Amps are heavy!

[spawnofthesith]

I “one tripped” a mark IV (head in a custom headshell that’s likely heavier than anything stock), thiele cab, my excessively large pedalboard over my shoulder and guitar on my back last night

Holy shit that was miserable lol

I did try and get a cheap amp wagon off Amazon and they lied as fuck on the dimensions

Still planning on ordering another high quality one but obviously will spend much more

Maybe $38 shipped should have been a red flag lol

 

[sleewell]

We all help load gear which is super nice. Plus we tell one or two close friends they can probably get in free if they help us lol. 2 people on a 4x12 is pretty easy. Plus most of our shows we just bring breakables for drums and amp heads only.

I'd probably go w a 100w amp if someone else was loading it lol, but the 5153 50w is really easy to move around.

 

[James Freeman]

Amp ain't heavy, he's my brother.

 

[laxu]

The big issue is really the awkward shape and sometimes uneven weight distribution, especially with combos. That single top handle doesn't help either.

I remember sweating my ass off justs carrying the Bogner Goldfinger 45 SL 1x12 combo maybe about 100 meters downhill to my car. It weighed as much as a Super Reverb (~30 kg) somehow. That was the moment I decided "Fuck this, I'm turning it into a head and cab". I only bought the combo because it was what was available, would have taken months to get the head, and it wasn't much cheaper.

My plan was to avoid combos forever, but ended up buying the Mesa Mark V combo since it was a good deal on the used market. Having wheels on it helps, and realistically I'm not moving it around that much.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

To me weight became a lot more relative once I had the lightbulb moment to get a good cart
I still own super light also cause I also play places with stairs/cart is not an option…but..a decent cart opens up a lot more options, and maybe even reduces money spend cause you need portable.
Doesn’t mean I do 4x12, but a stereo setup with a 30w combo and a 100w head is perfectly managable.

 

[ChordInversion]

I was an athlete up until a knee issue revealed itself early in college. I've seen some extremely fit people throw out their backs lifting heavy, awkwardly shaped objects. Two of those objects were (several years apart) an AC30 2x12 and a Fender Twin Reverb. At least 4x12s tend to have those side handles.

I don't blame people one bit for using a Qulter or a Tone Master amp (among other options) or going direct with a modeler.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

I was an athlete up until a knee issue revealed itself early in college. I've seen some extremely fit people throw out their backs lifting heavy, awkwardly shaped objects. Two of those objects were (several years apart) an AC30 2x12 and a Fender Twin Reverb. At least 4x12s tend to have those side handles.

I don't blame people one bit for using a Qulter or a Tone Master amp (among other options) or going direct with a modeler.

Wouldnt you agree that theres a lot in between tonemasters and twins? …superreverbs, supersonic 60, also still doable.

 

[ChordInversion]

Wouldnt you agree that theres a lot in between tonemasters and twins? …superreverbs, supersonic 60, also still doable.

There are all manner of options, no doubt. Smaller tube amps, tube amps without plywood headshells, larger solid state amps, and more. I'm just saying I don't blame someone for going light, because whether or not an amp's mass and awkwardness is an issue is not merely matter of a player's supposed need to "get to the gym." Fit people get injured hauling heavy, awkward items all the time. People should all make the choices that work for them.

To be pedantic about the specific examples listed: Supersonic 60 combos are about 55 lbs. Super Reverbs weigh as much as Twins (at least at the currently sold specs, both are around 65 pounds), which is only 10 lbs more than the Supersonic 60 combo.

 

[AFKAEjay(retired)]

To be pedantic about the specific examples listed: Supersonic 60 combos are about 55 lbs. Super Reverbs weigh as much as Twins (at least at the currently sold specs, both are around 65 pounds), which is only 10 lbs more than the Supersonic 60 combo.

I just went on memory…where a twin felt like a boatancor, SS felt like doable loading onto a cart, not something to walk 100 meters with though :)

People should all make the choices that work for them.

Offcourse. Personally Ive had a phase where I maybe had too much focus on “small and light”, beyond the point where it still added value.

 

[laxu]

There's basically a couple of ways to make tube combos weigh less. Don't use birch plywood, and/or use Neodymium speakers. Since Neodymium speakers come with their own compromises (you need to like the sound), using pine, paulownia or other lightweight woods helps a lot.

My Bluetone 4x10 is made of paulownia and weighs ~16 kg / 35 lbs. That's only slightly more than a plywood 1x12 cab.

The Bogner Goldfinger headshell I built from paulownia made the head weigh nearly 5 kg / 11 lbs less than what the amp weighs with the official Bogner plywood headshell. I'll use paulownia again if I build a headshell for my Mesa.

 

[Orvillain]

 

[metropolis_4]

Sacrifices and penance must be made. The Tone Gods are not easily appeased.

Suffering is good! The Gods are smiling today!

And it has been sounding glorious

Especially at the orchestra gig, the way it’s sounding in that mix makes it all worth it.

 

[metropolis_4]

There's basically a couple of ways to make tube combos weigh less. Don't use birch plywood, and/or use Neodymium speakers. Since Neodymium speakers come with their own compromises (you need to like the sound), using pine, paulownia or other lightweight woods helps a lot.

My Bluetone 4x10 is made of paulownia and weighs ~16 kg / 35 lbs. That's only slightly more than a plywood 1x12 cab.

The Bogner Goldfinger headshell I built from paulownia made the head weigh nearly 5 kg / 11 lbs less than what the amp weighs with the official Bogner plywood headshell. I'll use paulownia again if I build a headshell for my Mesa.

I think the transformers also play a big part in weight, but not something that can be easily changed.

This is a horrible generalization, but it seems like a lot of less expensive amps use smaller transformers and plywood or particle board cabs so most of the weight comes from the cab, while a lot of more expensive amps use bigger transformers and birch or pine cabs so most of the weight comes from the transformers.

 

[la szum]

I think the transformers also play a big part in weight, but not something that can be easily changed.

This is a horrible generalization, but it seems like a lot of less expensive amps use smaller transformers and plywood or particle board cabs so most of the weight comes from the cab,

Yup. Like Vintage Fenders.

 

[la szum]

And it has been sounding glorious

Especially at the orchestra gig, the way it’s sounding in that mix makes it all worth it.

That's really all that matters. Happy for ya!

(Keep that FM3, though----just in case. Friend to friend).

 

[mbenigni]

I use this one:


They do make a model that is a bit more heavy duty, but it is almost 3x the price.

I’m looking at a blank white rectangle - ie nothing - which seems fitting.

 

[mbenigni]

Honestly, part of me thinks having to carry an amp around might not be the worst thing for me

Not “good” exercise though. Too asymmetrical and too brief. You are better off hitting the gym if you want to make carrying an amp easier and safer.

JiveTurkey is right though, somewhere around 35lbs is the point where things get noticeably heavy for me. I think that’s why airlines cap carry ons at 35.

 

[ragingplatypi]

I think the transformers also play a big part in weight, but not something that can be easily changed.

I thought Blackstar was trying to solve the big iron problem a few years ago, but those amps made such an impression that I can’t even remember what they’re called.

 

[Allexi]

we should all go to gym

 

[deadpool_25]

we should all go to gym

No u