Back is gone at 18. Which small combo?

[musicbox]

So I officially have the back of a 40 year old man. I herniated a disk at work in october, and I'm still suffering. Job is gone, which is OK, I should be at school anyway, but moving my 4x10 blue angel combo around has now become impossible. My doctor has warned me that if I continue, I will permanently injure myself. So...long story short, I need something smaller..lighter, which I'm thinking might mean a serious loss of tone. Yea..common logic says being able to support my body is more important then going deaf early, but I love music, and I love guitar.

Which Mesa combo's are on the lighter side, but still have THAT tone. By THAT tone, I'm not talking about the recto thing. More the smooth, midrangy, smokey mesa thing I had in the nomad, and that the blue angel can muster at lower gains. 20-80 watts. Deffinilty looking at the used market, no job means low cash...

Thanks for the input in advance,
Andy

 

[LSCMan]

Does Mesa even make a light amp? :shock:

Get a Deluxe Reverb and a pedal.

 

[no soul]

smaller DC or F series should work

 

[chennie]

dont buy a combo.
Buy a head and cab instead. Mesa doesn't make any leightweighted amps. A combo has a heavy amp chassis with its heavy transformers etc build in one block of heavy wood mounted with a heavy speaker. WIth a head and cab, you will have to walk more, but everytime you have something lighter than a combo. That's the reason I rebuild my combo to a head and seperate cab.

 

[cnumb44]

I've got a similar problem. Yoga stretches and a regular exercise schedule has kept me pretty normal, but draggin heavy loads hurts.

I agree that getting head and cab is a good way to go. I am thinking of converting my LSC 2x12 (which is 70 lbs plus) to a head and cab. the nice thing for your back is the head can be carried on your shoulder and the cab with speakers will be only about 35 lbs. If you get side handles on the cab, it'll be easier.

 

[musicbox]

Aha :idea: A little...outside the box thinking... :lol: Just what the doctor ordered. Thanks!

The deluxe reverb is sitting next to the Angel...pedals in the gig bag.

 

[ned]

I had herniated disc surgery in Dec 04. Exercise is the key.

For gear I've gone to a 4x10 cab and head. Also focus on keeping the heads as light as possible. Hoping the new Ace is 10-15 lbs lighter than the current Duece.

You got to get on a regular exercise regiment. If I skip a week my back notices it.

The other thing I had to do was stop playing LP type guitars. I've got a really sweet Tokai Reborn GT that sounds amazing but it weighs a ton. Switched to EBMM Axis SS's and Wolfie's due to the basswood bodies, guitars weigh less than 8lbs.

 

[coop21]

Something else to consider. Celestion Century speakers weigh about 7 lbs lighter than a Vintage 30 or Mesa Custom 90. I have a combo amp loaded with an EVM-12L and it's so heavy that I stoped taking it out of the studio. An EVM-12L is 19 lbs, a Custom 90 is 10.6 lbs, and a Century is about 3.6 lbs.

 

[Dann'sTheMan]

Sorry to read about your back.

Regarding light Mesa amps, check out the F-30 and perhaps the F-50 (I believe the F-50 is 25kg/50lb). Older Mesa combos may be worth checking for their kerb weight - DC3, Subway series, Studio .22 etc. 8)

Best wishes and big smiles,

Andy.

 

[strumminsix]

Firstly, I am very sorry to hear about your back issues. I've got minor neck and back problems and know how it goes. It is because of these that I had to hangup the Les Paul and buy a Jackson Soloist (SLSMG) since it only weighs about 6.5 lbs.

Okay, here is one that might get me flamed if everyone here wasn't so nice...

Move away from the traditional combo playing and go digital.

Try out a POD XTL or Boss GT-8 or Vox Tonelab SE.

This puts everything you need at your feet and runs through the PA.

I'd suggest adding on an Electro-Harmonix Tube-Eq to warm up the signal.


To a gig you'll carry:
XTL ~ 15 lbs
Guitar ~ 10 lbs
TubeQ ~ 1 lb
DirectBox ~ 2 lbs
Cables ~ 2 lbs

You are ready to rock with 30 lbs of gear.

 

[brianf]

Does Mesa even make a light amp? :shock:

Get a Deluxe Reverb and a pedal.

Just what I was thinking. A DRRI and a TS 808. Tone heaven. I just love mine. I guess it is about 40 lbs.

How about an F50 combo and one of those suitcase dollies. It would work perfectly.

brianf

 

[musicbox]

Man..I'm glad I don't even own an LP to hang up because I can't play it..that's brutal.. The digital setup is an excellent idea, but I'm not quite at the point where I can't lift anything, and playing through a real amp just takes the cake for me.

I think I am going to drive down to Kirkland this weekend and check out the stilettos.worse comes to worse I can just sell it for 1600 up here and turn a profit. They're going for 2300 at long and mcquade..

 

[Jeff Courtney]

Sorry to hear about your back...I wouldnt suggest going digital if your still after a great tone...I would say maybe try out the F-50 and maybe even the F-30. I have the F-50 and it isnt super heavy and it sounds awesome. I know the F-30 comes loaded with EL-34's, and I havent tried it out, so I dont really know how much different it sounds, but its lighter. I dont know if I would go with a head and cab though, because more then likely a Cab is gonna be heaver then a small combo. I have the Mesa 4x12 and the Mesa 2x12, and I would say they are both heavier then my F-50...thats my 2 cents.

 

[nocluejimbo]

Since you seem happy with the Blue Angel, I'd find a head version and get a small 1x12 or 2x10 cab to go with it.

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

That seems like a very good idea, if you don't want to change tones.

 

[strumminsix]

Going digital and having great tone are not mutually exclusive. However, you will not get the great feel going digital directly into a board. Hence my suggestion of a tube eq to put in the chain.

It's a very different experience and feeling to go direct but it is much easier on your back as well as setup.

I guess it depends on where you are at in your musical "career" and what's happening with your back.

Some gigs require stage volume to be very low and you can't always here your amp so all you hear is what's comin' in from the monitors with this setup, there is no difference digital (with a tube buffer/eq/single tube pre) vs. a combo running such low db's you can't really hear it (or feel it) all that well.

Other times you have gigs where only vocals are going through PA and you need to produce all your own instrument volume from the stage, then there would be a difference.

Where is your amp now? Do you lug it around back and forth to a rehearsal space? That's wear and tear unneeded where you could pick up a cheaper solid state combo and just use it's poweramp and speaker and leave the thing there and go digital.

That's what I do to protect my back and realize that only gigs deserve pulling out the real rig and that's only if I will be able to really FEEL my tone. If I can't FEEL it, digital is just as good.

I wouldn't discount it if I were you.

 

[tele_jas]

The head and small cab idea is a good way to keep a decent Boogie rig but make it light weight.

I also like the idea of the Deluxe plus a pedal, that's my back up rig!

I use the Deluxe and either my Vox Tonelab SE or my Boogie V-Twin, sometimes I'll just grab the Deluxe and throw a couple of Tubescreamers and 3 cables in the back of the amp and thats my entire practice rig and it sounds pretty good too :wink:

I've been lucky so far, I have a Road King combo that weighs in around 125 pounds and my back feels it sometimes, but right now it's worth it since it's just my muscles but if it were a disk or spine issue then I'd be really worried.

I feel for you man, good luck with your decision and let us know what you do!!

PS, some FYI.... A buddy of mine has a back problem and has had 3 surgeries and he's only 33, but he still takes his Fender Twin (that weighs 83 pounds) plus a ATA case (that adds another 60 pounds to the amp) to gigs with him by hauling it around in his truck or his wifes mini-van.... How you may ask?? He built, or had built, a custom ramp so he can load his stuff in and out without any lifting and he also has a pulley with a rope on it that he uses to bring his stuff in and out, he recently upgraded from a pulley you had to crank to an electric one. I think he said it cost about $500 for the ramp and pulley, but he said it was the best $500 investment he's ever made to keep his Twin.

 

[musicbox]

thanks for the the concern and great recomendations!

because i have a deluxe reverb already, the blue angel finally deemed itself redundant for low wattage/good cleans. i now have a stilleto deuce, and so far i am quite happy. my avatar 2x12 is reasonably light(ish), so this shouldn't be to tough. i mean really, how do i resist at that price? plus, i could'nt find anybody to even give me an offer on the blue angel. if i need to sell the stilleto, i'll probably have an easier time(and i'll be making a profit!)

that ramp idea sounds like a brilliant idea. but what does he do about getting that beast up onto a stage or up a flight of stairs?
thanks again!
Andy

 

[tele_jas]

that ramp idea sounds like a brilliant idea. but what does he do about getting that beast up onto a stage or up a flight of stairs?

Band mates, bar tenders (or other employees) or sometimes even someone from the audience is always more than happy to help......they feel like they're "In with the band" :wink: . As far as at home, he just rolls it in to his garage and in to his (heated and air conditioned) band room. He's got it all figured out.

 

[strumminsix]

musicbox, tell me more about you...
What type of vehicle do you drive?
Can you safely carry the weight of an amp?


I've been working on an idea that you might find interesting if you drive an SUV or wagon and can carry the weight. I have an old wilderness backpack that is rated to carry about 100lbs and has tube steel rails and I am considering modifying it to carry an amp.

I've got a small SUV and can easily place the amp on 2 chairs so this would work for me.

Just another thought and this idea would keep you from bending over which is the #1 cause of back and neck problems.