Fly rig choices

shirojiro

shirojiro

Jan 24, 2001
901
828
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San Francisco
#1
So I agreed to play a gig in Ireland at a meeting that I'm attending.
In retrospect, this sounds like a terrible idea, but that's a different discussion.

I'm trying to figure out what to bring regarding effects and preamp while not really knowing what gear will be available. I've been told there will be a backline and PA, but I have no specifics yet.

My options include:
-Separate pedals for tuner, compressor, preamp, octave, filter, chorus, DI, headphone amp.
This is my least favorite option, but I have some great pedals for this.

Other options -


-Tech 21 Bass Flyrig v.1
Great Sansamp amp simulator. Decent enough compressor. Boost pedal built in. Headphone amp built in. Chorus is decent. I can get a couple of decent sounds from the filter. The octave and fuzz are really not great for me though. This is a big minus.

I thought I'd just grab this and toss it in a bag with me. It is tiny and super slim.

-Zoom B3
The old standby. Only 3 slots though. Has headphone amp. Runs on batteries. Easy to turn effects on and off with dedicated foot switches. Has a looper that I never use. Has drums for practice. XLR out with pre and post control.

-Zoom MS60b
The new old standby. Updated firmware makes it sound better than the B3 regarding octave and filters which are some of the effects I use. Interface isn't great for a gig, but with some setup, one can cycle through patches pretty easily.

It turns out that the MS60b with a Sansamp BDDI is a great combo for a small footprint flyrig. It does require one extra cable, but the sound is great. Together, the two pedals are smaller than the B3, and they both can run on batteries. I could use the MS60b on its own and use a simulation of the BDDI, but then I'd lose the XLR out, and the ability to drive a power amp if needed.

For a headphone amp, I have a Vox Amplug v.2 with the rudimentary drum beats for practice. It does have an Aux in though, unlike the Zoom B3 or the Tech 21 BFR.

Anybody out there have a different view or other ideas for traveling and playing?

I don't have any sponsorships or roadies, and I fly economy!
 
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#2
I think one of the Zoom units, with a little MIDI controller to access things easily on the fly, offers the most versatility in the smallest footprint. I'd throw a nice little DI box on the end of that, like a Sushi Box Finally or something in that vein, and you'd have a pretty killer little rig that fits in carryon.

I did a gig in Ireland back in January; flew with a Pedaltrain Nano in my carryon, and my bass. It's my go-to fly rig. Didn't have to check any of it, it all fits in the cabin! :)
 
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#4
shirojiro said:
So I agreed to play a gig in Ireland at a meeting that I'm attending.
In retrospect, this sounds like a terrible idea, but that's a different discussion.

I'm trying to figure out what to bring regarding effects and preamp while not really knowing what gear will be available. I've been told there will be a backline and PA, but I have no specifics yet.

My options include:
-Separate pedals for tuner, compressor, preamp, octave, filter, chorus, DI, headphone amp.
This is my least favorite option, but I have some great pedals for this.

Other options -


-Tech 21 Bass Flyrig v.1
Great Sansamp amp simulator. Decent enough compressor. Boost pedal built in. Headphone amp built in. Chorus is decent. I can get a couple of decent sounds from the filter. The octave and fuzz are really not great for me though. This is a big minus.

I thought I'd just grab this and toss it in a bag with me. It is tiny and super slim.

-Zoom B3
The old standby. Only 3 slots though. Has headphone amp. Runs on batteries. Easy to turn effects on and off with dedicated foot switches. Has a looper that I never use. Has drums for practice. XLR out with pre and post control.

-Zoom MS60b
The new old standby. Updated firmware makes it sound better than the B3 regarding octave and filters which are some of the effects I use. Interface isn't great for a gig, but with some setup, one can cycle through patches pretty easily.

It turns out that the MS60b with a Sansamp BDDI is a great combo for a small footprint flyrig. It does require one extra cable, but the sound is great. Together, the two pedals are smaller than the B3, and they both can run on batteries. I could use the MS60b on its own and use a simulation of the BDDI, but then I'd lose the XLR out, and the ability to drive a power amp if needed.

For a headphone amp, I have a Vox Amplug v.2 with the rudimentary drum beats for practice. It does have an Aux in though, unlike the Zoom B3 or the Tech 21 BFR.

Anybody out there have a different view or other ideas for traveling and playing?

I don't have any sponsorships or roadies, and I fly economy!
Click to expand...
Id consider a kemper stage? It has all of that and more. Very compact for what you get and has loads of outputs... no need for a DI. Just my 2 cents worth. I wouldn't recommend a full Kemper setup like the toaster or rackmount with floor unit if you need to travel light. The pedal board and toaster with the cat5e is a lot more bulky. I use the toaster pedalboard combo and often don't even bother with the pedalboard. The output section is to die for though.
 
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#5
Stephen Moore said:
Id consider a kemper stage? It has all of that and more. Very compact for what you get and has loads of outputs... no need for a DI. Just my 2 cents worth. I wouldn't recommend a full Kemper setup like the toaster or rackmount with floor unit if you need to travel light. The pedal board and toaster with the cat5e is a lot more bulky. I use the toaster pedalboard combo and often don't even bother with the pedalboard. The output section is to die for though.
Click to expand...

Kemper stage or Quad Cortex would be my choices if budget didn't matter. If budget wasn't that big, but still plentiful, HX STOMP is a great tool and dare I say more versatile than the Kemper for synth type stuff. I fit a stomp, finally di and Cali 76 stacked on a pedaltrain nano board. If budget was tighter, the flyrigs work. Not my favorite, but definitely functional.
 
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#6
Rickplaysbass said:
Kemper stage or Quad Cortex would be my choices if budget didn't matter. If budget wasn't that big, but still plentiful, HX STOMP is a great tool and dare I say more versatile than the Kemper for synth type stuff. I fit a stomp, finally di and Cali 76 stacked on a pedaltrain nano board. If budget was tighter, the flyrigs work. Not my favorite, but definitely functional.
Click to expand...
Not so sure about the synth thing, the kemper does have a pretty hefty assortment of pitch shifting, chorus and octave divider stuff on it. To be honest, Ive played around with it a bit and its kinda fun to create cool synth sounds but I find I seldom actually use em.
 
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#7
Stephen Moore said:
Not so sure about the synth thing, the kemper does have a pretty hefty assortment of pitch shifting, chorus and octave divider stuff on it. To be honest, Ive played around with it a bit and its kinda fun to create cool synth sounds but I find I seldom actually use em.
Click to expand...
I have used a Kemper for years. I LOVE it. But the Stomp kills it for synth sounds for me. That and the nano sized board have made it my grab and go choice. If I can pack freely, I run the stomp in the loop of the Kemper and use midi program changes to include the sounds I want with the profiles I want. I control it all through just the Kemper remote. It's overkill, but I sure do love it in my ears when I can get away with it. And it's still way less rig than my pedalboard, SVT, and fridge used to be.
 
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#9
Rickplaysbass said:
I have used a Kemper for years. I LOVE it. But the Stomp kills it for synth sounds for me. That and the nano sized board have made it my grab and go choice. If I can pack freely, I run the stomp in the loop of the Kemper and use midi program changes to include the sounds I want with the profiles I want. I control it all through just the Kemper remote. It's overkill, but I sure do love it in my ears when I can get away with it. And it's still way less rig than my pedalboard, SVT, and fridge used to be.
Click to expand...
See, I would have never thought to do that, but the aux ins, outputs and routing flexibility make it a Swiss Army knife. You choose to just use it as a Di or an effects unit, or whatever you want. Heck you can actually use it as a Di for a keyboard or an ipod! And even with that, you can use all the outputs simultaneously! That's just killer. Totally worth the money... a lot of money! To be honest, Ive personally not used the Stomp, heard great things about it and by the sound of it, I should get one for the gear box lol!
 
#10
shirojiro said:
I've not heard of Kemper gear. I'm doing a search now!

Whoa. That is an amazing piece of gear. But it's pretty big, and $1,600 is a lot.

Definitely something to keep in mind. The demos on the website are geared towards guitar, but it sounds like it's great for bass guitar as well?
Click to expand...

It's great for bass, but you'll have to find folks like myself that use it for bass in order to get a good selection of profiles. @Uncle Walt has had a project going for a while and has been invaluable as a resource for Kemper sounds.

That said, I play some rhythm guitar in projects form time to time so it made a lot of sense for me to learn a system to use for both of my rigs.

The Stage isn't too bad and could probably tuck up in to a few of the front pockets on some of my gig bags. The Gator bag I have for the toaster I have has been super useful over the years and is sized for carry on.
 
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#12
Stephen Moore said:
See, I would have never thought to do that, but the aux ins, outputs and routing flexibility make it a Swiss Army knife. You choose to just use it as a Di or an effects unit, or whatever you want. Heck you can actually use it as a Di for a keyboard or an ipod! And even with that, you can use all the outputs simultaneously! That's just killer. Totally worth the money... a lot of money! To be honest, Ive personally not used the Stomp, heard great things about it and by the sound of it, I should get one for the gear box lol!
Click to expand...
The routing between the two is ridiculous how crazy you can get, for sure. The biggest thing I just can't get from the Kemper is the type of SUB stuff that is all over modern music like "Cowgirls" by Morgan Wallen. 808 type sounds and other just big subharmonic type stuff are all over a lot of the things that I play and the Kemper just doesn't do those things very well for me (if you know how, I'm, all ears).
 
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#13
shirojiro said:
So I agreed to play a gig in Ireland at a meeting that I'm attending.
In retrospect, this sounds like a terrible idea, but that's a different discussion.

I'm trying to figure out what to bring regarding effects and preamp while not really knowing what gear will be available. I've been told there will be a backline and PA, but I have no specifics yet.

My options include:
-Separate pedals for tuner, compressor, preamp, octave, filter, chorus, DI, headphone amp.
This is my least favorite option, but I have some great pedals for this.

