Reacting to 80's Gear Rundowns | Vintage Guitar Rigs

[@JamieStephens5309]

As a touring guitarist in the 80's my rig consisted of a Les Paul into a JCM 800 with a Boss EQ and a DM-2 Delay. The only big racks I was interested in were in the front row:)

[@MisterRorschach90]

Really hope 9 more people like this.

[@jamesbrasfield2944]

There are exactly 69 likes on this top comment As it should be

[@devilmanable]

Mine was same lol.. had the eq which I also kinda used as boost and used chorus pedal I added delay later.

[@mrhyde2250]

A solid rig for sure.

[@michaelsteveharristonquisp6466]

You want a medal?

[@barriem5318]

"The higher the hair, the closer to God" is one of the best descriptions of 80s metal I've ever heard. 👏

[@BenCoombs]

Hands down one of the most entertaining videos I've seen in months!! Vintage gear, reaction shots and a healthy dose of grease!! Please do a part 2 RJ!!

[@Jaysteenn]

Well said!!

[@markedwards7721]

80's rigs, amazingly, are still unsurpassed.

[@mikedenkinger9570]

I love how Michael Angelo also immediately runs through his signal chain and brags about being in stereo..... and then immediately goes into a seizure with a whammy bar.

[@gravyblue]

When the steve lukather starlicks video came out, I, aged about 15 or 16, went and bought an emg 85. I still have it, it sounds nothing like a modern 85, and it absolutely rages.

[@frama7844]

7:32 still to this day, this is the 1st guitar that comes to my mind, when I hear the word guitar. Still the most gorgeous guitars that have ever been built ☺

[@TheAxe4Ever]

I absolutely LOVE Steve Lukather’s playing. He probably my all time favorite guitarist. But that little diddy he did at 8:45 is what we used to call a coke twitch. Kinda like a goosebump shiver. Hey, I’m not knocking him for it. It was the 80’s man! For many of us it was winter all year long. You know....always “snowing”. I remember watching this video when it came out and we used to laugh because all through it you would hear him do his “second wave sniffle”. So happy he (and a lot of us) cleaned ourselves up since.

[@altbouch]

These rigs are hysterical. Your reaction shots are great. I like this format and if you can find more topics like this, you should make more. Props for that Uncle Larry shirt.

[@TraneFrancks]

And Uncle Larry himself at 0:27 doing a rig rundown. 🤓

[@atlantaguitar9689]

Mr. Bouchard - I'm betting you've seen a few insane rigs in your time....Also some of the drum setups from the 70s and 80s could be pretty intense also.

[@ksharpe10]

And State of the Art Back then, Bet the Cult had some Big stuff/Buck of Course, bet you had quite the Drum set then?

[@SteveZinn]

"The higher the hair, the closer to God". Thank you for the greatest reaction videos on KZbin. Freaking awesome.

[@EricMerrow]

"I play 4 100 watt marshall stacks" ....just yes!!!!! Loved the video man!

[@BentTom]

2 years later I still love this video. More REH and Hot Licks video reviews please!

[@lockyanning2740]

Laughed all the way through. Badass playing by vanishing characters. Remember those racks and their mysterious lights.

[@waltersmetak]

Having started on guitar in the early 80s, this clip was really a scream! The vintage strat all hacked to bit to fit all this insane amount of stuff - wild! The Bradshaw gigs were insane! Over the top! Really loved the video - great choice! Very fun to watch and to remind us of the 80's excess.

[@baileywatts1304]

I saw one in the 90s where Billy Gibbons said he goes on tour with a pretty minimalist rig, but at every stop he checks out the local pawn shops and guitar stores and by the end of the tour he's got all kinds of new pedals and guitars

[@georgemcmillan9172]

At the height of my rig in the 80s, I had two 18 space racks full of processors, eqs, delays, reverb units, Dunlop rack wah system, and a midi switching system. Eight Peavey Butcher 4x12s, and eight Peavey Butcher heads. I had 10 guitars onstage, a Yamaha DX7 with soundbank, electric acousting on a seperate stand, and a custOM mini B.C.Rich Mockingbird mounted on a mic stand set up for slide. Damn, I really miss the 80s...

[@multishit6664]

Holy halfstacks batman. lol.

[@jessihawkins9116]

what u do with it all

[@AngusClarkGTR]

Lukather's is the total LA session archetype. He was like the proving ground that so many others followed. I can't say that it was my favorite thing, but it is THE thing. Brad Gillis' tone on "Speak of the Devil" is insanely good. It has that stereo'd sound to it. The guys as Atomic Guitar Works in Phoenix were still installing the wireless units into his guitars within the last 10 years! They did the same for Joel when he was in Night Ranger. Michael Angelo can't have had as much bread as either of the other guys, hence the pedals. Side Note - remember when Vai came out with the 2-necked heart guitar in a David Lee Roth video? We were all like, Michael Angelo has GOT to be PISSED!!! Love this vid!

[@midlifemotox]

I did the studio set ups for Luke in the 80's and 90's. It was Bob Bradshaws fault... It was ever evolving.. We had issues often... Luke and issues don't mix.

[@nedward5871]

Adrian Belew's gear rundown - I remember renting it! He goes through the effects, but also how he got his early 80s sounds...

[@davehill9951]

I got a wicked Jackson 1 unit rack pre amp from the 80's. got 2 pre amp tubes and a button on the front that says SHRED! Couldnt ask for anything more in life!

[@lynnhathaway1247]

This is hilarious. Felt like I was watching an episode of Mystery Science Theater 3000.

[@Mdbutler]

Love me some mst3k

[@glennman0922]

The new Crow was way better than O.G. crow IMO

[@dizzyred1390]

This is by far one of the best vids out there … classic vhs videos w RJ commentary lmao such a brilliant idea …nobody else clda made this that fun !

[@michaelwade9455]

Luke with that Valley Arts guitar and all that grease, not to mention the killer opening jam he played on his Star Licks lesson was so badass! Fun video R.J. nice to relive the golden years, I think my back still hurts from hauling my rig around back in the day!

[@Meltedcheese567]

PLEASE MAKE MORE OF THESE

[@chuckbob49]

I have never watched you before but this was masterful! You have such a dry, sarcastic, and incisive sense of humor. Well done, sir!

[@chrisday5341]

This is beyond entertaining. The commentary is gold!

[@zackguitar07]

Love this new format, RJ! Please do more. Michael Angelo's hair stole the show for me, but if I had to pick a favorite piece of gear it has to be the tri-chorus. I had the Keeley Dyno My Roto with a tri-chorus mode on it that instantly put me in the 80s, but now regretting selling it after watching this.

[@DrScrambles]

We need more of these!! This was great. It brings back memories of watching the old 80s dudes rigs in the clubs growing up back in the mid 2000s. Made me want rackmounts and stacks...Now I'm getting ready to sell my 120w head and 4x12 for a 50w and 2x12. How times have changed.

[@okoman5]

the world needs more of this!

[@erdismaxhelaku]

Bring back the 80s! No more Helix and Kempers

[@judaspriestchild]

Nothing is more 80s than a shitload of effects going through solid-state.

[@brettmarlar4154]

Those big rack rigs are not only expensive, space hogs, but they weigh a metric f-ton! I couldn't be paid enough to hump that about!

[@enzonuestro1721]

RJ's reaction on micheal angelo's dive bomb is the face of my Filipino mom when I told her i dont want to be a nurse and proceeded to say "ar u stooped?"

[@EricMarinko]

I didn't think I was going to like this topic but this video turned out to be one of my favorites.

[@ralphhyland8661]

This was the best video yet. I was instantly back just out of High School attempting to learn all I could about guitar, and totally remember watching these instructional videos. There was a really good Eric Johnson one (the 1st of a few) that had crazy cool hair as well as a good gear section. Thanks for doing these, they are great.

[@FC-cz6zd]

No one does these types of guitar videos better

[@nickpagoulatos9575]

I usually think reaction videos are lame but this one was pretty funny and well done. Keep the funny coming!

[@michaelweiss1531]

In the 80th i used to play a Vintage Stratocaster through a Silverface Twin Reverb with a Rat, now i bought a Rocktron VooDu Valve, a Transistor Poweramp and a Hamer Special FM, greetings from Germany

[@TheBrightSounds]

Such a smart and funny segment.... I love this breakdown

[@bv5980]

Really enjoyed this video, brings back memories of lusting after rack mounted gear. Please make more of this videos, cheers!

[@sesa2984]

I’m all in for more rack content. I can’t wait for the “Get it off the floor” movement.

