Best Ride for a bass player...

[fig]

Best ride for me is my drummers truck. God, I hope he doesn't quit.

[benooa]

my band uses a 1979 gmc value van (bread truck) itll haul our guitarists full stack ,my 8x10 cab, drum set, pa, and it can sleep all 4 of us and still have a little extra room i love it even though it vibrates like hell , is hot/cold , and is so loud you ant talk once you get going over50

[davebrownbass]

Originally posted by CMDN:

Man, I love this subject.

 

We have friends who actaully toured in a Festiva. Yep... three guys, a 2x12 guitar rig, a 1x10 bass rig, a minimal drumset with no front heads and only two cymbals, a Steinberger headless stick guitar and a P-bass, all in an old Festiva. 1,200 miles. WOO. Not me, kid.

Lessee,

 

It's not so hard touring in a Festiva. Just gotta remember who's turn it is running behind and pushing.

[David R.]

How about the Sweedish Brick aka Volvo wagon?

That is how I take myself and all kinds of gear and people to gigs. Mine is an '85. Can fit a small village in there.

 

Security is great. There are windows all around so you can see what is in it. To enable the security protocall, take your gear out of the car. If you leave stuff in any car, you are asking for trouble

 

Lee, if you are still lurking here, the Econoline vans are great for touring. Done it twice in those.

 

Good luck on your search.

[Dave Brown]

UPDATE: New Car

 

Well, I took my wife's Grand Voyager through an intersection at 40 mph. Light was green, but a burned out street lamp caused me to not see a mis-aligned curb. Boom, with airbags and a sway bar snapped in 2. Totalled.

 

So we got a new ride for a bass player. 2007 Toyota Prius. It works.

 

We got the "Smart Key" system, so the car knows we're coming and opens for us. This morning I sat in it to warm up the interior and started it to run the defrosters. I stepped out with my smart key and the thing gave me 3 of the loneliest beeps I've ever heard...."Don't leave me running with my key in your pocket."

 

First time in my life I've felt the need to name a car.

 

Hey y'all...now's the time to buy the Prius. There's a glut on the market. We got the car with a few upgrades for about $1300 off the price. Not a lot, but the first time I've heard discounts on the Prius. And it still qualifies for a $1575 tax credit.

[Cthulhu Fhtagn]

There is the 2000 Toyota MR2, but if I carry more than one bass I have to have the top down. Just flew back east and picked up my son and in order to bring him, his dogs and his stuff, I picked up a 2005 Kia Sedona 4 door van. With the seats out, I can damn near pack an entire gig in it. Easily holds everything I own, and my son's gear to boot.

[Rocky McDougall]

Dave, Can you get a URB in a Prius and stll get some people in there? I would probably buy a Used but low milage Chrysler Town & Country, Or the Dodge Voyager. Good A/c, good gas milage, very low back door (for lifting heavy amps) Dark tinted windows, Super Sound system. It seems so versitile. It would be a good family wagon and a good hauler.

What is the expected battery life on the Prius and how much does it cost to replace the batteries. I had heard that the batteries need to be replaced in 4-5 years and cost several thousands of $ ?????

Rocky

[Dave Brown]

Bass and one passenger. I think. Haven't tested it completely.

 

Chrysler T & C are going for a song these days. We looked at a 2006 with 20K for $15K That's basically the car we've had for several years, and we loved every thing about it. However, the fuel economy averaged about 22, maybe 24 on the freeway. And I don't need to haul football kids to games anymore.

 

Batteries and Hybrid components are warranted for 8 years 100K miles. The benchtest Toyota provides claims batteries should meet or exceed 150K. Costs are around $2000 for the battery pack.

 

There are several fleet Prius (gen 1 and gen 2) that are at 150K without failure. I can't find a single instance on the web of people not satisfied with their purchase.

[Jimmie ThunderLizard]

Great Topic!

Don't overlook the humble Ford Explorer. I've got a '95 and it holds a ton of stuff. The older models are not that expensive and will run forever.

When much younger, I drove VW Bugs and pulled out the rear seat. With the front seat all the way forward, I could carry my Acoustic 6 x 12 bottom, the head and my '72 Les Paul bass.

Oh, to be young again!

[slowfinger]

I have a mental image of a WW2 vintage Indian with an URB in the sidecar.

[alexclaber]

Did about 250 miles today on my new tyres today - very impressed!

 

Had the OEM Michelins (which had managed 36,000 miles - I'm sure that's not unusual in the US because tyre compounds are much harder due to the straigher roads - but it's pretty damn good for a fairly powerful car and enthusiastic driver over here) replaced with Continentals (I forget the exact model), though I went up one width (and down an aspect ratio to maintain rolling radius) to 205/60.

 

Quieter, grippier, more positive handling. Durability should be as good, the wear rating is higher. Tyre progress really is remarkable - if you compare racing cars of equal power to weight ratio and similar aerodynamics (i.e. no downforce) over the last 50 years, the decrease in lap times is incredible.

 

The car's a Honda Civic Type-S by the way. Old shape, but the 5-door hatch (not on sale in the US), 160bhp. I get ~35mpg which is a damn sight better than my similar sized but less powerful Peageot 306XSi. Very capacious for carting gear too. The 100W 8"+8"PR active sub makes journeys much more bass player friendly too.

 

--------------

 

Regarding hybrids, don't believe the hype. A similar sized diesel is far more economical and environmentally friendly. Nice for celebs that want to make a point but fundamentally pointless. You have to consider the whole life-cycle of the vehicle and for a non-premium user the limited battery lifespan will cause premature scrapping - and the components with which they are built are very energy intensive.

 

User reviews are never unbiased and user reviews when the user has shelled out many dollars to prove an ethical and enviromental point are essentially useless. What do you expect them to write? "So, I've had a hybrid for 5 years, its out of town mileage was similar to a normal petrol car and far worse than a diesel, it cost me more to buy, and now replacing the battery costs more than the car is worth and disposing of the old battery is a nasty chemical laden process." Or maybe they'll just spend the necessary money to replace the battery and keep extolling the vehicle's virtues because to them this little hybrid was an inexpensive car and they don't want to be accused of jumping on a rickety bandwagon?

 

Alex

[Aldena]

Here is So. Calif., people (my brother, also a bass player, btw) buy hybrids so they can drive in the carpool lanes without passengers.

[Dave Brown]

Harsh words, Alex. Really troublesome for someone who just shelled out some dough.

 

In my case, since I had a $6000 settlement from the totalled car, (which was paid for, so that's equity) and a nearly $1600 tax refund next year I paid about $18000 for the car. Real world, tested mileage is 44 from nearly all accounts.

 

There is also the idea that diesel can sometimes be dirtier, and lab tests confirm the Prius has very little emission problems.

 

I wanted a hatch, again, the Prius will fit the bill with more room than most other hatch's.

 

Celebrity endorsements aside. In fact, I don't trust celebrities.

 

Maybe the bandwagon is rickety. I just know that last night I drove 3 blocks using battery power only, just like a golf cart but with lots of comfort.

 

Consumer Reports attempts to use research to make reviews less biased. They seem to think the Prius and Civic Hybrids are special for lots of reasons.

[mcbn]

Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

The car's a Honda Civic Type-S by the way. Old shape, but the 5-door hatch (not on sale in the US), 160bhp. I get ~35mpg which is a damn sight better than my similar sized but less powerful Peageot 306XSi. Very capacious for carting gear too. The 100W 8"+8"PR active sub makes journeys much more bass player friendly too.

35 mpg!!! That is pretty good. I'm lucky to get the manufacturer's listed 31 highway in my 05 Civic Si, 3 door hatch, 160 hp 5 speed. I have right at 30,000 miles and am thinking of new tires in around 5K or so, but I do a bit of racing now and again (the legal and sanctioned SCCA kind) so I'm probably going with something stickier with less mileage. My stock tires are a 205/60/16 and I might go a touch wider, not certain.

 

It is pretty good about holding gear. I can get my Schroeder rig + 2 basses, some guitar equipment and the PA rack & mixer with the back seat folded down. That leaves room for 1 passenger in the front seat.

