• 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.

Why on earth do they put carpeting on cabs?

Should cabs be covered in carpeting?

  • Absolutely! It works great!

    Votes: 61 19.2%

  • Not on your Life! I'd as soon carpet my dining room table!

    Votes: 123 38.7%

  • I really don't care, as long as they sound good.

    Votes: 108 34.0%

  • Only if it's carrot-coloured.

    Votes: 26 8.2%
  • Total voters
    318
#183
It's one thing to have shabby gear in front of a bunch of kids.

Formal occasions such as higher paid shows, corporate, church, weddings, funerals, restaurants, fundraisers, media events, etc dictate a certain level of decorum. Contracts specify professional comportment. That includes how you present youself and your gear.
 
#186
beans-on-toast said:
It's one thing to have shabby gear in front of a bunch of kids.

Formal occasions such as higher paid shows, corporate, church, weddings, funerals, restaurants, fundraisers, media events, etc dictate a certain level of decorum. Contracts specify professional comportment. That includes how you present youself and your gear.
Click to expand...
I get it, dress appropriately for the gig, and I have nice gear. Nobody wants you rolling some nasty ol' rat fur cabs into a corporate event.
By extension couldn't a brand new "Road Worn" bass also be seen by some of the audience as inappropriate?
 
  • Like
Reactions: beans-on-toast and alack
#187
I played many a wedding and corporate gigs with classic Hartke and SWR carpeted gear. I know several other players took their Eden gear to similar gigs. And why has black carpeting been reduced to the label of "rat fur." Carpeted cabs can't be well cared for and maintained?

Great little debate BTW. All in good fun.

EDIT: And come to think of it the guitarist I play with has a mid 60s Super Reverb that has quite a few miles on it. Point being, I think my carpeted cab has a cleaner look.
 
Last edited:
  • Like
Reactions: Engle
#188
Engle said:
I get it, dress appropriately for the gig, and I have nice gear. Nobody wants you rolling some nasty ol' rat fur cabs into a corporate event.
By extension couldn't a brand new "Road Worn" bass also be seen by some of the audience as inappropriate?
Click to expand...


I never got road worthy. Imagine buying a new car and asking the dealership to bash it up for you. That's going to happen with time, I'm not in a hurry. If I wanted that I'd buy a used car. Maybe I've had too many beaten up instruments over the years. When I buy a new one, I want it to look like new and I'm certainly not going to pay for it to be distressed. For a formal occasion where I was dressing the part, I wouldn't present myself with a road worn instrument.

The big exception seems to be horn players and their instrument's patina. They like to claim that it affects their sound. I don't know if I should believe that. These are the same guys that drain their spit through a valve onto someone's foot. :laugh:
 
#189
alack said:
I played many a wedding and corporate gigs with classic Hartke and SWR carpeted gear. I know several other players took their Eden gear to similar gigs. And why has black carpeting been reduced to the label of "rat fur." Carpeted cabs can't be well cared for and maintained?

Great little debate BTW. All in good fun.

EDIT: And come to think of it the guitarist I play with has a mid 60s Super Reverb that has quite a few miles on it. Point being, I think my carpeted cab has a cleaner look.
Click to expand...

It's hard to tell where the name came from. It seems the clothing industry has taken over the name and flooded google with it :D

rat fur - Google Search

I agree with you BTW, if it is cared for and looks good, it can be as professional.

I really shouldn't hate rats. They provided many hours of entertainment for me as a young pre-teen with a .22 at a small college dump.

Edit: If you like rats, never buy rat fur cabs near winter.

images?q=tbn:ANd9GcS7TAMtzI5Um4A-uv0ioxboD6AKPtR6VnS54Jsv_FPxs_DuV_lN.jpg


Yikes!
 
  • Like
Reactions: S-Bigbottom
#193
beans-on-toast said:
It's one thing to have shabby gear in front of a bunch of kids.

Formal occasions such as higher paid shows, corporate, church, weddings, funerals, restaurants, fundraisers, media events, etc dictate a certain level of decorum. Contracts specify professional comportment. That includes how you present youself and your gear.
Click to expand...

No one is arguing this. It's asinine to state that carpeted cabs are somehow not professional or fail to meet some level of decorum.

I will put my Epifany UL2's up against any cabinet, regardless of covering.

They still look new and sound awesome. I wouldn't change a thing on them.
 
  • Like
Reactions: Bob Lee (QSC), beans-on-toast and alack
#195
MrRobert said:
If you're talking about a recording session, I'll use whatever is best for the song and band. But live, I want my gear to sound AND look good. The image you project is the image people use to get a first impression, and I want that impression to be good.
Click to expand...

I have been playing for 37 years, 99.9% of the people you play for don't give a crap what your bass looks like or even what bass rig your playing through.
 
  • Like
Reactions: kkaarrll
#196
monkeyland said:
Yeah I think thats a really short sighted approach. As a professional musician I find that we get hired at least as much for the "professional" part as we do for the "Musician" part. I would not show up at a nice place wearing dirty jeans and a shirt with holes in it and likewise I'd not have my gear looking all ratty either.

The goal is to get better paying gigs and often times those gigs require a higher level of attention to detail in every aspect of our job.
Click to expand...

I believe the subject of the thread was about the bass, not your attire, that's a different conversation completely. As I have mentioned 99.9% of everyone you play for does not give a crap what your bass looks like or what kind of amp your playing through. I can play a beat up 65 Fender Precision in a tuxedo it's still a brat up 65 Fender Precision that sounds good through a beat up Fender Bass man 100. But I could play a new Ibanez that may not sound as good through an Orange head and cab and the people (audience) won't give a crap. I have played for 37 years and a load of gigs and I believe too many miss the point. Big difference between entertainment and art.
 
Last edited:
#199
Eric Swaim said:
I have been playing for 37 years, 99.9% of the people you play for don't give a crap what your bass looks like or even what bass rig your playing through.
Click to expand...
I've been playing for 25 years and the people I play to absolutely care what my gear/band looks like. I'm not talking about cover bands though, I'm talking about bands that play in certain scenes that have an image to go along with the musical genre. For me, it's a fact of life, for you apparently not. Totally fine either way!
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back