Is There Still Any Love For Any Rack Pieces?

[DrewJD82]

I know it's not a rack unit but after watching this video a few months ago it made me wish I had one laying around to run thru my Axefx3 like he does with the helix. One finally popped up on my local craigslist for $50. Sold!
I pick it up tomorrow.
Kinda stoked to spend the day reminiscing 1992.

I've been wanting to get one of these RP's from back in the day just for shats and gaggles, but it'd have to be $50 or cheaper. I see them listed often for $150-$200, NEXT! Have fun with it, man!

Skipping through the vid, man....some of those tones were definitely in the 2101. Hard nostalgia right now.

 

[Justincase]

I've been wanting to get one of these RP's from back in the day just for shats and gaggles, but it'd have to be $50 or cheaper. I see them listed often for $150-$200, NEXT! Have fun with it, man!

Skipping through the vid, man....some of those tones were definitely in the 2101. Hard nostalgia right now.

EXACTLY
I'd really like to find a 2101,2112,or 2120 for $100-$150 but no way would I give $200+ for one.

 

[PatF]

I still use my 2101 for fx. Its a good bass preamp too. A friend from my son's school brought it in and gave it to me.

 

[Riffraff]

I have a 2112 with the 2120 Artist firmware update. I used it quite a bit when I first got it a few years ago. I liked it best for just effects. I ran a Rocktron Plexi into it's effects return. I more or less stopped using it after I fixed my Rockmaster. I started using plugins instead.

I was checking out Leon's 2120 video a few weeks ago and the tones he was getting from it inspired me to break it out and dig into the effects a little deeper then record a tune with it. I pulled It from my rack and threw together a temporary desktop case so I could tweak as necessary. It actually has some great sounding effects in it.


A few months after I bought the 2120 I bought a MPX-1. Once again Leon's vintage rack gear videos inspired me to go beyond the factory presets and start editing. First I had to replace the battery which was a little involved since they are soldered to the pcb then I dug into Leon's video and the manual. I LOVE that damn thing, it's sounds amazing! I've been using that instead of plugins.

I was messing around with it this morning. I wanted to try something different this morning and used something really out there and got pretty surprising results. I used a little 5w Bugera T5 head which I ran into an attenuator and ran the line out into the MPX-1 then into my interface.

Here's the clips.

 

[JiveTurkey]

I have a 2112 with the 2120 Artist firmware update. I used it quite a bit when I first got it a few years ago. I liked it best for just effects. I ran a Rocktron Plexi into it's effects return. I more or less stopped using it after I fixed my Rockmaster. I started using plugins instead.

I was checking out Leon's 2120 video a few weeks ago and the tones he was getting from it inspired me to break it out and dig into the effects a little deeper then record a tune with it. I pulled It from my rack and threw together a temporary desktop case so I could tweak as necessary. It actually has some great sounding effects in it.

A few months after I bought the 2120 I bought a MPX-1. Once again Leon's vintage rack gear videos inspired me to go beyond the factory presets and start editing. First I had to replace the battery which was a little involved since they are soldered to the pcb then I dug into Leon's video and the manual. I LOVE that damn thing, it's sounds amazing! I've been using that instead of plugins.

I was messing around with it this morning. I wanted to try something different this morning and used something really out there and got pretty surprising results. I used a little 5w Bugera T5 head which I ran into an attenuator and ran the line out into the MPX-1 then into my interface.

Here's the clip.

Clip sounds great! Leon has an AMA thread up here if you have any questions! As does Michael Nielson. Both who have inspired more damn rack gear GAS than pretty much anyone else in the known universe

 

[Whizzinby]

I have an irrational to desire to by TC1210, but otherwise never got much further down rack hell then a SYN2.

 

[texhex]

I'll see myself out...

 

[Fireproof]

Rack Lives Matter.

 

[Blix]

Still have my H3000 D/SX, time to fire it up again.

 

[Desertdweller]

Here's a few of mine over the years:

2006ish:

2009ish:

And of course my current rack:

Just look at that cable management, I'm unnaturally proud of it:

Speaking of cable management, one 7 pin to the floorboard and I'm all set up:

The MC8 controls everything. I use one preset in the axe fx with all my effects and I get two pages of 8 buttons each with long and short press per preset in the MC8. Super easy to program with the PC app, and I can adjust scenes, channels on the preamp, and stompboxes in the axe fx with one pedal. Wah auto-engages when I move the expression pedal and disengages when I return it to heel-down.

