Burbank, CA … ZZ Top is one of America’s best known classic rock bands. The band is presently on its 50th Anniversary Tour, which began in April and continues into 2020. Being a 3-piece group, Billy Gibbons’ guitar is a driving force and, on the current tour, the R-10 ribbon microphone from Royer Labs is being used to mic Gibbons’ guitar cabs.
Jamie (J-Mo) Rephann of Simpsonville SC is serving as the band’s FOH engineer while on tour. In addition to his work with ZZ Top, Rephann has plied his trade for numerous other well-known artists, including Mars Volta, Jane’s Addiction, and Rickie Lee Jones. With a resume like this, Rephann can use any mic he wants, which makes his choice of the Royer ‘entry level’ R-10 all that more impressive. He discussed his experience with the R-10.
“On this tour, I’m using two Royer R-10 ribbons,” Rephann explained. “I have one mic on Billy’s Marshall cab and the other is used to mic his Magnatone setup. I have them both in isolation...
