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I've been looking into this with whats been said here in mind, and I'm thinking of moving to two 1x12 cabs with neo speakers inside. I was thinking of putting the Twin on top of them when I feel like being louder, and doing the bi-amp thing again. This makes only 1 relatively heavy item to bring rather than two, and that will all fit in a taxi easily. The two 1x12s could probably be carried in either hand if the right cab and speakers are chosen, and would make loading much easier. If I was feeling lazy -- they'd probably be powerful enough without the Twin, anyway. Any 1x12 suggestions?

The two speakers mentioned above (Lil Tex and Eminence EM-12N) sound like good options for a light and loud setup, but the EM-12N doesn't seem to be available from any UK dealers

I might think of using an alternative bass solution like a preamp pedal and a light active monitor. Not really sure what I should be looking for in the active speaker department, though The one thing which bugs me a bit about that idea is the aesthetics. Yeah, I know I'm shallow, but having an active monitor behind me doesn't look nearly as Rock N' Roll as a bass cab

If you look at it the right way, circumstances might be pushing you to step off the familiar path completely and on to a brand new one. You won't have an impressive backline or feel the SPL behind you, but going virtual could change your game. Minimal weight/bulk, ease of transport, and the potential to sound great through substantial house PAs tick your main boxes.

Your role in your band reminded me of a duo I saw come through my town – they were more proggy/noisy than doomy/sludgy but plenty heavy regardless. The guy in your position played a Chapman Stick through an Axe-FX with no stage amps... and before anyone goes , the bottom line is that his sound was massive: mightily overdriven and in-your-face, as present as I'd ever heard an electric stringed instrument be at a local level and definitely at that joint. Every component of a normal signal path – amp, cabinet, mic, soundman – would've had to have been 9.9/10 to achieve what this guy did just running a line direct from one box to the board.

It's not necessary to have an Axe-FX to do this – the latest batch of pedalboard-style modelers could get you there. And take into account what someone in your role could do with one of them: split your signal in the box (possibly by frequency range), process low and high signals separately (with different amp/pedal models and effects), and mix them to taste at the output. If you don't want to rely on house monitors, carry one full-range speaker just for yourself and set it up in front of you or to your side. (Use the same speaker to program your sounds and you'll always be hearing something familiar live.) From club to club, your sound will be more consistent the less you rely on individual soundmen and their varying abilities.

This isn't the coolest proposal ever made to someone in your genre – as you wrote, you'd have to change some ingrained thoughts about gear and appearance – and not everyone meshes with this kind of stuff – I've only dabbled with it personally – but considering the parameters of your situation, you really could blaze a trail (if just personally, but maybe musically, too). Just an idea.

That's a very cool idea regarding taking the digital route. I have considered it a lot in the past, but never really capitalised on it. Most of, if not all the guitar sounds that I've grown to love that have inspired me to play in this style have taken the analogue route. It's quite a difficult thing for me to imagine, abandoning all of my past attempts at honing my sound - buying and selling amps and cabs, building pedals, etc, and then not having that amp interaction or the feeling of high SPL pushing against me... To be honest, that's most of the fun for me. The digital route kind of takes that aspect out for me. I think I'd rather have to handle with a bit more of an uncomfortable carrying situation than make such a massive switch needing such a large change in my outlook on tone and guitar sounds in general.

I used to own one of the higher end POD HD floor units. No matter how much I messed with it, I couldn't get a full amp sound out of it that I liked. Advances have been made since then, and floor units like the Helix and AxeFx would be able to accomplish what I need, but they're completely out of my price range. The good thing about analog gear like this is that I can build it up. Buy one thing at a time over a longer period to better handle my expenses. I think all the decent digital options would be a bit out of my price range. Although it's definitely something I'd like to investigate in the future, especially if I need to do any fly dates, or as a back up.

Very cool concept, though. Lots of potential!