Rack Gear?

[RU36]

here is my two sense:

Alot has changed since the 50's and 60's.
We now have alot more options as guitar players.

Some people like driving around in a 57' Chevy with no air conditioning.
Some people like driving around in a 2009 Mercedes Benz with all the electronics and gadgets.

My opinion:
Most of the old vintage stuff sounds exactly that, old and vintage.
The lower fidelity and the way it colors your sound is what people like about it.

I prefer the rack mount gear and the higher fidelity and versatility.
My school of thought is you can always filter out some highs and tweak it to make it warmer but you can't add highs and definition to a rig that never had it.

And with the right guy setting up the rack to emulate the vintage stuff you can't tell in a blind test, ESPECIALLY live or in the mix with a whole band.

 

[Watershed]

Rack stuff made me over compulsive about tone.

I probably spent more time fiddling with the damn thing, than actually playing.
Then there is the fun a dragging around a 12 space rack, and the cabinets to gigs and practice.
Then you always end up needing the latest and greatest stuff.
Dumbest trade of all time:  Mesa Quad for ADA MP1
Did i really need 128 channels?  I miss running Clean 1 and Lead 2 in parallel.

I wheeled the whole damn thing into a music store one day and traded it for a head.

In hindsight, I don't think I did very well on that deal.
e-bay didn't exist back then.

While a big rack can most definitely create all sorts of crazy tones, it really is all in the fingers.
If you are spending more time fiddling with knobs and buttons than playing, probably no good.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

In my latest rack outing, I added the BBE Sonic Maximizer.  This may be the one time a rack effect has simplified things.  On my head, it has a 9 band EQ as well as knob EQs for Bass, Low-Mids, Mids, Hi-Mids, and Treble, and the three mid sections were sweepable.  Now I set all of those flat and control the EQ with the Low Contour and Process knobs on the BBE.  2 knobs know do the tone shaping of 9 sliders and 8 knobs, and it has mud-free clarity.

 

[Strat Avenger]

I use a rack system and it sounds awesome. I ain't gettin' rid of it.  I get so sick of "fads".  Racks are practical, and if one doesn't sound good, or is noisy, it's because it has the wrong components and/or is not hooked up right.

 

[tfarny]

Mayfly, you got through that whole business without ever mentioning that you used to design and build boutique Vox-type amps for a living? I raise my glass to you, sir.  ccasion14:

 

[mayfly]

Mayfly, you got through that whole business without ever mentioning that you used to design and build boutique Vox-type amps for a living? I raise my glass to you, sir.  ccasion14:

Right back at ya tfarny!  ccasion14:

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Rather than start a new thread, here's my latest rack edition.  The Carvin BX 500.  It's 12AX7 preamp equipped with a bypass for true solid state operation, and 500 watts @ 4 or 2 ohms.  The tube can go out and/or be removed completely and you can finish the gig.  The BX 500 head is new along with a 5 rackspace shallow rack case.

The Carvin BX 500 weighing in at just over 5 lbs.

The backside with 4ohm/2ohm switch, tube bypass switch, ground lift and pre/post for DI, and neutrik 1/4" combo jacks.

w/optional rackmount kit

in case you didn't know

Well thanks =CB=, I appreciate it.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

The Carvin 5 space shallow rack case.

My Furman surge protector, Korg Tuner, and BBE Sonic Maixizer are right at home.

The backside.

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

Because 6' cables get no play in my rig, there's these.

Almost looks like it grew that way.

Xs three

Finished product

 

[Superlizard]

f you are spending more time fiddling with knobs and buttons than playing, probably no good.

+eleventybeellionty X infinity + 1

 

[Super Turbo Deluxe Custom]

f you are spending more time fiddling with knobs and buttons than playing, probably no good.

+eleventybeellionty X infinity + 1

If that's directed at me, I can't agree more, hence the rack.  The tuner, I don't have to unplug anything (or even mute) to check.  The Sonic Max, set it and forget it.  The graphic EQ, redundant so it's left off.  The other EQ, well who doesn't tweak an amp during the night?

 

[Superlizard]

If that's directed at me, I can't agree more, hence the rack.  The tuner, I don't have to unplug anything (or even mute) to check.  The Sonic Max, set it and forget it.  The graphic EQ, redundant so it's left off.  The other EQ, well who doesn't tweak an amp during the night?

Nope, not directed at anyone in particular - I just saw a statement that I agree with very much; especially for (6 string) geetar players.

Besides, bass players have far more reason (tone) to utilize rack-mount gear and/or more "hi-fi" sounding gear than (6 string) geetar players do.

 

[Watershed]

f you are spending more time fiddling with knobs and buttons than playing, probably no good.

+eleventybeellionty X infinity + 1

If that's directed at me, I can't agree more, hence the rack.  The tuner, I don't have to unplug anything (or even mute) to check.  The Sonic Max, set it and forget it.  The graphic EQ, redundant so it's left off.  The other EQ, well who doesn't tweak an amp during the night?