[alexclaber]

Sorry Dave, didn't realise you'd bought one when I wrote that post, and wasn't in a terribly cheerful mood at the time!

 

I guess I was a bit unfair because I was comparing the Prius and its siblings to the vehicles available in Europe, whilst you're in the USA where diesel seems to be reserved for trucks. So if you were over here you could get a similarly specced diesel hatchback but you probably can't in the USA. And maybe I should admit that as a driver I'm not a fan of diesels, preferring free-revving modern petrol engines, as in the Prius.

 

If you ignore the hybrid aspect and just compare the Prius to the Grand Voyager, what can I say? Welcome to the 21st century dawg! And the novelty of a car that is really well built (those Japanese are very cunning) and made out of much higher spec components and had a far higher R&D budget and takes up less space on the road and is more aerodynamic and quieter and more comfortable and goes round bends better and looks pretty cool. As I've said, I'm very impressed with my slightly more compact Jap hatch! And if you're doing a lot of urban driving then the hybrid has its value - it just doesn't stack up on the open road compared to a diesel (but it'll still beat a normal petrol car). Big step up all round!

 

The reason for my diatribe is that here in the UK, the cretinous politicians and media are treating hybrid and electric cars like a magic bullet. Richmond borough council is threatening to raise the residents parking permit massively for all larger engined normal cars (can you imagine paying $4000 per year just to have the right to park your car on the street, if and only if you can find a space?!!) whilst giving free parking to electric cars, because they're 'totally green'. The fools seem to forget that the electricity that powers these electric cars comes from the mains grid which is powered by coal, oil or gas fired power stations - and therefore creates more pollution per mile than burning petrol or diesel in a modern engine would!

 

Hope you enjoy the new car - I should also admit that I know an international consultant in environmental issues (he flies round the world advising governments) and he loves his Prius...

 

Alex

[dcr]

I do hope the US can get itself sorted out, soon, where diesel is concerned. GM made a half-assed attempt to enter the market in the 80s, producing some of the worst diesel vehicles ever made. (They were badly converted gasoline engines.) US consumers haven't recovered, I guess.

 

Recent environmental regulations have made it more difficult to produce diesel cars; VW for one has stopped offering diesel models in the US. That's a pity; iirc, their Golf with a TDI would get something like 48 mpg. And I'm sure that diesels are capable of even more.

 

(Not that diesel is "the answer." I own a Mitsubishi diesel, & economical it is NOT. But hey, at least it's underpowered. )

 

Government incentives for cars like the Prius are also drying up. US car makers are just now trying to enter the hybrid market; to make it easier for them, the government is phasing out its incentives for hybrid models that have been on the market for more than a certain number of years (read: foreign-made hybrids).

 

It's disgusting, really.

 

***

 

Something that puzzles me is how seldom you see fuel & pollution issues discussed alongside housing issues. But as housing prices rise sharply in countries across the world, people tend to move farther away from central parts of the cities they live in...and this means they tend to do a lot more driving. (Of course, there's public transport; if you live in Melbourne, it works great--well, if you're centrally located, it works great. )

 

I used to think people were just being paranoid when they said these kinds of things, but nowadays I really do worry about the way things are going. When my kids are my age, will they be able to afford to buy a house? How much will the atmosphere still be able to absorb by that time? (And the US dollar has been falling fairly steadily; what will it be worth?) Economically & environmentally, these are scary times ahead.

[dcr]

Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

can you imagine paying $4000 per year just to have the right to park your car on the street, if and only if you can find a space?!![/QB]

Can I believe that? Yes, Minister.

 

http://www.yes-minister.com/images/ym35_humphrey3.jpg

[Dave Brown]

Yep...political correctness has reached the auto industry.

 

You are right, Alex; not a lot of choices over here.

 

The fit and finish on the Toyota is outstanding, something I've never seen in any other new car I've bought.

 

My greatest desire is that the US would invest in public transportation in a big way. When I visited France, I was amazed at how seamlessly it fit into society.

 

We have a train now that connects Ft. Worth and Dallas, and makes stops at parking lots along the route. It's never full.

