Why Has Slash Not Fractalized Yet?

John: How many guitars do you go through?
Adam Day: He'll probably play about fifteen or so. We got about twenty-eight on the road here, we kinda bring 'em in and out.
John: How often do you go between string changes? Because, you're not playing them alot...
Adam Day: I go about every eight or nine songs.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: :eek:
 
Slash's rig while kind of crazy is actually a simple sound that works and has worked for him :) Like they say in the video all that to basically get a Les Paul into a marshall sound. Although I'd think he could at least replace the line 6 units with an axe fx. Fortus has one for his backup at least.
 
I know Slash is a tube guy through and through, but you would think even he would at least find lugging the four 4 x 12 isolation boxes pretty expensive and logistically painful. The first thing that I thought of when they said that was how on earth does he play at smaller venues? Such a different level that guy! I dig it!
 
I am just speculating wildly but I think there's probably no good reason. I could say some things right now that would probably get me in trouble. One thing I do know is that my good friend Adam Day is a huge fan of Fractal Audio Systems technology and products and loved replacing all of Neal Schon's amps with Axe-Fx units.
 
The thing that got me about Slash's rig is basically 6 active amps plus 6 backup amps, 3 4x12's in gigantic iso boxes, plus a speaker for feedback.

Plus all the distro to the various effects.

Just the cartage and teamster setup time costs alone would represent a huge savings and less chance for failure, just switching to Fractal.

I guess it's sort of a "smoke 'em if you got 'em" kind of mentality, but once you have tuned in the Fractal rig, then you have a repeatability no one has with that many vintage amps blazing away night after night.

It's awesome and sounds great doing that kind of old school monster rig, but, at the same time, it kind of reminds me of people suffering with bouncing analog tracks from machine to machine because that's how the Beatles did it back in the day.

There's a majesty to preserving a process of doing something historically like that, but at the same time there's also a sense of just because it was done that way in the past doesn't mean you should suffer the same limitations now, IMHO.
 
The only thing I can add is I was very impressed by his playing and tone at the Chicago Concert a few weeks ago. Whether its chalked up to the sound techs or his rig or both it sounded quite good. The show was amazing. I've never seen a 3.5 hr show like that. Kudos to them!
 
Admin M@ said:
I am just speculating wildly but I think there's probably no good reason. I could say some things right now that would probably get me in trouble. One thing I do know is that my good friend Adam Day is a huge fan of Fractal Audio Systems technology and products and loved replacing all of Neal Schon's amps with Axe-Fx units.
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Judicious editing, my friend...tho I think your initial thought was spot on.
 
He was recently appointed as a Marshall Ambassador! Let's see him try to push the Code100 (digital amp) sales now! :)
 
chucma said:
I know Slash is a tube guy through and through, but you would think even he would at least find lugging the four 4 x 12 isolation boxes pretty expensive and logistically painful. The first thing that I thought of when they said that was how on earth does he play at smaller venues? Such a different level that guy! I dig it!
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Simple, he doesn't have to lug it around, I doubt he even lifts a single finger on this tour, or past ones. As for how he plays smaller venues, a smaller rig perhaps? Commissioning a backup rig is pretty much standard for musicians at that commercial level. The Edge has a smaller stripped down rig for small promo shows. Which is still insanely huge for normal musicians.

ChristThePhone said:
Are you sure he really knows how much work it is to cart around all the gear ?
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I highly doubt it. Once you have roadies and guitar techs you become as oblivious to those things as politicians and rich guys are to the cost of living. You should look at that movie with the Edge, Jack White and Jimmy Page. Edge demonstrates his gear and his guitar tech is basically like a butler who has to dress the rich guy because he no longer knows how to. Dallas Schoo seems to know Edge's rig better then Edge does. Methinks the same applies to Slash.

dr bonkers said:
The thing that got me about Slash's rig is basically 6 active amps plus 6 backup amps, 3 4x12's in gigantic iso boxes, plus a speaker for feedback.

Plus all the distro to the various effects.

Just the cartage and teamster setup time costs alone would represent a huge savings and less chance for failure, just switching to Fractal.

I guess it's sort of a "smoke 'em if you got 'em" kind of mentality, but once you have tuned in the Fractal rig, then you have a repeatability no one has with that many vintage amps blazing away night after night.

It's awesome and sounds great doing that kind of old school monster rig, but, at the same time, it kind of reminds me of people suffering with bouncing analog tracks from machine to machine because that's how the Beatles did it back in the day.

There's a majesty to preserving a process of doing something historically like that, but at the same time there's also a sense of just because it was done that way in the past doesn't mean you should suffer the same limitations now, IMHO.
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All I can say is that there many musicians who are deeply, deeply conservative when it comes to gear. Think the most conservative politician that you can think off and realize that musicians can be even more conservative then that.
 
Muad'zin said:
All I can say is that there many musicians who are deeply, deeply conservative when it comes to gear. Think the most conservative politician that you can think off and realize that musicians can be even more conservative then that.
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This. I think most are experimental when getting the sound they hear in their heads early, then once they're there, it's like casting it in steel...it will never change. There are plenty of other guitarists who change it up all the time as part of their artistic method, but most have a 'tone', and stick with it.

He's a natural for FAS tho. His crew carries around a huge amount of gear for a really simple setup. I always thought that Billy Jo for Green Day would be a great candidate too, but I can't see that punk mentality going with the little black box of luv.
 
Omg. 9 heads just for 'small' venues, changing tubes every 3-4 gigs, a fortune spent just on power conditioning...

Speachless.

But his backline/stage sound demands will most likely be impossible to satisfy with an FRFR rig.
 
I watched this rig rundown tonight. When I heard the part about all those iso cabs offstage just thought why not go fractal.

Interesting what was used for feedback due to all cabs that were miked for FOH being offstage.
 
Right around 51:25 Richard Fortus talks about modelers. I can't say I agree with what he says. On the other hand he may be one of those guys that can't live with that small difference. He said they tried and there is an Axe Fx II in his rack (powered off).
 
Here's why
1- Record sales ain't what they used to be- so getting a few dollars from Gibson and Marshall helps. Rather than $0 from Fractal
2- If he saves Guns N Roses tens of thousands of dollars on the excess gear- Axl will blow it somewhere between parties he doesn't show up to and room services- no benefit to him- he won't see any of it. The production is huge and making money so no one really cares.
3- He's an old school, real guy- so- it's probably more about something he doesn't think about.
There's a lot of guitar players like The Edge that are on the cutting "edge" of technology- then there's some guys who do what they do and don't think about it. I've had conversations with guitar players that I know more about their gear/set up than they do.

4- What he does works- Les Paul into Marshall worked for him so far and he got pretty far- that's what he knows
 
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