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What's the Best rig you've played through?
- Thread starter joelns
- Start date
ADA MB-1 Preamp
Crest Audio Power Amp (FA 2401)
2 custom built EVM12L 4x12 cabs. (Steve Harris clones)
Crest Audio Power Amp (FA 2401)
2 custom built EVM12L 4x12 cabs. (Steve Harris clones)
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DI to a nice PA with good mons on a festival stage
I get to plug in and play through it almost every Sunday. No IEM's for me...
Back in the day i would have 2 cabs on each side.
For small I prefer my B-15N fliptop over anything else.
For large I liked my dearly departed old Acoustic 360/361 stack best of all.
I guess I prefer that vintage sound.
I played through a B-18 in a Guitar Center. Playing a Precision with the tone rolled off was "that Motown sound" in spades. I started playing "My Girl" automatically.
I've always been an Eden World Tour fan, but currently using a vintage A.M.P. BH420 head through my Epifani UL410. Awesomme sounding head that can get pretty close to the Eden, but with a flavor of it's own.
The best studio rig i ever played through was an Ampeg B15.
I saw Jack Cassady play that very rig + a volume pedal, up close. Great sound! I expect the volume was barely cracked open.
For backlines? Ampeg SVT and 810, driven like the rental it was. My own? Pretty darn happy with the TT-800 and Aquilar SL410X
+1 for my Mesa TT800 and subway 115 cab
I really want a warwick hellborg though.. Seemingly the only available right now is an entire rig for 6500 from a member here, who right fully doesn't want to separate it.... If anyone has a lead on a pre amp or pre amp abd 500 watt power head lemme know!
I really want a warwick hellborg though.. Seemingly the only available right now is an entire rig for 6500 from a member here, who right fully doesn't want to separate it.... If anyone has a lead on a pre amp or pre amp abd 500 watt power head lemme know!
1970s vintage SVT through a Bergantino NV610.
Runner up. Aggie DB750 through the NV610.
No longer have them, but those are my standards that I judge all else by.
Runner up. Aggie DB750 through the NV610.
No longer have them, but those are my standards that I judge all else by.
Back in the early 80's I ran an early 70's SVT into a coffin cab (with dolly). My favorite tones happened when I got to crank it up to the point where the power tubes clipped. Of course it also helped when I was using fresh new Rotosounds. 
Problem was, I didn't often get to crank it that loud. These days I prefer solid state rigs with tube emulation that allows me to get my desired overdrive level at any volume. It's a bit of a tone compromise, but the added advantage is greatly reduced bulk and weight.
I won't name any specifics, because I have a lot of devices I love: Darkglass, Tech 21, and many more.
Problem was, I didn't often get to crank it that loud. These days I prefer solid state rigs with tube emulation that allows me to get my desired overdrive level at any volume. It's a bit of a tone compromise, but the added advantage is greatly reduced bulk and weight.
I won't name any specifics, because I have a lot of devices I love: Darkglass, Tech 21, and many more.
When I was about 17 my band played a local festival with supplied backline. Bass amp was a Ampeg SVT with (2) 8x10 cabinets. It ruined me for life !! Probably the best tone I ever achieved was playing low volume through (2) Fender Twin Reverb amps for a recording - amazing !
I've played through quite a few nice rigs. The best one is a complete mystery to me what it was. I was in a band that played before Dr. Hook & the Medicine Show at a small college in my home town. We were on a big stage in the middle of a football field & I played through their bass player's rig. I think the head was an Ampeg, but I couldn't tell you what / which. I don't know about the speaker cabinets because they were behind screens across the back line. All I know for sure is that my Electra Jazz copy bass sounded huge through that rig. I was a lot younger then and wouldn't have known a 1962 Jazz from a Hofner violin body bass, but I do know that I had the power to shake the stadium bleachers, because I did it a couple times during sound check. Dr. Hook's road manager was such a character. A fast talking BS dealer telling about everything they had and how much they had invested. The monitor system was mixed through a 12 channel board and the monitor speakers were virtually everywhere all being driven by six Crown power amps. My guess is there were 12 monitor speakers on stage, maybe more. The road manager said they had $50k in just the monitor system. I wish I knew what I was playing through at the time, but I was more interested nailing all the parts in our few original songs. I always thought it must have been something top notch, since everything else they had seemed to me. Even their light racks were raised on each side of the stage on telescoping cylinders with air pressure and went up about 15 - 20 feet. Impressive at the time.
Years ago in London Kentucky there was a cabinet company/ music store called Stage Hand. They've been out of business for years.
Around 1988 I bought a set of wedge monitors from them. I liked them so well I had them build a pair of 4X12's with 2X6 horns near as I recall the drivers were BW. Powered it with a GK800RB. At the time I was playing a G&L L 2000 and a pearl white Washburn, don't recall what model it was. Was an awesome rig. Used it until I lost all my gear in a house fire in 94.
Around 1988 I bought a set of wedge monitors from them. I liked them so well I had them build a pair of 4X12's with 2X6 horns near as I recall the drivers were BW. Powered it with a GK800RB. At the time I was playing a G&L L 2000 and a pearl white Washburn, don't recall what model it was. Was an awesome rig. Used it until I lost all my gear in a house fire in 94.
SVT-CL and 810e as a backline a few times. I've played a lot of other good stuff, but that rig is the sound in my head.
Gallien Krueger Fusion 550 + Sansamp hooked into a GK 212 Neo cabinet. Perfect in every live situation large or small. Tiny tweek adjustments for each room or Outside it just sounds great.
More than a few over the years but two that stood out, from back in the day(s):
Someone help me (don't remember the model numbers for this), the Acoustic cabinet with two front mounted 15's and the two more mounted internally as a manifold with that slot port in the middle and the big head . . . .
My first component rig with and IVP preamp atop a CS800 power amp with two JBL Cabaret 15 cabinets, one for each side of the CS.
I remember these because at the time they seemed almost supernatural: You turned them up, and they just kept getting louder . . . . without breaking up early. A revelation, and my first happy experience with 2 Much Amp, a problem I'd never had before. Big Amp turned up to 3, what a concept ! I no longer had to fear a guitar player drowning me out, I could now . . . . . . return fire.
Someone help me (don't remember the model numbers for this), the Acoustic cabinet with two front mounted 15's and the two more mounted internally as a manifold with that slot port in the middle and the big head . . . .
My first component rig with and IVP preamp atop a CS800 power amp with two JBL Cabaret 15 cabinets, one for each side of the CS.
I remember these because at the time they seemed almost supernatural: You turned them up, and they just kept getting louder . . . . without breaking up early. A revelation, and my first happy experience with 2 Much Amp, a problem I'd never had before. Big Amp turned up to 3, what a concept ! I no longer had to fear a guitar player drowning me out, I could now . . . . . . return fire.
