What do you use for a backup for a gig

I'm taking delivery of a Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 v2 tomorrow for use as both a backup and running with my 1x12 Marshall JCM 800 combo that I'll leave at our rehearsal space. We don't have a lot of space, and while my FM9 board is not all that big (FM9, 2x Mission pedals on a 2'x3' board) it's proving to have a bit of a too large footprint.

I used to use the FM9/CLR at rehearsal but I want to leave my FM9 rig at home with stereo CLR's.

The Fly Rig will also be very useful at jams, as there is always an amp of some kind to use in the various jam venues.

I really wanted to get an all-in-one modeling combo but the various offerings all fall short in one way or another (not enough footswitch buttons, no XLR/ground lift, many basic editing functions requires a phone app/PC editor - ie: cannot tweak the FX "pedals" via front panel, no onboard tuner, only one/two channels, etc.).
 
FM3. Thankfully the only time I needed it at a gig was when the other guitar players tube amp went down...he never sounded better ):
 
iaresee said:
The only honest answer in this thread?
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Right? I have an FX3, FM3, and FM9, but I only bring one to a gig. If one goes down at a show, I'm screwed, but I'll be fine at the next gig. Going on tour with my original band, I may bring all 3 as a backup (I use the FX3 and the other guitarist uses my FM3 usually).
 
Ampero Stomp II with a small midi controller. Had a HX Stomp XL but it was overkill and didnt like the UI, even though I loved the Helix UI before I got an FM9.

The Ampero Stomp sounds great vs the L6 Stomp, and way easier to use.
 
MLocascio said:
The Strymon Iridium,ToneX One or ToneX meet this criteria (I’m sure there are others that do as well). Although none of these pedals offer much in the way of effects (beyond reverb), I could certainly get through a gig with any of them in a pinch.
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MY plan when I got very comfortable with the digital rig was to sell my pedals and board. But I guess it would be a good idea to at least keep a basic board if I were ever to have to resort to something like a Strymon Iridium.
 
I currently run a Gen 1 FM-9. The ToneX One is now my backup. FWIW, I have never had a Fractal device of any generation (and I have depended on all generations across the 17 years of Fractal ownership) go down on a gig. I have had restarts happen three times when the box froze. Once with the FM9 and twice on the original Standard. In all cases, the box was reset after the restart. This is a live gigging environment in hundreds, if not thousands, gigs. I've had two events when an enthusiastic audience member relocated the contents of their beverage container on my pedal board... and the Fractals didn't blink. (*Though they did require extensive disassembly and cleaning afterward). Fractal seems to power through the gig, no matter what.

My history with Fractal Audio encompasses the Standard, Ultra, AxeFX II, AxeFX II-XL, AxeFXIII, AX8, FM3, and FM9. Also, all the FC units over time are included.
 
I have an FM3 which also serves as my main acoustic unit as well as my band backup to my FM9. Sometimes I get a wild hair and run vocals through the FM3 while playing guitar through my FM9. Necessary? Nope. Very fun? Absolutely.
 
I have a FM9 gig rig and a FM3 backup rig. The latter one is now used and played by my son, trying and learning all John Mayer songs like a fanatic 😎 I leave it with him for now and trust on my till now never failing FM9 👊
 
I run my FM3 into the front end of a Quilter Tone Block 202 set on its FRFR setting into a Celestion Copperback speaker. Unconventional, I know, but it sounds great. If the Fractal goes down I can run the Quilter as a stand alone amp. It has built in reverb and a full EQ.
 
FM9T as backup for the III at big gigs, FM3 as backup for the FM9T at smaller gigs. FM3 serves as desktop unit at home and for jam sessions. That being said, I never needed a backup since gigging with Fractal units for 15 years.
 
I have never come prepared with a backup 😬 tempting fate, I know.

With my real rig (Mesa Mk IV + 2x12 + pedals), the Helix after that, and now the FM9T, everything I've used for 15+ years has been very dependable across a variety of weather and stage situations,

This thread is making me think the FM3 would be a smart backup though!
 
I use Helix Native in the MacBook Pro that provides the X32-Core PA UI, Its inserted in an X32-Core Aux track. I use a high-z input on one of the digital snake heads. Tested, but in the last 8 years using digital (Helix, Quad Cortex, FM9) I’m never had to use it. The other guitar player’s tube amp has failed multiple times. He has a similar backup.
 
HX stomp for sure. Probably the best small all in one unit. You can build a basic rig with a a drive delay and one extra switch for anything like a boost or modulation effect. Barebones, all you really need but of course in fractal land there’s more than you need to work with.
 
Preface this by saying I don't gig - I just play for fun. But based on other things I've done that I took more seriously and required backups "just in case"....it would kinda depend on how serious I was about the gig.

If I was actually taking it seriously....I'd probably have, or at least want, an identical duplicate rig.

If I wasn't taking it seriously, it's honestly hard for me to picture scaling it down, at least in my case. My rig isn't particularly expensive in the grand scheme of things....it wouldn't be that big of a deal to still just have a duplicate if I was making money from playing guitar.
 
My FM3. Once I got the FM9, I went this route. I've brought the FM3 to every gig I've done since, but luckily haven't had to use it.

One thing I did discover is that the actual output level between the FM3 and FM9 is different, so it unfortunately isn't something I can just switch seamlessly. So if I switch in mid show, I'll at least have to adjust my output for FOH to have the gain match or have the FOH engineer do a quick gain adjustment on the board.
 
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