SamIAm Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) How many folks here suffer from a bad back (or similar) that impacts what gear/rig you use? Edited December 8, 2023 by Smanth Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Franticsmurf Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Similar. Last year I gave myself a hernia and when the consultant examined me he found a second one hiding on the opposite side. It prompted me to investigate smaller/lighter options for all my kit and resulted in me ditching the Laney RB7 combo (about 25kg) and 15" cab (around 20kg) in favour of two 1x10 Trace Elliot cabs (about 8kg each) and a TCE BAM 200 (some grammes). I also dabbled in making my own small cabs based on the designs published on this site, resulting in two 1x6" cabs which I now use for practice and occasionally as a monitor. I had both hernias repaired at the beginning of this year but I like the idea of lightweight, and the 1x10 cabs sound great with my kit, so overall a win. Indirectly, the search for lightweight kit also got me into IEM and currently I don't use any backline with the Hulla band. In terms of instruments, I avoided the Sterling 34HH for a while and used my Spirit headless and/or my short scale acoustic bass - although in my case the weight of the bass didn't really risk worsening the hernias. I just wanted to be cautious. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) I’ve a permanent shoulder injury, fortunately right shoulder so doesn’t affect where my strap sits. Up until a few years ago I could still shift a regular 410 about, however age has been catching up with me and this year I hurt my back at work which has made me go short scale. I’m fine carrying a short scale bass in a gigbag but heavy amp heads or pretty much any cabs save probably a BF110 is beyond me. So yes, short scale basses and Sansamp for gigs now rather than the Precisions and ABM600 this time last year. Edited December 8, 2023 by Lozz196 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LeftyP Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 I have back issues (trying to snowboard for my 60th birthday!) and as a result play a semi-hollow, short scale bass that weighs a little over 7lb (2.69kg). I only play in church and we do between four and five songs on a Sunday morning - sitting down between each of them. If I was a gigging bass player on stage for two 45 minute sessions I would go for an even lighter bass, like the Hofner violin (Beatle) model. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul_5 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) I twisted my back last weekend on a gig using IEMs - I reached too far and twisted getting my bass off its stand. I thought that was the worst of it, then Sunday it triggered a bit of sciatica too. Silly, silly boy. played sat down too, so I know it was poor handling that did for me. Edited December 8, 2023 by paul_5 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rich Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 I did my back in 30+ years ago playing 5-a-side... I stretched a leg for a pass I was never going to reach and *PING* something went (don't ask me for a physiological explanation, 'went' is the best I can do) at the base of my back and left me next to immobile for 3 days. It's been a point of weakness ever since, and every so often it will ping again just to remind me. Last time I pinged it by putting on a sock. Combine this with the process of getting old, and lightweight gear has become what I believe they call a 'no-brainer'. My entire current rig weighs about half of what one of my two old 4x10s from many years ago did. My practice/rehearsal amp is a Behringer 60w 1x12 combo and it is by some margin my single heaviest piece of musical equipment. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
police squad Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 yep, did my back 20 years ago. Lower down and now I have a disc sitting slightly out, which I can feel. I am just very careful these days. I dont leap about like I used to (think Sting, jumnping out and down) and I sure don't carry heavy stuff these days All bass gear is class D, I don't use any backline on duo gigs and no monitors now as I have gone IEM I do still lug the PA about but thats as light as it can be, QSC K12s and Ksubs 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TheGreek Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Former golfer so that's a starting point. I also used the gym a lot when I was younger so no surprise that I have a back problem (muscular). I used to see a Chiropractor but a course of 10 (at £45 a go) steered me away from the golf course and gym. Thankfully I don't move gear that often but I do have a foldaway trolley for when I do. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tauzero Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Somewhat dodgy back - now every item of gear is < 10kg, hence Alto TS308s and TS408s for the PA and a GR Bass AT800 Cube for a combo. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 I’m only 44, and avoided back issues so far (shoulder and knee problems though!). There’s quite a lot of evidence to say that correct exercise and stretching stops you getting issues in the first place, so I started at the gym 9 months ago. My bad knee is better (balancing my quads/hamstring strength), but my shoulder got a lot worse before getting better (overdoing/bad technique on a shoulder press machine). Talk to your doctor, get down the gym! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
