Will the Floyd and Rack Systems Make a Comeback?

[troykennedy]

OK, this will date me. But I was listening to some old Mr. Mister ( I guess all of it is old Loved the "Go On" recording.

I am really digging Steve Farris' tone and playing. He makes pretty liberal use of the Floyd. Apparently using some kind of Bradshaw and a Dumble and Kelley amps amongst other things. Pretty great playing.

Will this vibe ever come back around? Really amazing fat lead tone with spanky, clean, chorused sounds. Punchy and to die for in the gear world. WHen I say rack, I really mean that super chorused, compressed "gotta buy an eventide" kind of sound.

It seems in the grunge era that using the Floyd became really passe even without the EVH dive bombing. Unless you are some kind of tribute band or a reunion type of tour (ala Billy Idol etc...) YOu don't hear that kind of playing.

I love the music coming out today. Am big into Radiohead, Coldplay. John Mayer, Evanescence etc.. But I like that old vibe too. Will it ever feel new again?

What are your thoughts?

[dk123123dk]

I don't think racks ever really went out. A lot of touring pro's use racks because they are durable. Even if they are rackmounting standard amps.

Floyds are still popular with the Metal crowd. Dragonforce is a good example of locking tremolo use (even tho they use ibanez zr tremolos).

dk

[kldonegan]

Plenty of my favorite players rack their stompboxes. It's clean, durable and a good way to keep your signal path pure. If I didn't move my own rig around I'd do it in a heartbeat.


I will never play a Floyd equipped guitar.

[troykennedy]

Yeah I hear ya. I guess I always thought of it for most players as the thing they all wanted. When in most of what is popular in pop/alt/rock you don't hear it.

If I used it in the music I am playing every week - thick chorused cleans and a lot of floyd, I would immediately sound dated. It would be considered a pretty big throwback.

[sugarlou]

Walked into GC the other day..Big display of Les Pauls.......with Floyds! WTF?
Didn't see many in the 80's when they were popular ( were they even available though Gibson?) and now that they aren't Gibson releases them...go figure

[troykennedy]

Originally Posted by kldonegan

.I will never play a Floyd equipped guitar.

May I ask why? Is it a style thing? tone thing?

Seems like a unique tool to make music that got a weird rap. Just wondering.

[todd richman]

Have you seen the Snow Patrol rig yet from L.A. Sound Design:

http://www.hugeracksinc.com/forum/viewtopic.php?t=50188

[fyrwyr]

Originally Posted by troykennedy

OK, this will date me. But I was listening to some old Mr. Mister ( I guess all of it is old Loved the "Go On" recording.

I am really digging Steve Farris' tone and playing. He makes pretty liberal use of the Floyd. Apparently using some kind of Bradshaw and a Dumble and Kelley amps amongst other things. Pretty great playing.

Will this vibe ever come back around? Really amazing fat lead tone with spanky, clean, chorused sounds. Punchy and to die for in the gear world. WHen I say rack, I really mean that super chorused, compressed "gotta buy an eventide" kind of sound.

It seems in the grunge era that using the Floyd became really passe even without the EVH dive bombing. Unless you are some kind of tribute band or a reunion type of tour (ala Billy Idol etc...) YOu don't hear that kind of playing.

I love the music coming out today. Am big into Radiohead, Coldplay. John Mayer, Evanescence etc.. But I like that old vibe too. Will it ever feel new again?

What are your thoughts?

Farris is great, as well as Mr. Mister. I have a legal bootleg of the last album (called -Pull) that wasn't released officially which doesn't have Farris at all, a great album still but I was sad he was missing. Buzz Feiten and Trevor Rabin were two of the guitarists who played on that disc; amazing production and great arrangements as usual

I still dig that '80's guitar tone he had, better than the over processed distortions many others used at the time...

[dpeterson]

i dont think racks ever went out either.. just getting more compact.. you dont need a separate unit for each effect now as the multi unites are sounding better and better. check out what Larry Mitchell dumped all his pedals and rack gear for:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GUowkk95oTM

the floyd rose to me is perfect, and i have some guitars with and without.. all depends on what you are doing. some people are just floyd haters to be haters.

dave

[troykennedy]

That is sweet! So maybe the rack thing is more in vogue than I thought.

What about ye old Floyd Rose?

[troykennedy]

Let's face it guys. We are all gonna go with the modeling bit in not too long. The Fractal AXE FX is the beginning of the end.

[90wreck]

Originally Posted by troykennedy

That is sweet! So maybe the rack thing is more in vogue than I thought.

What about ye old Floyd Rose?

You can't play pedal steel licks on them.
You rarely can play one note and hold it while playing another without the first note going flate, unless you have a tremsetter(I think).
Haven't had a Floyd in years, I wouldn/t really mind having a guitar in the mix with one on...Just for kicks...
Who knows, I may need it some day for a song.....well maybe for part of a song.......small section?????
Racks/ touring artisits for pedals and highend rackmount stuff.... yes.
Floyds, I doubt they will make a strong comeback, but will always be around.

[troykennedy]

I would love to see a new player with that Steve Farris vibe surface. Using the Floyd to bend into chords and single notes etc....I think it's pretty cool. But then again, I AM still listening to that stuff. Not a lot of new bands are gonna cite those guys as an influence.

[T.Wesley]

I have 2 guitars w/Floyds. They are tools in the palette

If I never have to haul around a rack system again, though, I will die a happy man. If all I had to do was set it up and somebody else moved it around, I could do it.

It's a lot easier (and lighter) to have an amp & a pedalboard.

--chiba

[troykennedy]

Reason I ask is I thought it would be cool to get the Suhr Pro with the Floyd. When I'm in a retro mood.