Reasons for not going micro?

[Jaybeevee]

Having only ever played biger stuff, I was wondering if there are any thoughts on why we shouldn't all play Micro rigs. All reviews I read essentially rate highly these rigs, but always against the light weight, small footprint benefits. I've never read a review that tells me how they stack up against a man sized rig? I wonder if any one has any practical experience to share.
Should I swap out my tube amp and high-rise cab.. I'd like to hear some reasons against?

[discreet]

Nothing sounds as good as an all-valve amp. However, you can get a good way there with a decent micro amp and largely that's good enough for most gigs taking into consideration the very real advantages to be had if you haul your own gear, do a lot of gigs and have trouble parking directly outside your venues.

Back in the day I enjoyed a brief period when I didn't have to haul my own gear and used an Ampeg SVT-CL and 8X10 cab and nothing beats that for bass guitar - in my humble opinion. At the moment I'm using a lightweight combo and am looking at an even smaller lightweight combo because I'm finding my first lightweight combo just not lightweight enough!

It also depends on your attitude, how many decades you've been hauling heavy gear around and what state your hernia is in.

Edited February 22, 2016 by discreet

[LewisK1975]

Personally I'd say it depends on your own circumstances - If your band has full FOH and you only need an amp for on-stage monitoring, small lightweight stuff is the way forward.

Certainly too there's plenty of small lightweight options around nowadays which can more than handle their own for Pub / club size venues.

Just getting my opinion in before this turns into another class D vs SS vs Valve thread and people start saying 'heft' a lot.

[discreet]

[quote name='LewisK1975' timestamp='1456150526' post='2985906']
Just getting my opinion in before this turns into another class D vs SS vs Valve thread and people start saying 'heft' a lot.
[/quote]

I usually say 'heft' quite a lot, so I'm glad I didn't say 'heft' in my above post... dammit!!

[Jaybeevee]

So i guess the sacrifice in tone is small compared to the benefit of bulging veins and wobbly legs?
I recently joined a band that actually gig a lot less than I'm used to. I have the chance to get hold of Markbass stuff at a fat discount, so my thoughts are actually to free up capital invested in my current rig to allow the purchase a new bass or two.. (lusting after Gibbo RD to keep my G3 company, so vintage through micro might be subject to another thread)..
At the moment though it's a bit of a leap of faith.. will I regret it I wonder..

[Muzz]

Yup, I've had the 'man sized' rigs in past, including big Peavey gear and the iconic SVT/810, and I simply can't be arsed with the hassle of moving the thing around these days for the very small difference in tone - you can get very very close (and even louder) these days with stuff you can carry easily in one hand.

Heft my arse...

[Jaybeevee]

We don't have full FOH, but I can't remember a gig where I played back line... not since my youth. I play loudest at rehearsal, and the bigger the gig, the lower the stage levels more often than not. Think the Mesa has gotta go..

[sunburstjazz1967]

In ears would be my only reason to not use a light weight rig!

[BassBunny]

As an avid MarkBass user, IMHO I don't think you can go wrong if you can get a stellar deal. I have been using MB amps for so long I can't remember and have always been pleased with the result.
Like everyone else I used to carry some pretty heavy gear around in the day. Never regretted going lightweight for one moment.

[Happy Jack]

Biggest problem with going micro is when you lose your amp down the back of the sofa.

I hate it when that happens.

[RandomBass]

[quote name='Happy Jack' timestamp='1456153358' post='2985979']
Biggest problem with going micro is when you lose your amp down the back of the sofa.

I hate it when that happens.
[/quote]
Yep, had exactly the same thing when I bought a short scale once.

[Japhet]

Probably quite a bit of snobbery involved I'd say. The vast majority of punters wouldn't notice the difference at all - in fact most of them hardly know what the bass does. Bass players however like to have nice gear that they like the sound of which is absolutely fine.

[EBS_freak]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1456150411' post='2985902']
Nothing sounds as good as an all-valve amp.
[/quote]

I've never liked valve on bass. Guitar yes, bass no.

