jb70
Experienced
Hey y’all,
I wanted to do a gig report after my first show with my new Port City/Axe FX rig. I was playing with a 9 piece soul/funk/Motown group at a bar/restaurant at Harrah’s in Philly last night. This is a very loud band (3 singers, 2 horns, 4 rhythm section) and it’s crucial that I have a great sounding amplifier that stays totally clean at high volumes. I’ve been trying to find a rig that would kill on any gig and still be small, portable, and lightweight enough to haul around the NYC area. I also have a 4 floor walkup at my place which is not too fun when I get home from a long gig at 3 or 4 am. I’m lucky in that I get to do a lot of types of gigs (jazz, funk, hip hop, Motown, rock, experimental, etc…) but I’ve always had to have a few different rigs for those gigs. I’ve been trying to find a simple but versatile setup for the last 10 years and I’ve finally found it.
First a little background: I had been using a Tone King Meteor 2 for this particular band for the last couple of years. It sounded fantastic for this type of music but was not too happening for jazz (the mids were way too scooped and the attack was kind of hard). Also, I was picking up radio and cb signals when I would try to use it with the Axe FX. I’ve also had a few fantastic amps that were great for my jazz gigs and sessions but were not powerful enough to use for gigs where I was playing with a full horn section, 4 singers and a powerful rhythm section.
So… I received the PC Pearl head and the 1x12 Wave OS cab 2 weeks ago and am now running the Axe Fx in front of it like a pedalboard. The first gig with the soul band was last night and this rig totally killed. I always ask the other musicians how it sounds to them and the bass player made the comment that I should’ve gotten this rig a year ago. Haha! He said that this setup was much fuller and rounder sounding with more mids and a sweeter top end than the Tone King. I do a lot of subtle, rhythmic single note stuff which would always get lost with the TK amp but I could hear everything clearly with this setup. And my lead patches were off the charts as well. The Pearl really emphasizes the beautiful delays, reverbs, chorus effects, etc... in the Axe FX. It’s like they were made to work with each other. Add to that the fact that this rig is so powerful AND portable and it was a no-brainer for me. Thanks to Daniel, Cliff, and Jeff (at Liquid Foot) for creating this amazing gear- this is a dream rig. Here are some pics:
I wanted to do a gig report after my first show with my new Port City/Axe FX rig. I was playing with a 9 piece soul/funk/Motown group at a bar/restaurant at Harrah’s in Philly last night. This is a very loud band (3 singers, 2 horns, 4 rhythm section) and it’s crucial that I have a great sounding amplifier that stays totally clean at high volumes. I’ve been trying to find a rig that would kill on any gig and still be small, portable, and lightweight enough to haul around the NYC area. I also have a 4 floor walkup at my place which is not too fun when I get home from a long gig at 3 or 4 am. I’m lucky in that I get to do a lot of types of gigs (jazz, funk, hip hop, Motown, rock, experimental, etc…) but I’ve always had to have a few different rigs for those gigs. I’ve been trying to find a simple but versatile setup for the last 10 years and I’ve finally found it.
First a little background: I had been using a Tone King Meteor 2 for this particular band for the last couple of years. It sounded fantastic for this type of music but was not too happening for jazz (the mids were way too scooped and the attack was kind of hard). Also, I was picking up radio and cb signals when I would try to use it with the Axe FX. I’ve also had a few fantastic amps that were great for my jazz gigs and sessions but were not powerful enough to use for gigs where I was playing with a full horn section, 4 singers and a powerful rhythm section.
So… I received the PC Pearl head and the 1x12 Wave OS cab 2 weeks ago and am now running the Axe Fx in front of it like a pedalboard. The first gig with the soul band was last night and this rig totally killed. I always ask the other musicians how it sounds to them and the bass player made the comment that I should’ve gotten this rig a year ago. Haha! He said that this setup was much fuller and rounder sounding with more mids and a sweeter top end than the Tone King. I do a lot of subtle, rhythmic single note stuff which would always get lost with the TK amp but I could hear everything clearly with this setup. And my lead patches were off the charts as well. The Pearl really emphasizes the beautiful delays, reverbs, chorus effects, etc... in the Axe FX. It’s like they were made to work with each other. Add to that the fact that this rig is so powerful AND portable and it was a no-brainer for me. Thanks to Daniel, Cliff, and Jeff (at Liquid Foot) for creating this amazing gear- this is a dream rig. Here are some pics:
