Need advice for gigging cabinet selection.

[shinodax]

Hi all,

I'm currently using a triple recto 3 channel version with a Blackstar 2x12, open-back, loaded with V30 cabinet. So I have a gig coming up and it will be my 1st time bringing down my recto to rock. The organizer will have their own default amp set up for all the bands there. It should be Marshall AVT Tribute 150h and matching cabinet. I have no idea how my recto will sound with their Marshall cabinet.
I hope you guys can give me some advice on whether I should bring down my cabinet or just use their default cabinet.

Cheers
Alfred

 

[94Tremoverb]

It depends how good you are at dialing in your sound quickly and how much of a diva you want to appear to be .

Personally I would use their cabinet, they're not that bad and it will work fine - especially since if it's going through the PA as well, the sound in the FOH will be what it will be almost regardless of what cab you use, once the soundman has EQ'd it from a close mic. You might notice a difference on stage but almost no-one else will. It will sound better than *their* amp through their cabinet, anyway...

You certainly won't win any friends trying to get another cabinet on the stage and making the soundman mic it as well, or having to move everything around if there's not much space. It's nice to have your own gear with you all the time, but one of the things that's important to learn is how to cope with different stuff when you have to - it makes you better at dialing in gear, can get you out of a tight spot if something goes wrong and you have to use whatever else is available, and makes you look cool with other players because you still sound good through anything .

Make sure you know what impedance the cab is - it should be 8 ohms for that model I think, but be careful if it has stereo inputs or anything like that - and take your own speaker cable in case the supplied one is cr@p, since it's a risk to your amp if the cable fails.

 

[shinodax]

Thanks for the advice.

I think i will just go with your way. Much easier and lesser load to carry around. And I will look out for the speaker impedance and use my own cables. I cant afford to leave any damage to my amp. haha. Any experience with transporting the head? I have 2U rack with no case on top of the recto. Thinking using tape to stick it down and I have some stoppers below the rack to prevent absorbing too much heat from the head. Btw, I do not have proper casing for the head and rack.

 

[fluff191]

Personally I would use their cabinet, they're not that bad and it will work fine - especially since if it's going through the PA as well, the sound in the FOH will be what it will be almost regardless of what cab you use, once the soundman has EQ'd it from a close mic.

+1

 

[94Tremoverb]

Believe it or not I think I would actually put the amp on top of the rack, not the other way round. (Assuming you're sure it will take the weight!) This has a few advantages - the feet on the Mesa will not line up with the sockets on the Marshall cab and may make it hard to sit it level (I haven't tried this particular combination but it's a common problem), so putting a flat unit in between will actually improve things, the weight of the head will keep everything nice and tight where it should be, and the handle on the amp won't get in the way. And there will be no problem with heat from the head going into the rack unit.

You really should try to get a rack case for the unit ASAP - they get chewed up really quick even if you're careful. A sports bag or something similar is probably about the best option for getting it to the gig. You might even be able to find a bag big enough to put the head in - almost anything that stops the tolex getting scuffed will pay for itself in resale value on the amp, if you ever come to sell it.

 

[MrMarkIII]

This will sound dumb, but go to the hardware store and get that rubbery, see-through cloth stuff you put in kitchen drawers to keep stuff from sliding around. I've used it between cabs and racks to keep them from sliding around, too. It works, you can cut the drawer-liner stuff to fit, and you can get it in black.

 

[screamingdaisy]

This will sound dumb, but go to the hardware store and get that rubbery, see-through cloth stuff you put in kitchen drawers to keep stuff from sliding around. I've used it between cabs and racks to keep them from sliding around, too. It works, you can cut the drawer-liner stuff to fit, and you can get it in black.

Used the same stuff with a head that wouldn't stay put.

 

[shinodax]

Sounds like I really should get a proper rack case. I was checking out the 6U / 4U rack with a head combo case. It was the best option that I could go for. But it's so freaking expensive. Argh. So right now my plan will be like this

The 2 rack efx will be velcro-ed to 4 stoppers on top of the amp. So there will be slightly more space to sit on top of the head. And I will tape it down the head to prevent it from falling off whenever the cable is not long enough or whatever. (This is the cheapest way that I could think of right now)

Basically everything will be pushed on a trolley including my guitar and pedalboard etc.