Equipment

On the third leg of the "EUPHORIA" tour, Phil played the latest version of the well-known Jackson PC-1, which features some detailed changes from previous versions. Here's what Phil has to say about his new axe:
"I've got a new guitar! It's a Jackson PC, but it's different from my other ones, as the body is made from ash (as opposed to koa, or mahogany), it doesn't have a maple top and it has black hardware. As you can see in the photos, the new PC-1 is a single piece of wood. Anyway, I'm loving it as it sounds a little chunkier than some of the other guitars." Detailed specifications on Phil's PC-1 can be found at JacksonGuitars.com.

On the "SLANG"- and "EUPHORIA"-tours, Vivian has been using Gibson guitars only; always a Les Paul when playing electric songs, and various Gibsons when playing acoustic tunes. Most used Les Pauls are a 70s Vintage custom ebony, a 59s custom shop reissue (with Gibson Tony Iommi pickups), a 56 goldtop with PAF humbuckers and a 70s vintage standard tobacco burst. Viv's current favorite for acoustics is a 1997 SJ-200 custom. One of the latest additions to his guitar arsenal is a blue Gibson Les Paul Standard Sparkle. Detailed specifications about the Sparkle can be found at Gibson.com.

Sav currently plays Washburn (XB925) and Hamer basses, both equipped with 5 strings. From the guitar, the Samson wireless guitar pack transmits the sound to the receiver in the rack. The signal comes from the UH-5 Samson receiver and then goes to a Whirlwind switching system, then into the Bradshaw switching system. The Bradshaw is the brain in the bass rig. It lets different sounds be added to the signal for the overall sound. The complete rack has:
·   DBX 160X Compressor (which is on most of the time)
·   Sony M-7 (for chorus and some delay)
·   Sands Amp (for the distorted grunge sound)
·   862 Sonic Maximizer (to help "round out" the sound)
Before it goes to the amps there is a D.I. (Direct Input for the sound engineer) to have a clean bass sound. Also, the signal goes through a Palmer Speaker simulator for the engineer to add the effects to the bass sound. The amplifiers are Trace Elliot V-6 Bass heads and Trace Elliot 4 x 12 inch bass speaker cabinets, which there are two cabinets used per side of the stage.

The uniqueness of Rick Allen's drumkit has been well documented over the years; foot pedals trigger the sounds that most drummers make with their left arm - the one Rick lost in a car accident in 1984. Using all kinds of "technology stunts" like DDrum and Acupads, next to regular acoustic units (snare drum, bass drum and cymbals), Rick's kit can sound like a regular acoustic drum kit (using samples which were recorded with an actual acoustic drum kit), while it is also able to create the more "less natural" futuristic sounds and entire loops, triggered by one hit. One of the latest additions to the kit is a new triggering interface, designed and built by Jim Kelsey and J-P Cirre of Whirlwind, along with Rick's drum tech Jerry Johnson.