My comment was directed at myself, and I was talking about a much larger rack than you have there.
I was talking about a multi-channel preamp, several effects units, compressor, BBE, MIDI switcher, power amp, etc...10 space or more....full, which I had.
When you (me at least) get to that level, it just becomes wildly cumbersome.
I couldn't even lift the damn thing.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

f you are spending more time fiddling with knobs and buttons than playing, probably no good.

+eleventybeellionty X infinity + 1

If that's directed at me, I can't agree more, hence the rack.  The tuner, I don't have to unplug anything (or even mute) to check.  The Sonic Max, set it and forget it.  The graphic EQ, redundant so it's left off.  The other EQ, well who doesn't tweak an amp during the night?

My comment was directed at myself, and I was talking about a much larger rack than you have there.
I was talking about a multi-channel preamp, several effects units, compressor, BBE, MIDI switcher, power amp, etc...10 space or more....full, which I had.
When you (me at least) get to that level, it just becomes wildly cumbersome.
I couldn't even lift the damn thing.

Something like this.  :laughing7:

To really use something like this to it's full potential you have to understand signal routing, effects parameters and tone shaping. That's why most people never get a full rack system to sound good, they just don't understand it.

 

[kboman]

DbU - is that your rack? What do all those things do? I can see a power conditioner, a tuner, wireless system, pitch shifter and power amp, but that's less than half of the units!

 

[tubby.twins]

The BBE 362 is a "sonic maximizer".  It usually improves bass punch and clarity.  I've used one for bass, and it was interesting.

 

[tfarny]

Doesn't look that fun to me. Another thing I agree with SL on! That makes 1.5 things now!

 

[Mor Paul]

Is that Eric Johnson's rig? I think they plugged in a cord backwards.

 

[Death by Uberschall]

DbU - is that your rack? What do all those things do? I can see a power conditioner, a tuner, wireless system, pitch shifter and power amp, but that's less than half of the units!

Yes, it's mine.

From the top:
Furman power conditioner/hi voltage-lo voltage shutdown surge protector
AKG wireless unit
Korg tuner
Rocktron compressor/noise reduction
Mesa TriAxis tube preamp
Rocktron noise gate
Alesis Quadra-verb effects unit
Digitech harmonizer
ADA Digitizer4 effects unit
Alesis Quadra-verb II effects unit
Rane mixer
BBE 362nr sonic maximizer/noise reduction
Palmer dummy load/line out
Mesa 2:90 stereo tube power amp

Basically the signal goes like this:
Guitar > wireless > Rocktron compressor/noise reduction > Mesa TriAxis preamp >  Rocktron gate > left channel of Mesa 2:90 power amp > left speaker out > Palmer dummy load/line out > second channel of the Rocktron gate > Rane mixer
>Alesis Quadra-verb > Rane mixer
>Digitech harmonizer > Rane mixer
>ADA Digitizer4 > Rane mixer
>Alesis Quadra-verb II > Rane mixer
Rane mixer > BBE 362nr > right channel of Mesa 2:90 > what ever speaker cabs I decide to use.

This set up allows me to send a dry, no-effect signal all the way through to the power amp which is run hot to the point of tube compression/coloration, but not overdriven, to get my base tones (clean or overdriven). This gives the ability to get pushed tube tone at any volume level. The Palmer dummy load sends a low/line level signal to the Rane mixer. The Rane mixer runs a separate send of the dry, no-effect signal to each of the effect units in parallel and mixes it back into the original signal as needed. All effects are set to full wet. So I always have the original tone as the base for my sound in the Rane mixer with each effect mixed in separately. Then the final mix goes through the BBE 362nr for a final tone tweak and noise suppression, then through the right amp channel to power my cabs at what ever volume I want.

The tuner gets a separate feed from either the compressor or preamp, just don't remember which, so it's not in the signal chain. Sometimes I bypass the wireless and just plug in. Everything is controlled by an Art Ultrafoot midi controller. All sounds are one stomp, with the exception of the ADA Digitizer4 which I control on the fly as needed for some add-on effects from it's own footswitch.

Seems complicated, but it's really straight forward and done correctly.

 

[Watershed]

That is pretty cleaver.

That's an interesting idea of soaking one side of the power amp and using the other to power the cabinets, however you end up being in mono.  Power amp breakup is sweet though.
I had a 2:90 power amp (really great amp), but a Mesa Quad as my preamp.  I do miss the Quad, I traded it for an ADA MP1 (stupid).  I never soaked the 2:90 either.  Just kept it at 1/2 power.  The switcher (GCX Guitar Audio Switcher) took care of the other two functions of the 2:90, I forget what they were...deep and modern perhaps...

Running the effects in parallel is also an interesting idea.  The switcher sort of did that in a crude way, but it was on or off and you had to use two of the loops to get stereo.
That looks like one of those Mesa floating rack cabinets.  Those things are bulletproof, but HEAVY.
What is that?  20 space?  Damn...
That's a serious rack man.

Tempting, but I'm not going back.
I just futzed with it too damn much, and it was a beast to move.
It did have its moments though.