Well, then again... (more musings on rack rigs)

About a week and a half ago I was pondering... was it time to make the return to rack gear? Mesa and Egnater preamps? TC effects units? Randall power amps? Avatar cabinets?

After a bit more research and a lot more shopping around, I've changed my gear "wish list" a bit. Why? Perhaps because some of the gear I was looking for is rather hard to find (and I'm rather impatient), or it could be the desire to make things even simpler (yeah, right). While I still want to build a multi-preamp rig, I'm now going with even simpler preamps: a Mesa/Boogie Studio preamp and Soldano SP-77 preamp. Both have only 2 channels... the Mesa adds graphic EQ and spring reverb, while the Soldano is (for me, at least) about as stripped down as they come. Both would be switched using a Rolls/RFX RP-93 Patchwork, controlled via a Lexicon MPX-R1 footcontroller, fed through a Lexicon MPX-G2 for digital effects, continuing with the Randall RT2/50 power amp and Avatar 2x12 cabinets previously discussed.

Routing, then, becomes a bit more complex, due to my simultaneous desires to take full advantage of the MPX-G2's inputs & outputs and avoid any unnecessary AD/DA conversion. The guitar signal will first hit the Axess BS-2 buffer, then proceed into the RP-93. If front-of-amp effects (wah, overdrive, compression) are needed, the signal will be routed to the MPX-G2's guitar input, with the MPX-G2's loop send returning to the RP-93. The RP-93 will feed (and switch) both preamps. The preamp outputs will connect to the MPX-G2's stereo loop returns, proceeding to the RT2/50 and cabinets--similar setup to before: the Mesa running through the 6L6 channel on the power amp into the open-back CL80-loaded cab, the Soldano through the EL34 channel into the closed-back V30-loaded cab. The MPX-R1 will be the only piece on the floor, running into the MPX-G2 using a 7-pin MIDI cable, then switching the RP-93 (and RT2/50 if needed) via MIDI.

Once again, I've mocked up what all the gear will look like in a rack...


... and thought through how everything will be wired up...


Now it's time to get down to business with buying & selling... I've already found deals on the Mesa Studio, Soldano SP-77, Randall RT2/50, and Lexicon MPX-G2/R1 pair; still need to hunt down deals on the 2x12 cabinets.

--B

Back to Mesa? Back to Egnater? Back to Randall? Back to the rack?

Ah yes, such is the nature of Gear Acquisition Syndrome, or rather, Gear Indecision Syndrome (GIS ??)... it probably wasn't 6 months ago that I unloaded all my Egnater/Digitech/VHT rack gear to pick up several amp heads. Now, having spent several months messing around with the amp heads, I'm once again missing the versatility of the rack rig. Not that I haven't learned anything over the past few months... I did discover the benefits of running a multi-amp rig, particularly as the only guitar player in the band right now.

So here's the plan... instead of going with MIDI-enabled preamps with dozens of channels and hundreds of presets (e.g., Mesa Triaxis, Marshall JMP-1), I'm starting out with preamps that are a bit simpler in architecture: the Mesa/Boogie Quad preamp and Egnater/Rocktron IE4 preamp. The Quad provides 4 channels of classic Mark II/Mark III tone with spring reverb and dual graphic EQ's. The IE4 has 4 channels based on the TOL100 hot-rodded Marshall tones, though improved since each channel has its own 3-band EQ and presence controls. Both are more analog than digital... tones can easily be tweaked on the fly by turning knobs... no need to scroll through dozens of parameters and presets for a simple change.

The two preamps will feed into separate sides of a TC Electronic G-Force for stereo effects (including detuning & delays for EVH-style fattening), or quite possibly (if I can get a deal) a Fractal Audio AxeFX or Eventide Eclipse. The Quad side will feed the 6L6 side of a Randall RT2/50 power amp driving an open-back Avatar 2x12 cabinet loaded with Celestion Classic Lead 80's. The IE4 side will flow through the EL34 side of the power amp and a closed-back Avatar 2x12 cab loaded with Celestion Vintage 30's.

Control is a slightly more cumbersome issue... the Rocktron MIDIMate I've got can already switch the IE4, G-Force, even the RT2/50 if needed. But the Quad is pre-MIDI, so I'll probably need to employ a Rockman MIDI Octopus to handle the 8 relays on the back of the Quad (4 channels + 2 EQ's + 2 reverbs).

