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Ultra Lightweight Cabs


SuperSeagull

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My 62 year old back is knackered. Currently reliant on a chiropractor to keep me mobile but at the moment I couldn't move my MB 121 combo and 121 cab without feeling pain. Whilst my MB gear is hardly old school heavy I want to switch to something which ideally weighs no more than a bag of crisps, certainly less than 10kg. But it still needs to be able to keep up with a loud pub band. I picked up a friend's Rumble combo a while back and couldn't believe how light it was. I'm also conscious of the GR cabs which claim to be the world's lightest.  Anyone gone through the same thought process and where did you end up? I guess ideally I would be able to go for IEMs with the band but that isn't going to happen anytime soon. 

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Me!

 

I went from old School Marshall VBC 4x12 bass cabs, then to Bergantino, then Markbass and then different types of Barefaced. I've had barefaced Supertwin 2x12 (very clean sounding, mid forward) and a pair One10 (more traditional sound).

 

Both really good, but I preferred the vintage tone of the One10 set up. I thought they were closer to Markbass than the Supertwin was.

 

That big Marshall is still my favourite bass cab ever, but it weighs 108lb!

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46 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

Me!

 

I went from old School Marshall VBC 4x12 bass cabs, then to Bergantino, then Markbass and then different types of Barefaced. I've had barefaced Supertwin 2x12 (very clean sounding, mid forward) and a pair One10 (more traditional sound).

 

Both really good, but I preferred the vintage tone of the One10 set up. I thought they were closer to Markbass than the Supertwin was.

 

That big Marshall is still my favourite bass cab ever, but it weighs 108lb!

Having also had a MB rig and BF 12’s and 10’s, I agree. The 10’s have it for me too.

 

@SuperSeagull when I read your post, I immediately thought of a pair of BF One10’s and and amp of your choice. I also ran this setup for a while, and it never struggled. I’m now using a BF 3x10 for no other reason than because I can.

 

Rob

Edited by ossyrocks
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I love my Barefaced Two10, and I’ve also experienced the delight of lifting up a Rumble combo (had to ask the salesman if the driver had been removed).

Also, your body is still capable of fixing itself - don’t write it off!  Eat right, sleep right, exercise right.  Getting down the gym was a game changer for me.

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Just to add, I am sympathetic to your predicament too. I had microdiskectomy and lumbar decompression surgery in 2016. I still have to be very careful what I do and what I lift. But, with exercise and judicious management, I’m able to do most things. Good luck with the back.

Rob

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4 minutes ago, ossyrocks said:

Having also had a MB rig and BF 12’s and 10’s, I agree. The 10’s have it for me too.

 

@SuperSeagull when I read your post, I immediately thought of a pair of BF One10’s and and amp of your choice. I also ran this setup for a while, and it never struggled. I’m now using a BF 3x10 for no other reason than because I can.

 

Rob

 

That 3x10 looks like a great option, especially with wheels!

 

As it happens I'm about to list my BF cabs for sale because... and I cannot believe I'm saying this and I am embarrassed to be swapping sides for a bit... I need a gigging guitar amp! 😲

 

I bumped into some old mates I used to play with and we're going to do a bit of a reunion thing before we get too old to do it.

So I'm in kind of the same boat as the OP, but about guitar stuff. I want a raging JCM800 like I used to have, but I do not want to carry it! :D 

 

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As a side issue @fretmeister, if you want JCM800 but in a package that can be carted about easily check out Blu Guitar amps. That’s what I had and put through my Barefaced Big Baby. A few old mates I was in rock bands with were amazed at the sound saying it was just like a Marshall valve amp. Harley Benton do a great 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30 in it, would make a great lightweight setup.

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Just now, Lozz196 said:

As a side issue @fretmeister, if you want JCM800 but in a package that can be carted about easily check out Blu Guitar amps. That’s what I had and put through my Barefaced Big Baby. A few old mates I was in rock bands with were amazed at the sound saying it was just like a Marshall valve amp. Harley Benton do a great 1x12 cab with a Vintage 30 in it, would make a great lightweight setup.

 

I'll have a look! Thank you.

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1 hour ago, fretmeister said:

Me!

 

I went from old School Marshall VBC 4x12 bass cabs, then to Bergantino, then Markbass and then different types of Barefaced. I've had barefaced Supertwin 2x12 (very clean sounding, mid forward) and a pair One10 (more traditional sound).