[@JJ-nq3ll]

It was all about the hair! Everything else would follow 🎸

[@mikeivey8471]

Man , I lived that stuff !! This video took me back hard !! Loved it !! Thanks for the time machine moment !! Please do more like this ?!

[@redrum22]

This video is perfect in so many ways

[@bradmodd7856]

brad gillis doing that Zappa neck flick when he says something he is really proud of ..love it (4:22)

[@TraneFrancks]

Wow. What a huge giggle. Marvellous video!

[@rsm9793]

LOL That was a fantastic video! I hope there's more to come! I mean, you should make it a series please! Bring back that phenomenal 80's gear and vibe!

[@andriealinsangao613]

Dude, gotta love that "That's What She Said" joke!

[@guitarman45.]

Those big rigs were real fun to play with every unit back then was amazing and we were always looking for more

[@charlescollison9207]

The best 14min ever!!!

[@ginoames]

This is awesome. My buddies and I were huge fans of the Hot Licks videos back in the day.

[@marksoden6812]

This is an Epic Episode. Well done! The facial expressions during the whammy bar tantrum were PRICELESS!

[@nilsx3020]

Hilarious indeed. But Luke is still the man. Such a character and generational player and all around cool dude.

[@WhiteDove73-888]

Lol. I don’t know who you are talking about??? He’s the biggest jerk in rock but totally awesome guitarist.

[@jamesthe-doctor8981]

I keep telling myself to pull out my old ‘80s rack, but I also keep forgetting to do it.😂 Most of what’s in it are stereo, studio effects that can also be used onstage, but it does have two guitar-specific effects: an old Rockman in its somewhat rare rack mount. The other is a Digitech GSP-5 that I bought to use in the band I was in while stationed in Korea. The latter truly has all the “sounds of the 80s” guitar tones, but that Rockman just has that “Boston tone” that Tom Scholtz created. It’s not only unmistakable, it’s unavoidable when you plug into one. SO much fun!!

[@BrettPapa]

Bro no George Lynch!?! Great vid!

[@RJRonquillo]

Part 2!

[@axelvanvik8225]

@@RJRonquillo Would be cool if you would include Brian May's Star Licks tape.

[@springbloom5940]

George Lynch is a toolbag. He had a fit, berated, publicly humiliated and generally abused his stage crew, threw down his guitar and walked out of a show, because he was having a technical difficulty with his rig. He still owes me $23.

[@johnmarshall3903]

@@springbloom5940 when did this happen??

[@springbloom5940]

@@johnmarshall3903 Probably around '94?

[@renanterezan9922]

I like the buttons and switches in guitar idea.

[@boggeshzahim3713]

This was a very nice video to watch

[@smokingun397]

I've been away a few weeks and it's great to see that you've now passed 100k subscribers. I've been a fan since you only had about 25k. Congratulations dude, well done

[@Chord_The_Seeker]

I bought my first electric guitar rig in 1991. It was all rack stuff, but it was actually pretty compact and simple. I had an ADA Microtube 100 power amp, a Rocktron mAXE preamp and an ART DR-X multieffects processor. I had two ADA vertical half stacks with 50 watt Celestions in them (2X12 in each one) and I ran the whole thing in stereo. That was my bedroom practice rig, lol. About 10 years later I added an ADA MP-1 that I bought used. The first time I went to a guy’s house to jam I brought the whole rig with me. The 4 rack units were in a road case, and it weighed about 85 pounds all together. As the drummer and bassist helped me to haul everything down to the basement they looked at me like I probably needed a drug test, lol.

[@runabout76]

I love and use rack gear and pedals. It can be complex and modular/portable. Very overlooked these days.

[@hotrodchassisandcycle2726]

This was awesome! I still have my 2 1989 Westones with reverse headstocks that I airbrushed and played gigs with. Good times. This was awesome to watch. I had the George Lynch video for sure, maybe a couple others too. Remember those cassette tapes that broke down the guitar solos at half speed so you could learn to play them? I had lots of those, mostly Van Halen, and that was how I learned to play Eruption. I think I some for Dokken too. Great memories!

[@wattonburger]

Love it! Total flashback for me as well. Now you have to cover Rockman by Tom Scholz!

[@billtice5057]

This video was awesome! I remember every single one of these interviews “back in the day!”

[@The_Bass_Stunters]

Bro! That is slick how he has all the switches built in the body of the guitar!

[@brpadington]

11:45 Those Korg Modular pedal boards are so ridiculously 80's that I have to have one. I do think the idea of being able to move effects around in order is something that was a great idea back then.

[@Havanacuba1985]

Having been a teen in the 80s I live for this stuff . It’s 1990 but I just bought a Boss SE50 half rack size stereo effects unit

[@uriahroseii1026]

Seen MAB right before Covid and he can still play extremely well. I used to run some rack stuff back then (Fender Super 60, Digitech 256XL, ect...) then went back to combos. My first Rivera M60 4x10 was mindblowing, but that was early 90s. Now I'm back to small Fender Princeton Reverbs and a couple pedals like back in the 70s. Full circle I guess...

[@Heka41]

I have a Boss katana head and 2x12 cab, with a tuner and crybaby wah in front, and a GAFC footswitch to turn my chorus/flange/delay/reverb on and off. No rack required

[@Andersongerman777]

it was so much fun watching this videos. You are the best man.

[@kevinjamison123]

Oh man! Memories. Luke’s will always be my favorite.

[@stevebubar6129]

I wish I saw this video earlier. Especially being a 80s guy myself. R.J. Sir… U are very entertaining! So fun to watch this video

[@punkrockwino164]

"Someone's gotta move this!" Tech's around the world give a standing ovation

[@carvinblack]

I still have a promotional sustaniac pack with a flexi demo record from 1989. This was before they had the drop in pickup. It was cumbersome and had a fat cable you had to run down the back of the guitar, down the neck and to the headstock.

[@jeremychp]

That was great. Miss those days. Definitely need some Lynch in the next one

[@copykon]

Steve Clark's Gibson Les Paul XR-1, and the JCM 800 100WT - I've read that the JCM was modded, but I can't verify it. What a beautiful tone.

[@ltxr9973]

I remeber that old advertisement/documentary video from VHS some shop (I think in California) did in the 80's. They were building these huge custom racks, based around Mesa/Boogie gear. They had all bells and whistles, some of them were as big as Gilmore's rig, some of them even had rackmount CRT monitors in them. Totally over the top but also totally awesome. I wish I was able to track that video down.

[@zombiemosher1139]

Ha! Ha! This was gold. I love rack shit & grew up lusting over it all in the magazines. I use a mix of some old school units & modern stomp boxes.

[@TheFeelButton]

Getting greased up to slide back into the 80s for a $10,000 reverb rig! Fun stuff RJ!!

[@Taylor-kd6lr]

You have such a great channel RJ. This video made my day.!

[@troutbreath]

RJ's reactions are better than the videos. And, he's already seen these vids. Thanks for sharing!

[@jordanmartinez2432]

Love it!!!! This was the time I started as well, great work man!!!👍

[@Meltedcheese567]

This video is wonderful

[@jamz312]

I love your guitar playing and now that I have seen your show, I give you the 2 thumbs up!!

[@Mr_Ashley]

What a great era to be a gear head 🤘

[@littlebrownhash]

Love the idea of effects switching with buttons on the guitar. I’ve always wanted to try a Livid guitar wing.

[@ahoneyman]

In one of his interviews he goes more into the guitar. He got it in basically pieces and the original finish was sanded off. It wasn't some time capsule '62 Strat with original tags and a mint finish.

[@zerozeroisland]

One video you should DEFINITELY check out is the Adrian Belew "Electronic Guitar" one. He has a monster rig, and spends a good portion of the video demonstrating each effect in depth. There's even a neat stop motion clip at the beginning of him setting it all up. Lord, that Rane Splitter/Mixer took me back. I'd forgotten all about that thing. When i was doing a lot of sessions in the late 80s, we ALL went that 'parallel effects' route with the Rane. I had the 36 space rack, and 2 2-12" cabs in stereo. The usual suspects in the rack. Dan Pearce preamp, Boogie power amp, PCM 42, PCM 70, TC 2290. Yikes. Fun to look at nowadays, but i don't miss moving that stuff around ;)

[@svincentr]

Funny overdubs, good shit.🤘🏽🎸🔊🔊🎛🎙🎚🎼

[@joeschlicht]

Ah I miss the simple days browsing the guitar magazines.

[@AwesomeFinish]

Yes! