Amp head weights

[Kevin Dean]

I don't really see the point in a really light weight bass head when you still have to get a cab that weighs around 30lbs ? Am I the only person to think this ?

[TheGreek]

My new Elf fits in my pocket, many others fit inside gig bags. Having that free hand has got to be an asset surely?

[casapete]

Know what you mean. My GK100RB is now considered weighty at 22lbs, but even for an old gimmer
like me I don't find that a problem. Almost balances out nicely with my BF Compact too !!

For players using public / limited forms of transport the new smaller heads must be a godsend though?
Maybe not so much as lighter cabs, but every little counts....

[JapanAxe]

Other things being equal (and setting aside all thoughts of HEFT), I would prefer to have a light thing and a heavy thing to carry, rather than 2 heavy things.

[Lozz196]

I went down the lightweight route for a fair while and fairly happy with all the amps I tried, but hand on heart, when I used them the weightier amps did sound better to my ears. And thinking about it, guitarists never seem to moan about carrying a whacking great Marshall valve amp around, so a 13kg bass amp isn`t that big a deal to me.

[JapanAxe]

[quote name='Lozz196' timestamp='1507400917' post='3385276']
... And thinking about it, guitarists never seem to moan about carrying a whacking great Marshall valve amp around, so a 13kg bass amp isn`t that big a deal to me.
[/quote]

I'm a guitarist too, and believe me, amp weight is an issue! I never went down the stack or half-stack route, but I have long since ditched arm-lengthening 2x12 combos in favour of much lighter 1x12 models. Even so, my main gigging amp is by far the heaviest piece of kit that I own.

[DiMarco]

We go to gigs by car and can help eachother dragging the gear around.
I do not see any point in having a lightweight amp unless it has extra functionality like the Darkglass M900 (drive/dist) or Tech21 VT500 (sansamp) have.

Besides that, my valve amps (27kg and 13kg) sound a whole lot better then any of my solid states.

[AScars]

I'm still dragging around an old Mesa Bass 400+ in its suspension rack and this thing is seriously weighty but I prefer playing through it to the point where I think it is worth the struggle.

[Delberthot]

[quote name='Kevin Dean' timestamp='1507384924' post='3385123']
I don't really see the point in a really light weight bass head when you still have to get a cab that weighs around 30lbs ? Am I the only person to think this ?
[/quote]

I completely agree - Unless you have a lightweight cab then I don't see the point of a lightweight head either unless it does something that no other amp does.

If I still played through a big rig then I'd have a 700RB rather than the MB500

My heaviest rig which was a Trace V-type 4x12 and 2x15 came in at 101kgs including the Gallien 1001Rb amp - My current amp & cab come in at less than 9kgs combined which is the same weight as the 1001 RB on its own

[bazzbass]

age

eventually you'll get to the age where the trade off in extra weight to be lugged in and out of your house, into and out of your car, into and out of the venue is far greater than the enjoyment you may get from an arguably better sound.

we're talking tube bass amp heads, around 80lbs.......

[xgsjx]

My cab weighs 34 kg & it’s on casters, so I can wheel that to my car.
My amp also weighs 34kg, but it’s not on casters & carrying it to the car isn’t easy, especially as my car is at least 150 feet from my door & over mixed terrain down hill & uphill (that bit depends on how close I get parked).
I’m in need of a sack trolley!

This is where I miss my Markbass combo. I could carry that with one hand.

I’d happily have a lightweight head & a heavy cab, as you can put casters on the cab.

[jimbartlett]

I changed my rig for a lightweight one over the last couple of years. I wasn’t completely happy sontried lots of different heads and cabs. I then read on here about class A/B amps having that “heft” that’s class D don’t. I’ve since got Barefaced cabs and I have a Trace Elliot AH250 and a Trace Elliot SMX head to choose from. Both are weighty but paired with the Barefaced cabs sound absolutely gorgeous and THAT was the sound I was after in my head and ears.

Best of both worlds to me is to find a lightweight cab you are happy with and then the weight of the head really doesn’t matter too much as it’s not as bulky to lug around.

[chris_b]

The point of a head is what it sounds like. After that you buy the weight, size, shape and colour you choose. What the cab weighs doesn't come into it.

[jimbartlett]

Couldn’t agree more. My point about cab weight was what works for me. I used to lug a very heavy cab around but now have found something as good but lighter so I’m happy. Whatever works for someone is great though 😊

[gsgbass]

My Fender Bassman 500 head has the old bassman head look, but only weighs in at 17 pounds. It goes well with a Bassman 115 Neo cab.

[Painy]

If you can get the sound you want in a lightweight package then that's great but I'd rather lift something a little heavier than to compromise too much on tone - which is why I carted an awesome sounding but 95lb Ampeg BA500 combo (+ a 1x15 extension cab) to gigs for over 5 years.
Just this week I've traded a fairly lightweight Aguilar AG500 head (lovely sounding amp but more of a surgical scalpel when I really need a sledgehammer) for an Ashdown ABM500 which is obviously heavier but better suited to the job I need it to do.
Obviously it does still to be reasonably manageable though (the Ashdown is still a comfortable one handed lift) but for me I'd choose an amp based on sound first and weight second.

[Jono Bolton]

I use a Peavey Mark IV, which is solid state, but weighs more than both my guitarists’ valve heads. It’s worth it for sound and sheer volume it puts out, and I prefer the aesthetic of a bigger head. It only cost £100, and I know know that I couldn’t get that same value buying a lightweight head.

[JazzBass4624]

I'm very happy with my LMIII and wouldn't like to change back to my Fender Bassman 100, Dynacord bassking or Peavy combo. I can get the sound I want from my little class D amp and love the comfort of only having to haul a bass, a small amp and two lightweight 112's from and to my car.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 1, 2022 by Jus Lukin