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Touring Gear

Stryker

By Stryker
in 2011

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Powerage5 LEGEND

Powerage5

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Thanks for sharing, they did one of these articles on Maiden's touring gear last year, and it was equally interesting.

Of particular note, I found it interesting that they pictured Bumble's ITW acoustic. Obviously it's on the setlist, but the fact that he's still got it on the road after 2 months means it might actually get played before year's end? :shrugs:

I'm also having a brain fade...does Bumble ever actually use the Les Paul anytime during the show this year?

Edited by Powerage5
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axlslash FRONTMAN

axlslash

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Hey - I don't have a problem with this, I just don't know - but why do they need so many guitars (variants and duplicates)?

I'm rather ignorant about it.

Fluidity. For example, Dj popped a string at the last show. If he only had one of each type of guitar, it would have been several minutes before he was able to restart the song, and he'd have to retune every song because new strings take a day or two to stabilize. By having multiples, there can be backup guitars with the same settings and tuning ready to swap in if a string breaks, goes out of tune, etc.

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henfjel DEMI-GOD

henfjel

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Thanks for sharing, they did one of these articles on Maiden's touring gear last year, and it was equally interesting.

Of particular note, I found it interesting that they pictured Bumble's ITW acoustic. Obviously it's on the setlist, but the fact that he's still got it on the road after 2 months means it might actually get played before year's end? :shrugs:

I'm also having a brain fade...does Bumble ever actually use the Les Paul anytime during the show this year?

its probably amongst the songs they can play if they want.

and its not like they send some unused gear home during a tour :P

i think McBob (bumbles guitar tech) mentioning in an interview about rons gear that he has that just in case he needs another guitar or just for fun or something

Edited by henfjel
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Powerage5 LEGEND

Powerage5

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Posted

Hey - I don't have a problem with this, I just don't know - but why do they need so many guitars (variants and duplicates)?

I'm rather ignorant about it.

Fluidity. For example, Dj popped a string at the last show. If he only had one of each type of guitar, it would have been several minutes before he was able to restart the song, and he'd have to retune every song because new strings take a day or two to stabilize. By having multiples, there can be backup guitars with the same settings and tuning ready to swap in if a string breaks, goes out of tune, etc.

Alternate tunings is another huge reason; it's not so much an issue for GN'R (I don't think any of them use alternate tunings other than Bumble's fretless in drop-D?), but for other artists, it's a huge deal.

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James Bond LEGEND

James Bond

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Posted

Hey - I don't have a problem with this, I just don't know - but why do they need so many guitars (variants and duplicates)?

I'm rather ignorant about it.

Fluidity. For example, Dj popped a string at the last show. If he only had one of each type of guitar, it would have been several minutes before he was able to restart the song, and he'd have to retune every song because new strings take a day or two to stabilize. By having multiples, there can be backup guitars with the same settings and tuning ready to swap in if a string breaks, goes out of tune, etc.

Alternate tunings is another huge reason; it's not so much an issue for GN'R (I don't think any of them use alternate tunings other than Bumble's fretless in drop-D?), but for other artists, it's a huge deal.

Guns doesn't use many alternate tunings, but here are a few:

- Fortus plays Shackler's in drop B tuning to get those low notes in the verse. For those curious, he uses an envelope filter (a Discombobulator pedal) for that weird tone on it.

- Chinese Democracy is in standard drop D tuning so I think they actually switch guitars to Eb tuned guitars in that split second before Jungle (with the exception of Bumblefoot, I think he just plays everything a fret higher - including a semitone higher on the fretless - to accommodate since his double necks are tuned to Eb as well). For those who aren't musicians and might not be aware, all the "old" songs are in Eb (E-flat) tuning which is a half-step down from the "Standard" tuning of the guitar. Reasons for doing this include making the guitars sound a little heavier, making it a little easier on the singer, and so on.

