rackmount amp rigs

Re: rackmount amp rigs

I had a Lee Jackson GP-1000 and a Mesa 50/50, I called it my sh*tty 80's rig.

It worked pretty good for 80's sounds, but it was all mid range and had almost no low end.

Some preamps I have found pretty notable are:
1. ADA MP-1, pretty much the staple of the 80's
2. Peavey Rockmaster, Amazing tone IMO, very old school but just really well done.
3. ENGL E520, again, pretty good, and a bit more versatility.
4. Lee Jackson GP-1000, Zakk's "No Rest for the Wicked" tone.
5. Marshall JMP-1, again, pretty much a staple.
6. Digitech Twin Tube GFX-1, lesser known, but I've seen a few around.

In terms of poweramps, I mean, you only had so many options back then.
Mesa, Marshall, VHT(1989), and Peavey were pretty much the only contenders for Tube poweramps I believe.
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

I used to play thru this:


IMG_1410.jpg
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

Have a listen to my You Tube clips.
It's this rig and I love it.
Over 1000 gigs and counting without a single change in gear.
DSCN0290.jpg

100_0242.jpg
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

zzmoore said:
Yeah.....and a Horse Power is a Horse Power. But do you want to move 550 pounds, one foot, in one second, with a horse, electric motor, pick-up truck, or a motor cycle.? They all make One HP.
Guitar amps are about tone, not power. The vast majority of guitar players are better served by a Fender Deluxe Reverb than they are a rack system.. That is why they are not prevalant.....:)
Best
Click to expand...

I think I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. I think that they're not prevalant now because it's not in fashion. Back in the 80s, virtually everyone was using a rack system. That same fad will come around again, just as they all do. And your tone isn't in the amp, it's in your hands and head. I guess what I'm saying is that you should be able to achieve your "tone" with any suitable equipment.

Are rack systems heavy? It depends on what you're using, I think. Mine is heavy, but then, so is a Fender Twin loaded with EV speakers.
 
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Re: rackmount amp rigs

wolf5150 said:
Have a listen to my You Tube clips.
It's this rig and I love it.
Over 1000 gigs and counting without a single change in gear.
100_0242.jpg
Click to expand...

Well us more about the Palmer?

How do you get power amp clip emulation in that rig?
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

Warheart said:
I had a Lee Jackson GP-1000 and a Mesa 50/50, I called it my sh*tty 80's rig.

It worked pretty good for 80's sounds, but it was all mid range and had almost no low end.

Some preamps I have found pretty notable are:
1. ADA MP-1, pretty much the staple of the 80's
2. Peavey Rockmaster, Amazing tone IMO, very old school but just really well done.
3. ENGL E520, again, pretty good, and a bit more versatility.
4. Lee Jackson GP-1000, Zakk's "No Rest for the Wicked" tone.
5. Marshall JMP-1, again, pretty much a staple.
6. Digitech Twin Tube GFX-1, lesser known, but I've seen a few around.

In terms of poweramps, I mean, you only had so many options back then.
Mesa, Marshall, VHT(1989), and Peavey were pretty much the only contenders for Tube poweramps I believe.
Click to expand...


Dood... it was the 80's -- there WAS NO low-end! ;)

Yup... the MP-1 and JMP-1 ruled many a stage rack in those days. My ADA flat-out got the crap used out of it. Hundreds of gigs. Wish I'd have kept it when the pendullum swung back towards amps. I practically gave it away. I also had a two channel Boss GL-100 preamp that was a cool little unit and veteran of many gigs. Would like to still have both. But I wouldn't take back the ART DR-X FX unit that I had for anything. Was always gonna go with an Alesis Quadraverb and just never got around to it. I supposed that if they're not already, some of these units will be in big demand again as vintage rack gear and bring big prices. I should go around to pawn shops buying it all up when I see it.
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

Hellion said:
I think I'm going to have to respectfully disagree. I think that they're not prevalant now because it's not in fashion. Back in the 80s, virtually everyone was using a rack system. That same fad will come around again, just as they all do. And your tone isn't in the amp, it's in your hands and head. I guess what I'm saying is that you should be able to achieve your "tone" with any suitable equipment.

Are rack systems heavy? It depends on what you're using, I think. Mine is heavy, but then, so is a Fender Twin loaded with EV speakers.
Click to expand...
.....then what do you need all that rack gear and pedals for.?:)
I respectfully accept your disagreement. And I agree....tone is heavily in the hands, head, and soul of the player. At least for a pro player or somebody who has been playing for awhile and knows how to use the instrument. At that point your amp, be it rack, 15 watt combo, or otherwise is a matter of comfort level. Set-Up XYZ responds the best to your ears, so that is what you use. Keith Richards could play through Dweezil Zappa's nightmare of a channel switching rack, or Dweezil could plug straight into Keith's Tweed Twin and both would be able to make it work. People are different and "need" different tools to get the job done.
Best
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

zzmoore said:
.....then what do you need all that rack gear and pedals for.?:)
I respectfully accept your disagreement. And I agree....tone is heavily in the hands, head, and soul of the player. At least for a pro player or somebody who has been playing for awhile and knows how to use the instrument. At that point your amp, be it rack, 15 watt combo, or otherwise is a matter of comfort level. Set-Up XYZ responds the best to your ears, so that is what you use. Keith Richards could play through Dweezil Zappa's nightmare of a channel switching rack, or Dweezil could plug straight into Keith's Tweed Twin and both would be able to make it work. People are different and "need" different tools to get the job done.
Best
Click to expand...

Well, I think you just hit the nail on the head. I don't "need" all that rack gear. I can get the same tone out of my Fender 75 with two 12s, but there's a "comfort level", as you so eloquently stated, about using what I've been using for the last 25+ years. I think we're arguing the same side of the fence. There will probably come a day where I don't feel like schlepping that silly rack around, but for the moment, it's not that big a deal.
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

Don't know about power amp clip but the tone is much thicker and more natural sounding than the emulated outputs on the JMP1.

I'm able to dial in the same overall tone depending what PA I'm using.

I have it set so it's tuned to mine and then if I'm at a venue that uses it's own system, I'm able to use the Palmer to get the same tone.

I LOVE this thing. :friday:
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

Those Palmer DI units.......they are supposed to be The Cadillac of DI's.......aren't they.?
 
Re: rackmount amp rigs

In the mid Nineties, I owned a Marshall JMP-1, ART Multi-something, Marshall Valvestate 40:40, 2 x 1912 cab set up. Too many ICs for my liking.

I currently a own MESA/Boogie Quad Pre-Amp, 20:20 EL84 power amp, 2 x Compact Thiele cab rig. Like Brow, I find it annoying to shift this heap. Even when I do transport it, there are very few venues in my area where I can turn the thing up to my idea of a decent sound pressure level. Stupidly, perhaps, I fancy chopping the 20:20 in for a 6L6 power amplifier.

Most of the time, I play P90-equiped guitars in the Blues-Rock, mildly overdriven Fender valve amp zone.
 
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Re: rackmount amp rigs

I have a Hughes & Kettner Attax Tube Preamp and an ADA MP-1, I use either of them with my Peavey Classic 50/50 power amp.
 
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