HELP: MY RACK IS A FLUSTERCUCK!

[MesaGod666]

I need some serious help cleaning up my rack. It is a flustercuck. I'm going to be adding a G-Force, Bogner Preamp, Randall Preamp, JMP-1, and another 2:Ninety. Before I do that, please help me control my flustercuck of a rack. Any suggestions?

 

[ando]

Ever heard of short patch cables?!!

 

[kiff]

I'm going to be adding a G-Force, Bogner Preamp, Randall Preamp, JMP-1, and another 2:Ninety.... Any suggestions?

Don't ever let it fall on you? :lol: jeez man, nice rack. good luck!

 

[desertdweller]

How about the Triaxis, 2:90, G Force, and your power strip. That's what I use and it's all I need. If you think it's congested now, what the hell is going to happen when you load it with all that unnecessary nonsense? Also, when playing live, who's moving that 1000 space rack up onto the stage or out of the band's trailer?

I've played in a lot of bands, and it seems the best guitarists seem to have simpler rack systems or amps and let their playing shine through. Most guys that have refrigerators full of rack gear generally have tone that sounds like open ***.

I saw this guy about 6 months ago open for our band. His guitar rig was ridiculous. a 20 space rack filled will all kinds of nonsense plus two amp heads. I talked with him and complimented him on his badass collection of gear, told him I couldn't wait to hear it. Then when he played it by himself, he had his dual rectifier running through so many EQs and effects (including a Lexicon MPXG2 and a line 6 something or other) it sounded dull and nasal. No mids, no body, no definition. When his band played, you couldn't hear him because he got lost in the mix.

Just something to think about. Why are you building such an insane rack? do you have a legitimate purpose for it or are you simply hoarding gear? That's all. Whatever makes you happy, man.

 

[ando]

How about the Triaxis, 2:90, G Force, and your power strip. That's what I use and it's all I need. If you think it's congested now, what the hell is going to happen when you load it with all that unnecessary nonsense? Also, when playing live, who's moving that 1000 space rack up onto the stage or out of the band's trailer?

I tend to think the same way - I want a preamp, a effects unit and a power amp. That's it. I have a separate power conditioner which sits on the floor (the type that computers use). It's light and easy to use. At the moment I'm using a G Major II, which sounds pretty good but I might get a more expensive effects unit at some stage. To me, the whole point of a rack is the ideal pairing of components, but I still want it to be simple and I don't want 100 leads coming out of the back of the thing. The real tone is in the playing - if I can't sound good with the quality of gear I have, I don't want more of it. I now have two complete "mini-racks", one with the Marshall pre and power amps, plus a digitech effects unit, the other is Mesa plus G major. I use the one most appropriate to the occasion. Best of all, I can fit my rig into my car!

 

[MesaGod666]

How about the Triaxis, 2:90, G Force, and your power strip. That's what I use and it's all I need. If you think it's congested now, what the hell is going to happen when you load it with all that unnecessary nonsense? Also, when playing live, who's moving that 1000 space rack up onto the stage or out of the band's trailer?

Right on. Um...yeah...that unnecessary nonsense makes a ton of sense when I need more than just one sound for clients that desire more than a classic boogie tone. I learned real quick that, even though my big rig looks awesome on stage, it is a pain in the *** to haul and set up with only 2 roadies. When the day comes to do arena tours with a team 4 directly assigned to set up my rig, then I'll think about bringing this rack along. For general club and small venue (5k or less capacity), I'm a big believer that less is more regarding live tones because everything get's mic'ed anyway.

For live stuff I found that my Mark V + my effects/wireless rack + 1 iso cab is sufficient. Its small, sounds fantastic, and it's pretty hard to f**k up when all you have to do is roll it on stage, take the doors off, hook up the cab, plug it in, turn it on, and Boogie. It has nice castors so it's really easy to haul. That one is a cakewalk and it's clean (relatively speaking). Set-up and tear down is less than 60 seconds. It's was great when were on those "come watch 18 bands in 4 hours" type gigs.

I also have another rig that is purely Power Conditioner, Wireless, Triaxis, Tuner, 2:Ninety into 2x12 cab. That's great for practice and for those gigs where the stage is as big as a card table or for home party gigs.

