I'm dying here...

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Bob Savage

Bob Savage

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So I've somehow caught the bug to play live again. It's been a LOT of years and this time I'm not feeling the direction of originals, which is basically all I've done since about 1983. The covers I've been learning lately are inspiring the heck out of me (listening to Downed by Cheap Trick right now, which is next on the list... love that tune) but what I'm learning is varied greatly in tone and also in the effects used.

So, I could either find a good tube amp platform for a pedalboard or I could go with something like the Axe-FX II, and I'm really leaning towards the Axe-FX route.

Let's light this this thread up... guys that do cover bands, let's hear your thoughts.
 
I am very happy with my 2x12, DSL100, a few pedals. The Triple Wreck covers all the super heavies. A low level boost pushes the clean channel crunch mode well. I have a compressor used with a tele a lot.

You have a good P90 guitar. I played a friends thru the DSL and it was great. For the money, flexibility, and great cleans... Hard to beat. Still lots of em out there.

I will load up and go to a friends place and they will have a party once in a while. Probably play a dozen covers and a few extended blues jams. No rock stars. Just some old guys gettin loud.
 
Honestly, Bob, I'd get a TC G Major 2 and an Amp Gizmo and use it with your Shiva. Would pretty much cover all of your needs.
 
If you have a killer PA AxeFx2 could be insane but if its doing a powered speaker thing I'd prefer a tube amp and a 4x12 :rock:
 
AFII direct. No amps or cabs. Output 1 to the FOH and Output 2 to active stage monitors. It's easy, convenient and a much better solution to what you want to do and over what you currently have to work with.
 
To me, it depends on the venues you'll be playing

I'm I SoCal too and the level and quality of pa's in house vary greatly

I'm very much a "fail safe" Type personality.
I'd prolly not go AFX and depend on anyone...

Any good reliable tube head, few efx, movable cab. Your good.

"I" run in ears thru my own feed for all these reasons.
(I mostly sing and play rhythm now)

I pick a head, one of the 2x12's, the RP 1000, and I'm good to go and self reliant.

We could pull up to a fuckin parking lot and I know what I'll sound like! Lol
 
I used a Lopoline vertical 2x12 with my little Mesa. It's 50 lbs with a pair of ET65's. It's a lot easier to carry around than a 4x12 and sounds way better than an open back combo amp. It's the best compromise I think. I could fit the whole rig in the back seat of my car.

You could whip one up easily on your CNC. It might sound great with your little Bogner.

IMG_0040.jpg
 
I use a Peavey JSX Gmaj, EVH flange and phase, Bad Horsy wah, 2x12 cab, and im good to go, Playing some big shows coming this summer, the 2x12 cab is covenant to carry, Heck i might go with a 1x12,
 
Are you planning on playing out a lot ?
How wide of a spread of sounds are you going to need ?

I would ask myself these questions first.....
 
Axe II. It is only getting better! Loving it with the Matrix SS amp.
 
Playing the covers for years. Casinos/clubs/events. From the 40s to today. Every genre of music - every tone under the sun. I am currently running a PedalPro into the front of my Hiwatt/SLO into a LIVE for direct - with the simple thru option on the LIVE if I want to add cabs. I highly recommend this set up. The drive/boost/fx in the PedalPro are stellar. And it is all analog so it is amazing tone wise, and integrates into pretty much any type rig you want to run. Plus you can use whichever tube amp you choose.

If you go direct with the LIVE then you can also switch cab IRs to better suite different genres. With this and the distortion/boost/eq in the PedalPro I can't imagine what tone you couldn't get. :)
 
If you gotta cover a lot of ground, Axe II. If not, grab the weapon of choice and wail/set sail/grab your tail/ all hale our brother Bob Savage-ale! ;) :D :cheers: :cheers2:
 
I've never had much luck trying to cover tons of different tones in a cover band and have them all translate live correctly. I've used a JCM800 type head/Tubescreamer with a multi-fx pedal in the loop to cover the obvious affects in any tune and just use the volume on my guitar to adust the gain depending on the tune. That and any cab of choice. I got a 1 x 12 and a 4 x 12. Cab depends on the venue - places I play are usually smaller and 9 times out of 10 it's the 1 x 12 these days and it seems to work pretty good (even with no PA for the guitar to run through).
 
Bob Savage":1mp63ehw said:
So I've somehow caught the bug to play live again. It's been a LOT of years and this time I'm not feeling the direction of originals, which is basically all I've done since about 1983. The covers I've been learning lately are inspiring the heck out of me (listening to Downed by Cheap Trick right now, which is next on the list... love that tune) but what I'm learning is varied greatly in tone and also in the effects used.

So, I could either find a good tube amp platform for a pedalboard or I could go with something like the Axe-FX II, and I'm really leaning towards the Axe-FX route.

Let's light this this thread up... guys that do cover bands, let's hear your thoughts.


I have a JCM800 2204. I installed a Metro loop in it and run a RP1000 in 4cm. I mainly use the amp and and the OD models and for my main sound. And of course, for some sounds that just require rhe basic classic rock sounds I turn off the OD's and use the volume knob to vary the amount of gain. I can get it to clean up pretty pretty good. I find that the effects in the RP are pretty good. But I mainly use just the delays, choruses, pitch shift and phase for effects. The great thing about it is when I need clean cleans, I use a Fender reverb model in the box with some verb and delay(usually). It sounds great for cleans, although I don't use them that much. Also, when I need a more modern sound I have a variety of models for that as well. For me, I can cover pretty much anything because it turns my 800 into a multichannel amp. Since I probably use the amp tone the majority (probably 85%) of the time the RP gives me the flexibility to cover the stuff that the 800 won't. Which isn't much for what I play. Plus I sing a lot so the compact format is easy for me to use without doing the tap dance all the time like conventional pedals.

I know you have a JMP so it might be worth checking out. The RP's cheap too. Also, when you bypass it doesn't change the tone like most modelers.
 
Pedal platform? Do you still have that Deliverance? Perfect platform not to mention the shiva.
 
Good stuff guys, keep 'em coming.

I still have the D60/D412 as well as the Paisley Super Shiva rig. The Deliverance setup is a beast so at the very least I would need to sell the D412 and get a D212 and probably need an attenuator. Problem with that is I'd lose on the deal because D212s don't come up used very often so I would spend more on the 212 than I'd get for the 412.

Lots of thinking to do in order to decide what gear to juggle.
 
Bob Savage":2fairgtz said:
Good stuff guys, keep 'em coming.

I still have the D60/D412 as well as the Paisley Super Shiva rig. The Deliverance setup is a beast so at the very least I would need to sell the D412 and get a D212 and probably need an attenuator. Problem with that is I'd lose on the deal because D212s don't come up used very often so I would spend more on the 212 than I'd get for the 412.

Lots of thinking to do in order to decide what gear to juggle.

A Digitech RP1000 isn't a bad way to go either. And a much cheaper alternative than the AFII.
 
You could probably get away with a swiss army type amp like a Bogner XTC.....but I'd have to suggest a Kemper with a midi footswitch.
 
As much as I dig my D60' I'm wondering if I shouldn't sit with a Sig-X for a while. A Sig, 2x12 and small pedalboard could be the ticket.
 
Hey Bob,
It all depends how often you are going to play.
If it's only 3-4 times a year, I would go with a full tube amp/cab arrangement.
Sig-X is a nice amp but I liked the Deliverance better and it lacked the flexibility for me to use it as my main amp.
 
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