Suitable "B" rig gear

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W. Mark Hellinger

Sophomore
May 16, 2011
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My "A" rig is pretty nice stuff... suitable for corporate ballroom events, wedding receptions, etc... I (like most I suspect) like to keep my nice stuff nice; however, there is a local (fairly small-time) market to service that's subject to the elements and crowds & acts that sometimes let the fun get a little out of my comfort zone for subjecting nice equipment to... and I don't have much of anything that's truly suitable for "B" rig duty to meet the market.

I'm looking for suggestions of good warhorse and battle axe gear. Stuff that better fends off or more-so accommodates dirt, rain, air born beverages... etc... Specifically I'm looking for recommendations for FOH speakers, monitors, board, FX & processing equipment, & mics. Performance excellence is less of a priority, or a very distant second to "dirty rotten tough, and still viable even if a little (or a lot) rough around the corners." but still gets the job done. As an example: The JBL Concert series cabinets were a robustly built cabinet with a fiberglass coating that made them really tough... and they got the job done.

Just brain storming.
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

As far as cabinets go I feel the most durable out there for typical club/bar use is the Yorkville Elite series.
I actually prefer the carpet covered cabs over the coated ones, they are more durable IMO and with a nice set of padded covers stay looking great for many years.
Most MI grade coated series cabs are not really that strong...I have had EV QRX, SXa, Peavey QW, Yorkville Elite & TX coated cabs and they all chip and scuff up way to easily.
The Carpet covered....although they may need a good vacuum every now and again just seem to hold up better.
If you don't mind the weight I think the LS801P/Ef500P is a punchy/loud combo that will work fine in those types of areas.

Just take a trip to the Caribbean, every cruise ship port is loaded with bands playing through Yorkville Elite cabinets rain or shine!
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

W. Mark Hellinger said:
My "A" rig is pretty nice stuff... suitable for corporate ballroom events, wedding receptions, etc... I (like most I suspect) like to keep my nice stuff nice; however, there is a local (fairly small-time) market to service that's subject to the elements and crowds & acts that sometimes let the fun get a little out of my comfort zone for subjecting nice equipment to... and I don't have much of anything that's truly suitable for "B" rig duty to meet the market.

I'm looking for suggestions of good warhorse and battle axe gear. Stuff that better fends off or more-so accommodates dirt, rain, air born beverages... etc... Specifically I'm looking for recommendations for FOH speakers, monitors, board, FX & processing equipment, & mics. Performance excellence is less of a priority, or a very distant second to "dirty rotten tough, and still viable even if a little (or a lot) rough around the corners." but still gets the job done. As an example: The JBL Concert series cabinets were a robustly built cabinet with a fiberglass coating that made them really tough... and they got the job done.

Just brain storming.
Click to expand...

Don't forget a 58!
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

The Yamaha club stuff is pretty indestructible. The subs are pretty whimpy, but the tops are solid. Add some QSC RMX amps, and you'd have a pretty solid rig.

I've got a bunch of Mackie SRM450's that take a beating too. The Yorkville stuff is good as well. I've got some LS800p's that take a pretty frequent beating.

As far as FOH goes, a Yamaha 01v is probably your best bet, assuming you don't need more than 12 XLR inputs. They're going for pretty cheap on ebay these days, and it'll take care of all your processing needs. Otherwise, the 01v96 would be a good choice too(for more $$)



Evan
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

W. Mark Hellinger said:
My "A" rig is pretty nice stuff... suitable for corporate ballroom events, wedding receptions, etc... I (like most I suspect) like to keep my nice stuff nice; however, there is a local (fairly small-time) market to service that's subject to the elements and crowds & acts that sometimes let the fun get a little out of my comfort zone for subjecting nice equipment to... and I don't have much of anything that's truly suitable for "B" rig duty to meet the market.

I'm looking for suggestions of good warhorse and battle axe gear. Stuff that better fends off or more-so accommodates dirt, rain, air born beverages... etc... Specifically I'm looking for recommendations for FOH speakers, monitors, board, FX & processing equipment, & mics. Performance excellence is less of a priority, or a very distant second to "dirty rotten tough, and still viable even if a little (or a lot) rough around the corners." but still gets the job done. As an example: The JBL Concert series cabinets were a robustly built cabinet with a fiberglass coating that made them really tough... and they got the job done.

Just brain storming.
Click to expand...

Some favourite pieces in B-inventory in random order.

Yamaha 03D with extra preamps (up to 24 real channels).
Peavey original SP115M-XT monitors.
LAB (Gruppen) 1000 amps.

Things like stands, cables, etc tend to get "borrowed" from A-inventory, although some items are "reserved" from that type of use.
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

Tim Perry said:
1: use A rig

2: bring tarps, tents, and dry towels
Click to expand...
Not a bad suggestion.

The biggest problems in the local market is dust and dew. Typically an hour into an outdoor show you can write your name in the dust that accumulates on most any surface. Then when the sun goes down, the dew commonly sets to where it's dripping off-of stuff. The combination of our dust and the dew... when it dries, it's pretty well set for life. Also the dust is high in aluminum oxide (Corundum)... which is the stuff they make knife sharpening stones with... I believe it's rated at about 9 on Moh's scale of hardness... a very fine dust that finds it's way into and makes hash out of slide faders in short order.

I'm thinking rotary pot EQ's? Or at least sourcing slide pot gear that has really good gaskets on the slide pots.

BTW: Here's a picture of the local country side... I live out in the upper left-hand corner of this picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palouse_from_Steptoe_Butte.jpg
 
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Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

W. Mark Hellinger said:
Not a bad suggestion.

The biggest problems in the local market is dust and dew. Typically an hour into an outdoor show you can write your name in the dust that accumulates on most any surface. Then when the sun goes down, the dew commonly sets to where it's dripping off-of stuff. The combination of our dust and the dew... when it dries, it's pretty well set for life. Also the dust is high in aluminum oxide (Corundum)... which is the stuff they make knife sharpening stones with... I believe it's rated at about 9 on Moh's scale of hardness... a very fine dust that finds it's way into and makes hash out of slide faders in short order.

I'm thinking rotary pot EQ's? Or at least sourcing slide pot gear that has really good gaskets on the slide pots.

BTW: Here's a picture of the local country side... I live out in the upper left-hand corner of this picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palouse_from_Steptoe_Butte.jpg
Click to expand...

Great photograph! those who enjoy panoramic vistas will enjoy it.

Around here, in the Fingerlakes / Leatherstocking region of New York, we have numerious beachside event/bars/parties. When the wind kick up and the sand invades the mixer the bands come whining to me.

I simply decline such shows. Why should I destroy my gear for any one show?

I do carry plexiglass shields which when placed over the mixer allows me to see the controls as i reach under it to adjust. they can be deployed easily if the pop up leaks or the rain starts coming in sideways.
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

John Roberts said:
No wonder they named it butt... :)

JR
Click to expand...
Actually, I have no idea why Butte MT is named "Butte"... since I don't believe there's any true Buttes anywhere near Butte MT, and the town of Butte is located in a bowl and up the side of a mineral rich foothill. I guess the name Butte is arguably better than naming the town "Bowl & Foothill.
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

W. Mark Hellinger said:
Actually, I have no idea why Butte MT is named "Butte"... since I don't believe there's any true Buttes anywhere near Butte MT, and the town of Butte is located in a bowl and up the side of a mineral rich foothill. I guess the name Butte is arguably better than naming the town "Bowl & Foothill.
Click to expand...

Butte was laid out in 1886 and was named for Big Butte, a nearby conical peak locally called “the richest hill on earth.” ref: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/86600/Butte
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

Tim Perry said:
Butte was laid out in 1886 and was named for Big Butte, a nearby conical peak locally called “the richest hill on earth.” ref: http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/86600/Butte
Click to expand...
Yes, I understand... but I'm of the understanding that "Big Butte" is actually an inactive rhyolite volcano... and not what I understand to be a true butte... but then when Big Butte was named, I suspect the term "butte" had a little looser definition... or local interpretation.
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

W. Mark Hellinger said:
Not a bad suggestion.

The biggest problems in the local market is dust and dew. Typically an hour into an outdoor show you can write your name in the dust that accumulates on most any surface. Then when the sun goes down, the dew commonly sets to where it's dripping off-of stuff. The combination of our dust and the dew... when it dries, it's pretty well set for life. Also the dust is high in aluminum oxide (Corundum)... which is the stuff they make knife sharpening stones with... I believe it's rated at about 9 on Moh's scale of hardness... a very fine dust that finds it's way into and makes hash out of slide faders in short order.

I'm thinking rotary pot EQ's? Or at least sourcing slide pot gear that has really good gaskets on the slide pots.

BTW: Here's a picture of the local country side... I live out in the upper left-hand corner of this picture:

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/File:Palouse_from_Steptoe_Butte.jpg
Click to expand...

Maybe you need fx racks with plexi doors on them?

Jason
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

Tim Perry said:
I do carry plexiglass shields which when placed over the mixer allows me to see the controls as i reach under it to adjust. they can be deployed easily if the pop up leaks or the rain starts coming in sideways.
Click to expand...
I've used a "solar blanket" to cover the mixer for years (couple decades), but I like your idea about the plexiglas shield. Can you post a picture?
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

I bought the plexy to use as guitar baffles...never got used for that. If I had to redo it I would use polycarbonate, its stronger. I can also put on sheet on top of the fx rack, it's about 3x3 and helps keep thing dry... well dryer then without it anyway. The idea occurred to me while watching a sound guy mix for a band outside at a local club. you couldn't see through the blue tarp :)
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

Bennett Prescott said:
Maybe this is a good application for a digital mixer you can control wirelessly from a (cased) iPad?
Click to expand...
Humm....

Maybe I should cave-in and jump on the bandwagon... get an LS-9 and relegate my beloved analogue gear to strictly gentleman farmer duty.

My 18yo. summer helper was amused by my aged (3 or 4 years old) cell phone... he suggested (more than once) that I was long over-due to upgrade. I suspect a new cell phone type device exists that is mixing board capable... or at least has an app(sp ?) for that... probably available for a hundred bucks or so, including a reduced rate on a 3 year international service agreement that would qualify me for an upgrade in 90 days.

My employee Cliff runs his band's rig with Behringer BRC2000 midi B-Controllers... a wireless LAN with a computer tucked away on-stage and a laptop at FOH connected to the Behringer midi controllers (I think that's how it works). So-far (knock on wood)... it all seems to be working extremely well for him... and he's been running this way for about 3 years.
 
Re: Suitable "B" rig gear

W. Mark Hellinger said:
My employee Cliff runs his band's rig with Behringer BRC2000 midi B-Controllers... a wireless LAN with a computer tucked away on-stage and a laptop at FOH connected to the Behringer midi controllers (I think that's how it works). So-far (knock on wood)... it all seems to be working extremely well for him... and he's been running this way for about 3 years.
Click to expand...

Sounds like he's using SAC. It would be fine for bands. Too slow to get around on for my needs, but still it's an interesting program that has improved a lot.
 
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