Where do you put your axe live..Floor..Cab..Milk crate?

Ahmed Badreldin

Ahmed Badreldin

Inspired
Mine is already in the Gator hard case as I've bought off a mate. Does anyone put it on the ground behind, to the side, near the feet? Just that I have the MFC and worries the MFC cable might be too short, also worried that cable from MFC might pop out mid show, as it doesnt really grip although the connection is a good one. Still haven't used mine live, but will very soon. Other concern is how durable is the thing in a van going up and down rough ground.

Sorry if question is stupid but with all the connecting I do at home, I view this thing as more of a PC or laptop than a effect processor. I threw my Boss and Line 6 HD all over the place but this thing could be moody.
 
On the floor, facing up at me. I don't take the back off my rack case. All connections made via the Vafam breakout panel I have on the front.
 
Mine's in a 4-space Gator rack bag. I put it on one of these keyboard stands. I've never worried about my old-style (Mark I) MFC cable popping out; it's pretty well secured on the MFC side (where it stays plugged in--it travels in the MFC bag), and since the AC cable coming out of my Axe II is a right-angle, I run the Ethernet cable behind it.

If there's room on the stage, I put it beside me rather than behind me. It always seemed a little silly to have to turn away from the audience to check my amp. If I'm going into a large PA in a big room, I put my two Yamaha DXR-12 cabinets in front of me, on either side, like wedge monitors. When I need to carry some or all of the volume load with my stage volume, I put them behind me. In a real bare-bones environment (or if I need to supply my own vocal monitor), I'll put the stand behind me, with one of the Yamaha monitors between the legs. That way, it takes up about as much room as a 2X12 stack.
 
And yes, I do worry about wear and tear. Unlike my old FloorPod and Digitech RP200, I don't let it get grody; once the weekend is over, I set it back up in my studio and clean it. Fortunately, Louisiana is going totally smoke-free next month, so that will help.

There are gigs I won't bring it to down here, though. I live on the edge of a swamp near New Orleans, and in the summertime, a large portion of my gigs are at outdoor or semi-outdoor venues on local rivers, places where people mostly arrive in boats. I never bring it to one of those gigs; the humidity gets to everything.
 
Rack case, tilting amp stand. Gets if off the floor, makes it still visible should you need to see it, and its a stable platform that isn't too high up, so in the unlikely event it gets knocked over by someone on stage, it doesn't fall far. Plus they are cheap

As for the MFC cable, its just basic CAT5 so you can easily buy whatever length you need. Some gaffers tape is your friend. Not sure the version you have but you can easily make Ethercon cables with a conversion sleeve for about $3 each side. I have an Axe II v1, so just a basic ethernet jack on the back, but what I did was get a ethercon to ethernet pass through connector, which I mounted in an empty rack space. I then run a short 3 foot ethernet cable from that to the Axe, and then a homemade Ethercon goes from the front panel to the MFC

The Ethercon pass-through is on the bottom right of the pic
 
Mongoose lol I envy you, not much humidity in grey drizzly London, but your comments are mint mate, I'll remember that if we get to play in India. Cheers dude
 
Humidity should prove less of an issue if you don't transport it in a cold AC'd van and then setup in a warm humid outdoor environment. Just like a cold drink sweats a ton, so does cold metal.

Whenever I'm taking equipment to that type of setting I try to let it reach ambient temps on the trip, so way less condensation.

Likewise, if your using it outdoors in very cold weather, don't take it directly to a warm heated environment. It will again get covered in condensation. One thing that works pretty well, and that I do with camera gear, is just put it in a large trash bag when bringing it inside. The cold air helps insulate and the unit can slowly warm up to room temp
 
I use a 4RU Gatorbag on the floor, and unzip the front lid and tilt it down like a stand to point the unit up at me at a 45 degree angle. I have 2 empty spaces in there now, perfect for putting the floorboard in facing backwards and then 2 pedals I just keep in a Trader Joe's shopping bag along with my cables and a notebook. I think I'll get one of those little tables from Home Depot in the future- definitely a better solution for weekly rehearsals and live. I optimize for being able to carry all my gear in one load (or two max) from my car to the setup spot, with no carts or dollies.
 
Currently it's in my thon 6U rack case, but it's way too big since I sold everything to get the axe XD
I may change for a 2/3U sonner or later
 
I used to use an amp stand, but now use my Rock-N-Roller cart. The R-trac wheels help with vibration/etc, the height keeps it well off the floor and having my whole rig on wheels on stage (includes my two drawer rack w/tools and my guitar stand case w/3 guitars) allows me to move my entire setup easily if need be even if I'm already all wired up. A nice bit of drapery even makes it look cool. :)
 
Now nestled safely in an 8 space shock rack right behind me (if space allows). Not sure I'd want it facing up at me... just asking to have something spilled all over it. Used to be in a 4 space gator for a few years.
 
lqdsnddist said:
Humidity should prove less of an issue if you don't transport it in a cold AC'd van and then setup in a warm humid outdoor environment. Just like a cold drink sweats a ton, so does cold metal.
Click to expand...


With humidity here always (almost) between 80-95 % I am surprised that my AXE always works flawlessly :D touch wood...
 
svl said:
I used to use an amp stand, but now use my Rock-N-Roller cart. The R-trac wheels help with vibration/etc, the height keeps it well off the floor and having my whole rig on wheels on stage (includes my two drawer rack w/tools and my guitar stand case w/3 guitars) allows me to move my entire setup easily if need be even if I'm already all wired up. A nice bit of drapery even makes it look cool. :)
Click to expand...

This is exactly what I've been doing for my gigs that have easy flat access to where I'm performing. Easy on, easy off stage. Black skrims are my friend. I'll post some pics later when I get back to my archive.
 
In a rack case sitting on top of a Quiklok ws540 "T" stand...

The stand is very solid, but also folds down to a smallish size, and it's great for getting the rack off the floor.

I also usually put one Xitone passive wedge on top of the rack as my "backline" (and another on the floor facing me).

All cables connect on front via a VAFAM panel.




Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom