Size of rig vs number of gigs...

[Muzz]

So I was thinking (in another thread) about a previous rig, and it occurred to me that when I was doing relatively few gigs, I'd like to turn up with a bigger rig (even though that isn't that big: a Walkabout and a 38lb 212, and in extreme cases a 30lb 115, too, for stacktasticness), but now I'm out twice a week, I really can't be bothered with the bigger rig, and lean much more toward in-ears where possible, and the 112 combo and DI when not.

 

Am I being more realistic, or just a lazy old toad?

 

I should add that after some tweaking, my sound isn't compromised either way: 90% of it comes from the Stomp...

[Franticsmurf]

Sounds to me as if you're being more realistic, particularly if the sound isn't being affected. And IEM potentially relieves you of the need for any on stage amplification. 

 

Personally, I was forced away from the big boxes by a pair of matching hernias. I discovered the little TE 1x10 cabs, which do exactly what I want, and I wouldn't go back to the big stuff as it's too inconvenient (and I have discovered lazy old toad-ness😃). More space in the car or easier to car share, easy carry in and (more importantly) carry out. Less space taken up on stage. Not to mention better sound than with my old gear. I'm using  IEM in one band now and one cab provides enough for the drummer, who isn't. 

[TheGreek]

I'm sure that your back will thank you in the long run....

[Lozz196]

I think it`s realism, as although I rarely use my full gigging rig I`ve done pretty much the same. My mind tells me that my ABM600 and matching 210 & 410 cabs was better - and it was sound-wise, however my ABM600 with two ABM PRO NEO 210s is better for my needs, and that`s the important thing. Even better is that for one of my bands the RM500 fits the sound more than the ABM600 does.

[peteb]

It's not just the number of gigs, but the distance you're driving and consequently the time you get back home. Until recently, I was using a Mesa amp in a 4u rack and a 410 with ceramic speakers. It sounded great and wasn't really that heavy compared to the 810s and other amps we used to shlump about a bit ago. These days I've got a Handbox R-400 (I just can't get on with Class D amps) and a 212 with neo speakers, which is a bit easier at the end of the night (I know that some people here who will think that this is still heavier than they would be prepared to take out). 

 

I'm not really doing that many more gigs these days than I was, but they tend to be further away and the band is more spread out, so it's not as if there is anyone to help at 2:00 am to unload the car. 

 

Funnily enough, I recently did a local gig at a venue run by a coupe of mates of mine - one a guitar player I've played in many bands with and the other a former pro bass player who's toured with a couple of big(ish) names. They were both amazed at how small the rig was that I turned up with and the bass player was saying that he would have to think about putting together a more transportable rig (he's still using a rack and two 410s). Now what I'm using isn't that small compared to what some others are going out with. It goes to show that while smaller rigs are the fashion on here, there are still plenty of guys going out with old school 412s or 410s (or even 810s) every time they play a larger venue. 

 

[chris_b]

IMO it doesn't matter how many gigs I do in a week, or the size, I take 2 amps, 2 cabs, 2 basses and a bag full of accessories. 

 

With my lightweight gear load in, set up and load out takes minutes.

[Boodang]

15 hours ago, Muzz said:

So I was thinking (in another thread) about a previous rig, and it occurred to me that when I was doing relatively few gigs, I'd like to turn up with a bigger rig (even though that isn't that big: a Walkabout and a 38lb 212, and in extreme cases a 30lb 115, too, for stacktasticness), but now I'm out twice a week, I really can't be bothered with the bigger rig, and lean much more toward in-ears where possible, and the 112 combo and DI when not.

 

Am I being more realistic, or just a lazy old toad?

 

I should add that after some tweaking, my sound isn't compromised either way: 90% of it comes from the Stomp...

Lazy old toad, definitely!

[police squad]

why take a big heavy rig if you dont have to

I've been markbass club 1x15 for 10 years now, bigger gigs get the 2x10 club too.

Nearly always through the PA too

 

Ampeg PF500 and now Ashdown RM500 evo 2. No pedals

 

I recently added an ashdown RM410 evo cab, this is for the new Americana thing I'm doing. Bigger stages, one cab solution, it's 21 Kg and the previous owner put quality casters on it (and it was only 100 quid)

 

When I was in my teens and early 20s I would think nothing of loading in 2 4x12 cabs (I did one gig with 5 once, all for show)

[Steve Browning]

I will use my Walkabout for rehearsals and small gigs but the bigger rig for larger gigs. To me it's the requirements of the gig that determine which I take, not the frequency of them.

