Dismantling the monster rack

It was about a year ago that I embarked on a project to assemble the biggest rack rig I'd ever owned... it started with researching a lot of preamp/power amp/MIDI switcher/FX unit options in August 2008 followed by a major gear acquisition phase in September. By January everything was collected & connected, just in time for a second round of gear acquisition in March. When all was said and done, I had nearly filled a 20-space rack with 9 preamps (4 Mesa's, Marshall, Soldano, Frenzel, Hiwatt, ENGL), 2 power amps (Randall, Mesa), several MIDI switchers (Rolls, RJM, Rocktron), and various other accessories (Monster power conditioner, Lexicon FX + MIDI controller, Axess Electronics buffer, Sennheiser wireless). Check out the pictures of the final result below...





All things considered, the rack rig saw its fair share of use for jam sessions and recording, however, it was so heavy that there was no good (safe) way to move it. Also, it took a considerable amount of MIDI programming time to get all the switchers and FX units cooperating. Any rig where I spent more time tweaking than playing is doomed in the long run...

So in April I began the slow process of dismantling the rack by selling a few of the preamps. Over the summer, I continued to unload gear. Now, the rack is back to the size it was last September with 3 preamps and a power amp, all of which are currently for sale. I expect that everything will be cleared out by the end of September, and I'll be on to the next big thing.

So what is the next big thing? I've currently re-discovered my love for Mesa/Boogie amps and have picked up several heads (Lonestar Special, Mark V, Roadster, Stiletto Ace, and Electra Dyne) over the past few weeks. I'm digging the relative simplicity of the guitar --> amp --> speaker setup compared to mountains of MIDI switching gear, yet still getting the tonal versatility I need for gigging and recording projects. There still is a rack, though it's a much more humble 5-spacer with a power conditioner, Rocktron PatchMate, and a shelf with an Axess Electronics BS-2 buffer, Sennheiser EW172 wireless, and Damage Control Glass Nexus multi-FX mounted to it... definitely much simpler than the 20-spacer to wire up and program!

Will the big rack make a return someday? Most likely... I tend to go through cycles of relatively simple setups followed by big rack rigs. Will I ever settle down and keep an amp for 5-10 years? Hard to say... no matter how many great amps I've got around the studio, I'm always interested in trying the next great thing. It's not so much a case of "grass is always greener" syndrome, but rather, the undying curiosity I've got when it comes to researching and auditioning new gear. Does that make me crazy? Perhaps ;)

--B