I use a rack, but mostly for non rack gear. Just to save setup/breakdown time/tasks, and protect the gear a little better during transport.
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Do you use rack gear?
- Thread starter Fynn
- Start date
I put my rack (see my avatar) together about 11 years ago. At the time I was playing a fair amount of outdoor shows, concerts, and larger venues. Over the last 10 years the community and corporate events, as well as large venues for the most part have dried. These days 99% of the time we have PA support. Add it up and it is as obsolete as a rotary landline telephone.
But like the old Western Electric phones, which never broke down, never needed upgraded operating systems, and with unmatched clarity, if you want a rig with more flexibility, features, adaptability, tone for days, and sheer power, this is without a doubt the best integrated bass amplification system I’ve ever owned and or played through.
And for the record to compare, I’ve owned and used the following: Ampeg SVT, Hiwatt custom 100, Fender Bassman, Ampeg port-a-flex, Sunn 2000s, Acoustic 370, an Eden WT-800, an Eden WTB 300v and currently own and play the highly regarded Mesa WD-800. I’ve also spent a fair amount of time playing through a Genz Benz, SWR Workingman, and an Agie Tone Hammer.
The Eden WT-800 is very close due to the 3 band parametric EQ, but lacks the top end performance and a lot of the features of the WT-100 Navigator preamp. And Eden is out of business
The Mesa WD-800 is the best of the lot for current product offerings IMO. It’s a great little head light, packs a solid punch great tonal flexibility, really useful features like an USB power source and HPF to name a few, and will not cost you anywhere near the $3,000 the components of my rack retailed for 15 years ago.
Sported racks from 1996 to 2020. Flipped my last one (and probably "best one") during the lockdowns:
Others from years past...
Others from years past...
SVT 2 replaced by Quilter bass block. Dbx comp replaced by Keeley bassist pedal. Fridge replaced by Audiokinesis Hathor. My rack, stack, and I have seen some good times, but this new stuff is just lighter, louder, and sounds close enough to the real thing with a couple extra utility pedals. If diet oreos were this close to regular oreos....
I've been on and off with the rack gear approach. I really like the idea behind it, and it definitely streamlines setup and tear down. However, I'm always switching things up at each gig, and like to try out all of my gear. Having something setup in a rack sometimes feels confining to me, because it's kind of a hassle to rack and re-rack things.
My ideal rack setup (if I could settle on it for every gig) would be:
Aguilar DB680 (currently own)
Demeter H-Bass 1600D power amp (don't own)
Korg tuner (currently own)
Sennheiser IEM unit (currently own)
Power conditioner (currently own)
This would be one heavy beast of a rack, though.
My ideal rack setup (if I could settle on it for every gig) would be:
Aguilar DB680 (currently own)
Demeter H-Bass 1600D power amp (don't own)
Korg tuner (currently own)
Sennheiser IEM unit (currently own)
Power conditioner (currently own)
This would be one heavy beast of a rack, though.
I have a small and lightweight SKB shallow 3 space rack setup that I really like ... a Tech 21 RPM preamp, a GK MB500 amp, and a Rack Rider power conditioner. The RPM has a rear input as well as output which I plug into the effects send and return respectively of the MB500. This allows me to plug into the front input of the RPM and use it as a preamp driving the power section of the MB500, or plug into the input of the MB500 and use the RPM as an effect or plug into the input of the MB500 and use it standalone by pressing the bypass switch on the RPM. All of this can be done without rewiring anything.
used to, but not anymore. it was a glorious rig.
- sansamp rbi
- crown class D amp
- 2- Aguilar S-410 cabs.
- Furman power conditioner
I still have my rack, a SWR Grand Prix into a QSC 2402 with a power conditioner. I use it for rehearsal all the time.
Never really leaves the rehearsal space much, once in a while if I do a gig where I want to have max firepower, but most of my gigs like that are backlined, so I don't really need to bring it along if I don't want to, but it still sounds great!
Never really leaves the rehearsal space much, once in a while if I do a gig where I want to have max firepower, but most of my gigs like that are backlined, so I don't really need to bring it along if I don't want to, but it still sounds great!
The music I play in bands is not complex. I no longer need more than a few knobs to twist on a rack or my basses. I'm keeping it simple in my advancing years...and liking it. The folks I play with wouldn't appreciate the difference if I used rack gear with some special stuff in it.
Used to. And currently getting back into it.
I’ve noticed recently guitarists have been moving back into it as well with all the head rush and axe fx rack systems.
I’ve noticed recently guitarists have been moving back into it as well with all the head rush and axe fx rack systems.
I've had a few different rigs all in rackmount form. All were amazing but these days I just want quick and easy load in and outs. This was my last rackmount rig and the red cubes is what I use now. To my surprise the red cubes are loud and have been able to keep up with all my events.
CosmicRay
Supporting Member
Depends upon the venue. Outdoor festivals and indoor theaters, yes.
That was my longest-running live setup, with the BMax later being replaced with a SansAmp RPM. I've relatively recently switched to a GenzBenz ShuttleMax head (which I do have mounted in a smaller rack), although the QSC rack is still around our rehearsal space since one of my band's guitarists bought it off me for a side project.
Used to have a rack with a power strip, Sansamp RPM, and an older Behringer Europower amp that weighed a freakin ton. Never had any issues with volume using that rig....good grief.
It eventually lost out to a Carvin BX500, which eventually bit the dust and got replaced by GK gear from then on.
It eventually lost out to a Carvin BX500, which eventually bit the dust and got replaced by GK gear from then on.
I hesitated to put this in earlier but I also have an SM-400 which is technically a rackmount unit. But it’s basically just an amp without a carrying handle. And I just use it by itself whereas “rack” to me means more of a mix & match collection of gear. So I didn’t know if it really fit the subject of this thread. But here goes anyway.
I use it almost entirely for home practice and studio use. It records really well IMO.
I use it almost entirely for home practice and studio use. It records really well IMO.
Given that most of the gigs we play have a backline in place, my concern is to have as consistent a sounds as possible from one environment to the next. I've been able to do that, for the most part, with one simple (and seriously outdated) multi-effect pedal, the Zoom B3. I use it primarily for EQ and emulation so that my sound doesn't vary THAT much from what I expect it to be. I think I'd be overwhelmed with a rackmount and for what I do, it would probably be overkill, in my case.
