• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

Subway Rigs

Gabeja15

Gabeja15

Apr 11, 2009
341
23
Brooklyn, New York
#1
Living in New York City (Brooklyn, more specifically) and not owning a car has posed some interesting problems when it comes to piecing together an amp rig.

I'm one of the fortunate few who can store my amp in my apartment and have a (free!) place to practice with my new band. However, as gigs have begun to show up, finding a way to transport my gear to gigs on the subway has been... interesting.

As of now, i have a relatively small, if not light, stack consisting of a ceramic Avatar 2x10 and a Hartke LH500. I recently purchased one of these:

xxX1A.jpg


for 29.99 at Home Depot along with maybe 20 bungee cords.

So between my Marcus Miller in a gig bag (11-12 lbs), pedal train Jr in a soft case (25 lbs), and my stack on the hand truck (100 lbs), I have my work cut out for me.

So how do the rest of you urban bassists cope with public transport?
 
#2
The Euphonic amp micro (550 watts) 2.7 pounds and the Euphonic dizzy 10 (17 pounds) all fits in the Euphonic back pack.
I have it, I am an endorser. Not for heavy metal but have used it many times with a blues band with a drummer.
 
#5
I don't have the transportation issue the OP does. However if I did the first thing I would do is sell the Hartke head and get a much smaller and lighter one like the GK MB500 or the Ampeg PF350. Or switch the whole rig out for a powerful, lightweight combo amp.
 
#6
gjbassist said:
I don't have the transportation issue the OP does. However if I did the first thing I would do is sell the Hartke head and get a much smaller and lighter one like the GK MB500 or the Ampeg PF350. Or switch the whole rig out for a powerful, lightweight combo amp.
Click to expand...

See I would want to stay in the realm of micro head and cab. That way if I'm playing somewhere with provided back line, I could just bring my head if I want. My PF-500 is fairly large and heavy for a "Micro" but tossed in a back pack its no biggie.
 
#7
I'm getting ready to sell some old gear to purchase a micro head and am quite excited by this new Golden Age in bass amplification.

My current rig is a pretty small footprint (Bag End S15 cab, Kustom Charger head, Gramma pad) and I've used a similar cart for a long time. Easy cab or train trips for me but the next step in transport is a cargo trailer for my bicycle. :bassist:
 
#8
^ I agree with the whole micro head bit, It's definitely the direction i would take were i not broke.

Micro cabs, however, are simply not an option as I play in a 7-piece band with horns. a 1x10 or 1x12, even with 500 watts through it, is not going to cut it.
 
#9
Gabeja15 said:
^ I agree with the whole micro head bit, It's definitely the direction i would take were i not broke.

Micro cabs, however, are simply not an option as I play in a 7-piece band with horns. a 1x10 or 1x12, even with 500 watts through it, is not going to cut it.
Click to expand...

A fEARful 12/6 and a beefy enough micro will challenge a 410 for volume. Granted its not a standard 112 cab but any of the "super 12's" are going to out perform commercial cabs.

Baer ML-112
Audiokinesis Thunderchild
fEARful 12/6
 
#11
Gabeja15 said:
^ I agree with the whole micro head bit, It's definitely the direction i would take were i not broke.

Micro cabs, however, are simply not an option as I play in a 7-piece band with horns. a 1x10 or 1x12, even with 500 watts through it, is not going to cut it.
Click to expand...

Most stages in the city, have their own cabs, so just use those, and bring your own micro head. If you insist on bringing something big, you'll need a car - simple as that.

The home depot cart you show, I have one, tried that, and it didnt work. It's a terrible clumsy thing to drag up and down on stairs,which you'll be doing all the time in the subway (not to mention the 4th floor apt i live). The wheels want to fold spontaneously to the insde all the time, and it is a lot less sturdy than it looks. The problem is also that in the NY streets sidewalks are always sloped some way or another, pot holes galore, the thing is deeply unstable, heavy gear on it topples it continuously, and also securing it tighly on the cart is a real hassle.

IME the one cart that does work (with a mini-sized 1 speaker cab) and a GK MB200 in the gig bag pocket is this one from Kmart, believe it or not. http://www.kmart.com/trademark-tool...V003748227000P?prdNo=5&blockNo=5&blockType=G5
 
#13
I've had one of those folding carts for a couple of years and it works perfectly. Sounds like the poster above got a faulty one. I bought mine from Global Industrial - they offer a number of different models with different carry capacities. Here's a 150-pound unit: Invalid Link Removed

Hint: if the wheels don't want to fold in easily, shoot some silicone lube on the places where they pivot around the metal legs. Solves that problem quickly.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back