 

I had jury duty a couple of months ago, and the Trinity Railway Express is the recommended way to get to the courthouse. So I tried it.

 

Comfortable. Nobody checked my ticket, I could have hopped on for free. The total trip took me about 40 minutes more than just driving up there and parking...I had to go out of my way to reach the TRE and had to do a bus transfer at the station. But I arrived at the courthouse fresh and didn't futz about with traffic.

 

I live in the largest city in the US that does NOT have a public transportation system of any kind. Kind of an affluent place, Arlington voters keep voting it down (the thinking is that if we have public transportation, we would get poor people here in the city.) The truth is, they are already here. I'd love to have some system for the University, the baseball stadium and the new Dallas Cowboy stadium (which is being built 10 miles from my house.

[mcbn]

Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

whilst giving free parking to electric cars, because they're 'totally green'. The fools seem to forget that the electricity that powers these electric cars comes from the mains grid which is powered by coal, oil or gas fired power stations - and therefore creates more pollution per mile than burning petrol or diesel in a modern engine would!

You guys need to invest in some good 'ol nuclear power. It is much cleaner than burning coal or oil to make electricity, although disposing of waste can be a bit tricky. Of course wind and water powered turbines are even cleaner.

 

As far as diesel is concerned, the US has a slightly different type of diesel fuel that you do in the UK IIRC. It isn't as clean. But, there is legislation to bring in the "cleaner" diesel fuel which should bring us in a few more options. If I could get 30 mpg from a diesel motor, I'd go back to a truck in a heartbeat.

[doc taz]

Scored a used 98 Dodge Caravan SE a few months ago, in August.

 

I don't drive it much, but it's already taken a few heavy loads. Not much repair work yet; the previous owner apparently didn't drive it too much either. I got the thing at around 91,900 miles marked in the odometer. Based on that average, so far I'm driving it less than the original owner did. (I hit the 1,000 mile mark from my end last Friday.) At least he was able to maintain it really well.

 

Just changed the tires and refilled all the important liquids last week. The battery will probably be checked again before Xmas vacation, but has performed nicely. (Perhaps a new one is in order.)

 

At least it's mine. I don't have to make anymore payments on it, aside from insurance, and repairs/maintenance, and gas...

 

Take out the back seat, and I can fit my entire rig with some room to spare. I could even throw my two electric guitars + a combo amp in there while I'm at it.

[alexclaber]

Originally posted by NUTT:

You guys need to invest in some good 'ol nuclear power. It is much cleaner than burning coal or oil to make electricity, although disposing of waste can be a bit tricky.

Actually it costs more per megawatt than fossil fuels but I agree it's a key part of the solution. If yourselves and your old nemesis had been a little more competent with Three Mile Island and Chernobyl then we might have continued building nuclear power stations but the anti-nuclear lobby was so powerful. Even now there's a big security issue regarding terrorism.

 

Alex

[Rocky McDougall]

Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

If yourselves and your old nemesis had been a little more competent with Three Mile Island and Chernobyl then we might have continued building nuclear power stations but the anti-nuclear lobby was so powerful.

Alex [/QB]

Just a side note. When the anti-nuclear people begin talking about risk and danger, They never consider the thousands of men who have died mining coal. How many have died in Nuclear power stations?

I don't know of any, do you? Just a thought.

Rocky

[alexclaber]

I quite agree Mr MacDougall, I'm pretty sure that the the deaths per megawatt for coal is a lot higher. But the anti-nuclear lobby would respond that we don't know how many will die in the future because of the irradiated waste...

 

Alex

[JBFLA]

My 1989 Mustang 5.0 Hatchback died last month (after 195,000+ miles). It carried all my gear, and some.

 

So, I now own a PT Cruiser. Good gear carrying capacity - not exactly 5 Litre performance - but decent gas mileage.

 

My right foot tends to fall asleep, despite all the exercise it's getting...

 

It's a bit of a learning curve, I suppose...

[dcr]

Originally posted by C. Alexander Claber:

I quite agree Mr MacDougall, I'm pretty sure that the the deaths per megawatt for coal is a lot higher. But the anti-nuclear lobby would respond that we don't know how many will die in the future because of the irradiated waste...