 

[Baba]

80’s guy, so I grew up on them and love them. I had a 12-space with the usual ADA MP-1, Alesis Quadraverb, BBE Sonic Maximizer, midi EQ, power amp, etc.

Then I shrunk it down to a 4 space in the 90’s, Rocktron Chameleon, power amp, etc.

I still have a Peavey Rockmaster and MosValve 1 space power amp, just because, lol.

This doesn’t count, but it’s what I’m rocking these days, and the best way to deal with my head and IEM unit, (on the rear rails, behind the fans), without carrying seperate pieces:

 

[andergtr]

Today we can get pedals & modellers etc that can wash the dishes, take the dog for a walk, make your lunch and drive you to work and back.

With that said, do any of you guys still have and use any rack gear and what are your thoughts about it all?
Pics are welcome of course.

Okay, I'll go first (BTW: I haven't used this in years)

nothing sounds like the old rack pieces. my strymon mobius and eventide H9 max don't sound like a real tri-stereo chorus or even my old killer roland RSP550. there's something to be said about the old rack pieces.

but i am biased, because i am getting this old rack from my buddy bob:

 

[Eagle]

TC2290
TC1210
PCM 42
X88R
VHT 2150
None of these have been bettered.

 

[DrewJD82]

nothing sounds like the old rack pieces. my strymon mobius and eventide H9 max don't sound like a real tri-stereo chorus or even my old killer roland RSP550. there's something to be said about the old rack pieces.

but i am biased, because i am getting this old rack from my buddy bob:

View attachment 2735

While there are tons of MIDI footcontrollers available these days that do a lot more, I still want to get my hands on an RS-10. That thing caused me so much confusion in my younger years because I had no f*cking clue what it did and just figured it was a box of magic that allowed Vai and Petrucci to sound as awesome as they did. I think Matt V. snagged the last one from Bob a few years back.

 

[DrewJD82]

I got my G-Force back from my buddy last week, he’s had it for a couple years now. Hooked it all up, turned it on and found all my presets were gone. Obviously I can recreate them and do more with the AxeFX, but damnit, there were 15 years of presets in there and one in particular that I wanted to see how I built it just to recreate it in the AxeFX.

 

[Fireproof]

I got my G-Force back from my buddy last week, he’s had it for a couple years now. Hooked it all up, turned it on and found all my presets were gone. Obviously I can recreate them and do more with the AxeFX, but damnit, there were 15 years of presets in there and one in particular that I wanted to see how I built it just to recreate it in the AxeFX.

UGH!

That hurts just reading about. I’m assuming there was no way to back them up prior to loaning it out?

 

[DrewJD82]

UGH!

That hurts just reading about. I’m assuming there was no way to back them up prior to loaning it out?

Nope. They have some kind of chip/disk they sold that had some artist presets but I don’t think there was a way to back it up. I only have myself to blame, my buddy is REALLY ignorant when it comes to gear, dude’s been playing for over 20 years and still has me dial his amp in for him because he “just doesn’t get it”, so it’s on me for lending him something like a rack unit and expecting to get it back how I lent it out.

 

[Fireproof]

Nope. They have some kind of chip/disk they sold that had some artist presets but I don’t think there was a way to back it up. I only have myself to blame, my buddy is REALLY ignorant when it comes to gear, dude’s been playing for over 20 years and still has me dial his amp in for him because he “just doesn’t get it”, so it’s on me for lending him something like a rack unit and expecting to get it back how I lent it out.

I guess this is where the saying “no good deed goes unpunished” comes from?

Good for you for helping a brother out. Sucks though.

 

[DrewJD82]

I guess this is where the saying “no good deed goes unpunished” comes from?

Good for you for helping a brother out. Sucks though.

Could be worse, I was worried for a while he lost the thing at some drunk “drummer’s” house he jammed with a bunch then stopped hanging out with. Dude had his gear there for like 6 months without even being concerned about it.

 

[Alex Kenivel]

Dude had his gear there for like 6 months without even being concerned about it.

Ha, someone left their drums at my house in 2014 and never picked them up.