la bam Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) Hi all! Just thought id share just how unexplainable my actions as a bass player can be! I cant be the only one? In a nutshell: Ive always been fairly happy with my sound. Ive played through heavy rigs, when heavy was just a part of being a bass player. My first 2 main rigs were a 100w Trace elliot commando combo. Not loud, but flippin heavy and awkward to carry. Next was an Ashdown Mag 300 with Mag 4x10 cab.The head wasnt heavy as such, but was large. The cab was perfectly designed so that when you carried it yourself with your elbows out you couldnt fit through doorways! Another downside was not being able to see where you were going as it seemed to block all you vision to the floor as well as to each wall! I fell off a step once carrying it - gees that wasnt pleasant! So from then on were a few different changes, then i settled on a lovely set up - MarkBass LM3 with a 210 traveller. Plenty loud, very lightweight, and very easy to carry. Lovely. That lasted about 2 years. Then after selling due to a band split, for no reason at all after being lightweight, i decided to go for a full on Ashdown ABM 500 1x15 and 2x10 rig. Again plenty of getting stuck in doorways and heavy lifting for no reason, but the lure of a big rig had taken over. Then i decided to sell and buy a Markbass Evo modeller 500w amp at 3kg and a barefaced Super Compact G3. Magic. Could easily carry both in one trip. Just as powerful (if not more) than the ashdown rig. This rig would be with me forever. A year later i decide for no reason at all, that as much as i love the 1x12 of the supercompact i would like something just a little bigger,, so i dont buy another 1x12, or replace with a 2x12 or 2x10 - i buy a 6x10. (confused look). Well, i say buy, im sure my body just bought it without telling my brain. Anyway, i love it, so fair enough. Not lightweight or small, but i love it. So now i have the ultimate backwards rig - a lightweight head and a heavy duty cab. 6 months later, i decide to sort that..... not by buying a lightweight cab as a normal person would, but by buying a heavy Ashdown ABM600 head. So now a have a large, heavy rig. My heaviest ever. Ive gone from a one carry load in, to having x2 load ins just for the head and cables, never mind the cab! Deciding this was heavy for quick in and out gigs / upstairs to stages etc, I decided to go pre amp into power amp for one rig, and keep the 3kg markbass head for smaller gigs. So i managed to find a lovely sh VTRM pre amp and thought id pair it with a great class D lightweight power amp for one awesome adaptable package - powerful, loud and lightweight. ......... somehow, my brain blanked the lightweight idea when it came to buying and i ended up with a QSC RMX1450. I think thats about 20kg just for the amp, never mind case as well. So ive sold a heavy amp and replaced it with an even heavier one!! At the moment im looking for a small cab for the lightweight rig. I just cant trust myself to have one rig now as it varies from 15kg to 90kg depending on what i buy! So, i need 2 rigs, so i know what to take to what gig. No matter what i try, I just cant cope with one rig. It just seems to constantly change for no logical explanation! So, what is it that makes us do these crazy purchases? No matter what I try and do, at the last minute i always end up buying something else that doesnt fit the requirement! Edited October 22, 2018 by la bam 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BassBod Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 It must be your inner bass player, reminding you that sound is always more important than logistics. It’s a life-long struggle 😳 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) 24 minutes ago, BassBod said: ...sound is always more important than logistics. Yep - just bought another Trace combo, at the risk of another hernia. For the power and the glory. And the headroom. Amen. Edited October 22, 2018 by discreet 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 29 minutes ago, BassBod said: It must be your inner bass player, reminding you that sound is always more important than logistics. It’s a life-long struggle 😳 Yup. Ove done similar things. It’s just the way it goes. My latest idea is to sell the greatest cab I’ve ever own (3 times at that!) just because I fancy some tens instead of a single 12. Head -> wall. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) 15 minutes ago, Merton said: ...latest idea is to sell the greatest cab I’ve ever owned just because I fancy some tens instead of a single 12... Ridiculous! Everyone knows you need a single 15! Edited October 22, 2018 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Merton Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 7 minutes ago, discreet said: Ridiculous! Everyone knows you need a single 15! That’s next week’s brain fad 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 48 minutes ago, BassBod said: It must be your inner bass player, reminding you that sound is always more important than logistics. It’s a life-long struggle 😳 Def, I`ve been through similar to the OP, had the lightweight gear but have gone not quite full-circle and ended up with Ashdown ABM amps/cabs. Not super-heavy but nothing like as light as some of the gear I had, however as per the quote above, the sound is more important to me - at present. At some point it`s inevitable that the ABMs will become too heavy as I get older, in which case step forward the Ashdown RM range. A quality lightweight range of amps & cabs that are much lighter but in all honesty don`t sound that different until you get on a very big stage, at which point you notice the weightier presence in the sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) 22 minutes ago, Lozz196 said: ...sound is more important to me - at present. At some point it`s inevitable that the ABMs will become too heavy as I get older, in which case step forward the Ashdown RM range... The logical conclusion of this is an amp that hovers like a balloon and holds you upright when you can't stand up any more. It could then float you directly into the crematorium when you die, or ascend you directly up to Heaven - dependent on your beliefs. You heard it here first! Edited October 22, 2018 by discreet Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rOB Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 5 hours ago, la bam said: So, what is it that makes us do these crazy purchases? For me it's trying to get a rig I can carry all in one go (as well as 2 basses) that gives me the specific (clean and dirty but clear) sounds I like to use in my band. Carrying lots of heavy gear makes gigging less fun for me so I choose not to do it. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 (edited) 12 minutes ago, rOB said: Carrying lots of heavy gear makes gigging less fun for me so I choose not to do it. I don't much care for it either, but after bursting my guts I feel I deserve the big, chunky live sound that I enjoy and just cant seem to get with featherweight gear. One's mileage varies, horses for courses and so on. Edited October 22, 2018 by discreet 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Ultimate portable set up? I won’t ever do it, but I thought two cricket bat basses in one backpack bag with a Quilter bass block & cables, carrying a Barefaced Two10. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 Great tone -v- portability.... Sounds like an easy decision.....you'd think Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 At least you gigged with it all. When I first started playing, I bought and sold about 4 rigs and 5 combos (some nice ones too) before I realised the problem was that my playing was shït and my room acoustics were horrible. I sounded like àrse through everything. All the gear and no idea. So much money wasted.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
discreet Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 10 minutes ago, project_c said: I sounded like àrse through everything. That's what happens when you play like the wind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
la bam Posted October 22, 2018 Author Share Posted October 22, 2018 It just makes no sense when i look back! Swap a massive full on stack because i want something small, then get something small, be happy, and then decide to beef it up a little by making it bigger than the original big rig. I swear i could have swore out loud when i actually picked up the QSC and it felt like a small planet! (id forgot how heavy old school power amps are). The irony is its now heavier than an Ampeg rig - which this is supposed to be a lightweight version of ! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
project_c Posted October 22, 2018 Share Posted October 22, 2018 1 hour ago, discreet said: That's what happens when you play like the wind. In my case it was more like a lukewarm guff of stagnant air. Clearly the amp’s fault of course. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Newfoundfreedom Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 Do guitarists go through all this sh#t? In my (somewhat limited) experience. Most will upgrade until they can afford their ultimate rig, and then pretty much stick with it (pedal fetish aside). It's only bass players who get to that point, then sell up and start all over again. 😂 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I buy and sell more gear when I’m not gigging. What for?! I’ve no idea what my headspace is about at times. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
grandad Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) I'm delighted to now have a cajon bag containing both amp head and cab, weight = 20lbs. Edited October 23, 2018 by grandad grammar 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FinnDave Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I've been using the same Barefaced Super Twin for the last 6 years, powered for the first few years by an ABM 500 evo II, but bought a Super Compact last year for smaller gigs, also a Rootmaster 800 head fro the same reason. I sold the old ABM thinking I'd use the RM for everything, but bought another recently as there is something about that sound. So I'd say amp & cab GAS is not affecting me too much. Basses, though - having decided to stick with what I've got, I've still managed to buy seven this year (so far)! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I'll never forget the weekly experience of packing away after a gig and going to pick up my Trace 4x10 combo. Every time it felt like somebody had screwed it to the floor. I don't really care what a head weighs - it's all about the cab, and the one I've had for quite a few years now (TechSoundsystems 2x12) is a magical thing that weighs next to nothing, sounds fantastic and easily handles whatever is thrown at it. I'm never going back to the dark ages. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mattbass6 Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 (edited) Thank you ever so much. One of the funniest posts I have read. Still giggling. Brilliant 😂 PS I went the heavy route when that was all that was available but when TC first came out, I went down that path and that changed everything for me, for the better. A revelation. Now I use Darkglass amps and cabs which are just the best IMHO. Will only use HUGE rigs at festivals that supply the back line which is generally Ampeg 8x10s but, I still take my Darkglass amp. Edited October 23, 2018 by mattbass6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cat Burrito Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I've just gone the other way from a massive Ampeg rig to a little Aguilar cab. I thought I had another 10yrs in me of lugging heavy cool kit but the change was all on the advice of my osteopath. I had no idea she knew so much about the headroom vs portability debate! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AndyTravis Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 I’ve gone from Lightweight Ashdown rig (800w and compact 210/115 which was by far and away the best rig I’ve had in years - and because I’m not gigging I’ve bought a huge heavy Hughes and Kettner combo. I will kick myself when gigging again and revert back to a compact rig. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Japhet Posted October 23, 2018 Share Posted October 23, 2018 10 minutes ago, Cat Burrito said: I've just gone the other way from a massive Ampeg rig to a little Aguilar cab. I thought I had another 10yrs in me of lugging heavy cool kit but the change was all on the advice of my osteopath. I had no idea she knew so much about the headroom vs portability debate! She obviously knows nothing about 'heft' though. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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