The only other song off the top of my head I can think of is There Was A Time. I'm pretty sure they play that in standard tuning (it'd make more sense for the positioning of the chords) but I could be wrong. It's not impossible to play a half-step down, just a little unusual for a song in B minor.

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James Bond LEGEND

James Bond

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Chinese Democracy is in standard drop D tuning

That's why Axl's voice is higher on the album.

I meant the song in particular. Live the song is also in Standard Drop D tuning. Most of the album is in the usual E-flat tuning, notably Better and IRS.

Two more I remembered from the album that have different tunings are Sorry and If The World. I think If The World is tuned down a whole step.

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James Bond LEGEND

James Bond

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Better also had drop-D. And as far as I remember, TWAT is standard Eb.

Cool to see Fortus barithone guitar. Seems heavy.. He bought it back in 2003 or 2004, I guess. He even said back then that it was for songs like Oh My God and Silkworms.

True, Better is dropped but it's in E-flat tuning then dropped, not Standard Drop D like Chinese Democracy. I figured There Was A Time could go either way, I've only ever bothered to learn bits and pieces of it on guitar.

Agreed about the baritone guitar. I'd love to try one of those out.

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WhazUp LEGEND

WhazUp

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I believe TWAT is in regular E-standard, I don't think the song has a low-Eb in it

The tuning for Better is in Eb standard then further dropping the E string a whole step to Db which is what gives the guitar the badass heavy tone during the breakdown after the guitar solo

Edited by WhazUp
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James Bond LEGEND

James Bond

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I believe TWAT is in regular E-standard, I don't think the song has a low-Eb in it

The tuning for Better is in Eb standard then further dropping the E string a whole step to Db

You're right about there being no low Eb in There Was A Time, but I figured for convenience sake they might have just been playing it in E-flat tuning anyways and just moving the chords up. It doesn't really make the song any harder, just a weird key to play it in since the song itself is more suited for standard tuning since it's in B minor. The tab book has it as standard tuning, but tab books aren't always right. I haven't watched any of the few live videos that exist of There Was A Time close enough to see what positions they're playing the chords in.

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WhazUp LEGEND

WhazUp

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I believe TWAT is in regular E-standard, I don't think the song has a low-Eb in it

The tuning for Better is in Eb standard then further dropping the E string a whole step to Db

You're right about there being no low Eb in There Was A Time, but I figured for convenience sake they might have just been playing it in E-flat tuning anyways and just moving the chords up. It doesn't really make the song any harder, just a weird key to play it in since the song itself is more suited for standard tuning since it's in B minor. The tab book has it as standard tuning, but tab books aren't always right. I haven't watched any of the few live videos that exist of There Was A Time close enough to see what positions they're playing the chords in.

Yeah it could go either way, its not that hard to transpose the chords one fret higher in Eb tuning so its possible they do that to make it less of a hassle. Or maybe they could possibly use the guitars they play on Chinese Democracy because then they only have to tune the D string back to E

But all in all I have no idea what they actually do lol

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James Bond LEGEND

James Bond

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Posted

I believe TWAT is in regular E-standard, I don't think the song has a low-Eb in it

The tuning for Better is in Eb standard then further dropping the E string a whole step to Db

You're right about there being no low Eb in There Was A Time, but I figured for convenience sake they might have just been playing it in E-flat tuning anyways and just moving the chords up. It doesn't really make the song any harder, just a weird key to play it in since the song itself is more suited for standard tuning since it's in B minor. The tab book has it as standard tuning, but tab books aren't always right. I haven't watched any of the few live videos that exist of There Was A Time close enough to see what positions they're playing the chords in.

Yeah it could go either way, its not that hard to transpose the chords one fret higher in Eb tuning so its possible they do that to make it less of a hassle. Or maybe they could possibly use the guitars they play on Chinese Democracy because then they only have to tune the D string back to E

But all in all I have no idea what they actually do lol

True enough. We need McBob to join the forum and reveal these tuning mysteries. :lol:

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