Dragging around a 100+ lb cabinet is more difficult than one or two smaller-sized cabs. Single-cab example here is a 32 lb 1x12 MESA Subway Ultralight. Add a 38 lb 1x15 cab if I want more cajones.
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Dragging around a 100+ lb cabinet is more difficult than one or two smaller-sized cabs. Single-cab example here is a 32 lb 1x12 MESA Subway Ultralight. Add a 38 lb 1x15 cab if I want more cajones.
I supposed that if I owned a large music club with plenty of room and a house backline, I'd probably equip it with an old-school dinosaur rig such as an Ampeg 8x10. Why not? It would hardly ever have to be moved. But most of the time, the rig has to go in and out of my car, then in and out of some little joint and then back into the car. Rinse and repeat for almost each gig. For me, it's either one or two little 30lbs boxes with 12's. They can get it done anywhere, especially with pa support.
Obviously they'd be laid on their sides. I see an 810 or similar sized cab to be the approximate bass equivalent of the Marshall 4x12. So to me, calling two tiny 1x12 cabs a "full stack" is as silly for a bass rig as it would be for a guitar rig. It might sound very nice, but to me that's just not what a "full stack" is.
I went from heavy Peavey stuff (165 + lbs) and others until I finally arrived at my current rig - Aguilar Tone Hammer 500 amp (4.5 lbs) and 2 Aguilar SL-112 cabs (25 lbs each). I bring one cab to rehearsals and both cabs on gigs. My back thanks me and this thing keeps up with any situation I'm likely to encounter. Plus I absolutely love the tone!
I'm perfectly happy with my "big" cab (GK neo 410) and "little" class-D amp, an Ampeg PF-500. So I only have ONE heavy bulky item to move instead of two. I still the projection and volume and response of a full-size bass cab, with plenty of headroom.
The "expense" of a smaller amp had nothing to do with my purchase decision, I bought the PF-500 based on power, Ampeg's reputation, and price. If I could have gotten an SVT for $300 I would have.
Most mid-range micros are about the same price if not CHEAPER than a class A/B amp of the same wattage. Once a company switches to class-D topology, they don't seem go back. For a high power amp (>200 watts) I'm sure it's now cheaper to make them using switching power supplies and class-D power stages. Linear transformers are expensive and heavy, and therefore require an expensive, heavy chassis to hold them and protect them. Class A/B amps put out a lot of heat, so they need big heatsinks and/or fans to keep them from cooking themselves.
The "expense" of a smaller amp had nothing to do with my purchase decision, I bought the PF-500 based on power, Ampeg's reputation, and price. If I could have gotten an SVT for $300 I would have.
Most mid-range micros are about the same price if not CHEAPER than a class A/B amp of the same wattage. Once a company switches to class-D topology, they don't seem go back. For a high power amp (>200 watts) I'm sure it's now cheaper to make them using switching power supplies and class-D power stages. Linear transformers are expensive and heavy, and therefore require an expensive, heavy chassis to hold them and protect them. Class A/B amps put out a lot of heat, so they need big heatsinks and/or fans to keep them from cooking themselves.
It's kind of like ordering a big, fat, juicy cheeseburger loaded with calories, but washing it down with a Diet Coke.
We save calories where we can. 
Personally, lugging a fairly heavy cab and a 5 lb. head is more palatable than lugging a heavy cab AND a heavy rack system. (But I DID sell my beloved 96 lb. Bag End QXBD 410 a few years back.)
Now I have a 70-something lb. Genz-Benz Uber 410. Equally great cab, but also quite heavy. But I also have a couple Aggie 112's that are easier to manage. Point is, you save where you can...
I get what you're saying but... Let's be real most people are not tipping those bad boys over... That's kinda why there are wheels on them
(and I know your tongue was firmly gripped in cheek lol)With the new neo speakers pumping out similar volumes to older tech - I'm ok with them being call stacks. They definitely do not have the stage presence of what we would've called stacks. (which to me are/were 2 4x10s or 4x12s - even a single 8x10 but technically...)
I think of my 2x15 as a "half stack." Partly because it's the same width and depth as a guitar 4x12 cab, but taller. And because originally a full rig for it included two of them. There's sadly no room for me to bring a full stack, though. It does have neo speakers now, however. Not because of weight, but because the vintage speakers I was using were made when no one had a low B string and I was worried about damaging them.I get what you're saying but... Let's be real most people are not tipping those bad boys over... That's kinda why there are wheels on them
With the new neo speakers pumping out similar volumes to older tech - I'm ok with them being call stacks. They definitely do not have the stage presence of what we would've called stacks. (which to me are/were 2 4x10s or 4x12s - even a single 8x10 but technically...)
I have one problem with my Tech21 vt500 tiny head: It trembles right off the cab when I play a gig.
So I replaced it with a 60lb all valve amp. There. Problem solved.
So I replaced it with a 60lb all valve amp. There. Problem solved.
I use a class D amp in a rack (20ish lbs) along with two fearful cabs at approx. 50# each. Lighter than my old SWR 410/Amp and WAY more volume/projection.
I have two 25 pound cabs and a 4 pound 500 watt head. And I'm looking at the ELF and Ampeg Micro series. It makes my job easier to get in and out. I'm not in the younger "we're a family band," we all are older and responsible for our own gear. I put my head in the bass gig bag, wife carries out the bass, and I carry out one cab in each hand. Easy schlep.
To the OP I'd say duck out of the conversation already. If you're fine with heavy heads and big cabs, all the power to you. Most of the rest of us have moved on.
To the OP I'd say duck out of the conversation already. If you're fine with heavy heads and big cabs, all the power to you. Most of the rest of us have moved on.
or velcro... gaffers tape, or a properly braced cabinet... many other alternatives that are lighter.
Not at two in the morning when it's time to lug that crap home. One less heavy beast means the world.
It's a matter of convenience.
For anyone who travels to play gigs, it's really great to have a head you can take with you and plug into whatever cabinet is provided, or having a rig you can fit in your small car. When I travel, the last thing I want is an amp that I have to carry by itself when I can have something that fits in a suitcase or my gig bag with my bass.
Even playing local gigs, I often have to load out at 7am so I can take my kid to school, drive to work an hour away, then drive straight to the gig after work. Having a head that fits in my gig bag makes things easier as I can load out in one trip while my daughter taps her foot at me for making her 2 minutes late to school.
SirMjac28
Patiently Waiting For The Next British Invasion
Here's the history of bass amps and cabs in one picture
Exactly. That's why I have Genz-Benz Shuttle cabs under my 3.75-pound Shuttle 6.2 amp. I sold all the heavy stuff and I'm never going back. Amp and 12" cab = 36 pounds. Want more sound? Add G-B 2x10 cab, 32 pounds, have 600W peak @4 ohms available.
Now I want to find a 10" G-B Shuttle cab to use with my 6.2 head and my electric upright bass.
