Distance rod for a bass amp?

[W1_Pro]

Hello everyone,

I'd appreciate a bit of feedback /advice. I did some gigs at the weekend and I was having some trouble hearing the top end of what I was playing.  In our practice room my stack ( a markbass 115 box and a 115 combo are stacked behind me on a riser, with a handy audio compensator (an old distortion pedal) placed sideways underneath the front of the stack so the whole thing is angled up. The stack then is more or less pointing at my ears. Result: Happiness. At the gigs the stack was on the ground behind me pointing at my knees/waist. So I thought, why not use a distance rod (rather like a sub and a box on a stick PA system) to get the combo elevated off the 115 box. Does anyone already do this and does anyone know of a manufacturer that builds boxes with top hats in them?

Thanks

Stuart

Edited Wednesday at 18:33 by W1_Pro

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

Create your own riser. A road case for your cab or combo would work well without needing extra pack space.

[pete.young]

Folding work platform from Screwfix - also handy when fixing things like lights and attaching banners to curtain rails.

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allister-aluminium-470mm-x-0-6m-folding-work-platform/5892p

 

 

[W1_Pro]

Its a great idea Bill, it must be said, but I'm pushing sixty and flightcased boxes (for amateur band usage at any rate) are very much something for my younger self. Also, I don't know what vehicle you use to gig in, but as you'll know flightcases (or roadcases in American) can be a pain when you try to  put them in a car. They are always too big, monstrously heavy and have many very hard metal edges and extrusions that can do untold damage to the interior of a car.  Hence my idea about a (short) distance rod. I'd need to put an M20 threaded top hat in the lower 15" box, a standard speaker top hat in the bottom of the cab, 250mm rod, job done, very little extra kit required....

Edited Wednesday at 18:34 by W1_Pro

[W1_Pro]

1 hour ago, pete.young said:

Folding work platform from Screwfix - also handy when fixing things like lights and attaching banners to curtain rails.

 

https://www.screwfix.com/p/mac-allister-aluminium-470mm-x-0-6m-folding-work-platform/5892p

 

 

Great idea Pete. I like the multi use aspect of it, but it is another fairly bulky (albeit light) piece of kit. Hence my distance rod thinking (see the elaboration of my grand plan in my post above to Bill F).

Edited Wednesday at 18:33 by W1_Pro

[Acebassmusic]

Why not add the top hats and pole to your existing setup if you already like the sound? Drill a ~40mm hole in the top of the lower cab and fit one of these (sealed with silicon). Do the same to the bottom of the upper cab and add a pole between them. I'd probably have the heavier combo on the bottom for stability but that depends on the spec of cabs you have.

 

......PS: just noticed you've already mentioned this solution.....doh!

Edited Wednesday at 19:26 by Acebassmusic

[Bill Fitzmaurice]

2 hours ago, W1_Pro said:

 I don't know what vehicle you use to gig in, but as you'll know flightcases (or roadcases in American) can be a pain when you try to  put them in a car.

I drive a BMW. How do I load my gear? Very, very carefully.

[jezzaboy]

2 hours ago, W1_Pro said:

Great idea Pete. I like the multi use aspect of it, but it is another fairly bulky (albeit light) piece of kit. Hence my distance rod thinking (see the elaboration of my grand plan in my post above to Bill F).

I just bought one of these (£40 in Toolstation) and when its folded it takes up very little space and is light as a feather. I used it on Saturday night and will be using it from now on.

[crazycloud]

As someone who's humped in and out more gear than many people have even seen (I used to own a PA used for our band, and others), the aluminium folding work platform is the best bet. Also get yourself a furniture dolly and a couple of tie down straps, and when the 15 and 15 combo are stacked onto it to move them from the car to the stage, simply strap the workstand to one of the cabs. Paint the workstand black to make it blend or get a piece of black cloth to put over it.  

 

I'm also 60 and am designing my own new rig as a 15 cab, plus a smaller separate 8" coax cab that can be mounted on a short pole above the 15 cab via 2 metal top hats to get it nearer to ear height for me. In the earlier version of this, I used 2 pieces of ply, with a slot cut in each that slotted together to make an X shaped stand. I made it from scrap. I have a larger Ford sedan so I need to fit my rig, incl 3U rack case (for amp) and a pedalboard to fit a multi FX, DI and tuner pedal.

 

I've also used my X framed folding piano seat, without the seat part installed, laying on it's side to get nearly 400mm of height at home -  this holds my Laney practice amp in the LR. These are cheap and designed to take a fair mass, especially considering the average weight of people (lard arses) these days. If your rig is wide, then a keyboard stand used the same way might offer a better fit.

 

 

 

Edited Thursday at 04:25 by crazycloud

[mikebass456]

I occasionally suffer from the same problem where I'm forced to be stood so close to my rig that I sometimes can't hear myself at all!

As I use a pair of Orange isobaric cabs, even when they're stacked they only come up to just above my waist, so the sound will miss me completely.

The platform mentioned above would do the job and not take up much space, but would not raise the top cab high enough for me.

What I have usually found is that due to the small footprint of my cabs, there is usually a small pub table going spare that does the job admirably.

On other occasions, I've been loaned an empty beer keg or plastic beer crates (good for stacking as they lock together), both of which put my top cab at about shoulder height. 

This works extremely well, at no cost to me, and no extra loading - as we tend to play the same venues regularly, the keg, table or crates are usually there waiting for me now 😎😉.

It's always worth an ask, but appreciate that these are not something to always rely on being available. As a matter of courtesy, if I'm using a pub table, I always put some beer mats under the feet of the cab to prevent scratching........

[Phil Starr]

To answer your question, I dont think anyone makes such a system. The DIY solution of a top hat in the bottom of one cab and the top of the other is probably the only way if you don't mind modding your cabs. Someone will have a broken speaker stand to provide a length of pole you could use.

 

Tilting one of the cabs with a stand will point the cab upwards so that could work without taking power tools to your precious speakers.

 

You could put a small monitor amp on a stand at ear level, it's more common with drummers but there's no reason why bassists couldn't do this. The next step is in-ears Seriously worth considering if you value your hearing.

 

Small speaker stands are available https://www.thomann.co.uk/km_21454.htm   I've four of these that I use for lighting but they weigh very little, pack up small and take a lot less stage space than conventional stands. You'd then only have to mod one of your cabs and on the bottom where it otherwise wouldn't show.

[chris_b]

In the old days, beer crates borrowed from the bar staff used to work for me.

 

If I couldn't hear my cabs standing right in front of them, I'd be questioning why I'm using those cabs.

 

I use 2 Barefaced 112 cabs which have such good dispersion that while they are pointing at the lower half of my body, I can hear every note perfectly.

Edited Thursday at 09:05 by chris_b

[W1_Pro]

3 hours ago, Phil Starr said:

To answer your question, I dont think anyone makes such a system. The DIY solution of a top hat in the bottom of one cab and the top of the other is probably the only way if you don't mind modding your cabs. Someone will have a broken speaker stand to provide a length of pole you could use.

 

Tilting one of the cabs with a stand will point the cab upwards so that could work without taking power tools to your precious speakers.

 

You could put a small monitor amp on a stand at ear level, it's more common with drummers but there's no reason why bassists couldn't do this. The next step is in-ears Seriously worth considering if you value your hearing.

 

Small speaker stands are available https://www.thomann.co.uk/km_21454.htm   I've four of these that I use for lighting but they weigh very little, pack up small and take a lot less stage space than conventional stands. You'd then only have to mod one of your cabs and on the bottom where it otherwise wouldn't show.

I used to do a similar thing when I was playing a shortbass in my skiffle band- thats where I came up with the idea. I had a 112 Achat sub knocking about and I was using a Schertler Unico as an amp. The sub has a threaded M20 fitting in the top and the Schertler has a top hat in the underside, so I used a d&b stubby pole we had in work as a distance rod. Ran the sub off the aux of the Schertler which meant I just had to remember to turn the sub off on the songs I played guitar or Uke. Worked like a dream. The issue with the Markbass kit, as I realised when I was looking at the box yesterday, is that the handle is in the middle of the top of the box, and its one of those recessed ones. That would mean I'd need to put an M20 fitting plate in the side, which would mean the logo is sideways...😬. Plus its a lot of chopping about.  Ahh what tangled webs we weave, maybe I would be better off just using a platform or beer crates...its the tried and tested solution after all.

It did occur to me at the time that probably the most expensive part of this setu was the d&b distance rod. They charge silly money for everything and their metalwork is no exception*

 

*I am exaggerating slightly about the price of the d&b distance rod, but not that much...

Edited Thursday at 11:23 by W1_Pro

[Phil Starr]

I would personally be very reluctant to start butchering a commercial cab, if you come to sell it you'll lose a lot of value.

 

How about a floor monitor, you wouldn't need any bass frequencies as you can hear them already so it could be quite small, even something like a Behringer B205 might do it at a pinch.

[SimonK]

Alternatively this is on ebay at the moment? 😈

 

[mikebass456]

Will he deliver it himself?