Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

[JOLLY]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Plenty of old racks to looks at here.

http://www.customaudioelectronics.com/rig_show

 

[JOLLY]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Here's my simple little rack. I wouldn't really consider it a "rack" though because it's not comprised of individual effects. It's just a power strip/supply, T.C. Electronics G Major, Eleven Rack, and a power amp. However, I do also use it with my amps as well. I just turn off the amp modeling on the Eleven Rack, and run my head through everything (except the power amp) for the effects.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Fair enough, if one runs mono rigs and/or like the sounds and portability of the latest generations of modellers. I believe racks have a place still, but respect that many will disagree.

That being said, I was really hoping to see some more bodacious rigs of yesteryears in this thread!

Well in my mind, my dream rig would be a Shure wireless, Line 6 Helix, Carvin Rackmount tube power amp rebiased for 6L6's, and a Two Notes Torpedo Live with an IR of the same Janus speaker cab that I would use live. But even still that's not a huge rack and could fit into an 8 space rack. And that's in my wildest dreams. I know some people could take it further, but even as much of a gear head as I am, I struggle to think of what I would really desperately need in terms of rack gear that a modeler would give me. Maybe a fuzz pedal or a rack wah of some kind, but even then it would be kind of nitpicky stuff or units for only one or two sounds.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Well in my mind, my dream rig would be a Shure wireless, Line 6 Helix, Carvin Rackmount tube power amp rebiased for 6L6's, and a Two Notes Torpedo Live with an IR of the same Janus speaker cab that I would use live. But even still that's not a huge rack and could fit into an 8 space rack. And that's in my wildest dreams. I know some people could take it further, but even as much of a gear head as I am, I struggle to think of what I would really desperately need in terms of rack gear that a modeler would give me. Maybe a fuzz pedal or a rack wah of some kind, but even then it would be kind of nitpicky stuff or units for only one or two sounds.

I think most racks today would be smaller than the fridges from the 80s/90s, even for devoted rack heads (pun intended). A lot of what one saw previously were single effects, often taking up 2U, with duplicates in case of malfunction, and in case switching was not fast enough. In the case of delays losing the tail of an echo was another matter. That adds up very quickly, and accounts for most of the huge racks out there – there are quite simply a lot of duplicates in them.

You already have the heart in your rig, though! How is the Helix treating you? I tried one in February, along with a Kemper. I REALLY wanted to like them, but neither really took me there just yet. That being said, modellers have developed enormously since I started playing 15 years ago, and in a tech generation or two I hope at least to be able to have a convenience rig based around something like it.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Here's my simple little rack. I wouldn't really consider it a "rack" though because it's not comprised of individual effects. It's just a power strip/supply, T.C. Electronics G Major, Eleven Rack, and a power amp. However, I do also use it with my amps as well. I just turn off the amp modeling on the Eleven Rack, and run my head through everything (except the power amp) for the effects.


View attachment 79274

That is as much of a rack as anything one is likely to see today! Single rackmounted effects are getting very rare. How do you like the Eleven? Between the Axe-Fx and Helix that is one I rarely hear anything about.

I'm actually receiving a G-System today, which is a full-feature (complete with looper, power supply for pedals, special controller etc.) version of the G-Major 2 in the mail today. I've been looking forward to it for a while, as it has been lost in mail for a fortnight!

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

I was just a kid who could barely afford the basics when racks were all the rage, and by the time my finances were better, Grunge had taken over and I already had my core sound anyway with about 4 or 5 pedals. So I missed out on the rack craze other than playing through the latest on Saturday afternoons at my local guitar store. :grumble: One honest salesman in that store did make a good point---he said all people really want is good tube TONE. You don't need all of the rack crap unless you have to pull off a lot of different tones in one night on stage with instant switching.

I guess I am nostalgic, and have been thinking about putting something together just for the fun of it. My tone will always come from tubes, but I don't mind digital for most effects. It's almost too easy to have the Axe-FX II do everything! More like a Mesa Triaxis or Quad Preamp + Simul 295, an Eventide something or other and t.c.electronic G Major, and a really good rackmount stereo graphic EQ setup. Unnecessary sure, but building it is half the fun! There have been plenty of times when a single new effect or other piece of gear has inspired me to a write a new song.

