gear setups

[ToLiveIsToDie]

How are your guy's gear setup? Like the amp, pedals, guitar, stuff like that... and wat is the sound you're looking for. I only have a 65 watt crate combo amp... nothing special... i have a tech 21 GT2 pedal and a morley bad horsie 2. my guitar is a Jackson DXMG... my settings are.... full high and lows on the amp... full drive, highs and lows on the pedal. i do this because im a "metal" guitarists... so of course i wanna get rid of the mids... and on the GT2... i set the switches to off axis, hot wired, and british...( if you've seen pedal, u'd know wat i mean)... so yea... wat are your guy's setups??

[EricV]

Yo,

we moved this thread to "Gear Talk" cuz it fits into this category better.

Anyway, my setup depends on whom I am working with. Cuz when I play a show with a country- or pop-artist, I need a different setup than I need with the Vandenberg Band or metal-stuff like Perpetuum Overdose.
But, to keep it simple, here is the setup for the EVB and P.O.:

Guitars:
I usually just bring along two of my Peavey Vandenbergs.
No.1 has a blocked Kahler-bridge, a DiMarzio Double Whammy ( like a mix between the Breed and the Tone Zone ) in the bridge position and a modified Fast Track II in the neck position, and is strung with D´Addario .009-.046 strings.
The other one has a Trembucker ( Seymour Duncan ) in the bridge and a DiMarzio HS 3 in the neck-position. On that guitar, the Kahler bridge is not blocked, so that´s the guitar for all the weird whammy-action ( fortunately, I do have a tech who really takes care of the Kahler and actually made some spare-parts which were not available anymore ).
I also might bring my old Strat, which is equipped with a H-S-S-configuration. The latter two guitars have 009-042 strings, D´Addario.

Amps:
With the Vandenberg Band, I use a Laney Chrome-O-Zone combo, hooked up to a Marshall 4X12", which is loaded with Vintage 30s.
With Perpetuum Overdose, I need a heavier sound, that´s why I use a Peavey 5150 II then. The Laney is additionally used sometimes. Cabinet for the 5150 is a regular Peavey 4X12" with vintage 30´s.

Effects:
My rack currently is in storage and is used only occasionally. With the Vandenberg Band, I use a Boss DS-1 distortion and a Boss Super CHorus. For "Canyon Of Spirits", I might use a delay or an Ebow.
With P.O., I use the same pedals, plus an old Ibanez Digital Delay, which I use during my solo-spot and for "Teardopes".

I use Cordial and DiMarzio cables. All of them are cut to the exact right length ( even the patch cables between the pedals and the stage tuner are short Cordial-cables with Neutrik plugs ).
For picks ( I mentioned before that I sometimes switch between different kinds ) I currently use Dunlop Tortex picks which were filed to a different shape, similar to the Pickboy Jazz picks.

In my tool-case, I do have a spare cable ( I basically bring two of each one I need, just in case ), replacement tubes, all kinds of tools, strings, bunches of picks, spare strap, batteries...

I feel better that way, cuz it enables me to focus on playing without worrying too much about technical problems, because I can usually deal with most problems quickly.

I usually change strings like 2 days before a show ( I stretch them as I explained in my gear setup-article ). String action on my guitars is usually very low ( especially on the Vandenbergs ), although it´s rather high on the Strat ( I sometimes play slide on that, that´s why ).

The rack-stuff is used only when I really need it, for cover-stuff or some "hired gun" jobs. I have like 10 presets which cover most of the sounds I need, and hardly change anything else but delay times ( which I tap in on the Q2 ).
The setup would be -> Korg Tuner -> modified Marshall JMP-1 -> Q2->Intellifex-> H3000 ( which is usually on bypass when I´m on stage, cuz it takes a bit too long to switch presets ) plus some ever-changing misc. stuff.
I see myself use the rack less than ever before, but I still need it occasionally, that´s why it´s still in storage.
For most live-shows, I use variations of the simple setup I explained above, cuz it works, sounds good, and there isn´t much stuff to break in there.
Ramble... ramble...ramble...
Eric

[RM II]

I play in a cover band at this time doing everything from Lynyrd Skynyrd to Godsmack.

I use basically one of three guitars but always take at least two. My Vandenberg is my main one with the Kahler blocked and a D-Tuna installed. I'm in search of a better bridge pickup at the moment. Looking at some Seymour Duncan creation or possibly a Bill Lawrence pup. Also use a BC Rich Warlock and a Jackson Rhoads w/stock pups.

For effects I use a Digitech RP2000 with various settings for different tones. My heavy tone uses the rectifier amp model that's provided with the pedal. I have a nice clean setting, a southern rock setting, a heavily phased setting for one song we perform, a simulated 12 string setting, and a few others.

My amp rig is a full stack Peavey VTM-120 head with 4x12 cabs. These are miked for shows.

I also depend on a Rocktron half-rack size hush unit to eliminate the hiss that the thing produces.

Setup is as follows: guitar>Samson Airline wireless>effects>input on the amp>hush unit in the effects loop>out to cab>mic

It's a pretty simple set up. I tried running the effects through the loop and it just didn't work out. I also take along extras every time we play out. Batteries, cords, an extra AC multi-adapter, even extra mic clips.

