. The assumption that something needs to be heavy to sound good is false.
 
#58
pauljude said:
For bass amps/cabs to have any real ass, they have to have a certain amount of weight...if you need headroom, you need a few lbs behind you...bass is a physical thing...lots of air.
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Please go on. I'm interested in hearing how pounds = tone or pounds = headroom.
 
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#59
AaronVonRock said:
I live in a mega-city and rely on public transportation to get around, mainly taxis and subways. That's why small and light amps and cabs are a must for me. I can easily carry around an 11 lb. Orange Terror Bass 500 that's the size of a lunchbox through subway turnstiles (along with my bass and pedalboard). Not so much with a 60-80 lb. amp. If I need to take a cab, my 410 Hartke Hydrive or Hydrive 112 fits in the backseat no problem. I can carry everything on my person in one trip from the taxi to the venue and vice versa.
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I'm in the same boat. If I ever hit the point where I was making enough playing bass to justify owning a car as a luxury (or was making enough at my day job to justify it), then maybe I'd get one and some heavy gear. But for the moment I've got a lightweight rig that can readily be carted around on public transit, sounds killer, and can make a ton of noise when I need it to.
 
#60
In one of my cover bands, our largest single piece of gear is my upright. Second would be a tie between the 12" powered mains & my 12/6 cabs. I don't feel the NEED to have the biggest.
My gear is small and light, but I still get to have the biggest. ;)

If I were to throw out my bad back loading into a gig, there would be no gig, meaning no one gets paid. If I'm the one booking, hauling, setting up, & running the show, my bass rig is just a part of the equation. So the smaller the better.
 

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