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Good tour rig

N

nojj

May 20, 2013
1,100
52
#1
Hiya Folks, first-time poster, long time holder of the Low End here.
Better grab a coffee and/or a beer, this one's lengthy....

I was fortunate enough to be picked up for an upcoming European tour
about mid-November, followed by a 5 month next year.

Told by the rep he needs a comprehensive gear list within 2 weeks.
(Guess it's cheaper to buy the back-line than ship it from the states)
Normally I'd say "Yeah man, gimme an SVT and a fridge" and call it a day.

But here's the kicker: After the long tour,
the backline is shipped back to the states, ours to keep.
What fool in their right mind would turn THAT down?
(OK, maybe a drummer....:D)
I have enough big heavy [DEL]crap[/DEL] gear here already.
Was wondering of any of that new Class D and neo stuff
will stand up under road use.

A couple caveats:

Rep said "get the best":hyper::hyper::hyper:

We'll be touring in a couple RVs, towing a trailer w/ the back-line.
(They have a crew)

I play 4 and 6 string, and like it loud.

No bass tech. (Guess the sound co is handling all that stuff)

My main rig is a BBE biamp pre w Crown pwr,
4x10 straight-wired Genz XB for the lows,
and a 4x10 Genz for mid/high.
But I have no probs with playing outta much of anything else.

If I get to keep this 'blank check' gear, don't want another hernia,
or blow out the shocks in my freakin' truck again...........


Any tips or suggestions from you venerable road dogs?
Try some of the new lightweight stuff?
Stay with the tried and true?
Something boutique with lots of endorsements?

I'll post a similar thread in the bass section,
as I don't get to take any of my babies, either.
 
#3
I'm no venerable road dog, but since i have a chance to throw in my opinion at the top of the thread, here it is... If I was touring full time and money was no object I would get an Aguilar db750/1 and 3 db112's or sl112's depending on what sounds best to you. You could always pick up a th500 when you get back to the states if you want class d portability.
 
#6
If you are touring that much and they are throwing cash around you have to get the most reliable rig money can buy regardless of cost. If it blows up its your job. Get two heads - svt or mesa and two 810s of equal brand.
New vintage stuff looks pretty cool too!
 
#11
what are your tone goals? ok, loud, we get. but what KIND of loud? big diff between hifi loud and gritty loud. also with the kind of bank at work here, can we assume plenty of FOH support at every show? isn't the backline really just monitoring and stage garnish? be sure to include IEM's. i don't know enough about what's going on in europe as far as brand distribution, compared to here in the states. so i have no suggestions, but i would think reputation and proven reliability to be paramount over "cool". maybe even two of a medium-high level amp instead of one really high end piece.
 
#13
Thanks for the comebacks, guys.

I've done a few ECoast tours back in the 80s,
country tours in the 90s and a lot of regionals.
I'm just a hometown boy,
mostly blues and classic tracks in local bands lately.
Full time though, for 40 years.
I don't know why the hell they picked me............

I'll ask about the FOH thing,
rep wasn't sure about the IEMs when I'd brought it up.
My singer got real scared when she heard about those
(She's used to busting my ears w/ JBL floors)

Like fat bottom and some tunable grit on the mids.
Don't usually scoop 'em & always turn off the tweeter.
Like a little upper-mid boost, depending on the instrument.

Wrote down all your suggestions.
Tanks again.
 
#14
I would say, stay flexible. Use 2 SVT 410HE Cabs and a good powerful head (SVT 4-Pro), and depending on the venue (bar), use either 1 or 2 cabs to cover your stage volume, or in some cases you might find that you need to depend on your own rig for all the bass. Thats when you would whip out the stack......
 
#16
There is much to consider and a lot of unknowns. Europe covers a lot of ground and they run at higher voltages over there. Are you touring with one soundco, or will they be one offs? Depends on the power distro status. If you are looking at gear you can bring home, look for something that is easily convertible from 230V to 115V. Narrow that down and then make your choices based on sound requirements.
 
#17
I wish i could find a gig like that here in pittsburgh. If the bill was being footed for me, 2 810's. One Ampeg svt rig, the other would be a fender bassman with cab. I'd see which one i liked better then i would keep one and sell the other when i got home.

Then i woulf buy a TH500 and a fearful 12/6
 
#18
CL400Peavey said:
How does any of those cabs meet the OP's criteria?
Click to expand...

Dude... you're giving this guy a hard time, but you recommended a cab that is custom built by a very few builders in America. The OP has to buy a rig IN EUROPE to use IN EUROPE. I don't think there are any GB builders over there. Your recommendation doesn't quite meet the OP's criteria either. TecAmp is at least on the right continent.


OP... Maybe think about rigs that are more available over on that other side of the pond. Ashdown makes some great gear and is based over there. TecAmp is supposed to be killer and has some cool micro heads with big power.
 

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