Pedal Board No. 3

Next Sunday, Maximum Indifference has its first gig after yet another long absence from the stage (that would be both literal and proverbial). That means it was time for yet another major overhaul of my live rig. Seems I have a habit of doing that every time we have a show after a few months (or years) off.

The last incarnation of my performance rig served me well, but in the end became entirely too cumbersome. Two separate racks—one for bass, and one for the dinosaur hardware samplers. The set-up was straightforward enough, but I just got tired of lugging all that stuff around.

A while back I picked up a Line 6 Bass POD Live floor unit in an effort to consolidate all my bass gear into a very handy and very portable tiny little box. And the hardware samplers? Kicked to the curb in favor of my powerbook (running a slew of NN-XTs in Reason, of course). Done deal. But now I needed a new pedal board to float the POD over my PK-5 Midi pedals, since the cardboard box I had been using during practice just wasn’t going to fly. Amazing what a little plywood, cheap carpet, and a little spray adhesive can do:

And loaded up, ready to rock: (almost)

And, I’ll have you note I even completed the above project with my freshly-damaged, garage-door-smashed, still-throbbing lame ring finger!

1. Me and Ron Jeremy were sitting upstairs at the compound watching some of his old movies (the good ones, like when he worked with Traci Lords when she was sixteen and at the height of her career,) when suddenly an e-mail alert flashed on the thirty foot flat-panel computer monitor I have bolted to the wall informing me of the impending MI gigs.

   I immediately logged on to the Botched site to catch up on whatever changes Gus may have made to the set-up of his rig (as this is a area of primary responsibility for me,) and saw the post about his new pedal-board.

   “Look at this,” I shouted at Ron as he inhaled another huge line of blow. “The guy has finally decided to give up on egg crates and Styrofoam for his rig.
   “That reminds me of when I was on stage with the Stones one night.”  Said Ron, his pupils tiny pin-pricks even in the dark light of the finished attic space.  “Yeah,” He went on.  “Keith was so (bleep) up I had to work his pedals for him the whole gig.  And can you believe it?:  they didn’t even invite me to the after party after the gig.”

   “Ron, you drunken pig.”  I screamed at him as I took another hit off our second bottle of Jack Daniel’s.  “You were never with the Stones and quit doing all the coke we’re almost out.”
   “No I was I swear.”  He slurred at me, his face already dripping with perspiration.  They said I couldn’t hang any more because I did Bianca in the back lounge of their bus.”

   What the hell has that got to do with anything, why are you telling me this crap Ron?”  I said as I rescued the last of the drugs from him.
   Ron took a deep swig from the bottle of Jack and slumped back on to the couch as Traci’s ass bounced in all it’s teenage glory on the big screen.  “All I’m saying is I know pedal-boards and that one I can tell you is a damn fine looking one.”

   Posted by  on  04/29  at  12:08 AM

2. Aarrrgh. I should have known… I guess I asked for that. Thanks Lambie.

   (Editors note: The opinions of commenters here do not in any way shape or form reflect that of me… and in the case of Lambie here… do not resemble that of any sane person!)

   That’s it… I’m making your your own blog.

   Posted by gustaf  on  04/29  at  12:23 AM