There is a lot of truth in this. That being said, I think there is something to be said for racks for convenience if one is running a stereo rig. Pretty much all rack gear is set up for stereo, which could easily mean less to carry around unless one insists on getting effects in there as well – which very few can resist, of course! And whilst tube tone is king there were some really good hard rock tones from the c1990 that came from solid state or hybrid rigs. (I'm going to buy the first digital modeller that gets a good ADA MP-1 pre-amp patch!)

On another matter: Are there still any programmable rack EQs for guitar around? The G-System has a parametric EQ in it, but it would have been interesting to get ones hand a graphic EQ at some point.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Trevor with Yes and solo has always been a great inspiration to me. Very clever player and knowledegable gearhound, too. And a great singer!

I can't say that his....ummm, busy looking...Strat from his early Yes era was my favorite cosmetically, but he had great tone!

I was just a kid who could barely afford the basics when racks were all the rage, and by the time my finances were better, Grunge had taken over and I already had my core sound anyway with about 4 or 5 pedals. So I missed out on the rack craze other than playing through the latest on Saturday afternoons at my local guitar store. :grumble: One honest salesman in that store did make a good point---he said all people really want is good tube TONE. You don't need all of the rack crap unless you have to pull off a lot of different tones in one night on stage with instant switching.

I guess I am nostalgic, and have been thinking about putting something together just for the fun of it. My tone will always come from tubes, but I don't mind digital for most effects. It's almost too easy to have the Axe-FX II do everything! More like a Mesa Triaxis or Quad Preamp + Simul 295, an Eventide something or other and t.c.electronic G Major, and a really good rackmount stereo graphic EQ setup. Unnecessary sure, but building it is half the fun! There have been plenty of times when a single new effect or other piece of gear has inspired me to a write a new song.

Man, Trevor is amazing. What a player! And the fact that he is such a great singer, songwriter and composer...it just isn't fair. His tones on 9012Live wre as good as the studio album. I saw him live a few months ago, and now he is using a Fractal Axe-FX.

 

[MkIII Renegade]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Man, Trevor is amazing. What a player! And the fact that he is such a great singer, songwriter and composer...it just isn't fair. His tones on 9012Live wre as good as the studio album. I saw him live a few months ago, and now he is using a Fractal Axe-FX.

Doesn't surprise me that he would embrace new tech, as he helped create what we have called modern since the '80s. The Axe-FX is almost universally agreed by the elites to be the Boss of them all.

Yes was running out of steam at the end of the '70s, and Trevor was the answer for a new direction. I remember hearing some reviewer comment on one of the sprawling '70s Yes albums by saying it was "almost perverse how there is NO blues anywhere on the album" LOL. Therein lies the challenge, to create something new or at least different than what is out there at the time. If you create your own lasting style, even better.

 

[Obsessive Compulsive]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

On another matter: Are there still any programmable rack EQs for guitar around? The G-System has a parametric EQ in it, but it would have been interesting to get ones hand a graphic EQ at some point.

There is one a few years ago from Alesis. It allows EQ settings to be saved.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/alesis-deq830-8-31band-eqs-in-one-1u-rack-unit.976724/

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

I think most racks today would be smaller than the fridges from the 80s/90s, even for devoted rack heads (pun intended). A lot of what one saw previously were single effects, often taking up 2U, with duplicates in case of malfunction, and in case switching was not fast enough. In the case of delays losing the tail of an echo was another matter. That adds up very quickly, and accounts for most of the huge racks out there – there are quite simply a lot of duplicates in them.

You already have the heart in your rig, though! How is the Helix treating you? I tried one in February, along with a Kemper. I REALLY wanted to like them, but neither really took me there just yet. That being said, modellers have developed enormously since I started playing 15 years ago, and in a tech generation or two I hope at least to be able to have a convenience rig based around something like it.

I think a lot of people will automatically think that modeling units suck because the "Marshall 800" model in there doesn't sound exactly like what they think an 800 should sound like. I also never look at the models in these units and say "oh that's an 800" rather I say "oh, that's going to sound similar to an 800. I wasn't a huge fan of that, so I think I'll pass and check out a different amp in here." One of my professors at school has made the switch to a digital rig, even for his jazz gigs and he says that approaching digital rigs is the same as approaching something like a coil split and that it doesn't matter if the coil split actually sounds like a true single cool, as long as you can add some more versatility to your sound.

