What's the size of YOUR equipment?

Ray Montee · From: Portland, Oregon (deceased)

From time to time here on the SGF, I've heard the phrase "Too Heavy"........with respect to musicians selling off their heavy pedal steels but more logically their high horsepower amplifiers...........

At what point did YOU determine that the weight of your amp had some negative impact on your life?

Was it do to aging? Personal physique? or what?

Or, simply because the weights of these modern day amps had become ridiculous?

Dennis Saydak · From: Manitoba, Canada

Ray, this is a double entendre, and I'm not saying. Laughing

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Dennis
Just when you think you're getting ahead in the rat race, the rats get faster.

Bill Moran · From: Virginia, USA

Ray, my problem with weight came from health problems. I love the sound of a tube amp. Now I use a 40 lb. Evans and not a 80 lb. Twin or Music Man.
As far a guitars I will stick to a double neck because of tone. I don't think a single neck or even a SD10 has the tone of a double. I could do without the C6 but can't get away from the tone. I get help moving the guitar. I might add that I don't get out and play much anymore just because I can't move the guitar around. Smile

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Bill

Bill L. Wilson · From: Oklahoma, USA

I never worried about weight, until I bought a Twin w/JBL's. I had to split that rascal into 2cabs, so I could handle it. The only place I load is at home. My bandmates always help "THE OLD MAN" at gigs. Although I can still wrestle the Session400, Pro Reverb, and a D-10 Emmons LeGrandeII, a 40lb. Pack-A-Seat, and 2or3 guitars. It sometimes hurts my screwed together back, but I enjoy pickin' so much, that I'll go thru a little pain, so I can play. I'll keep luggin' this stuff, till my lugger won't lug. And I almost forgot, some gigs get the FULL MARSHALL STACK, w/100watt tube head and 2x412 speaker cabs. But that's only if you don't wanna hear anything for a week, and it's just for guitar, no steel thru the MARSHALL.

Brett Day · From: Pickens, SC

Before I got my Jackson Blackjack Custom, I was playing a GFI Ultra D-10 and I'm guessin' it was kinda heavy. I played it at shows for five or six years, but the Jackson is more lighter, I guess-only twenty-four pounds. Since December of 2004, I've been using a Peavey Nashville 112, and I don't think it's as heavy as some amps I've seen. I now play my Blackjack Custom at shows and at church because it's much lighter than the GFI

Dick Wood · From: Springtown Texas, USA

All my stuff's big.
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Cops aren't paid much so I steel at night.

Brett Lanier · From: Hermitage, TN

I'm lucky. My favorite amp (Standel super custom XV) is pretty light.

Wayne Neal · From: Ohio, USA

Pro's and con's to all of it...

My old MSA is heavy but it sounds great. My stereo chorus 400 is heavy but it sounds great. I put a Lowe bass tracker seat on my old sho-bud pack seat and its heavy but it feels nice. Even my speacial 130 is a tad heavy but sounds pretty good.

I also play a b-bender tele(heavy) and even have a electric mandolin thats heavy for a mandolin...lol. I wish I could get it all lighter (especialy after multiple surgeries) but 1. I cant afford it and 2.I realy have not found anything that works so much better that its worth try'n to switch.
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D10 Carter, b-bender Tele, Electric Fiddle & Mandolin, Peavey Stereo Chorus 400 BW1203's, Peavey Special 130 Ken Fox mod BW1203.

Bo Legg · Posted 11 Mar 2014 12:10 am

Sorry Ray I just can't get past the title Laughing

Dave Hopping · From: Aurora, Colorado

I like my Session 500 best and I'll take it out for something special,but I picked up a NV112 a couple of years ago and it does fine for when size and weight are a consideration.

But I'm still thinking about a TR Custom 15. Winking

rpetersen · From: Iowa

Whatsamatter Bo - SHY? Razz

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Ron Petersen

Eric Philippsen · From: Central Florida USA

Good question.

When I was a young man and playing only 6-string, I used to haul around a old Marshall stack. Yeah, that was heavy, but I was young and it didn't seem too bad at the time, as I recall. Balls-to-the-wall rock and roll, baby.

Then, in addition to 6-string, I started playing steel. Started playing more and more country and the Marshall turned into a Super Reverb. The bad thing was I used a stereo pedal steel setup with two NV400's. Essentially, I was still schlepping around a lot of stuff. Had a cargo van to haul it.

Then I got older and just plain didn't want to lug it all around anymore. Why? It was for a variety of reasons. One of the big ones was that all that work simply wasn't worth it for simple bar gigs. Age was a big thing, too. Had less drive.

Now, I play though a smaller setup. Still use a D10, though.

Steven Finley · From: California, USA

Well,Ray my equipment is small and compact,however my wife has not complained.

jolynyk · From: Prince Albert Sask. Canada

Only my wife knows & she says she'd rather not brag.