[EricV]

Hi there RM...

Well, I know that problem about whether too loop an effect or not. Som effects sound better in front of the amp ( chorus, flanging, phasing, wah ), others sound better in the loop ( Delay, Reverb etc. )
I had a tech who really had to pick his brain about his... it took him a while to figure it out. I i.e. had the Intellifex in front of the amp, using it only to get chorus-sounds and flanging, and had the Q2 in the loop, for verb and delay.
Now, both are in the loop ( BTW, the Laney has both serial and parallel loops ), but you can do some weird stuff with the Q2... it has two different signal paths, and you can apply effects to each path the way you want to.
That way, I can have one channel of the Q2 in the loop and the other channel in front of the amp... sounds complicated, but once everything´s hooked up it works fine, sounds good and I feel like really using the Q2 to it´s full efficiency.
Do ya see now wh I prefer less effects and stompboxes these days ? :)
Eric

[RM II]

Hey, Eric!

Part of my problem is the head has only one channel. You can play around with the pre and post settings and it has numerous dip switches to turn on or off that give it more gain, bottom end, mids, high end, compression, etc.

I would really like to have a 5150 amp but right now I have a few gear issues going on that rank higher on the priority list.

I've been thinking lately how to get a better tone with all the different combinations available to me (pickups, adjustments, effects, amp settings, etc.). I just need to experiment one day.

[RockSuperstar]

Here's my 2 cents worth.....

I use a Les Paul Studio (modified with open pickups, schaller fine tuning tailpiece and sperzel locking machine heads) as my main guitar. It's battered and beat but I like it!!

For backup i use an SG Custom and occaisionally a US Strat.

I play in a working covers band, so I need to be able to switch between a wide range of tones. Simplicity is also the key, as we have to set up and fault find our own rigs, often in some bar in the back of beyond!

I use a Mesa boogie dual rectifier head through a laney 4x12 cabinet as the main amp, with a Laney GH100L head on standby just in case.
For rehearsals and small jam sessions, I have a little Marshall JCM Combo that goes in the trunk of the car.

I'm very much a "plug in and play" kinda guy, so i try to keep effects to a minimum...a little reverb through the P.A and a george Dennis Wah are all i tend to use. I may be in the market for a delay unit, as the Korg AX1000G i use to practice at home has kinda whetted the appetite!

The other guitarist in the band is a qualified guitar repairer, so nothing major tends to go wrong with the guitars, although we always carry the usual stuff Eric mentioned earlier such as strings, nuts , bolts, tool kit and the evr present duct tape!

[Shogun]

I agree that simplicity is the key. I usually play a Gibson Les Paul Studio directly into my Korg tuner (essential for playing live shows in dimly lit venues) that runs into an Alesis compressor/noise gate and then into my Peavy 5150 head and a Marshall 4 x 12. I need the noise gate because my pickups on my Les Paul paired with the high gain and high volume that I'm usually playing with will feed back very quickly without it.

I used to use a Digitech effects processor that did almost anything that you could want it to do. I actually stopped using it because it did too much. It was too hard to control. I really like the setup I've got now. It's durable, easy to find problems and quick to set up for a live show.

[Mesa-Maniacal]

Hey, a gear discussion!

My rig is pretty much the same where ever I play. Either I play one of my two Feder American Deluxe (one with a SD JB and one with SD Custom) or a Japanese Charvel. The guitar goes into an Audio Technica Freeways series wireless. The signal then goes through a Boss Phaser, digital delay, metal zone, and an NS-2. I use the Metal zone for stuff that requires a more SS type of distortion, else I am on channel 3 of my M/B Dual Rectifier. The Dual Rectifier is hooked up to an Avatar 4x12 with 2 Celestion V30's and 2 Celestion G12-H30's wired in stereo and in an "x' pattern. I am always looking for new gear (such as a Dunlop Cry Baby from Hell).

[IamBurnout]

I play rock, blues, and metal. The sound I go after is compressed, thick on the mids, and full of gain.

Guitars:
The main on is an Ibanez S540. It has a Jackson neck, 2x Dimarzio HS2's, and an Evolution at the bridge.
Back-up is a Charvel Custom Fusion w/ 2x Dimarzio FS1's, and an Evo at the bridge.
Both guitars are Floyd Rose equiped, and have very low action. 9's on both.
Other guitars are an Ibanez GAX70, Jackson Rhoads EX, Ibanez EX3700, and a Casio MG510(midi guitar).

Amp:
TubeWorks RT2100R rack-mount head with matching 4x10 Eminence cab.

Effects:
Every few months I change between rack and pedals to keep things fresh.
Pedals:
Dunlop GCB95(crybaby), Boss dynamic filter, Danelectro compressor, Boss DS1 (modded), DOD Classic Fuzz, EH Small Stone phaser, Boss CE2 chorus, Boss DD3, Boss RV3.
Rack:
ART SGX2000, ART Multiverb Alpha 2.0, SR&D XPR, Boss ROD10, and an ART X15 floorboard.

I don't use a bunch of effects at once, but they are there if I need them.