[Deep Thought]

Nothing I'd like more than something like a Trace Elliot V8 or similar, but valve amps and their accompanying cabs weigh a bloody ton, and are generally bigger too. In my gigging situation, I have several heavy PA speakers to lug as well as my bass rig, without roadie support. I'm prepared to put up with a perceived reduction in sound quality for a rig that I can carry with the minimum of effort and which takes up much less room in the car and onstage.

[Lw.]

The only reason I can think of for not going micro is that they don't sound as good (IMO) - they do weigh a lot less though & the good ones do sound almost as good, just depends if almost is good enough for your personal needs.

Depends on your financial situation but if you're not super hard up I'd be tempted to keep your full-tube head but sell your heavy cabs to fund the other stuff - that way later down the line if you decide micro isn't for you, you've still got the most difficult part of the rig to replace/most important piece.

[Conan]

Life is all about compromise. A small reduction in tone (completely unnoticeable by everyone but yourself) versus a massive reduction in effort and backache.

If you're young and can afford it (and roadies) - go heavyweight. If not, for most gigging bassists Lightweight is a no-brainer.

[wateroftyne]

I prefer the happy medium - Walkabout / AG500.

Car radio amps just don't float me boat.

[Conan]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1456157665' post='2986036']
I prefer the happy medium - Walkabout / AG500.

Car radio amps just don't float me boat.
[/quote]

Ah, but your last few cabs have been pretty low-mass!

To me that's the easy part of the "compromise". A heavy amp is still pretty light compared to a heavy cab

And I would have agreed with you on the amps until I tried the LM2... It sounds a lot "bigger" than it is somehow.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Conan

[wateroftyne]

[quote name='Conan' timestamp='1456157874' post='2986039']
Ah, but your last few cabs have been pretty low-mass!
[/quote]

They've also been happy mediums, with ceramic drivers :-)

[chris_b]

Doris Stokes was a happy medium.

[Conan]

[quote name='wateroftyne' timestamp='1456157938' post='2986040']
They've also been happy mediums, with ceramic drivers :-)
[/quote]

Touche! Although I'm not sure I'd describe the S112s (at 10kg each) any kind of "medium"

[Beer of the Bass]

I can think of a couple of reasons for not going micro, but neither of them are related to performance. One is that older style class A/B amps are often comparatively good value when bought secondhand and still aren't [i]that[/i] hard to move around. The other is that as someone who likes to tinker with their gear, I have a decent chance of being able to troubleshoot and repair most things that could go wrong with a transformer power supply, class AB, through-hole PCB built amp, while fixing a class D, SMPS, surface-mount PCB amp is way beyond my skill level. That's not to say that it can't be done, just that I haven't developed that skillset.
Having said that, I'm still using a GK MB200 for most things - it's just too convenient!

Edited February 22, 2016 by Beer of the Bass

[Paul S]

[quote name='chris_b' timestamp='1456158197' post='2986042']
Doris Stokes was a happy medium.
[/quote]

And this is an Epimedium




I am currently using Barefaced Supercompact cab with an old ABS rack-mounted Trace Elliot head, both weigh about the same so it is a balanced carry.

Although my 'new' Fender Rumble has put a smile on my face immediately... a combo can be useful sometimes.

Edited February 22, 2016 by Paul S

[chris_b]

[quote name='Paul S' timestamp='1456159020' post='2986054']
And this is an Epimedium
[/quote]
A South African medium?

[Jaybeevee]

[quote name='Lw.' timestamp='1456156220' post='2986019']
The only reason I can think of for not going micro is that they don't sound as good (IMO) - they do weigh a lot less though & the good ones do sound almost as good, just depends if almost is good enough for your personal needs.

Depends on your financial situation but if you're not super hard up I'd be tempted to keep your full-tube head but sell your heavy cabs to fund the other stuff - that way later down the line if you decide micro isn't for you, you've still got the most difficult part of the rig to replace/most important piece.
[/quote]

Like your thinking..

Edited February 22, 2016 by jbu09