 

Both really good, but I preferred the vintage tone of the One10 set up. I thought they were closer to Markbass than the Supertwin was.

 

That big Marshall is still my favourite bass cab ever, but it weighs 108lb!

Thanks - someone was selling a pair of One10s recently - I was tempted but they went very quickly. It does sound a good solution and they come in at around 7kg.

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Barefaced cabs are the most likely answer to your predicament.

However, whichever brand you end up with then having two light

1x10 or 1x12 cabs makes the most sense for you. No point in 

carrying more weight in one go than the 10kg limit you specified. 
For example the BF 2x10 cabs start at 13 kg, whereas the very capable

Super Mini and Super Compact 1x12 models are 8.5kgs and 10kgs respectively.

You may be able to use just one depending on your gigs. Also the even 

lighter One10 range start at 7kgs, but am guessing you’d probably need

two of these. 

 

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26 minutes ago, Pea Turgh said:

I love my Barefaced Two10, and I’ve also experienced the delight of lifting up a Rumble combo (had to ask the salesman if the driver had been removed).

Also, your body is still capable of fixing itself - don’t write it off!  Eat right, sleep right, exercise right.  Getting down the gym was a game changer for me.

Good advice. Physically I'm a bit of a mess with blood cancer and some other issues which make it hard to manage every aspect of my health but I'll not be writing it off yet, just want to make it easy as possible!

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20 minutes ago, fretmeister said:

 

That 3x10 looks like a great option, especially with wheels!

 

As it happens I'm about to list my BF cabs for sale because... and I cannot believe I'm saying this and I am embarrassed to be swapping sides for a bit... I need a gigging guitar amp! 😲

 

I bumped into some old mates I used to play with and we're going to do a bit of a reunion thing before we get too old to do it.

So I'm in kind of the same boat as the OP, but about guitar stuff. I want a raging JCM800 like I used to have, but I do not want to carry it! :D 

 

The ones you are going to list - are they One10s?

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2 minutes ago, casapete said:

Barefaced cabs are the most likely answer to your predicament.

However, whichever brand you end up with then having two light

1x10 or 1x12 cabs makes the most sense for you. No point in 

carrying more weight in one go than the 10kg limit you specified. 
For example the BF 2x10 cabs start at 13 kg, whereas the very capable

Super Mini and Super Compact 1x12 models are 8.5kgs and 10kgs respectively.

You may be able to use just one depending on your gigs. Also the even 

lighter One10 range start at 7kgs, but am guessing you’d probably need

two of these. 

 

Yes, modular the way to go. Ta

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I have been through many light weight cabs and I've settled on the GR AT212 4 ohm cab that has replaced everything.

It's so simple and convenient to turn up with one cab that is only 9kg and packs a huge punchy sound. I use it for everything. Who needs multiple cabs for different events..... Not me. 🤠

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I'm considering something like this myself as my headrush frfr 1x12 is quite a heavy lump (it's certainly not a one-hand carry over any distance) and I've been having back trouble on and off the last couple of years or so.

 

But, I only use it for rehearsals as we use IEM for gigs. So, I still have to wear a backbelt at gigs anyway as I need helping to carry and set up other heavy band equipment such as drums and the PA, and I still ache the next morning!

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On the amp front, I've used a Gallien Krueger MB500 for  several years, now. Very light (3Kg) and compact giving 300W into 8 ohms. I use it with a GK 210 neo cab most of the time. The cab is probably still too heavy for you but the MB500 would work well with a BF cab I think!

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1 hour ago, Greg Edwards69 said:

MarkBass make a lightweight range called MB58R, similar in weight to the GRBass stuff. That's worth a look at if you want something similar to your existing rig.

Good idea although I think I just fancy a change as well!

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1 hour ago, basstone said:

On the amp front, I've used a Gallien Krueger MB500 for  several years, now. Very light (3Kg) and compact giving 300W into 8 ohms. I use it with a GK 210 neo cab most of the time. The cab is probably still too heavy for you but the MB500 would work well with a BF cab I think!

Thanks, that's a good steer. I've a TE Elf, if it had a few more watts it would be perfect. 

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22 minutes ago, SuperSeagull said:

Thanks, that's a good steer. I've a TE Elf, if it had a few more watts it would be perfect. 

Don’t underestimate an Elf through a pair of BF One10’s. I have an Elf too, and ran it through those BF cabs and it was quite impressive what it could do.

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