old guy help

[mike phillips]

here it is. my roadcase consists of a qsc 2450 power amp, a tech 21 rbi, a monster 2500 power conditioner, a bbe sonic maximizer and a fender tuner and it gets real heavy to carry. real heavy and i aint gettin no younger. my cabs are a carvin brx410 and an ampeg 8x10. i would like a head that is easy to carry and that can power these cabs. any recommendations my friends? thanks for any and all help.

 

[Jim C]

Use a Triplet conditioner and small tuner that fit in your gig bag (or glove box) and ditch the 3 other rack units; get a smaller 3 space plastic rack with a handle and wheels and now your down to 50 lbs; and that ain't nuthin compared to the cabs!

 

[JimmyM]

Heads? Markbass and Genz Benz are the most popular micro heads, with good reason I might add. Jim's idea isn't a bad way to go either.

 

[JxBass]

So with a new 6 lb head your rig weight will now be down to around 82 lbs or 146 lbs, depending on which cab you're using. You can't be that old

 

[Interceptor]

Ditch the tuner, BBE and the power conditioner.

Next level, trade that QSC for a QSC PLX or a Crown XTi.

Or - hunt down a Steve Ilg book on weight lifting and get busy.

 

[spideyjg]

The RMX is 44 lbs and an equivalent PLX2 is 21.

23 lbs gone.

Get the BBE Sonic Stomp pedal and a Peterson Strobostomp tuner and you can get a smaller lighter rack.

I love my little Carvin dolly board.

Link Removed

Jim

 

[walterw]

The RMX is 44 lbs and an equivalent PLX2 is 21.

23 lbs gone.

this. the rmx stuff is strong and cheap, but it's heavy. there's a whole new generation of power amps that are so light they feel like you're lifting an empty metal box, but have ridiculous power.

lose the pointless power "conditioner" and the icky BBE and get a smaller rack. amp, sansamp, tuner. done.

 

[TimmyP]

Ditch the tuner, BBE and the power conditioner.

Next level, trade that QSC for a QSC PLX or a Crown XTi.

Or - hunt down a Steve Ilg book on weight lifting and get busy.

+1, except I'd keep the tuner. Go for the PLX - no DSP to mess you up or go wrong.

 

[Thomas Swenson]

Get yourself a lighter rig, several great ones to choose from and enjoy the gigs. I'd just get rid of the rack all together and keep it simple. Just my $.02. Us old guys do need a lot of help. Think ergonomically to maximize longevity. We can get a great sound with less, and we really have nothing to prove.

 

[IvanMike]

ditching the rack extras will help. FWIW, the boss tu-2 stomp box tuners are great.

If buying a new head is out of price range or if you like your setup, consider the two space rack. I have two skb two space racks. poweramp goes in one, preamp in the other. they have strap type handles so you can carry them one handed. It's actually a lot easier to carry two of them than a single 4 space rack.

 

[Tony Wright]

The QSC PLX-1804 is only 13 pounds and will give you 600 Watts at 8 Ohms and 900 Watts at 4 Ohms. The PLX-1804 can NOT be bridged and can NOT run at 2 Ohms. Even so, that should provide more power than the RMX-2450 at 1/3 the weight.

You can find the PLX-1804 used for around $500 fairly easily.

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I use a Furman SSB-6 power conditioner in my PA amp racks. It is basically a power strip type device with the filter commonly found in the rack mount format. I can thus buy a smaller amp rack and stick the SSB in the "back". Smaller rack means less weight.

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You can decide if the other suggestions regarding the BBE Stomp Box and tuner are routes you want to take.

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Good luck in your weight reduction effort. The cardiologist told me to lose weight...but, he wasn't talking about gear.

 

[topcat2069]

http://bass-guitars.musiciansfriend...36000-The-Nuke-3600W-Bass-Amp-Head?sku=581273

A Monster for us old guys...

 

[jnewmark]

Try the new Carvin lightweight power amps, like the 1540L. 1500 watts , 15 lbs. Ditch the power conditioner,BBE stuff and get a pocket tuner. If you like the BBE stuff, get one of their bass preamps.

 

[bassman_al]

That Carvin Dolly is nice. I made one myself, 24" x 24" and it cost me about the same in materials at Home Depot, and the wheels I got were not that nice. And mine is not covered in non-skid material, plus mine has the wheels bolted to 2 2x4's, so its heavier.

Fwiw, I just moved from an SVT III Pro to LMII, and I like the move a lot. I went from a 40 lb 4 sp rack to a 6 lb mighty might in a soft cover bag.

 

[rpsands]

VT bass pedal and a new BX1200 (the 20lb version).

 

[Pilgrim]

Mike, I'm 59 and just made the change to lighter gear. I went all out - Genz-Benz Shuttle 6.0 (600W, 3.75 pounds) and a pair of 12" G-B 12T speakers (33 pounds each). I use a TU-2 tuner on my pedal board.

I can literally grab the G-B head/speaker combo in one hand, hang my pedal board bag over my shoulder, and grab a bass with the other hand...and walk into the venue.

You could look at some of the neo 2x12 combos and pair a couple of 2x12 cabs for a mighty impressive 4x10 equivalent.

 

[mike phillips]

thanks all. my back aint what it use to be. everything i have was bought used and in mint shape. at the end of the night this junk gets heavy. i just might trade it all in on a small head. the thing is i like my tone. yes, i actually like my tone.

 

[walterw]

the thing is i like my tone. yes, i actually like my tone.

i'm a big fan of the sansamp + power amp formula myself.

just get the lightweight power amp, ditch the superfluous stuff, put it in a smaller rack, and you'll keep the tone that you like and lose the weight.

 

[Benjamin Strange]

I'm pretty happy with this little rig:

Link Removed

The Walkabout weighs 13 pounds and fits in a backpack along with all my cables and extras, and the cabs weigh 42 pounds each. Load in and out is a breeze, and best of all it actually sounds good.