As far as how much I like it, I don't think I'll go back to a purely analog rig. Convenience and consistency do go far for me and if I can dial up some tones that I like, I'm okay with that regardless of whether or not the "AC30" sounds just like Brian May's or not. And I've said before that for as quickly as modeling units have improved, we are seeing Moore's law in action where eventually a digital rig will be able to have the sound and feel of an analog rig.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

There is one a few years ago from Alesis. It allows EQ settings to be saved.

https://www.talkbass.com/threads/alesis-deq830-8-31band-eqs-in-one-1u-rack-unit.976724/

Thanks! It looks like it is out of production, but I might be on the lookout for something like this used.

 

[Johnny the Kid]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

On another matter: Are there still any programmable rack EQs for guitar around? The G-System has a parametric EQ in it, but it would have been interesting to get ones hand a graphic EQ at some point.

There is a Beringer that is rackmountable and MIDI friendly, but it doesn't have any 1/4" ins so you'd have to bring adapters as well. The only other idea I can think of would be to purchase a cheap rackmount multi effects unit and then just use EQ's from it.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

I think a lot of people will automatically think that modeling units suck because the "Marshall 800" model in there doesn't sound exactly like what they think an 800 should sound like. I also never look at the models in these units and say "oh that's an 800" rather I say "oh, that's going to sound similar to an 800. I wasn't a huge fan of that, so I think I'll pass and check out a different amp in here." One of my professors at school has made the switch to a digital rig, even for his jazz gigs and he says that approaching digital rigs is the same as approaching something like a coil split and that it doesn't matter if the coil split actually sounds like a true single cool, as long as you can add some more versatility to your sound.

As far as how much I like it, I don't think I'll go back to a purely analog rig. Convenience and consistency do go far for me and if I can dial up some tones that I like, I'm okay with that regardless of whether or not the "AC30" sounds just like Brian May's or not. And I've said before that for as quickly as modeling units have improved, we are seeing Moore's law in action where eventually a digital rig will be able to have the sound and feel of an analog rig.

Yes, I'm sure we'll get there. I think we'll get to the point where I'll be satisfied with it some time in the 2020s. It doesn't surprise me, really, that a jazz professor has switched. I tried some jazzy setups on the Helix myself, and to my ears they were some of the best sounding in the unit to my ears. Of course it might just be that my ears are less developed with such tones, but I always think modellers have had good clean tones, and the latest patch particularly so.

(Whether versatility for its own sake necessarily is a good thing is another matter, but that is a topic for another day.)

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

There is a Beringer that is rackmountable and MIDI friendly, but it doesn't have any 1/4" ins so you'd have to bring adapters as well. The only other idea I can think of would be to purchase a cheap rackmount multi effects unit and then just use EQ's from it.

Thanks, I saw the Behringer earlier today, actually. I am hestiant to get anything from them, though, especially if one has to jump through proverbial rings to get it to works. I'm too old for that.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

I remember hearing some reviewer comment on one of the sprawling '70s Yes albums by saying it was "almost perverse how there is NO blues anywhere on the album" LOL. Therein lies the challenge, to create something new or at least different than what is out there at the time. If you create your own lasting style, even better.

Funny, that is what I loved about Yes.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

(I'm going to buy the first digital modeller that gets a good ADA MP-1 pre-amp patch!)

On another matter: Are there still any programmable rack EQs for guitar around? The G-System has a parametric EQ in it, but it would have been interesting to get ones hand a graphic EQ at some point.

The AxeFX II has an ADA MP-1 model, but I don't know how good it is. If you're considering used / vintage, look for a TC 1128 midi programmable EQ from the early/mid 90s. They're still pretty easy to find for less than $200.

 

[Sirion]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

The AxeFX II has an ADA MP-1 model, but I don't know how good it is.

Really? I've seen a ton of requests for it at the Fractal forum, as well as a tonematch on one of the modded versions that sounds nothing like the original, but that's about it. If you can confirm this then I really have to give one a go!

 

[dystrust]

Re: Bradshaw/Cornish/[insert top-of-the-line rack builder here], who has owned?

Really? I've seen a ton of requests for it at the Fractal forum, as well as a tonematch on one of the modded versions that sounds nothing like the original, but that's about it. If you can confirm this then I really have to give one a go!

Evidently I was mistaken; there are Kemper profiles for it, but it hasn't been added to the Axe yet. I saw a thread over on the Fractal forum in regards to it being added in an upcoming update however.