Other options -


-Tech 21 Bass Flyrig v.1
Great Sansamp amp simulator. Decent enough compressor. Boost pedal built in. Headphone amp built in. Chorus is decent. I can get a couple of decent sounds from the filter. The octave and fuzz are really not great for me though. This is a big minus.

I thought I'd just grab this and toss it in a bag with me. It is tiny and super slim.

-Zoom B3
The old standby. Only 3 slots though. Has headphone amp. Runs on batteries. Easy to turn effects on and off with dedicated foot switches. Has a looper that I never use. Has drums for practice. XLR out with pre and post control.

-Zoom MS60b
The new old standby. Updated firmware makes it sound better than the B3 regarding octave and filters which are some of the effects I use. Interface isn't great for a gig, but with some setup, one can cycle through patches pretty easily.

It turns out that the MS60b with a Sansamp BDDI is a great combo for a small footprint flyrig. It does require one extra cable, but the sound is great. Together, the two pedals are smaller than the B3, and they both can run on batteries. I could use the MS60b on its own and use a simulation of the BDDI, but then I'd lose the XLR out, and the ability to drive a power amp if needed.

For a headphone amp, I have a Vox Amplug v.2 with the rudimentary drum beats for practice. It does have an Aux in though, unlike the Zoom B3 or the Tech 21 BFR.

Anybody out there have a different view or other ideas for traveling and playing?

I don't have any sponsorships or roadies, and I fly economy!
Click to expand...
HX Stomp is awesome. It will fit in your hand luggage and just works!
 
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#14
kyral210 said:
HX Stomp is awesome. It will fit in your hand luggage and just works!
Click to expand...
Agreed. The Stomp and a TRS->XLR adapter is all I take for fly dates these days. I throw that, a strap, and a 1/4” cable in my Bass Kapsule along with bass of choice and I can cover any gig that comes my way. The Bass Kapsule even fits my clothes and toiletries. That setup has made fly dates a breeze and I no longer stress about traveling.
 
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#15
shirojiro said:
So I agreed to play a gig in Ireland at a meeting that I'm attending.
In retrospect, this sounds like a terrible idea, but that's a different discussion.

I'm trying to figure out what to bring regarding effects and preamp while not really knowing what gear will be available. I've been told there will be a backline and PA, but I have no specifics yet.

My options include:
-Separate pedals for tuner, compressor, preamp, octave, filter, chorus, DI, headphone amp.
This is my least favorite option, but I have some great pedals for this.

Other options -


-Tech 21 Bass Flyrig v.1
Great Sansamp amp simulator. Decent enough compressor. Boost pedal built in. Headphone amp built in. Chorus is decent. I can get a couple of decent sounds from the filter. The octave and fuzz are really not great for me though. This is a big minus.

I thought I'd just grab this and toss it in a bag with me. It is tiny and super slim.

-Zoom B3
The old standby. Only 3 slots though. Has headphone amp. Runs on batteries. Easy to turn effects on and off with dedicated foot switches. Has a looper that I never use. Has drums for practice. XLR out with pre and post control.

-Zoom MS60b
The new old standby. Updated firmware makes it sound better than the B3 regarding octave and filters which are some of the effects I use. Interface isn't great for a gig, but with some setup, one can cycle through patches pretty easily.

It turns out that the MS60b with a Sansamp BDDI is a great combo for a small footprint flyrig. It does require one extra cable, but the sound is great. Together, the two pedals are smaller than the B3, and they both can run on batteries. I could use the MS60b on its own and use a simulation of the BDDI, but then I'd lose the XLR out, and the ability to drive a power amp if needed.

For a headphone amp, I have a Vox Amplug v.2 with the rudimentary drum beats for practice. It does have an Aux in though, unlike the Zoom B3 or the Tech 21 BFR.

Anybody out there have a different view or other ideas for traveling and playing?

I don't have any sponsorships or roadies, and I fly economy!
Click to expand...
If just bring my bass, my board, and my in ears.
 
#18
shirojiro said:
These two preamps seem to have some more features, but are they that much better than an Sansamp?
Click to expand...

I've owned several different sansamp models over the past couple of decades, and have a VT-Bass DI stuffed in my gigbag as a spare. They all just seemed "meh" to me.

The smallest out of the bunch will be the EBS Microbass III. If you truly want a tiny pro level package I don't think anyone else makes anything smaller. The Trace is nice, but considerably larger. The newer Trace Elliott stuff just seems completely over-looked by the Talkbass crowd though......probably due to the association with Peavey.

I owned both the EBS and Trace units over the past year, but ultimately settled on a Mesa Subway DI (fewer features, but Oh, Em, Gee what a beautiful sounding unit).

Good luck in your quest!
 
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#20
hennessybass said:
If I was doing a one-off fly gig, I'd be thinking about something small, easy, and something that can be ready to go direct into a PA.
I'd be willing to give up a bit of "my tone" to travel light.
The idea of batteries is pretty nice - no need for a power supply, and no potential issues.
Click to expand...
Oh, is it a one off?

Pffft.

VT Bass DI and a headstock tuner. Fits in a gig bag and runs on batteries, power supply, or phantom power.
 
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