My Favorite Looper (Click Here)
Almost 20 years ago I had my first experience with a looper. I was immediately hooked on the idea of layering tracks and creating something out of nothing. Starting with a simple guitar part and adding layers until you built a huge sound. It’s the ultimate creativity tool and so much fun. Loopers have come a long way since then and this particular looper wins big for me for it’s relatively small footprint, multiple instrument and xlr inputs, intelligent features, and if you want it to be, a true all in one system from looper, guitar/vocal tones, and mixer.
My Gear
My Looper Pedal Toppers (Click Here)
Timing and accuracy are everything when it comes to looping. I found myself occasionally missing the small buttons on the looper while focusing on my performance and discovered these amazing pedal toppers, designed specifically for the RC-600. Big Problem solver and let’s you pick different colors for different buttons.
My Pedal Board Friendly Wireless Guitar System (Click Here)
If you’re like me, you’ve avoided the idea of a wireless system because of 3 reasons. High cost, reliability issues, and annoyance of needing to charge batteries. This year I decided to try out the Shure GLXD16+ and can confidently say, it was likely the best gear purchase I made all year. This tech has come a long way. The price is super reasonable for a professional grade product that includes a strong wireless connection and long battery life. No more tripping over cables and the ability to walk off stage with your guitar into the audience to sound check yourself as a gigging musician is so valuable to me.
My In-Ear Monitoring System (Click Here)
I realized for the sake of my performance, enjoyment, and health of my voice, investing in an In-Ear Monitoring System was something worth exploring. Musicians typically like things loud in our monitors and sometimes the venues want things a little more tame. The best solution to this I’ve found is to have your own mix and levels coming directly into your ears. Bonus, feedback becomes a thing of the past for the most part.
My Mic Stand (Click Here)
Want to know possibly the worst purchase a live performer can make? A bad mic stand! Whether it droops, cracks, swivels, or completely falls apart, the wrong mic stand can zap the fun out of any performance. I’ve purchased many different stands over the years and after seeing so many pros use this exact stand, I now know why. Amazing components, once tight, it simply will not droop, and somehow both durable and lightweight. The best part is once I set this up, I know I don’t have to worry about it and can get to playing music!
My iPad Holder: Click Here
Because some of my gigs can be hours long, I utilize an ipad for the lyrics and chords to some songs I haven’t played in awhile or audience requests. Hercules really nailed it with this product. It can be used with almost any tablet or phone whether you’re gigging or practicing at home. It’s designed to connect to mic stand and is definitely pro grade, like the majority of their products.
My XLR Cables: Click Here
My Instrument Cables: Click Here
Here’s the thing about cables, you usually only notice them if there’s a problem. I have been pleasantly surprised with the quality and longevity of Mogami Cables. They use some of the best components available and will not compromise your sound. Over the years, I’ve had 2 cables have issues after many many gigs. I brought in the old cables to an authorized dealer and with no receipt, ID, or resistance, and after years of use, they simply took my old cable and gave me a brand new ones, no charge. I so appreciate a company who stands behind their product and can only hope this policy continues. I suggest going with the “Buy Once, Cry Once” philosophy when it comes to cables.
My FX Pedal: Click Here
If you’re a guitar player today you know just as well as I do how many options you have when it comes to manipulating and enhancing your guitar sound, from giant boards packed with individual pedals to tiny boxes that emulate hundreds of options. I have a soft spot for BOTH. However, what I need most for my performances is with a click of a single button, I can get a usable tone and get into the music. The HX Stomp has continued to hold it’s own against the competition and I am free to plug in my acoustic or electric and get a great sound within seconds. As a plus, I think for everything this device does, it is competitively priced and has a small footprint.
My Bass Sound: Click Here
In my loops, having the ability to make my guitar sound like a bass is so important. Adding a bass line really fills things out! I use the older OC-3 for now, but if I were to buy today, I’d likely get the new and improved OC-5. Something special about these pedals is the poly mode, where you can set the range of impact. For example, you can set the pedal to really only impact the lower strings, so in a way, you can play both bass and guitar at the same time. Lots of videos on this.
My Page Turner: Click Here
Often times my performance last 3-4 hours. That’s a lot of music! I use an ipad to assist me with lyrics and chords, especially with new songs. This bluetooth page turner allows me to handsfree to scroll through different songs and song sections.
My Pedalboard: Click Here
I’ve owned this same board and case in 3 different sizes over the years. This is probably considered a medium size that can fit a fair amount of pedals without being a back breaker to carry around. The flight case is very sturdy and doubles as a sign during my performances.
My Mixer/Pre Amp: Click Here
This is another piece of equipment that I bought, sold, and bought again when I realized I just couldn’t live without it. This little box fits on my board is responsible for a warm punch from my acoustic and amazing reverb! Not needing a separate mixer to plug in and find a stand for cuts down on time and it is truly remarkable at what it does.
My Recorder: Click Here
Capturing a quality recording of my performances is important to me and for that I use a Zoom H1 XLR.
My Sampler (Drum Sounds): Click Here
I often loop in my performances and having the option to play samples of real drums brings my loops to a new level. This is an affordable, simple sampler that does the job.
My Capo: Click Here
I’ve collected and tested many capos over the years and find myself going back and forth between a couple brands. However, when I found this capo it seemed to strike the right balance of accuracy and speed I’ve been looking for.
My Guitar Pick: Click Here
I’ve purchased thousands of guitar picks. All the shapes and sizes in a variety of thicknesses. This is the one that I always seem to come back to.
My PA (with built-in mixer): Click Here
My PA (without mixer): Click Here
My PA (smaller version with mixer): Click Here
My PA (without built-in mixer): Click Here
My PA (smaller version with mixer): Click Here
Quick to setup, Easy to Load, Sounds AMAZING, deep lows, crystal highs, and wide dispersion of sound that will suit a variety of venues.
If you have a mixer you’re happy with, get the EV50. If you like the idea of a built in multi channel mixer, get the 50m. If you’re mostly playing smaller venues and this seems like overkill, the 30 will be great.