Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

[PFDarkside]

I’ve been daydreaming during social distancing, and I keep coming back to a rack setup that’s been in the back of my head for years now. I started laying it down to see what it all entails, quite a rack rig there. Other than the pedals and power supplies, I own none of it, so there would have to be a walk to get there.

A couple of preamps, pedals I currently use and like, an effect unit and wah, power supply and switching system. I’ve got an idea to feed a stereo cab with different speakers using the stereo power amp, and switching the output based on patch.

Anyway... here it is....

Then I started thinking.... I own basically everything below, a pedalboard shuffle and some new cables and I could build the rig below. Similar ideas (just no high gain Mesa tone, but still similar). The ES8 can do all the switching, the amps sound great today, just a little more difficult to move (not that this would be for anything other than rehearsing and jamming either way, if I was hardcore gigging I’d probably go Helix and powered cab...)

Thoughts? Mostly this is for discussion, who knows if I’d want to sell the things I’d need to sell to acquire the rack gear, but I thought it might be fun to talk about and debate...



OK... additional cost not withstanding, this rack clocks in at a portly 215lbs. :chairfall I guess there’s a reason I use a Princeton Reverb and Pedaltrain Mini, if possible.

Anyway, if you had roadies, which would you prefer? :laughing:

 

[donaldr]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

I count 15u spaces so this rack will weight a ton!!!!! Not funny to lift to put in the car/truck.
I don't see anything in your rack that cannot be done with an Axe-FX, for maybe less money and definitely easier to move.
I used to have a 4u rack case with a Rocktron Voodu Valve and a Peavey Classic 60/60 tube power amp (they will go on sale soon). Only a small midi footpedal with an expression pedal upfront (Tech21 Midi Mongoose). Sounded really good and the weight was manageable.
I'm now using an Avid Eleven Rack and like it a lot. Fits in a 2u rack.

 

[jeremy]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

im sure i could get by with either but id never use a fair amount of the stuff. for me, id go pedals into amp with a switcher. you have a ton of versatility with the rack, but are you going to use it? gonna run the triaxis and jmp1 simultaniously, each through have the 4x12?

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

I count 15u spaces so this rack will weight a ton!!!!! Not funny to lift to put in the car/truck.
I don't see anything in your rack that cannot be done with an Axe-FX, for maybe less money and definitely easier to move.
I used to have a 4u rack case with a Rocktron Voodu Valve and a Peavey Classic 60/60 tube power amp (they will go on sale soon). Only a small midi footpedal with an expression pedal upfront (Tech21 Midi Mongoose). Sounded really good and the weight was manageable.
I'm now using an Avid Eleven Rack and like it a lot. Fits in a 2u rack.

From above, 215lbs! I agree that the tones could be 95% with AxeFX, Kemper or Helix. Part of it is putting together the ridiculous rig, and I think I just proved it is ridiculous. I started with just planning for a TriAxis and 2:90, then thought a G-Major is only one more slot for a 4u. Then you need some pedals, may as well get power and wireless while you’re at it!

I still really want to try a TriAxis and a JMP-1, I guess there’s no reason either couldnt exist in a 4u rack like an amp head.

im sure i could get by with either but id never use a fair amount of the stuff. for me, id go pedals into amp with a switcher. you have a ton of versatility with the rack, but are you going to use it? gonna run the triaxis and jmp1 simultaniously, each through have the 4x12?

The dream is one rig that will do TriAxis fat and crystal cleans, Marshall Breakup and Crunch and Mesa Mark heavy tones and lead. G Major for ambience, pedals for effects and be able to feed either British or American speakers, by patch, from either side of the stereo power amp.

With the switcher you could set it up for a single amp or both for whatever I actually wanted to lug around somewhere.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

I pick the one that is lighter.

When I do my solo shows, I have a rack with the guitar synth and loopers in there...and it is 6 spaces, and must weigh about 70lbs. I find myself not using it as much for live shows because I don't want to carry it. I suppose I can split it up into a few smaller racks, but that takes up space, and then you have wires all over the place going from one to another. While I grew up with racks, it was a bad system then, and doesn't make sense now, especially for a gigging player that has to carry his own stuff.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Pedal Board, though I don't use enough pedals to justify one. I only have a booster, tuner, and wah, so setup takes a miute.

 

[loversmoon]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Def choose the pedalboard set up. I don’t use a lot of pedals so I don’t have a ton to pack around. Works for me.

 

[Nsatke81]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

I pick the one that is lighter.

When I do my solo shows, I have a rack with the guitar synth and loopers in there...and it is 6 spaces, and must weigh about 70lbs. I find myself not using it as much for live shows because I don't want to carry it. I suppose I can split it up into a few smaller racks, but that takes up space, and then you have wires all over the place going from one to another. While I grew up with racks, it was a bad system then, and doesn't make sense now, especially for a gigging player that has to carry his own stuff.

I agree. I still have a rack only because there are sounds in there that I can’t replicate with programs or stomp boxes. Plus, I already have all the midi mapped out in my computer.

Live, pedals are so much easier.

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Pedalboard makes way more sense for anything I've ever done.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

I've been going through a similar thought experiment. The AMT preamp pedals look and sound amazing from the demos I've seen. One or two of those pedals, tuner, wah, boost, delay, and pedalboard power amp. Bob's your uncle. And the wah is unnecessary too. Probably a total of twenty pounds or so.

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Rack for me. I know how to manage rack spaghetti. Casters and vans exist for reasons.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Now that's rock and roll.

 

[devastone]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Now that's rock and roll.

Rock, roll, and soccer practice all in one! But does it come in black?

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Rock, roll, and soccer practice all in one! But does it come in black?

Soccer Dad Rock!!

:headbang:

 

[PFDarkside]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Rock, roll, and soccer practice all in one! But does it come in black?

Sure. We can probably get some flames too.

 

[devastone]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

It's all good until you find out you have to carry your stuff up a narrow flight of stairs to get in the back door of the club, and the 200W of stereo tube power is way to much for the 50 seat room. Granted, don't want to turn over all the control of my sound to the PA by going direct either, there's a happy medium somewhere, mine is my GT-1000 thru an ISP Stealth power amp (or SD Powerstage) to a 1-12 cab, and I can also give a direct line to the board.

Do I miss my 6 space rack and running stereo through a couple of 2-12 cabs, well, yeah, that was the best sound I ever had, but am I going to carry all that now, no, at least not for what I'm doing now.

BTW, if you decide to go all in with a stereo rack, don't ruin it by trying to run everything thru one cabinet, get 2 cabs so you have have some separation, two 2-12 cabs will be much better than one stereo 4-12. I mean, you've come that far!

 

[beaubrummels]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Mess Tri-Axis rig stuff is heavy as f**k. Ever look in the back at how many tubes are in there? You can cook dinner for ten on the case when it’s in use. I’d only consider it if you really really need that sound (what sound is it that can’t be done some other way?) and are going to install it in a studio and leave it.

Never understood a rack wah. Like, never in 55 years have I ever looked down at my crybaby and thought, “Gee, if only this had presets.”

 

[LLL]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

I have a rack for live playing (ADA MP-1, Alesis Quadraverb, Two Notes Torpedo CAB M, 100W x 100W SS power amp, stereo 1x12s, power conditioner, MIDI footswitch)... actually I have two racks, but the other one is for the home studio...

4U rack space enclosure... easy to carry. Not light, but not heavy either... prolly about 25-30lbs (just rack of course).

Tone sculpting for days, and tons of presets to store various tones.

Pink Floyd chorusy echo clean to EVH 1984 to Megadeth in the tap of a button... and not, "yeah, that's pretty similar to X's tone", but almost bang-on.

The flexibility is the key point here. I'm also not a fan of pedalboards in general with my guitar signal running through all those different impedances from the 20 or so stomps screwing up my tone.

 

[NegativeEase]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

Personally I'd go light and pedals now -20 years ago? -rack me up!!!

larger racks (like you show in the pick -15RU?) add a ton of weight, work and logistical complexity to performing so I'm not doing it unless someone else has the budget for the logistics, roadies, union hands at the venue and all the other things that come with manipulating ATA racked gear.

You can make a killer redundant rig with rack gear though -or go a bit smaller like LLL has in the above post ^^ so Im not against it, if the need is there.

I have a garage full of ATA flight cases and house full of stacks that will never leave house or studio again -there's modern solutions that are way better for my lifestyle.

 

[chadd]

Re: Which Guitar Rig would you prefer? (rack vs pedalboard)

If it was me, doing my own types of stuff, a couple heads and a couple cabinets with a switching gizmo. For cover gigs, I'm more than satisfied with the capabilities of my Kemper, I just wish I had someone to do the tedious performance and effects editing stuff for me.