Rack Rigs

[Plank_Spanker]

Any of you folks use rack rigs? After my little foray into getting the G Major up and running with a MIDI floor control, I've been thinking about putting a rack rig together. I already own:

-A 12 space rack

-Power amp

-Stereo compressor

-G Major FX processor

-Shure SLX rack wireless

-Korg DTR1000 rack tuner

-Furman rack power conditioner

-Mesa stereo 4x12 speaker cab

-Full boat MIDI floor controller

All I need to complete it is a preamp. I am so tempted....................

.............................and I must be out of my mind!

 

[Katastrophe]

For a preamp, I highly recommend finding a used ADA MP1. I used one in my rack for years, and loved the tones. It had a great chorus as a bonus, but I never used it, as I had an ART effects processor at the time. It was super easy to program, too!

 

[hubberjub]

Mesa Triaxis.

 

[tunghaichuan]

I had a rack setup until about 5 years ago. I had an ART Power Plant preamp, Alesis Quadraverb and a MosValve mosfet power amp driving my two RSA cabs. I did have an ADA MP-2, but I could never get a tone I liked out of it. Way to compressed. The ART was only okay. Despite the guitar mags saying it was the best thing since sliced bread, it sounded solid state, not tube-like as they claimed. It was true stereo, but always sounded compressed, like bad 80s rock tone.

Having said that I'm thinking about building a rack set up again. I just purchased a Digitech 256XL+ for FX. Dated I know, but cheap.

I have some 2U rackmount chassis that I'm planning on building an amp into. I'm only in the planning process, but I'm thinking of putting a low wattage tube amp complete with power section, a dummy load, a post OT line out and some frequency compensation circuitry and making it into a preamp. The line level out will drive the FX unit and I can hook it up to any power amp and still get true tube tone.

tung

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Tung,

Expect some questions from me. I think a rack is where I need to be for what I need with this band. All I need is a preamp that gives me some grreat patches - distorted to clean. I'm not out to get the pure tube amp gourmet sound. I'll accept passable "good" sound with extreme versality any day.

 

[thearabianmage]

I've got my Line 6 PodXT Pro and have been well chuffed with it. I wanted to - when I get the dosh - get a G-Force, a 32 band EQ (2x 16-band), maybe a tube amp, and a rackmounted power supply for all the units.

But I've been putting this on hold so I can first acquire an analogue rig. Too many cool things to buy. . .

--Edit--
Have you already got the G-Major or is your little foray a hypothetical one? If it's the latter, I would actually suggest the Pod as it is a preamp and has various different settings for different surroundings, i.e. whether it's hooked straight into a P.A., or straight into an amp, etc.

It's a fair bit pricier than the G-Major, especially after getting the shortboard and all of the add-ons, but it's a decent one.

 

[Robert]

I used to play a Mesa Boogie Studio Preamp into a 2:90 power amp of the same brand. I had a multieffect in the loop, and a midi switcher. I am glad I got rid of it in favor of a good tube head. It as a pain to move, and it didn't sound as good as I wanted it to. My Reverend Hellhound combo blew it away as a blues amp.

For someone who needs a lot of different sounds for live gigging, I would think the POD X3 Live would do it nicely. The Axe-FX sounds even better but costs more. Would just need a power amp and speakers. Look at Tech 21, Randall, Engl or VHT for power amps.

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Ater much soul searching, I decided I am indeed going to build a rack rig, and it will centered around an Axe FX:

Shure wireless

Korg tuner

Axe FX

Furman power conditioner

Mackie power amp

Mesa 4x12 stereo guitar cab

Ground Control MIDI controller

The Axe FX has been ordered. A week to get here, another week to assemble and roughly dial it in..................let the good times roll! :rockon:

 

[Robert]

Congrats, the AxeFX is the best in this game, no doubt.

 

[tunghaichuan]

Axe FX

I've heard of this but don't know anything about it. Tell us more.

I'm assuming it has some sort of speaker emulation so you can run it through a squeaky clean SS power amp?

tung

 

[markb]

Good call on the Axe-FX but only a week to dial it in?

Tung, http://www.fractalaudio.com/products-fa-axefx.html

 

[tunghaichuan]

Good call on the Axe-FX but only a week to dial it in?

Tung, http://www.fractalaudio.com/products-fa-axefx.html

Wow, what a monster. You almost need an engineering degree to operate that thing.

Very cool though. :AOK:

tung

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Tung,

I downloaded the FX owner's manual a few days ago and read it. I think it's looks are more intimidating than actually working with it. The patch editing is laid out in blocks, and you just pull effects and such from an inventory and fill in the blocks. It has speaker sims, but Fractal recommends you bypass them if you're using a guitar cab. For SS power amps, Fractal recommends using and editing the amp sims, and there are a ton of them.


I did a lot of research on this before I pulled the trigger. The consensus is this thing is the shizzle.......tons of capability and versatility.

I'll find out for real soon enough. I expect I can have it roughly dialed in and talking to my Ground Control in a day or two, but I don't think I'll ever be done tweaking..................

 

[Robert]

I have tested this unit, and it is very good indeed. But I just prefer a big 100 watt Marshall myself...

 

[Plank_Spanker]

This should be a fun voyage once I get going with it.

 

[Robert]

You can get any tone you could possibly need under the sun with this. What are you gonna do with the G Major? You won't need it, I imagine?

 

[Plank_Spanker]

Yeah, I was amazed at what the FX can do, and I'm not afraid to really dig into it and see what I can wring out of it. I can't wait until it arrives and I can get this rack put together.

I really like the way the G Major sounds and I'm a pack rat, so I'm going to hang onto it. It just might come in handy one day.

 

[Plank_Spanker]

The FX is scheduled to arrive at the house on Monday. All of the other pieces are here awaiting assembly.

The anticipation is killing me!

 

[Robert]

Hey, get a towel - there's drool under your chair!