ben_eat_pie Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 my point is: what happened to the days where a bass rig was pretty much designed to be the heaviest thing on stage! Does everyone want lighter gear? How about more compact, or 'dense' gear! cheers guys (are there any girls?) ben Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassicinstinct Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Having just gone down the Superfly route, I can [b]VERY[/b] heartily recommend it!! I remember trying to downsize/downweight my rig in the late nineties and every dealer I spoke to assured me that I was trying to "defeat the Laws of Physics" and that I'd never achieve what I was looking for. Just a few years too early it would seem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Finbar Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 In an ideal world, I would say balls to lightweight stuff. I'd love a massive heavy cab with a fat, fat heavy valve head. I've had a heavy cab and head setup for about two years, and while I could carry on with it, I've downsized for sheer convenience. It is me lugging it up and down steps, into and out of venues and cars, so I'd rather not feel like I'm carrying the weight of 5 men around! In the future, I'd like to 'downgrade' to heavier stuff again probably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I will downsize as soon as I can find an amp that delivers like my Metro and doesn't cost 4x the price. There are times when I HATE that amp but they are not when I am making music on it. So I lift it. As a jazzer, I am surrounded by pianists and guitar players who get the smallest gear they can and don't care that it sounds like s***. Like the tenor sax players with £4K of Selmer Mk VI going though an SM58 and a PA the size of a box of washing powder - whaddayaknow - it sucks! Compromise your sound and you compromise on the whole deal. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 And bass players had to be strong as an ox to carry the gear - hey might be a good nickname for a bass player I used to think nothing of humping heavy gear around but now I am older I prefer not to start the gig with back ache. Bass players also dont seem to be the big hairy brutes they used to be - why some are even girls. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='226113' date='Jun 24 2008, 07:03 PM']I will downsize as soon as I can find an amp that delivers like my Metro and doesn't cost 4x the price.[/quote] Have you seen the EBS NeoGorm? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JakeBrownBass Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Weight doesn't bother me. I buy for sound before weight although nowadays it seems alot of people do it the other way around. I hate it when i hear comments, it sounds great for its size/weight. Jake Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ahpook Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='ben_eat_pie' post='226088' date='Jun 24 2008, 06:15 PM']my point is: what happened to the days where a bass rig was pretty much designed to be the heaviest thing on stage![/quote] technology happened to those days !!! and huzzah to technology i say. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I think that bassists are far more progressive than guitarists. They are much more demanding too, hence why you don't see many neo cabs for guitarists. We should be proud that lightweight gear is available. Guitarists don't really get much of a choice by comparison. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 Show me a bad sounding Neo bass cab...... there aren't any! In my experience Epifani and Bergantino are amongst the best sounding cabs and they are very light. I'm sure Dr Bass, EBS, Zoot, Genz Benz etc sound good too. Why on earth go heavy if light-weight sounds this good?? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jobiebass Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I bought Finbars Valve head, and im already regretting the weight. BUT ive never heard of anything like it! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
silverfoxnik Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='chris_b' post='226153' date='Jun 24 2008, 07:44 PM']Show me a bad sounding Neo bass cab...... there aren't any! In my experience Epifani and Bergantino are amongst the best sounding cabs and they are very light. I'm sure Dr Bass, EBS, Zoot, Genz Benz etc sound good too. Why on earth go heavy if light-weight sounds this good??[/quote] Price? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bilbo Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='bass_ferret' post='226117' date='Jun 24 2008, 07:06 PM']Have you seen the EBS NeoGorm?[/quote] Nope - I don't get out much - what with a day job, gigs and writing a book, I can't find time to travel to London to try out gear I can't afford Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='bilbo230763' post='226226' date='Jun 24 2008, 09:15 PM']Nope - I don't get out much - what with a day job, gigs and writing a book, I can't find time to travel to London to try out gear I can't afford [/quote] Well for gods sake man, get a life! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 The newer light stuff can be amazing, so why not use it? I buy secondhand, and generally I'm very pleased with my Euphonic Audio stuff. I also still use my GK microbass combo, not in the same class on sound alone but fantastic for those really awkward load-ins. I do a lot of freelance/dep gigs and frankly convenience often counts above sound quality. I've also noticed over the last ten years that city centre gigging just keeps getting more difficult - more parking restrictions, less spaces near venues, more jobsworth security at venues (and festivals)...anything that eases the loading in and out makes a difference. If I only played in one band, we all arrived by van and loaded together it would be different. I'd use my SWR more. BB Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) [quote name='ben_eat_pie' post='226088' date='Jun 24 2008, 06:15 PM']my point is: what happened to the days where a bass rig was pretty much designed to be the heaviest thing on stage! Does everyone want lighter gear? How about more compact, or 'dense' gear! cheers guys (are there any girls?) ben[/quote] All of the above mate. First off im very restricted to what i can use as i dont drive so me and my gear go with my drummer(s) so smallish is a must. Light is not a big issue but my thoughts are why struggle? Both my cabs (one for each band) are Schroeder's. One is a 1210R and one a 1212L. The 1210R is heavier and while its not too heavy i often wonder why i dont get rid of it for a 1212L as that cab is a pleasure to carry. Both cabs, combined with my MB heads can get very loud so there really is no need for anything bigger, at least not for me. I only went for a 1212L because its thicker sounding than the 1210R but not as much as a 1212R. Not because it is lighter. Im not really bothered about the heads though. I would quite happily use a large head but with the MB stuff they just provide everything i could want, tone wise. Its just a bonus that these heads are small and light. As for what happened to the days when bass gear was heavy, well, i guess we realised there really is no need for it to be heavy and im sure even back then if they had the technology to make them lighter they would have. In my bands its now the guitar combo's that are the heaviest and i make sure i dont carry them. Saying that, most , if not all the bands i see live on Tv seem to still have big rigs. I must admit it looks good but i guess they dont always have to transport it themselves. Edited June 24, 2008 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bass_ferret Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='226265' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:17 PM']Saying that, most , if not all the bands i see live on Tv seem to still have big rigs. I must admit it looks good but i guess they dont always have to transport it themselves.[/quote] Never heard of roadies? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RIM Basses Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I got mt SVT-Cl today and man its heavy, got to replace the preamp valves and get a service done. cant wait to hear the sound thru a Dr Bass cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 (edited) [quote name='bass_ferret' post='226269' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:19 PM']Never heard of roadies?[/quote] Well thats my point. they have them and i dont. Edited June 24, 2008 by dave_bass5 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steve-soar Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='dave_bass5' post='226273' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:23 PM']Well thats my point. they have them and i dont.[/quote]Ampeg came upon a defining sound with their SVT stuff in 1969, I used it with roadies and without. Light gear is great, but I've not heard a neo speaker that sounds better than a regular one, yet. (The Bergs probably sound superb) I think, IMO, tone is worth the extra 30 lbs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I'm rehearsing on the 4th floor at Birmingham school of music on Thursday evening, I've no idea where you park around there, I don't think that you can. My 4x10 isn't the easiest thing to carry around, size wise, but it is thankfully fairly light. And my 1800 watt head only weighs 16lbs. My 4x10 and the head together weigh less than the Bergantino IP12 that I used to own. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BigRedX Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='steve-soar' post='226292' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:43 PM']I think, IMO, tone is worth the extra 30 lbs.[/quote] OK you can help me carry my non-neo EBS 4x10 up and down the stairs at my next gigs! I'm getting something lighter as soon as I can. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave_bass5 Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='steve-soar' post='226292' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:43 PM']Ampeg came upon a defining sound with their SVT stuff in 1969, I used it with roadies and without. Light gear is great, but I've not heard a neo speaker that sounds better than a regular one, yet. (The Bergs probably sound superb) I think, IMO, tone is worth the extra 30 lbs.[/quote] Agreed but personally i don't like the valve/Ampeg sound so for me its not a compromise. When i got my first MB head i was trading in an Ashdown ABM because i didn't like the sound. It weighed a lot more than the SA450 but that was not a consideration. Nore was money but i wanted something that suited me and i was lucky the MB heads did that. I used a GK1001RBII for a while last year. again, heavier than the MB heads but again, i didnt get on with the tone. Nothing to do with the weight. Had a UL212 as well. Nice and light but i never really clicked with that and used my 1210R more. And thats heavier. My point is i dont mind how much something weighs as long as i like it but ive been lucky that i do like the lighter stuff more. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
6stringbassist Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 [quote name='BigRedX' post='226299' date='Jun 24 2008, 10:50 PM']OK you can help me carry my non-neo EBS 4x10 up and down the stairs at my next gigs! I'm getting something lighter as soon as I can.[/quote] I had one of those a few years ago, that is one seriously heavy cab, and I can honestly say that it didn't sound any better than a light weight cab. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wateroftyne Posted June 24, 2008 Share Posted June 24, 2008 I like light, but I'm not willing to compromise tone-wise. So... I have a medium size Schroder cab for big stuff - a one-hand lift at a push - and a Mesa Walkabout Scout for everything else. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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