casapete Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Had a lifetime of shifting reasonably heavy bass stuff around, and now at 65 I’m amazingly not too bad in the back department. Getting a Barefaced Compact in 2009 has certainly helped with things as have class D heads, and for smaller gigs my Fender Rumble 100 combo has been a godsend too. Used my Precision Lyte on all my theatre gigs for more than a decade now, which at 7lbs hasn’t given me any trouble in my shoulder / back. I do struggle to put PA speakers on stands with my acoustic duo, but fortunately my guitarist mate is younger and fitter than me. I do take more care not to pile in and try to lift stuff that would be daft for a man of my years, and don’t do any stupid lifting round the house etc. Hopefully I’ll be able to keep gigging for many years to come, if other circumstances allow. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Pilates, pilates, and more pilates. 5 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelDean Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) I did my neck in at a stag do while surfing a few years ago. Somehow hit a wave wrong. If I sleep on it wrong it becomes quite immobile the next day, I can't turn my head, and heavy things become a struggle. We also reached a breaking point with our daughter earlier this year. The only way I could get her to go to sleep was to hold her and pace the room. Might be 10 minutes, might be 50. It wasn't great for my back and it has gone once, just as I was dropping her at nursery one day. I was doubled over and barely made it home. We had to sleep train her as it wasn't sustainable anymore, which actually worked out well for everyone. Now we can just put her down to bed and she goes to sleep. I do have a sack truck for moving my gear long distances though. I bought it just before COVID, so it hasn't seen a great deal of use, but it does make taking stuff further much easier. There probably will be a time when I need to go full lightweight, or perhaps more modular maybe. I'm thankfully not there yet though! Edited December 8, 2023 by MichaelDean 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
snorkie635 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 23 minutes ago, Happy Jack said: Pilates, pilates, and more pilates. Read this without my specs and initially thought, 'Blackbeard, Captain Hook and Long John Silver'. I get worried about myself. Sorry. 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steantval Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Currently suffering with it after clearing leaves in the garden, been having back issues for years since suffering a serious bout of sciatica. Was using Trace Elliot for years, now using MarkBass. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chris_b Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 For years I humped a 90lb 2x10 and 90lb 1x15 around. Great tone, but way too heavy. In my 40's it was just about doable, then my lower back finally gave out in my 50's, with a herniated disc. Thankfully D class and Neo have kept me in the game. I'm also trying to downsize my basses to around 7lbs. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mykesbass Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Happy Jack said: Pilates, pilates, and more pilates. This, plus in my case, losing around 4 stone. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
SamIAm Posted December 8, 2023 Author Share Posted December 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Happy Jack said: Pilates, pilates, and more pilates. I've been advised to do this but I really struggle to get up off the mat! S'manth x Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lozz196 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Happy Jack said: Pilates, pilates, and more pilates. 54 minutes ago, snorkie635 said: Read this without my specs and initially thought, 'Blackbeard, Captain Hook and Long John Silver'. I get worried about myself. Sorry. Avast ye, with your fiery cutlass 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr4stringz Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 9 minutes ago, Smanth said: I've been advised to do this but I really struggle to get up off the mat! S'manth x In my experience it’s absolutely worth persevering with. I’d be useless most days without Pilates. Actually, come to think of it I am fairly useless anyway, but you get my point! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tegs07 Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) Yep This may be useful. The self-management download plan’s work for me. This and Yoga, though always listen to your body: https://purephysiomsk.co.uk/conditions/mechanical-back-pain/ Edited December 8, 2023 by tegs07 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pea Turgh Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Muscle mass diminishes as we age, but with proper resistance training you can slow the decline. Use it or lose it! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jackroadkill Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 (edited) In my younger days I was very strong, but hard work, bad technique and inheriting my Dad's skeleton has meant that, at forty-four-and-three-quarters weight is starting to become an issue. I also don't have anything like the brute strength I used to have. My knees, back and neck have always been painful but now they're impacting on my ability (and desire) to lift as much as I used to. Basses aren't a problem yet, but lugging a 4x12 in each hand up stairs is a thing of the past. Thankfully my big cabinet (an Eden 2x15) whilst heavy, has wheels, so that takes much of the graft out of shifting it. That said, I am slowly learning from my mistakes, and will move to a stage monitor and pre-amp pedal before if necessary. Edited December 8, 2023 by Jackroadkill 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Happy Jack Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 1 hour ago, Smanth said: I've been advised to do this but I really struggle to get up off the mat! S'manth x Mat? What you need is a Reformer. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bleat Posted December 8, 2023 Share Posted December 8, 2023 Just into my 50's now, and while I don't currently play in a band, or have any major back issues, my intention is to get back to playing gigs again which maybe a good couple of years off. As I'm not going to get younger or fitter, and also built like Mr. Bean, I decided recently to get the lightest cabs I could afford as a bit of forward planning. 2 x 17kg Laneys which just so happened to be the cabs I wanted a few years ago but couldn't afford at the time. For me cabs are the biggest hassle when it comes to moving/ carrying stuff about. My bass is a little over 9.5lbs, and found I was able to play for a good couple of hours or more at practice with a band I was with for a while last year with no problems. I will only consider getting a lighter bass if I should I develop back issues. My current work involves a lot of moving around so am always getting gentle exercise anyway. If anything, I have always suffered a bit with my knees. I can get down but takes me bloody ages to get back up again! 😎 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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