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Lets Talk Gig-Mobiles...
- Thread starter SoulReflection
- Start date
First Gig Mobile was a bone stock 1951 Willys Wagon with a 75 horsepower F134 engine, T-90 3 speed transmission and a front/rear gear ratio of 5.38:1 . Yeah, it wan't happy with speeds over 50 mph, but I loved it.
>>>like this one, but not an ounce of rust!
Later on, Multiple Astro/Safari vans; a great amount of covered cubic space with decent gas mileage (16-23). This is the type of gig mobile our beloved, long-lost @BassCliff utilized. Where, oh where are you?
Later on, Multiple Astro/Safari vans; a great amount of covered cubic space with decent gas mileage (16-23). This is the type of gig mobile our beloved, long-lost @BassCliff utilized. Where, oh where are you?
2008 Boxster, with MB 112 mini combo in Frunk, front trunk, or MB 210 combo on rear rack. Bass travels inside with me but has been strapped to rack too. Looking to convert to IEM’s this year.
Go ampless- it will fit unless you play DB.
I too will most likely feel great sorrow and sadness come the day I part with that truck. It's coming close to 21 years with it, but it has under 170k miles.
As a wee lad in the early 90s, and as the owner of this behemoth (poor thing - long neglected when this pic was taken) , it was my job to truck EVERYTHING to our local gigs. Our drummer, with his double-kick, tons of toms, Neil Peart-style Tama set, drove a convertible (of course). The entire drum set and huge trap case, two 4x12 half-stacks, an 810 cabinet, all the amps and guitars, and even merch was tetrissed-in. Good times, good times.
I really had to Tetris things in, but with the older Schroeder cabs that had the second speaker at an angle, I could fit a 1210L, 1215L, 4U rack, pedalboard in hard case, two instruments and a passenger in a 2006 Mustang GT. Most fun gig car. That also mostly worked being in a three piece with a drummer who had a truck.
Easiest was my last: Ford Focus hatchback. Small car I didn't mind dinging up. Bright yellow tolex cabs can rub off if not careful. The only projects/jams/etc I have going on now only require a bass and pedalboard. If I can run direct and use headphones that's perfect.
Easiest was my last: Ford Focus hatchback. Small car I didn't mind dinging up. Bright yellow tolex cabs can rub off if not careful. The only projects/jams/etc I have going on now only require a bass and pedalboard. If I can run direct and use headphones that's perfect.
I have a 2011 Flex... best darn vehicle I have owned. It does everything I ask of it.
Fishheadjoe
Right now I'm driving a 2017 Honda Pilot, which is complete overkill for the mini-rig-of-doom amp I'm using on all my gigs lately; seriously, you could fit a pair of SVT 8x10 cabs in the back and still have room for the head, 2 or 3 basses, and a gack case...plus a bandmate. Ridiculously large car.
For about a year in the mid-1980s I owned a 1963 Chevy Greenbriar, which was a van built on the chassis & engine of a Corvair (!). It was appropriately beat-to-hell so it seemed fitting for all the punk clubs we were playing at that time. But it was not a reliable vehicle by any stretch of the imagination.
It did however only cost me $150.
But my favorite gig mobile was the '91 Honda Civic hatchback I had throughout most of the 90s. As I wrote in this thread:
For about a year in the mid-1980s I owned a 1963 Chevy Greenbriar, which was a van built on the chassis & engine of a Corvair (!). It was appropriately beat-to-hell so it seemed fitting for all the punk clubs we were playing at that time. But it was not a reliable vehicle by any stretch of the imagination.
It did however only cost me $150.
But my favorite gig mobile was the '91 Honda Civic hatchback I had throughout most of the 90s. As I wrote in this thread:
Very early on went from a ‘63 Ford T-Bird to a ‘64 Pontiac Bonneville. Then a ‘66 Dodge Dart.
Really stepped it up when I got a ‘68 Chevy 108 Van. Loaded full of equipment and still room for half a dozen girls.
Next I ran a ‘73 Chevy Camper Special Pickup about the time I met my wife. By then I only had to move my PA and the bass amp most of the time. Didn’t need all the extra girls by then.
Got an ‘82 Ford Econoline Van next. Then adding a ‘65 Chevy Pickup to the line up of Jeeps.
Downsized after that to a Chevy minivan and a Volvo XC90 for whatever wouldn’t fit in the tiny Jaguar.
Morphing along the way into church gigs where you could leave everything near the back wall or just bring an acoustic guitar to a prayer meeting. That was the ticket until I moved out to the middle of nowhere and retired.
When I first started gas was $0.17 at the Flying A Station up at the signal where the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band practiced in a garage along the alley ‘round back.
Really stepped it up when I got a ‘68 Chevy 108 Van. Loaded full of equipment and still room for half a dozen girls.