Part of the process for me is visualizing what everything will look like when stacked up in a 12-space (or probably 16-space for proper ventilation) rack:


Also, part of the process is visualizing how everything will be wired up... helps me think about how to integrate the gear to maximize its potential, plus (practically) helps me do a "cable inventory" to ensure I won't be missing anything as the new gear trickles in:


So that's the basic idea... means I'll probably be unloading the heads (Zinky Superfly, H&K Switchblade) and cabs (Rocktron 4x12, Randall 4x12, Randall 2x12) I've got around here now in the coming weeks.

--B

Concert-induced G.A.S. & gear ambiguity - courtesy of King's X & Extreme

The concert of the month, perhaps the concert of the year, was a free concert at last weekend's Union Center Boulevard Bash... King's X followed by Extreme. Granted, as a guitar player I'm probably morally obligated to shell out $30+ to see either of those bands when they come to town, but both of 'em for free? Seriously? (Note: I did not go to see David Cassidy for free on Saturday night... someone would've probably had to pay me $30 to sit through that show.)

Anyway, King's X took the stage about 6:45 (about 15 minutes early) with "Groove Machine" (one of my personal favorites) and played for a solid hour... even had time to sneak in "King" for an encore. They did a great mix of old tunes with a few tunes from the new record (which I don't have yet). As always, it amazes me how three dudes can generate such a huge sound... big drum + bass + guitar tones and massive vocal harmonies. Ty was sporting the full Egnater rig... four 4x12 cabs, at least two loaded M4 preamps, and (what appeared to be) a Randall RT2/50 power amp... the Egnater gear was pretty familiar looking based on the M4 rig I played earlier this year. Less familiar, however, was Ty's guitar, which had an unidentifiable body shape with (again what appeared to be) a Fender headstock. Had some pretty funky looking pickups, too... after doing a little Google searching I'm guessing they are the Motor City pickups. Nonetheless, the combinations of the mystery axe and the Egnater gear (with modules built/tuned to Ty's specs) was hard to argue with.

Extreme also put on a heck of a show... they had 3 of the 4 original members (the new drummer was quite good, but let's face it... everybody was there to see Nuno) and did a nice mix of songs from all the albums (including the new album to be released tomorrow). It was a great performance all the way around... high stage energy/showmanship, super-tight musicianship (also with killer vocal harmonies), and a pretty good tone/mix to boot. Nuno as always was playing a Washburn N4, but had some super funky-looking amp (two cabs, six 4x12's) that I'd never seen before... again after a little Google searching I'm guessing they're some new Randall model?!? Who knows... all I know is that I can't remember the last time I saw a show where there were so many pieces of gear I'd never seen before. :) BTW, kudos to Extreme for dusting off "Cupid's Dead", which might just be the best rock song ever written. (Ok, maybe not the best, but definitely one of the catchiest!) Now if only they'd go on tour with a horn section...

All in all, it was quite an evening... lots of great music for free, good friends to chill with, and to top it all off, a near-perfect night from a weather standpoint (rare for Cincinnati in August). Doesn't get much better than that!

--B

New guitar - G&L ASAT semi-hollow

For those of you who have read a few posts around here, it's probably no shocker that I'm a fan of G&L guitars... over the past couple years I've had a handful of ASAT (Classic, Special, Deluxe) and Legacy (Standard, Deluxe) models, and I've still got my original ASAT Classic and Legacy Standard in the studio. Given my recent strange interest in country music, however, I found myself eyeing different ASAT models once again, and jumped at the opportunity for a good deal on a G&L ASAT semi-hollow.

The ASAT semi-hollow is actually more similar to the ASAT Special than ASAT Classic... it's got the larger MFD soapbar-like pickups and saddle-lock bridge; this particular one has a swamp ash body with f-hole (some semi-hollow G&L's have no f-hole, similar to the PRS Custom 22 semi-hollow), rosewood fretboard, tortoise-shell pickguard, and (what I'm guessing to be the) honey finish. As always, the look & feel are top notch...





The tone, much like the other ASAT Specials I've had, is best described as unique... the large MFD pickups don't sound like either traditional single coils or soapbars... they're somewhere in between. Fat, but sterile. Ok, maybe sterile's a strong word, so flat may be more appropriate... somehow they remind me of the EMG single-coil tone (which isn't necessarily a bad thing). The semi-hollow design gives the tone a bit more character than the solidbody ASAT Specials, though, so that's a bonus.

So now the number of guitars in the house considerably exceeds the number of spaces in the guitar racks, so I've gotta unload a few guitars. Of course, with the LIFO (last in, first out) mentality around here, this ASAT and the Legacy Deluxe will probably be the first guitars out the door, but hey... such is the nature of G.A.S.

--B