Ever heard of short patch cables?!!

Ever heard of a ritual killing?!!

I've played in a lot of bands, and it seems the best guitarists seem to have simpler rack systems or amps and let their playing shine through. Most guys that have refrigerators full of rack gear generally have tone that sounds like open ***.

I've been playing semi-professionally for the past 10 years and I agree with you for the most part...except everything sounds awesome when it comes to my rack (NO HUM, NO CRACKLE, VERY DEFINITIVE AND ARTICULATE TONE). I was planning on playing in a Cover Band that covered anything from GnR, Kylesa, Alice in Chains, Dream Theater, etc. My signal path for any one configuration was basically:

Guitar>GCX (on/off NS2, TS808, CHORUS, WAH)>TRIAXIS (EQ in FX loop on/off)>2:Ninety (all modes switched via GCX)>Cabs

I saw this guy about 6 months ago open for our band...20 space rack...he had his dual rectifier running through so many EQs and effects (including a Lexicon MPXG2 and a line 6 something or other) it sounded dull and nasal. No mids, no body, no definition. When his band played, you couldn't hear him because he got lost in the mix.

Yeah...Dual Rectifier with EQs and effects in the loop. That's not going to be a surprise to anyone who has spent considerable time with those amps. It took me 6 months to find the "proper Recto tone." I have posted about this topic exhaustively in the Recto forums. Personally, think those amps sound like **** no matter how you cut it unless you EQ it properly...and even then it's only bearable to listen to. They sound great for studio recordings if you know what you're doing, but that's about it. As soon as I took it out to do gigs for my A Brutal Confession project, I knew that Rectos weren't for me. Sounded too generic for my taste. I never was lost in the mix but I felt the generic tone did the music a bit of an injustice...but that's just my 2 cents on that topic.

Why are you building such an insane rack?

Because I can. Someone has to help keep non-generic Rock 'n Roll alive in Minneapolis.

 

[ando]

Ever heard of a ritual killing?!!

I don't like your attitude. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you run into troubles with people everywhere you go? Grow up man, lose the attitude.

 

[elvis]

Feel free to send me a Triaxis. That will help thin out your rack a bit.

Looking at the pics, it's set up fine. I think custom cables so that everything is just the right length will help a LOT. Also, your power distribution is a bit messy. Ditch the outlet strip and get a second rackmount conditioner, and split power between top & bottom. That will keep the power cables out of the way. If you REALLY want clean, cut the power cables to length as well. They're all designed to reach the wall outlet, which is unnecessary here.

Another way to go would be a patch bay. You can run everything to it, and patch on the fly depending on what sound your customers want. It might help to thin out the amount of gear, since you wouldn't have to dedicate FX loops in any particular way, for example.

 

[MesaGod666]

Ever heard of a ritual killing?!!

I don't like your attitude. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you run into troubles with people everywhere you go? Grow up man, lose the attitude.

The only people that take issue with my attitude are tyrants and self-righteous bastards. Then again, I guess there is no such thing as a universal sense of humor (check out the John Hughes classic Uncle Buck), because I thought you were joking when you recommended that I use patch cables. So, allow me to rephrase and explain my seemingly harsh response to your seemingly serious recommendation.

As you can see on the left, I am using gold wired, double insulated, monster brand patch cables from the Triaxis preamps to the GCX and from the GCX to the poweramp.

I also created custom made patch cables for my stompboxes using GE Flat 1/4" phone jacks and standard 1" patch cables. I could probably get shorter cables, but that isn't going to solve my wiring issues entirely.

What I am looking for are products, tools that I can fabricate, and/or techniques that will help me clean this up making it easier to switch in/out components without having to break down half of the rig. A simple "use patch cables" recommendation alone doesn't solve the problem.

In fact this...

Feel free to send me a Triaxis. That will help thin out your rack a bit.

Looking at the pics, it's set up fine. I think custom cables so that everything is just the right length will help a LOT. Also, your power distribution is a bit messy. Ditch the outlet strip and get a second rackmount conditioner, and split power between top & bottom. That will keep the power cables out of the way. If you REALLY want clean, cut the power cables to length as well. They're all designed to reach the wall outlet, which is unnecessary here.

Another way to go would be a patch bay. You can run everything to it, and patch on the fly depending on what sound your customers want. It might help to thin out the amount of gear, since you wouldn't have to dedicate FX loops in any particular way, for example.

is a world more helpful. Thanks Elvis.

There really should be a step-by-step "How to" for these things.

 

[ando]

Ever heard of a ritual killing?!!

I don't like your attitude. I'm going to go out on a limb and guess that you run into troubles with people everywhere you go? Grow up man, lose the attitude.

The only people that take issue with my attitude are tyrants and self-righteous bastards. Then again, I guess there is no such thing as a universal sense of humor (check out the John Hughes classic Uncle Buck), because I thought you were joking when you recommended that I use patch cables. So, allow me to rephrase and explain my seemingly harsh response to your seemingly serious recommendation.

Yes, I was joking, whilst at the same time intending it as a suggestion. What I didn't care for was your "buck each way" attempt at humor - you make an aggressive response with no real humor, but make it sufficiently vague to claim you meant it jokingly later on when you are called on it. It's on lot's of your posts dude, you have a hair-trigger temper. It's not that everyone is a tyrant or a self-righteous ******* - it's just that you rub people up the wrong way and when you do, you decide it's because there's something wrong with them and that it couldn't possibly be anything to do with your own actions. You appear to already have the answers to your own questions. I'm not really sure why you bother with this board. You can think of me however you like but I'm not the one going around having to categorize people who take issue with me as tyrants or self-righteous bastards.

For what it's worth, patch cables (prefab and self made) can be any length and totally customizable to your purpose and it makes a big difference to how you feel about your rig because everything has a visible signal chain when looking at the back of your rig. I think you need to make some firm decisions on what you want in this rack before going the custom cabling route. The main problem seems to be that you have set up a rig for total versatility but it comes at the cost of practicality. I would suggest an honest audit of what you really need in one rig and try to simplify it as much as possible. Or you can do what I did and divide your gear into two smaller rigs and have them purpose oriented. It's saved me a lot of headaches when gigging because my setup is less cluttered and when the inevitable gremlin creeps into the system, you can trace it a lot faster and be up and playing again fairly quickly. You could even swap your 2:90 in and out of your two rigs if you don't want to buy two - although looking at your rig, I doubt that money is a big concern for you!

 

[MesaGod666]

Ooook ando. The rig is set up for studio purposes only. Not for gigging. I'm just looking for a way to clean it up.

Thanks for your input.

 

[Thrashman]

Do you seriously need to ask for help on how to clean it up?
:lol: :lol: :lol:


Cut all the audio/signal cables to exact length so they are no longer than needed, and use angled plugs, to minimize use of space. Do the same thing on all power cables, cut them to exact length.



**** that was hard!

 

[glennfin]

Why two Triaxis's ??.. Yes I know they're amazing (I have one) but two? maybe one is a backup?...

I have a large rack also, (studio only!) I don't think there's anyway to make the back of the rack look neat. :mrgreen: I'll post some photos later...

Just one disagreement......

Holdsworth is God....

 

[fdesalvo]

Is that an EWI Tourcase/Rack?

 

[Turumbar82]

You would actually be surprised how neat things will look if you have cables that are the proper length. It makes it less of a jungle back there! lol

Now you did say that this is your studio only rig then why are you having to switch in and out different components often? What other components are you switching in and out?

 

[MesaGod666]

You would actually be surprised how neat things will look if you have cables that are the proper length. It makes it less of a jungle back there! lol

Now you did say that this is your studio only rig then why are you having to switch in and out different components often? What other components are you switching in and out?

For now it's my studio rack. I would love to take it out and tour with it, but it's just too much of a pain in the *** to haul around. I am working quite diligently to shorten the cables a bit. I am also swapping out the power conditioner for a 16 component power regulator. I plan on adding an Engl E580, Rocktron Prophesy II, dBX Compressor, Marshall JMP-1, Marshall 100 Mono Bloc, Rack Wah, G-Force, 2nd GCX, additional cooling fans, and amp jacks to the back of the rig. All the while streamlining it and cleaning it up as best as I can (which is coming along nicely).

Is that an EWI Tourcase/Rack?

Nope. Rockhard Cases all the way. Mark is the man. He has been building me cases for a decade and nothing comes close to his workmanship. One of my rigs fell out of the trailer with my Mark IV head and Triple Recto and rolled across the freeway and into the ditch. It was beat to hell but my equipment was undamaged. There are tons of those stories on his website as well. He is currently customizing a separate rig for both of my Mark V heads with a full rack rig set up. That one is going to be way cleaner because he is adding Edison plugs, amp and effects jacks throughout the rig for about $1,200. I highly recommend him.

Why two Triaxis's ??.. Yes I know they're amazing (I have one) but two? maybe one is a backup?...

I have a large rack also, (studio only!) I don't think there's anyway to make the back of the rack look neat.

I have different stomp box effects assigned to each preamp. I'm in the process of getting a G-Force and will probably take one Triaxis out and buy another 2:Ninety for a separate more compact rig.

 

[Minoin]

For now it's my studio rack. I would love to take it out and tour with it, but it's just too much of a pain in the *** to haul around. I am working quite diligently to shorten the cables a bit. I am also swapping out the power conditioner for a 16 component power regulator. I plan on adding an Engl E580, Rocktron Prophesy II, dBX Compressor, Marshall JMP-1, Marshall 100 Mono Bloc, Rack Wah, G-Force, 2nd GCX, additional cooling fans, and amp jacks to the back of the rig. All the while streamlining it and cleaning it up as best as I can (which is coming along nicely).

I think you have great set-up and it's not overdone. But having 4 different Pre-amps in one rack... I mean, I played all the pre-amps you propose and you have a very good taste, they all sound incredible (maybe the Prophesy isn't my cup of tea, but it's not bad at all). But putting them in 1 rack is insane. Seriously, you should consider getting two racks.
Cutting the cables on length is the way to go, but ONLY when you're done buying. Get a couple custom backplates, so you attach all the outgoing wires in your rack neatly.
Like this:

If you take yourself serious, and I think you do, you make sure the back is neat and easily replaceable/re traceable. Good luck man, and don't forget to post when you're done

Petrucci WTF!

 

[MesaGod666]

I think you have great set-up and it's not overdone. But having 4 different Pre-amps in one rack... I mean, I played all the pre-amps you propose and you have a very good taste, they all sound incredible (maybe the Prophesy isn't my cup of tea, but it's not bad at all). But putting them in 1 rack is insane. Seriously, you should consider getting two racks.
Cutting the cables on length is the way to go, but ONLY when you're done buying. Get a couple custom backplates, so you attach all the outgoing wires in your rack neatly.
Like this:

You sir get a gold star and beautiful rack BTW! :mrgreen:

For studio purposes, it has everything any guitarist could ever need. And I will definitely heed that advice for custom cutting the cables to length. I hope to be done buying by the end of this year (assuming the economic recovery goes as "planned"). As far as having two racks goes, I absolutely agree with you. I am actually planning on buying another 2:Ninety and throwing another Triaxis in a smaller separate rack along with a wireless, GFX, and Rack Wah.

If you take yourself serious, and I think you do, you make sure the back is neat and easily replaceable/re traceable. Good luck man, and don't forget to post when you're done

Making sure the cables are neat and easily traceable is the main concern with a rack as ambitious mine. I will definitely keep you guys posted.

Petrucci WTF!

Petrucci FTW!

 

[guitarman52]

VEL - CRO AND DOUBLE SIDED TAPE both work quite well in organizing a rack...
I also like those cable holders that have a sticky back to them for securing cables along the side, top and bottom of the rack...

 

[ryjan]

Step 1. Sell all pramps and fx.
Step 2. Purchase Axe FX.
Just kidding (maybe :wink: ) Looks like you have about 2 miles of quality cable. Just buy the 1/4" connectors and make your custom length cables. When your done I expect clips where you cycle through each of the amps.