# pairing down live rig because I'm lazy



## buriedoutback (Jul 13, 2018)

lazy and rushed in a live situation

So recently I've started removing pedals from my live/jam rig because 
1. I'm lazy/always rushed live
2. paranoid of equipment failures (due to having 1 at the Faceless show I recently played)

Elaborate!

previous rig setup: 
guitar > tuner > behringer mh300 (chainsaw tone) > gate > amp
loop > eq pedal

1. I decided that the eq (while making everything sound better) wasn't worth the time/effort/cabling/power supply to bring and setup. extra wires/cables and something else to go wrong. Yes its 1 pedal and 3 wires... but honestly it's given me a sense of relief to not have to set it up every time we play.
I bought a clip on tuner for a backup (the latch on my planet waves tuner broke so it won't close - but still works) and i'm thinking i might just use that and simplify my chain even more ... 
guitar > gate > 5150

2. my hm300 pedal started cutting in and out during our last live set to the effect of: chainsaw-broken lofi-chainsaw-broken lofi. it happened again at band practice last week so i removed it from my chain.
Yes i could probably have spent more money on higher-end gear - alas I did not.

So, currently I'm guitar > tuner > gate > amp ... and it actually sounds 'fine' ... i have a couple tube screamer-type pedals to swap in for the hm300 but ... it sounds good enough. and i think that no one else but me is actually going to notice....

TLDR: to the possible detriment of your tone (that probably only you would notice) are others pairing down their rigs for quicker setup / laziness / equipment-failure-paranoia?


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## buriedoutback (Jul 13, 2018)

I should also add that i have to setup/tear down our backing track and IEM equipment every time we jam and play live, so saving time is important to me.


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## budda (Jul 13, 2018)

I went from a traditional pedalboard to an fx8. I dont look as cool as everyone else but i also dont worry about my rig.


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## odibrom (Jul 13, 2018)

I rarely take my stuff to practice besides one guitar... it's a rental studio by the hour, so I'll use whatever there is as amplifier and cab...


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## buriedoutback (Jul 13, 2018)

odibrom said:


> I rarely take my stuff to practice besides one guitar... it's a rental studio by the hour, so I'll use whatever there is as amplifier and cab...


we rent our jam space by the month and share with between 3-5 other bands. I don't know or trust the other people. we get to leave our gear there, but its all packed up and secured - hence me having to setup/tear down every time.


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## buriedoutback (Jul 13, 2018)

budda said:


> I went from a traditional pedalboard to an fx8. I dont look as cool as everyone else but i also dont worry about my rig.


apologies if you've gone over this in other threads ... how do you feel about your tone after the switch? better/worse?
obviously very convenient having an all-in-one with the fx8.


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## budda (Jul 13, 2018)

buriedoutback said:


> apologies if you've gone over this in other threads ... how do you feel about your tone after the switch? better/worse?
> obviously very convenient having an all-in-one with the fx8.



Im happy to answer questions! I feel my tone is the same. The fx8 has deeper editing than any of the pedals it replaced, but I only really mess with parameters I understand. I read the manual before it arrived, so I had a rough idea of how to set it up. I had it giggable pretty quick and I've been refining things since. The forum and fb group are helpful as well. My first gig with the unit was the start of a 22 day tour haha. I knew soundwise that I wasnt going to lose anything.


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## buriedoutback (Jul 13, 2018)

budda said:


> Im happy to answer questions! I feel my tone is the same. The fx8 has deeper editing than any of the pedals it replaced, but I only really mess with parameters I understand. I read the manual before it arrived, so I had a rough idea of how to set it up. I had it giggable pretty quick and I've been refining things since. The forum and fb group are helpful as well. My first gig with the unit was the start of a 22 day tour haha. I knew soundwise that I wasnt going to lose anything.


That's awesome. 'set up good enough then refine on the road' -- i like.
I think I would get lost in all the deep editing. 
I have a line 6 hd500 that I quickly tried to use in front of the amp; TS > gate > 5150 but I couldn't get the result i was looking for. I might try it again when I have more time to screw around with it.


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## budda (Jul 13, 2018)

I also couldnt get the pod HD sounding anywhere near right when I had one. Not sure what i did wrong haha. 

I dont really sweat the deep editing. I avoid YY tutorials usually but i'd watch one on for that haha.


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## TheArsonistsDaughter (Jul 27, 2018)

I've really stripped down and economized my rig over the years for many of these reasons...I went from a Head+rack with processor and pedal switcher + pedalboard w/ midi controller and volume pedal to a 4 space rack with a Power conditioner + Axe FX 2 +Matrix GT800 power amp + pedalboard w/ midi controller and volume pedal + pedalboard w/expression pedals and sampler footswitch. I can cover the same ground I did with my big rig...actually more...but it's just a rack and cab and pedalboards. Somehow just not having to deal with a big bulky head and it's case has made things waaaaaaay simpler. And I'm a total nerd about color coding cables, looming and organizing things, and just keeping things really neat and clean with the rig so it's easy to setup/tear down. I'm also a total nerd about not needing power at the front of the stage...I only use a passive volume pedal and power my controller via phantom power. So basically, I just have to plug in my rack, plug a few cables into it (all loomed and color coded of course...lol), hook up the cab, grab my guitar, and go. We trigger samples via a Digitech Jamman solo, and I built a little 6" x 8" pedalboard for it and it's DI box that stores in the back lid of my rack. So even though we have a lot going on, I've got it down to a science that makes it super simple...I also set it up and tear it down every week for practice, which helps you get good at it as well. The only thing I don't have to lug with me is a cab as we have two at the drummer's house.

We played our first show in 5 years last weekend...and my first show with this particular version of my rig, and I got a ton of compliments on my sound. I've been super happy with it, but it was nice for other players to be excited about it as well.

So my theory is: cases, color coding, wire wraps and ties!


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## Turgon (Jul 31, 2018)

I stripped down from Head, Rack, Pedalboard to Axe-FX 2 + Poweramp + MFC. I then discovered, that I still needed some pedals, so I upgraded some Pedals and just recently downgraded again.

Current setup:
Amp: Axe-FX2 + Poweramp

Pedalboad:
Wireless Unit -> Tuner -> Digitech the Drop -> Wah -> Amp 
+ Morningstar MC6

I got rid of the MFC, because the Morningstar could do even more with way less space. I just dropped the HM300, because I tweaked my Axe until I could achieve the Chainsaw within the presets. Way more comfy to switch to clean sounds. I actually could replace the tuner with the MC6 and the Drop, but I like to have the tuner always on and I use the Drop for half the set and the Pitch-Block isn't that accurate.


If you are need for the chainsaw I actually recommend the TC Electronic Eyemaster. It has just 2 knobs (Dist and Level), but it sounds like an HM-2 with max'ed High and Low. It's price is also very reasonable. Just don't watch the official YouTube Review. They have no idea what they are doing


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## Atte (Aug 23, 2018)

I switched my 4x12 cab, Peavey 6505+, head and a pedalboard into an AX8 and a small wedge. My life and sound quality improved 120 %. I just have a G30 wireless receiver velcroed on the side of the AX8.


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## buriedoutback (Aug 23, 2018)

Well, my tuner pedal started shorting out my signal recently. I now think that it may have been the culprit all along, and not my behringer hm300... so out goes the tuner. I'll try to get along using a snark or daddario clip on tuner and see how it goes. I also recently re-joined my old black metal band Empyrean Plague (using my ltd explorer with emgs) and realize I like the tone better without my tube screamer pedal. So, for Empyrean Plague I just have an ISP noise gate (although the emgs don't feed back much at all) and for Buried out Back I use my HM300 > ISP and that's it.


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## Drew (Aug 23, 2018)

I run a bone-simple rig, and have never WANTED something more complex. 

guitar => Mark-V head => tc electronics Flashbackk X4 in the loop => Mesa Recto 4x12 cab. 

I don't feel like I'm sacrificing anything by not having a fleet of pedals out front.


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 27, 2018)

To the question - yes. I have just downsized for most of the same reasons as you. Can't beat convenience and saving your back but in my case this is going from a half stack tube amp to a pedalboard rig.

In your case it seems like you are using an amp and just eliminating a pedal or two? If so then why not just leave them all connected to a pedal board? Have a power supply underneath and it would literally be no difference for you at all. Unless I am just reading this wrong.


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## buriedoutback (Aug 29, 2018)

Jacksonluvr636 said:


> In your case it seems like you are using an amp and just eliminating a pedal or two? If so then why not just leave them all connected to a pedal board? Have a power supply underneath and it would literally be no difference for you at all. Unless I am just reading this wrong.


I eliminated the eq from the effects loop, which needed power and 2 short patch cords. It sat on top of the amp in my situation. Incidentally, I opened, checked, closed and tightened all the jacks on my daddario tuner and it ran 100% tonight at practice. So at this point I'm guitar > tuner > hm300 > gate > 5150 for Death Metal and guitar > tuner > gate > 5150 for Black Metal. I think that will probably be as trim as I can make my setup. \m/\m/


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## Jacksonluvr636 (Aug 29, 2018)

Imo if thats the only thing youve eliminated thats not much. If your amp sounds better with the EQ but a couple 20 ft cables and add it to your board.


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## Gmork (Sep 2, 2018)

buriedoutback said:


> I eliminated the eq from the effects loop, which needed power and 2 short patch cords. It sat on top of the amp in my situation. Incidentally, I opened, checked, closed and tightened all the jacks on my daddario tuner and it ran 100% tonight at practice. So at this point I'm guitar > tuner > hm300 > gate > 5150 for Death Metal and guitar > tuner > gate > 5150 for Black Metal. I think that will probably be as trim as I can make my setup. \m/\m/


Just get a pedalboard, buy some decent short pedal patch cords, some zip ties to secure all the cords down, and a powersupply to mount underneath.

Then youll just have to plug in the powersupply. A patch cord to your guitar and a patch cord from pedalboard to amp. 

3 things. And your pedals and cords wont get banged around/moved every single time you set it up.


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## buriedoutback (Sep 2, 2018)

Gmork said:


> Just get a pedalboard, buy some decent short pedal patch cords, some zip ties to secure all the cords down, and a powersupply to mount underneath.
> Then youll just have to plug in the powersupply. A patch cord to your guitar and a patch cord from pedalboard to amp.
> 3 things. And your pedals and cords wont get banged around/moved every single time you set it up.



That's pretty much what I am already doing. https://i.imgur.com/OnQlvQS.jpg

The eq I eliminated used to sit on my amp with short cords to the fx loop. I didn't want to run 2 more 20ft cables and have the eq on my board. I tried to eliminate my tuner pedal and replace it with a clip on tuner, but the pedal works better for me.


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## DudeManBrother (Sep 3, 2018)

I use a simple little board with tuner>gate>OD>EQ(loop) and just keep it on top of whatever amp I bring. In most cases I just turn on the gate, but some amps I have my favorite settings that involve the EQ as well. I don’t switch on/off anything during a show so I can keep all the cable runs short. 

Otherwise, and usually, I have my Kemper and a cab. No pedals whatsoever. I just browse through a few of my profiles to hear which is best for a particular room and stick with it.


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## Alex79 (Sep 12, 2018)

Last band I played live with, my live rig was:
Guitar - floor tuner (also to mute the signal) - Wah pedal with boost function - 5150.
I managed without a noise gate because I didn't have the gain super high, and I used the wah as a solo boost (coked wah sound ).


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## Alex79 (Sep 12, 2018)

Last band I played live with, my live rig was:
Guitar - floor tuner (also to mute the signal) - Wah pedal with boost function - 5150.
I managed without a noise gate because I didn't have the gain super high, and I used the wah as a solo boost (coked wah sound ).


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