Amplification

Until fairly recently, my back line consisted of a Markbass Little Mark 800 and a 1980's Marshall JCM 800, which were linked to a Marshall 8 x 10 and a Marshall 4 x 12 respectively. The Little Mark drove the JCM 800 through the Line Out. The result was pretty loud.

For anyone wondering, it's an empty bottle of Motorhead Shiraz on the end of the JCM 800. Still the best bottle of red I've ever tasted.

When I started playing with Petra Deos, I needed something more portable. This was the result:

A 2,000W (1,000W at 8 Ohms) Bugera Veyron amp coupled to a 400W at 8 Ohms Peavey Headliner 210 cab. What could possibly go wrong?

The Peavey cab eventually had to go. I changed cars and it wouldn't fit in the boot anymore. The Marshall 8x10 was also a bit of a white elephant so I sold it.

I bought two 2x8 Trace Elliot Elf cabs which are loud but very light, but more importantly fitted in the boot of the car:

And then in March 2023, my dream of a Trace Elliot stack finally came true. Not quite the size I'd been dreaming of but even powering one of the cabs at 130W, it seemed plenty loud enough to keep up with the guitarists in Petra Deos.

Now I'm providing the low end for Filthy Contact, the Elf just wasn't loud enough. I'm now using the Markbass amp with both Trace cabinets. This is more than adequate for the gigs we're doing at the moment. We're playing some festivals this year, so as a total newb to this I'm looking forward to being DI'd or mic'd up...

Wireless: I've got a Getara system and a more professional looking AKG system. I've tried the Getara system at rehearsals and it's great for preventing stray feet from pulling stuff over but I don't think I'd trust it at a gig. The AKG system has never been used as far as I can remember! I did look into getting a more professional wireless system but to be honest I'm unlikely to be playing Wembley at any time soon so I'll stick with a trusty cable for the time being.