 

Alex

Waste is a major issue. A very, very major issue. There's a big debate in Australia about this right now: they can make a fortune in exporting nuclear fuel, but are less enthusiastic about dealing with the waste; & the argument is made that with the export would come some responsibility for the waste. Interesting to see what works out. (My money is that there'll be exports & bugger all about the waste. But I'm a cynic.)

 

I agree that nuclear power is far safer than it is perceived to be. I know of a fatal accident in Idaho in, I believe, the 1960s; fixing the cause of that accident was a simple matter & is industry standard. (They used to control reaction rates by manually raising & lowering the rods in the core; one day, a rod stuck, a guy reefed on it, & out it came--all the way out. The reaction accelerated very rapidly, & the whole thing went up. (They found the guy pinned to the ceiling by that rod...yuck.) Those rods are, well, no longer manually adjusted.) Sadly, it killed a handful of people; but fortunately, no more than that. Three Mile Island involved no deaths, I believe. Chernobyl is of course a disaster of epic, tragic, & historic proportions. It was also 100% preventable; it's what happens when you run experiments in the reactor with all safety backups offline, which is, of course, an absolutely insane thing to do.

 

Of course, nothing is absolutely safe--or "inherently safe" as the pro-nukes call it.

 

My own view is that neither humanity nor their world is fit for industrialization. But we're stuck with it, & probably screwed in the long run.

[Johnny Crab]

Hmmm?

1973~1985: Dodge cargo van, 225 slant 6

carried acoustic 370/301 + SVT w/2 cabs+

1985~1989:Nissan Stanza

Carried rack, 1x15 + 4x10 + basses +

1989~2006:semi-retired for family life

2006:Chevy Tracker. Rear seats allow for 4 for non-gig use, fold down for gig use

Carries 2 racks, ACME's, 3 basses, 2 people(if needed)

Doubles as an entertainment center holder when working on a deck:

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Johnny_Crab/AcmeDek01Fxd.jpg

 

Camel, Triumverat, Dixie Dregs LIVE, Kutless, Clatter, Rush, etc...

http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v245/Johnny_Crab/AcmeDek02Fxd.jpg

[soretro80s]

whats ever i can afford at the time. i think the best thing to move band equipment around though...would be ultimately a for econoline 150 maybe even a 250. thats what i would love to have. I deliver auto parts for my job. and they supply me with a ford 150 econoline. and i absolutely love it! they do amazing on gas. they run great..they drive like a car and ride like a caddilac. they have excellent pick up..I would say the econoline is just an all around amazing vehical. if i had the money id go out and buy one of these right now.

 

http://www.meadowvaleford.com/06photo/ford/econolinewagon4dr-e150xl.jpg

 

such a beautiful vehical

[cloclo]

ah. well i had a Citroen Saxo 1.5d. it was, erm, just enough. fun and nimble to drive though.

 

now i have a Skoda Octavia Break. more room and way better sound system! great to check studio mixes...

http://www.skoda-auto.com/global/model/newoctavia/

 

if we have to play a show that's a long way to drive our management hires a big mercedes van (we are with 7 musicians in that band, the amount of instruments alone...)

[Dave Brown]

I'm afraid I'd have to reserve the Econoline for Neil Young.

 

When I went to France for a series of bluegrass concerts, we rented 2 Citroen vans to carry gear and people from Paris to Lyon. I really liked the layout and room in that car. I wished US cars had a similar configuration.

 

However, the fit and finish of the car was, to a US driver, kinda skimpy. Thin doors, clunky handles and it seemed they had to be "slammed" to close.

 

But then, I've heard Americans are completely "spoiled" to the European sensibility. And I would strive, I guess, to be a world citizen at least to a point.

[jmrunning3]

Dave, I've heard those are good cars. I've read that since gas prices have "stabilized" and "gone down" (I'm not seein' it!) that folks have returned to SUVs. I sincerely wish I was in the market for a new vehicle too. This sounds like a great deal and a cost-saver.