Next I ran a ‘73 Chevy Camper Special Pickup about the time I met my wife. By then I only had to move my PA and the bass amp most of the time. Didn’t need all the extra girls by then.
Got an ‘82 Ford Econoline Van next. Then adding a ‘65 Chevy Pickup to the line up of Jeeps.
Downsized after that to a Chevy minivan and a Volvo XC90 for whatever wouldn’t fit in the tiny Jaguar.
Morphing along the way into church gigs where you could leave everything near the back wall or just bring an acoustic guitar to a prayer meeting. That was the ticket until I moved out to the middle of nowhere and retired.
When I first started gas was $0.17 at the Flying A Station up at the signal where the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band practiced in a garage along the alley ‘round back.
In this sea of american vehicles, I got two german ones. The Opel obviously being the practical choice. But that little guy was recently messed up. A box truck backed into it, while it was parked out front. So now I'm looking into a new car. I kind of fell in love with the first generation BMW X3 recently. I generally don't like SUVs, but a BMW E83 is a neat looking car.
Yeah, just put your gear where your wallet used to be.
Does the dog get to go along? I love poodles.
When I started gigging 20 years ago, this was what I was driving. I had removed the back seat and had NO issues putting my full stack and the full PA and all the rest of my gear in it. (1987 Chevy Astro, not mine, but mine looked like this one)
When the transmission started going out, it was going to cost more to fix it than the van was worth, so I bought a brand new 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe that looked like this one (I no longer had to haul the PA...just my bass rig):
Nowadays, I'm driving a 2011 Santa Fe that I got in 2016 and it looks like this one:
I have more than enough room (and then some) to haul what little I carry anymore. I have long since retired my full, back-breaking stack and moved to a lightweight combo amp. I put all my stuff in my Santa Fe and still have lots of room left. The cargo area in the 2011 is half again as much as my old 2004.
When the transmission started going out, it was going to cost more to fix it than the van was worth, so I bought a brand new 2004 Hyundai Santa Fe that looked like this one (I no longer had to haul the PA...just my bass rig):
Nowadays, I'm driving a 2011 Santa Fe that I got in 2016 and it looks like this one:
I have more than enough room (and then some) to haul what little I carry anymore. I have long since retired my full, back-breaking stack and moved to a lightweight combo amp. I put all my stuff in my Santa Fe and still have lots of room left. The cargo area in the 2011 is half again as much as my old 2004.
Both my bride and I drive Ford Edges. They've been great and reliable vehicles that we only traded away when they hit near 200k miles.
I get 2 Mackie tops, Rumble 100, Mackie board, all the stands, 2 basses, 3 sets of Chauvet lighting, our rolled up banner, one Rigid tool box for cables/stuff, and an Alto monitor wedge in mine and can still see out the rear window in the mirror.
We were Explorer people for years when the kids were smaller and at home, we moved to the Edge when we didn't need that much space. After a few winters with the Edge's I've found them just as capable on snow covered roads with the AWD. Thankful for smaller gear too.
I get 2 Mackie tops, Rumble 100, Mackie board, all the stands, 2 basses, 3 sets of Chauvet lighting, our rolled up banner, one Rigid tool box for cables/stuff, and an Alto monitor wedge in mine and can still see out the rear window in the mirror.
We were Explorer people for years when the kids were smaller and at home, we moved to the Edge when we didn't need that much space. After a few winters with the Edge's I've found them just as capable on snow covered roads with the AWD. Thankful for smaller gear too.
My Prius is nowhere cool as yours. I’m sure you’ve seen a white Prius or two out the in the hiway, so there’s no need to post a Pick, other than my band’s name on the vanity license plate.I have been at this since the 60s. Here is something like my first gig-mobile:
View attachment 7035508
Here is my current one but am too old to use it...
View attachment 7035507
How about you people? Do you have any Gig-Mobiles you want to share?
- Oct 22, 2015
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Well, since this thread has been revived, quite a bit has happened since my post #42. My beloved 2000 Chevy Astro Van (named "Millie", short for Millenium) hit a deer in the middle of the day, at 40mph. Knocked the deer down, it floundered a bit, then got up and sprinted away. Millie's grill (sounds like a greasy spoon diner!) and passenger side lights suffered, so I gave her the full-frontal makeover. A $200 investment and She's a beauty once again! Only 204,000 miles. Meanwhile, "Nixon", the white Cherokee in the background, sulks. It's ok, Nixon..... you know you're the first I pick to tow our tent trailer. He only has 260,000 miles. Floyd, our 2019 Corolla, didn't want to be in the picture. Whatever, Floyd..........whatever........
I know, its really hard not to love our gigmobiles. I have had a few Astros and a great 06 GMC Sierra 2500HD. The GMC served me well during my working life. It towed my fishing boat and 27.5' RV trailer with ease. She retired, along with me, a few years back with just over 300K miles (I have many more miles on me)
.I don't gig any more but, this is my downsized ride:
