Budgeting for a touring rig

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SonicPulverizer

SonicPulverizer

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I'm under a budget of about 5000 bucks and I cant decide whether or not to skimp on the amp or the guitar side of things.
The only effects I use are reverb and delay so building a pedal board is a non-issue especially if the chosen amp had onboard reverb.
Playing contemporary rock music, nothing really high gain.

While pondering over this I started to get curious...

What would you fellow rigtalkers put together for a quality sounding live rig if you had to budget for 5000 (including any cases, cables, etc)?
 
I'd go with an Egnater or Randall MTS system...Before you dismiss it, Smashing Pumpkins is currently using MTS and modded modules...You can get a RM100 and three modded modules (that are ridiculously great) for 1700 and, paired with 412s w/Celestion V30s of your choice- it can be a dream rig...You'd be amazed at how great they sound...You can get Marshall, Fender, and Mesa in one amp...Or Vox, Framus, and Hi-Watt...You name it, MTS can deliver it...And, when a/b'd with the originals - are dead on in most cases...
1700 for amp - 1300 for Full Stack...Total 2900.
Then you have a great budget for a guitar...Any Les Paul (above studio model) with locking tuners and coil taps would be my choice....Elixer cables will keep things hi-fi....2900 + 100 in cables = 3000 + guitar 1300 = 4300

Road cases (especially with the RM100) are important and you wanna keep out at least 700 to get quality used cases...4300+700 = 5000
 
Depends on what you like for tone as far as what brand of amp, but for amps, cabs and cases try to go used.

My rig is bullet proof and because I shopped around, it didnt' break the bank. The one piece of gear I highly suggest is a Furman AR-1215 Voltage Regulator. I gives you a constant 120 V even if the power drops in the 90s or spikes up to 140 V. Its a must when playing on the road.

I use 3 boogies and my recent addition is my Voodoo V-Plex (Rock). 4 amps and 2 4x12 cabs.I run each amp into 2 of the 12s. I like to have at least 2 amps live, in case one goes down, you have a backup to get you through the show.

Mesa Boogies are great for reliability, and it you look at the right ones, they can be found fairly cheap. You can put a nice rig together without going broke if you shop around.

Mesa Stiletto -$800
Triple Recto -$1000
Lonestar - $1200
Voodoo V-Plex - $1500
1960A 4x12 - $400
1960B 4x12 - $350
Pedal board - SKB

Every thing is labeled, color coded, and all cables are harnessed. Makes it easy for anyone to set up your gear. Setup and teardown in minutes. This helps if your the opening act.
 
i'm pretty sure my touring rig was well under $5000:

engl savage 120 amp head - bought used for $1300
live-in shock mount road case for amp w/ 8-space rack - $550
korg rack tuner - bought used for $60
sennheiser wireless - bought used for $250
furman power conditioner - $120
2-space rack drawer - $50
isp decimator - $120
boss ns2 - $100
mesa 4x12 recto cab - bought used for $450
live-in shock mount road case for cab - $400
jackson dkmgt (main guitar) - bought used for $200
washburn idol 64 custom (backup guitar) - bought used for $350
back-up instrument cable, various speaker cables, strings, picks, tools - probably around $200 total

total: $4150

mind you, i specifically bought used to get the most for my money. i played very high-gain metal in this band, so all i really needed was a guitar with emg's. if you're hell bent on buying a new, quality rock guitar, you don't necessarily need a road case for the cab, nor do you need a wireless system (that cuts out about $650 from my total right there, leaving you plenty of room for a guitar better suited for your style).

one thing i learned while on the road - less is better. don't forget, if you don't have a road crew, it's you and your bandmates who are gonna be setting up, breaking down, loading, and unloading night after night (not to mention trying to cram all of it into a van/trailer), so try to limit yourself to one cab (which is really all you need), two guitars, maybe a small backpack for your pedals, and get and all-in-one roadcase for you amp head and rackmount devices (if you have any - otherwise, a lift-off road case for you head will do just fine).
 
How many channels do you need? If you are going on the road, you need something reliable but also, easy to repair if trouble strikes. I would probably get a single channel older marshall - again, it depends on your needs above but get a boutique head and you might be in trouble if it goes down at a show. Older marshalls are pretty tough and also easy to fix. I'd buy two used 2203s (have one as a spare) and a V30 loaded marshall cab. Guitar is going to depend on your preferences and style but I could easily gig with any $1k or less used guitar.

Pete
 
Put the money in the amp/rig. You don't want to tour around with a $3,000 guitar. Find a decent, guitar that stays in tune and you won't mind seeing it take a little bit of a beating.
 
Why do you need a new rig for touring? Why not use what you have now and use that $5k for tour expenses , or its a label advance , just tell them you dont need it
 
If your ok with buying used go that route save your self some coin.
 
I wouldn't get anything exotic, that you can't get a replacement for at the local GC or whatever.
 
1) use what you have (just get road cases for it)
2) keep it simple (if it breaks, can you find a replacement in most cities?)
3) are you just buying a rig to spend an advance? if so: don't do it
 
Thanks for all the input guys. I personally will probably spend a lot less than the $5000. I just wanted to see what you guys would personally get as your ideal setup if you had about 4-5k to spend to build something from the ground up. Mostly interested in just seeing what sort of things people think are essential and what they feel the most loyal to in terms of quality of sound live and durability.
 
Also, The rig I have in my head is such:

2x Used Mesa stiletto Ace 2x12 combos (one for a backup) $2000+/-
Strymon El capistan/bluesky
A workhorse guitar for less than a grand
A furman power conditioner
A tuner (whether rackmounted like a dtr or in a pedal like a tu-2 is undecided)
build my own cables
get some road cases

Does anyone have any suggestions for road cases for combos?
 
SonicPulverizer":3ephy13v said:
Also, The rig I have in my head is such:

2x Used Mesa stiletto Ace 2x12 combos (one for a backup) $2000+/-
Strymon El capistan/bluesky
A workhorse guitar for less than a grand
A furman power conditioner
A tuner (whether rackmounted like a dtr or in a pedal like a tu-2 is undecided)
build my own cables
get some road cases

Does anyone have any suggestions for road cases for combos?
Click to expand...


only one guitar?

I'd have atleast another guitar in there as backup
 
take things you wont miss on tour...or get nice insurance...... there is your gear and road gear.... dont put all that money in one basket cos u could loose it all... jus sayin.. ... a friend of a friend had a guitar given to him by ted nugent & went on a small UK tour and took that guitar for a few dates....the whole truck got emptied out in York.... thats jus an example
if i didnt have a gear endorsement through my label i would take out the tatty marshalls i bought used that sounded awesome and if they got stolen i could have them replaced in a day.
 
Buy an AxeFX 2, a power amp and cabinets....
Only problem is that you won't be heard in the live mix.....LOL
 
Joeytpg":1wup3b46 said:
SonicPulverizer":1wup3b46 said:
Also, The rig I have in my head is such:

2x Used Mesa stiletto Ace 2x12 combos (one for a backup) $2000+/-
Strymon El capistan/bluesky
A workhorse guitar for less than a grand
A furman power conditioner
A tuner (whether rackmounted like a dtr or in a pedal like a tu-2 is undecided)
build my own cables
get some road cases

Does anyone have any suggestions for road cases for combos?
Click to expand...


only one guitar?

I'd have atleast another guitar in there as backup
Click to expand...

Good call. It would be nice to have a guitar designated for standard and Eb tuning.
 
Ancient Alien":34h9d2di said:
Buy an AxeFX 2, a power amp and cabinets....
Only problem is that you won't be heard in the live mix.....LOL
Click to expand...

Ha, I've been curious about the Fractal gear. I saw a major act using one live a few months back. I could hear it fine. It just sounded... different. Not bad, just noticeably different from other live setups I've heard. It had a very distinct thing going on in the mids.
 
I'd also try to get something that I can replace easily on a guitar center.

I'd just get two egnater Rebel 30 (a combo and a head) and a 1x12 rebel cab. Yes the amp has enough volume for a club gig without mic don't worry. It has Reverb so that's one less pedal.

Guitar, I'd buy a cheap 300 - 500 dollar guitar and have it setup professionally and some good electronics installed and have it as my backup.
 
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