Touring rigs - Share that shit

[Melb_shredder]

Alright guys, so I figured a cool little thread with everyone throwing up what they use on tour would be cool. Whether it be some epic rack thing, a Metal Zone pedal etc, it doesn't matter. What do YOU guys use when you're on tour??

When I'm on tour with mt band Orpheus Omega, having a consistent tone is a BIG deal for me so I've been using the Line 6 HD500 pedalboard into an Electro Harmonix .44 magnum for the last few years and I absolutely LOVE it.

Here's a very quick demo of me playing Killswitch Engage's My Curse using my live tone mic'd up through a Mesa 4x12, NO post EQ at all, just exactly what the mic is picking up \m/ (The backing track is from the Guitar Hero stems I think)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/306055/Line6HD500 - test.mp3

I've never gotten into direct to PA and after playing a tour in Asia recently, it was cemented for me that relying on PA/ Foldbacks is a VERY iffy situation.

 

[Clockwork]

For touring on bass I would do a Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass into a Sansamp RBI into a GK Rb-400 II amp into one 210 BLX cab and another 115 BLX. Kept everything pretty much in a rack which was nice. Had no casters on the cabs though so I used to get ripped by the end of tours haha.

For my current band I play guitar so I use a couple G&L Tributes (for two different tunings) into the HD500 into the same Rb-400 II but in the effects loop (which is till affected by the GK boost knob which is cool) and with a Carvin 2x12 cab. I've built up a pedalboard with some MXR/Amptweaker stuff but it would suck if it got stolen so I just take the HD500. Plus I like to use midi for patch switching because I'm lazy!

I also don't do direct because in general I think the direct tones on the HD500 are not so great.

 

[Melb_shredder]

For touring on bass I would do a Fender Deluxe Active Jazz Bass into a Sansamp RBI into a GK Rb-400 II amp into one 210 BLX cab and another 115 BLX. Kept everything pretty much in a rack which was nice. Had no casters on the cabs though so I used to get ripped by the end of tours haha.

For my current band I play guitar so I use a couple G&L Tributes (for two different tunings) into the HD500 into the same Rb-400 II but in the effects loop (which is till affected by the GK boost knob which is cool) and with a Carvin 2x12 cab. I've built up a pedalboard with some MXR/Amptweaker stuff but it would suck if it got stolen so I just take the HD500. Plus I like to use midi for patch switching because I'm lazy!

I also don't do direct because in general I think the direct tones on the HD500 are not so great.

Wicked! Our bassist uses one of those small GK heads too on tour, so damn handy.
Oh yeah... Hd500 -> PA... Not great haha.
On our last tour we basically had Marshall + orange cabs, so we used those and it sounded fine \m/

 

[Lozek]

Line 6 G90 > Kemper, Sennheiser Evolution IEM's. Switching by a TC G System and all powered from a Conditioner. Other guitarist uses the same and bassists runs direct through a Sansamp Bass Driver, no cabinets onstage at all. This all plugs into a Behringer X32, controlled by our soundguy on an i-Pad, FOH get a pre-mixed stereo feed. Smallest and most consistent rig I've ever used, getting huge compliments on our live sound.

 

[crillemannen]

Great tone Melb!

Im not on tour but i would probably make the band invest in a kemper rig. Quite sweet to just have a rack tower to drag around instead of 3 heads and 3 cabs (1bassist,2 guitarist) and some in-ears. Quite costly at first but you would be saving your backs!

 

[JonWormwood]

Here's me rambling about. Setup
http://youtu.be/5cGxo-1j8iM

 

[Melb_shredder]

Yeah! I see most of you are talking IEM styles set ups. We're about to move to them ourselves. After finally touring internationally, it became quickly apparent how detrimental bad foldbacks could be.
Looking forward to getting that set up in the near future

 

[schwinginbatman]

I'm actually still building mine. I have a dead simple setup already, but I need to step it up, because there are a few essentials I'm missing. But I can't see myself going much further than that. It's gonna be, in order:

ESP DV8-R
Line 6 Relay G50
Modtone MT-PT1 Tuner
Boss NS-2 (?)
Rocktron Tri-Wah
ENGL Thunder 50
Marshall 4x12 cab

I don't have any pedals currently in my setup, which makes things simple, but I really, really need a noise gate and tuner for my setup. Having to run to the other end of the stage to use the other guitarist's tuner in the hopes I can get it all done before the vocalist is done talking is quite a gamble. Hehe.

 

[Fragle]

Just my Kemper rack straight into the FoH system, and an EH 44 Magnum to get better on stage monitoring (if neccessary).
Sansamp PSA1 or BDDI -> PA for bass.

Tbh, sometimes i do miss the punch and sheer air pressure of my old tube rig, but the benefits (namely small size, less shit to carry around, and 100% consistent live sound) outweighs that by far.
If i had a more commercially successful band (& roadie 3 ) i'd probably switch back to real amps, but given the current situation i'm a happy camper.

 

[Skadsson]

One of my ibanez guitars into a shure wireless -> korg pitchblack -> bad monkey as a boost -> boss ns2 -> into the front of a marshall jvm 210. In the loop there's only a boss dd-6. the whole thing sits on a wooden board either on top of the amp (ola style) or in front of the cab (depends on if I'm playing half or full stack setup).

Keeping a midi controller out front, that's it. No need to fuck around with long cables, which I absolutely hate. This does mean that I do have to run to the back of the stage to tune, but I'm not too worried detuning my RG550 with lo-pro edge.

Lately I've been thinking of adding a palmer-style unit and an IEM system in a little rack, so I don't ever have to talk to an FOH guy again in my entire life, since we don't have our own soundguy. I would feed one signal either to a cab or XLR for FOH (depending on what they want, most techs I've encountered will look like a dog you've shown a card trick to if you confront them with DI for guitars), and one feed to the IEM, possibly a mini mixing desk in between for some EQ. All I need for my performance is the drum sound and my guitar sound anyway. Keeping it as simple as possible, everything else should fall into place.

 

[bryan_kilco]

Have yet to actually tour, but my main rig right now would be used to tour, considering it's hard to afford an entire other rig!

Line6 G90 -> TS -> Boss NS-2 -> Mesa/Boogie Mark IV -> Mesa OS

 

[EnjoiTrent]

For shows/tours on bass with my band my setup is really simple in comparison to all this haha. Squier 77' modified jazz bass into an MXR bass d.i. + (for gain and tone shaping) then to a Peavey Firebass 700 through an ampeg 8x10 classic.

 

[Jordon]

PRS Custom 22
PRS Mushok Baritone
PRS SE One
EBMM Axis SS
EBMM Silo Baritone
2 Fender Telecaster Baritones

Diezel VH4
Rivera K4x12 w/mounted e609
POD HD Pro for most effects
Boss PS3
Whammy IV
EH Micro Q-Tron
Dunlop 535Q
DMC Ground Control Pro

The rig (along with our other guitarist's rig) is controlled by the band's laptop, although we still have control over them with the boards, if the mood strikes us. I started doing this due to the amount of singing I've taken on recently.

 

[Melb_shredder]

Just my Kemper rack straight into the FoH system, and an EH 44 Magnum to get better on stage monitoring (if neccessary).
Sansamp PSA1 or BDDI -> PA for bass.

Tbh, sometimes i do miss the punch and sheer air pressure of my old tube rig, but the benefits (namely small size, less shit to carry around, and 100% consistent live sound) outweighs that by far.
If i had a more commercially successful band (& roadie 3 ) i'd probably switch back to real amps, but given the current situation i'm a happy camper.

I hear you about missing the 'punch'. That's why I haven't gone to fully foldback/ in ear based monitoring. I do vocals and guitar so for me feeling the punch helps me keep the rhythm nice and tight and have the right feel while I'm doing vocals too

Looking forward to trying the full IEM experience though

 

[ArsMemoria]

Former "touring" rig...I think the most my old band ever toured was from the western suburbs of Chicago up to Milwaukee.

Ibanez GAX75 and RG321
Morley Bad Horsie wah
Crate BV-60 head and cab.

The head and cab weren't too terrible considering I got them as a Christmas bonus from my boss one year. My dream rig is probably a Baron B120 head with maybe an ENGL V30 loaded cab. Someone on here has a Baron and I'm jealous as hell. lol

 

[Macke/Crystal Light]

My "touring rig", well not exactly touring...but whenever I play live consist of Bugera 333 XXL with a POD HD 500 in the loop for effects. I mostly use whatever 4x12 cab they have at the venue

 

[bryan_kilco]

I mostly use whatever 4x12 cab they have at the venue

One of those guys, huh?

We end up providing gear more often than not. Normally I don't have an issue with it, but when we travel 2 hours to play a show, get thrown on first, then have to wait all night to get our drum kit back before we can make the tired trek home, etc....that sucks. Also had a bass cab get destroyed somehow on us recently. I can understand if the venue is providing part of a backline, but if you're in a band who gigs consistently, you should be bringing all of your own gear, all the time.

 

[Clockwork]

One of those guys, huh?

We end up providing gear more often than not. Normally I don't have an issue with it, but when we travel 2 hours to play a show, get thrown on first, then have to wait all night to get our drum kit back before we can make the tired trek home, etc....that sucks. Also had a bass cab get destroyed somehow on us recently. I can understand if the venue is providing part of a backline, but if you're in a band who gigs consistently, you should be bringing all of your own gear, all the time.

Man I hate when people would ask to use my gear. Unless they blew a tube or something during soundcheck it's annoying to be the touring/out of town band and have locals be too lazy to bring stuff.

Plus they move all the knobs man.

 

[Mago]

If I'd be doing touring, I'd go IE + Kemper in a heartbeat.

If you're talking about club tours, most of the time cranking the amp to a level where I consider I feel the punch isn't a valuable option anyway, if you don't want to fuck up the PA tone and having to blast the monitors to 11. Makes it easier for your FOH guy to work haha

If IE+kemper wasn't an option, and I'd always have to take a cab with me because I couldn't just put a Mesa OS on the rider lol, then it would be 6505+ & Harley Benton 2x12 (V30).
For real.
That cab sounds far too good for the price, is easy to place if the monitoring sucks and easy enough to haul around.
Fuck those Marshall 1960 leads every venue has haha (for the kind of metal tone I dig, anyway).

The Kemper + Magnum .44 solution would depend on how good the thing works, I've read that it overheats pretty quick?

 

[Skadsson]

I've thought of switching to a Randall RG13 and a little poweramp like the .44 magnum or the new one ISP is putting out. the RG13 apparently has a pretty decent speaker sim, which I would route to a little IEM rig - thus, only having to carry my pedalboard around and nothing else. Well, except guitars of course. Amps/cabs do get tedious after a while.

or just kemper/axe, poweramp, iem, midi controller.