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Where's your gigs?

Where's your gigs?

  • Large Venues Arenas

    Votes: 3 1.5%

  • Theater sized

    Votes: 17 8.3%

  • Outdoor festivals

    Votes: 16 7.8%

  • Gymnasium gigs

    Votes: 8 3.9%

  • Large Bar gigs >500 people

    Votes: 12 5.9%

  • Medium Bar gigs >150 people

    Votes: 67 32.8%

  • Small Bar <150

    Votes: 48 23.5%

  • Coffee House limited volume

    Votes: 5 2.5%

  • Yard Parties

    Votes: 3 1.5%

  • Don't Gig

    Votes: 25 12.3%
  • Total voters
    204
  • Poll closed .
#41
I actually did less "lifting" with my Mesa Diesel 2x15 which I moved in my medium size wagon cause it was on casters. Just tilted it in and out, never lifted the full ammount. But since my house burned down with all gear I go strictly neo etc. Anything can be accomplished with the proper mechanical advantage but light is light.
I might decide to buy a fridge and tube amp someday, but I will never lift em unaided. I have built homes and underground wine cellars using heavy elements but always figured out a way to get it done w/o blowing out my back. Sorry if too OT
 
#44
The vast majority of where I play would fall under the small bar category. For those I normally use a 410he and a 350h Ampeg.
I play a very wide variety of venues ranging from small 100 seat bars to Nationwide Arena just last Thursday night (18,000 seats). Logistics haven't been a problem in the past. It always is on the first floor or at least has a lift of some type.
I own several amps and that makes it easier to pick the right amp for a given gig. I don't think there is such a thing as a one size fits all amp. Really after having 1 spare bass I think it makes more sense to concentrate on multiple amps rather than basses.
 
#45
If I only played one or two times a month in larger venues, then maybe.... just maybe, I could justify in my head playing a huge rig.

But I'm playing out a lot more than that, and it's usually in med sized venues. The last thing I want to do at 2:00 in the morning is haul around 200-300 pounds of gear..... especially if I'm going to be breaking down and loading the PA as well. Triple how much I get paid, and then maybe I'd reconsider!
 
#46
I play in restaurants, bars, wine shops, coffee shops, clubs, auditoriums and outdoor festivals in the Baltimore and DC metro areas. I travel light, but not because the venues are difficult to load in. It's because most of the time I can't get a parking space anywhere near the venue, and I'm alone so I can't have someone drop me off. I make one trip from the car to the stage, with my basses on my back in a double gig bag and everything else on a fold up hand truck.
 
#47
I play in multiple situations in many small to medium clubs. Gear size for me is more about how often I need to move it more than if I actually can move it myself. Wintertime here means most gear needs to into the house and down the basement stairs.
 
#48
I play all over the place. When I was living in New Orleans, I was playing about 4-5 times a week, for a bunch of different artists, in a bunch of different venues, locally and on tours. Mostly it was medium sized bars, but sometimes it would be a large club or festival - most times playing for 100-200 people, sometimes for 10, sometimes for 3000. I was gigging with my Mesa BassTriaxis rig (consisting of the Triaxis, Strategy 500 tube power amp, and a 2x10 RoadReady cab). The pre/power setup in a rack was around 70 pounds, and the 2x10 was 90 pounds. Loading that in and out of a van almost every night got old fast, no matter what size venue. Not to mention all that shaking around was hell on my tubes (I get my tubes for free, but still...). It sounded great, but I found that my ideal tone wasn't worth the hassle of unloading that monster every night. So I had Mesa send me a Walkabout and two PH112 cabs - which shaved about 100 pounds of my rig. Load in is a breeze. I missed my all tube rig, but nobody in the audience except for musicians notice any difference.

Now that I'm in California, I gig less, but play in bigger places (for those of you who missed my thread, I'm going on a stadium tour with the Black Eyed Peas next spring). I was going to bring my BassTriaxis rig for this one, but the entire thing is being backlined (I'll be rocking a Mesa 400+ and a 4x10 or two), and I'm not going to have to carry anything (we'll have roadies for that). If I can get on a more regular large gig situation like this, I'll be bringing out my BassTriaxis rig more often, and leave the Walkabout rig for smaller gigs.
 
#49
The poll assumes gig size is the only factor driving gear size choice.

Who is doing the lifting? One wrong move and you can get a muscle/tendon injury that takes months to heal. Or a back injury that may last your entire life.

My gear is stored on my garage floor; I lift it into the car. I have a small cart to wheel it into a venue, but I still heft it from car to cart to stage.

So I like smaller, modular gear that I'm comfortable lifting. If I had beefy guys helping me, I might use larger gear.
 

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