Expectations/Experience with you/your band’s KEY gigging gear?

[Jeb]

How many times have you gigged key pieces of gear without a problem? Stuff like power amps, speakers/monitors/subs, powered speaker cabs, mixers, powered mixers, lighting equipment? Anything that makes or breaks you. Stuff that you expect to work when you power it all up.

What I’m looking for is what has gained your confidence and what has left you hanging based on regular use week in and week out. How many times have you loaded in/out stuff that works when you plug it in and are ready to go - with 10 minutes to spare before start time? I’m looking for feedback from gigging players.

Don’t be afraid to name names, pro or con.

Ready, set, go…

[choo5]

my old peavey fell off the back of a ute in the bush... it worked when I got it home (the ute is a weldback by the way... we hit a large hole and the amp literaly vaulted out of the back!, now thats quality!)

[Nagrom]

All my stuff, for the last 15 years, no problems anytime, except for my SWR studio 220, which starting squawking & died, got 'fixed' and still squawked, 'died' and got 'fixed', squawked & got retired as a dust holder.

[Jazzdogg]

I guess I've been lucky because I haven't had any problems with my PA gear.

Drummers, on the other hand, are a completely different story!

[Chad Michael]

Older US-made Mackie mixers, any amplifier from QSC, Shure SM57 / 58 mics.

[rockdoc11]

The one piece of gear that I used to have confidence in but will never again trust is my ten year old Mackie 1604 VLZ PRO mixer. At a recent gig the thing went haywire with distortion and other problems.

After an internet search, I learned that MANY of these mixers became plagued over time with problems with the internal connecting cables. Apparently computer cables were used, and corrosion problems often developed. (See the Mackie forum for tons of these reports.)

It's a shame because I had bought into the "bullet-proof" Mackie PR, and had even recommended them to friends (who have now also had problems).

My new Allen & Heath MixWizard3 arrives tomorrow. No more Mackie for me.

All the rest of my gear (Crown and Stewart power amps, Yamaha SM-IV mains and monitors) has performed flawlessly gig after gig for years now.

[MadMan118]

Originally Posted by choo5

my old peavey fell off the back of a ute in the bush... it worked when I got it home (the ute is a weldback by the way... we hit a large hole and the amp literaly vaulted out of the back!, now thats quality!)

Yeah I have a Tour 450 head that got knocked off the top of my stack and hit the cement floor, didn't phase it at all. Peaveys are built like tanks.

[jtrow]

I have PV power amps, Yamaha and JBL speakers, Shure mics, American DJ and Chauvet lights. The newest gear I have are 2 JBL subs, and they probably have around 100 gigs on them. Some of our oldest gear has at lesst 400 gigs, nothing has broke down yet except mic cables.

Buy quality gear and it should last a long time.

[Kenny Allyn]

Two years now on my Mark Bass LM II never a failure (but I carry two to every gig)

Basically we carry backup of almost everything ... except PA and monitor cabs (and I make them so I know they will work)

It always seems to be the little items that go, cables and such and we carry spares.

Yamaha EMX 5000 powered board ... Beheringer mini as backup (use a spare LM II to the mains) vocal only

Two bass speaker cabs ... (mine)

Two guitar cabs and heads (Dr. Z 1x12 combos)

Extra mics

Lights are all LED but we carry 4

Two basses ususally a Jazz with a P bass as backup.

Drummer carries spare heads and pedal parts.

Really a spare of some sort to almost everthing, too much to list!

... If it can break IT WILL ... seen it happen to other bands

[albertofrog]

Old (pre buyout) trace elliot or SWR gear has never let me down. Cant speak for the newer stuff though.

had enough problems with Behringer eurodesks to last me a lifetime...