[la bam]

I can see where the OP is coming from.

 

Regular working rig, make it easier for yourself, you'll enjoy it more. Regularly lugging heavy awkward kit can quickly demoralised you.

First gig for a while, take the big rig and really enjoy it.

 

Seems sensible to me.

[fretmeister]

Head and a Barefaced One10 for rehearsals.

Head, nano pedal board and BF Super Twin for most gigs. No PA for 99% of shows. 

 

The One10 is very capable though so if it's a proper small gig or just supporting woodwind then the One10 is plenty.

[neepheid]

Lightweight gear is the way forward.  When I think of the Ashdown ABM410 I used to lug around when I started, my back pseudospasms.

[DaytonaRik]

I moved to a Bass Dapper pedal - I already run IEMs and saw this as a logical progression.  I still have the ABM500 head plus a 1x15 and 2x10 cabs, but they don't get used much, if at all really

[fretmeister]

10 minutes ago, neepheid said:

Lightweight gear is the way forward.  When I think of the Ashdown ABM410 I used to lug around when I started, my back pseudospasms.

 

I had one of those too. So heavy!

[peteb]

11 minutes ago, neepheid said:

Lightweight gear is the way forward.  When I think of the Ashdown ABM410 I used to lug around when I started, my back pseudospasms.

 

You must be somewhat younger than me! At one time, my rig was a 410, an ace but but really heavy Yamaha 215 loaded with JBLs and an 8u rack containing a separate preamp & a PA power amp! That wasn't particularly unusual at the time. My current 410 is much lighter than its counterpart of 30 years ago. 

 

Let's be honest, there is always a compromise when using lightweight gear. I've never found a Class D amp that I'm happy with and I prefer the sound of ceramic to neo speakers, even though the neo 212 that I usually take out these days does sound pretty good (but not quite as good as the ceramic 410). 

 

[neepheid]

1 minute ago, peteb said:

 

You must be somewhat younger than me! At one time, my rig was a 410, an ace but but really heavy Yamaha 215 loaded with JBLs and an 8u rack containing a separate preamp & a PA power amp! That wasn't particularly unusual at the time. My current 410 is much lighter than its counterpart of 30 years ago. 

 

Let's be honest, there is always a compromise when using lightweight gear. I've never found a Class D amp that I'm happy with and I prefer the sound of ceramic to neo speakers, even though the neo 212 that I usually take out these days does sound pretty good (but not quite as good as the ceramic 410). 

 

 

I will be honest with you - as long as I'm loud enough and bassy enough, I couldn't give a damn.  The minutae of bass tone is lost completely on me when the rest of the band kick in and I'm too busy not effing songs up to give a monkey's about my tone beyond that basic ballpark mentioned in the previous sentence.  I doubt I'll ever get good enough to have the spare capacity to care

[Muzz]

Just for some perspective, I'm old enough to have had an SVT and 810 as my Bestest Big Rig back in the day (and I worked up to that via other various heads and cabs, like a Peavey MkVIII and a V-4B), then I went down in size to lots of different heads (including a lot of Class Ds), a MB 410, a 2 x 15 Roland stack, then a Schroeder 215, and then Barefaced cabs took over, and now my Big Rig is some folks' Small Rig, but it's still capable of drowning any drummer...at which point the PA comes into play...

 

I'm playing a lot of pubs, bars and functions now (tho some big stages occasionally, but they're always well monitored, which makes a big backline redundant anyway) with three bands who all have a decent PA. I just stand at the desk during setup with my XLR in my hand and say 'What channel am I in?', and that works... 🙂 The Stomp is the one constant piece of kit I use (and I have a dozen or so presets for different songs (like a Sledgehammer preset, a Wolstenholme preset, a Motown preset, a Gnarly Rock preset, etc, etc)), so I sound like that through everything...after that it's just about room EQ-ing...

 

I play with a time-served (cruises and Middle-Eastern Hotel residencies) Pro guitarist occasionally (the sort of guy who inspires this conversation: 'Does Johnny know xxxx (insert just about any song)?' 'Don't be daft: Johnny knows everything'), and he has some fantastic geetar sounds, including some of the best Rock sounds I've ever heard, and he turns up with just a QSC 12" PA speaker and his FX...

[chris_b]

I've done big and heavy. In the 70's I briefly gigged an Ampeg 215, which must have been around 130lbs, but lugging that around on my own nearly killed me. I sold it after a week. I have no idea what I was thinking with that one. 

 

I'm lucky, I have no D class/Neo hang ups, and am hearing some great sounds out there with players using similar rigs.

[Beedster]

22 hours ago, Muzz said:

So I was thinking (in another thread) about a previous rig, and it occurred to me that when I was doing relatively few gigs, I'd like to turn up with a bigger rig (even though that isn't that big: a Walkabout and a 38lb 212, and in extreme cases a 30lb 115, too, for stacktasticness), but now I'm out twice a week, I really can't be bothered with the bigger rig, and lean much more toward in-ears where possible, and the 112 combo and DI when not.

 

Am I being more realistic, or just a lazy old toad?

 

I should add that after some tweaking, my sound isn't compromised either way: 90% of it comes from the Stomp...

 

I'm the same, inverse law for me, fewer gigs = bigger rigs. Mesa Carbine M6 weighs marginally more than my car but sounds glorious even if I could get the same volume from a Class D and Barefaced, I still prefer to use the biggun. Would be a PITA if I were gigging every week though

[mrtcat]

Bass, small pedal board, mic and iems. 100+ function / wedding gigs a year. Really couldn't cope with having to lug amps about. Soundcheck is a breeze and my monitor mix sounds pretty much identical no matter where we play. We have a really decent pa and therefore absolutely nothing is lacking so it doesn't feel like a compromise at all. Our guitarists don't use amps either and with them both using top end modelling fx units (Neural Quad Cortex) the guitars sound massive but without blowing the mix. 

[gafbass02]

Same here, I used to lug a mahoosive trace stack around, sometimes two of them!…and a 2x10 combo as a bass monitor!! (Such a fool!) At least they were taken in a truck and handled entirely by roadies on some tours, which helped. 

Then I went through a pile of class d lightweight rigs, markbass, genz, bergantino etc, before switching to a pair of headrush frfr 112s when the gigs started to get a lot more frequent and I got older!! That quickly switched to one 112, and now my rig has vanished and my pedalboard has shrunk and I’m on IEMs, which is amazing!.. Same sound every gig, at whatever volume I choose, load in is quick and easy, as is a quick line check,  and packing up is just putting my bass in it’s bag and zipping up my pedalboard.  it’s ace. I don’t miss an amp other than for looks factor. I truly regret not doing it years earlier. 

Edited January 21, 2023 by gafbass02

[jimmyb625]

If we ever get to the stage of having a crew, I'll be using 4 Ampeg 8x10's, together with a Trace Elliot elf.

[Happy Jack]

Tonight's gig in a tiny pub in Chalfont St Peter with a band that does 50/60 gigs a year.

 

EA Doubler on the banquette to the left,  compressor pedal on top, Crazy 8 on a PA pole next to the Kolstein Busetto and ... erm ... well that's it really.

[drTStingray]

On 20/01/2023 at 10:53, fretmeister said:

Head and a Barefaced One10 for rehearsals.

Head, nano pedal board and BF Super Twin for most gigs. No PA for 99% of shows. 

 

The One10 is very capable though so if it's a proper small gig or just supporting woodwind then the One10 is plenty.

I use a Mark Bass LM3 and usually a Traveller 2 x 10, but if a bigger venue I add a 2 x 10 HF. However I was at a jam session and the bass player was using a TC class D amp with a Barefaced 1 x 12? (I think). I tried the weight of the cab and it was positively featherweight compared with anything I’ve ever used - sounded great as well. 
 

Now back in the 70s/80s I used an Acoustic 370/301 - and an extension cab (Carlsboro 1 x 15) on bigger gigs - the Carlsboro + Acoustic 370 on smaller ones - very similar to using an Ashdown ABM but the 301 cab was huge - never a problem because it generally lived in the group van!! However my Markbass set up is louder and definitely more focussed and articulate with the 10” speakers. 
 

Must try some Barefaced stuff out!!! 
 

Small/medium venue

 

 

Larger venue

 

Edited January 21, 2023 by drTStingray

[Norris]

I've hefted some kit around in the past. Now it's a Fender Rumble v3 500 combo. One hand lift, sounds great, job done.