Dennis Detweiler · From: Solon, Iowa, US

It's impressive when you haul your big equipment into a club on a refrigerator dolly.
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1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Revelation preamp, Carbon Copy Delay and Hall Of Fame Reverb, Crown XLS 1002, 2- 15" Eminence Wheelhouse speakers, ShoBud Pedal, Effects Pedals. 1949 Epiphone D-8.

Howard Steinberg · From: St. Petersburg, Florida , USA

It's a good thing that as we get older, guitars and amps have come along that are light weight and easy to handle. There was a time, 30+ years ago that I used to tote a MSA D-10 with a 90 pound amp. In recent years I have acquired gear that is very light and sounds good or better. I've done many jazz guitar gigs with a ZT Lunchbox which is tiny and gets the job done. At this stage of life, I'd like to keep playing out for as long as I can. Part of that involves not hurting myself toting heavy gear. That ship sailed a while ago.
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Justice Pro Lite (4-5), Justice D-10 (8-5)x2 , Quilter Steelaire, Hilton Pedal, BJ's bar.

Ken Campbell · From: Ferndale, Montana

I have my Sho-Bud SD10 in a monster road case. It's pretty big and heavy but it's wheeled. The rest of my rig is a 2 space Gator shoulder bag rack, a 15 inch eminence speaker in a small cabinet and a pac a seat. Two trips. I am still more than willing to pack it into wherever every weekend, just so I can play. I'm only 55 and I still work a physically demanding job so that may play into it as well.

Jerome Hawkes · From: Fayetteville, North Carolina, USA

i think it has to do with the types of gigs people are playing now - better PA's, etc. i just prefer not to play with a LOUD band, i know in years past, that was a sign of legitimate "pro" band to be pushing all that horsepower, but i'm not dragging all that stuff around anymore. big amps just arent necessary and i'm at the age/stage where i dont have to prove anything to someone because i play a $250 Roland Cube. it does the job. now if i was in a pro band being paid enough money to drag all that stuff out, i would.
there is also just the general liability of all that expensive gear being hauled around, left in vans, getting stolen, etc. there was a time when bands had to have that power...maybe 20+ years ago.
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'65 Sho-Bud D-10 Permanent • '54 Fender Dual-8 • Clinesmith T-8 • '38 Ric Bakelite • '92 Emmons D-10 Legrande II

Dennis Detweiler · From: Solon, Iowa, US

It's 2014 and lighter gear with good power is here. I tote a 5 space rack (Revelation, Carvin Ht400 power head, TC M-350, Steelers seat and a single 15 cabinet. I split my guitar weight by carrying the pedal bar, legs and pedal rods in a separate case. So, the weight is distributed. I could lighten the load a little more with a neo speaker.
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1976 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics 427 pickup, 1975 Birdseye U-12 MSA with Telonics X-12 pickup, Revelation preamp, Carbon Copy Delay and Hall Of Fame Reverb, Crown XLS 1002, 2- 15" Eminence Wheelhouse speakers, ShoBud Pedal, Effects Pedals. 1949 Epiphone D-8.

Dustin Rigsby · From: Parts Unknown, Ohio

MSA D-10, Reno 400 , and a GFI pac a seat. A 2 wheeler may be in my future to make it a little easier to carry up 2 flights of steps to get it out of the house... Laughing

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D.S. Rigsby

Herb Steiner · From: Briarcliff TX 78669, pop. 2,064

I still play a D-10 in a 2-piece case, but I have gone to a Telonics TCA-500 amp. While the amp packs 500 watts, I'm only packing 31 lbs. when I load it into the SUV. Wink

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My rig: Infinity and Telonics.

Son, we live in a world with walls, and those walls have to be guarded by men with steel guitars. Who's gonna do it? You? You, Lt. Weinberg?

Gene Jones · From: Oklahoma City, OK USA, (deceased)

I continued to carry a full load of equipment all the way into my seventies until I retired.

My compromise was a "rock-n-roll" cart that I could roll fully loaded in and out of the side doors of my van to wherever I needed to go.
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"FROM THEN TIL' NOW"

b0b · From: Cloverdale, CA, USA

I try to get at small and as light as I can, as long as it doesn't adversely affect the music. Lately, that's been a custom made S-8 pedal steel, a small amp with a 12" speaker, and whatever fits in my steel seat. I can go bigger if the gig requires it, adding another 12" speaker or using a large, powerful amp (Webb), but most large venues these days have professional sound and they mic everything.
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Robbie Daniels · From: Casper, Wyoming, USA

I use two Evans amps, one is 1983 FET 500 and the other is a 1999 SE 200. I am 80 years old and yes the weight is of some importance but that is what dollies are made for and I probaly will die keeping my tone.
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Carter D12, MSA S12, 12 String Custom Made Non-Pedal, Evans FET 500LV, Evans SE200, Peavey Nashville 400, Fender Steel King

Brian Henry · Posted 14 Mar 2014 4:49 pm

Rob any ideas how the weight of the equipment affects the dollys
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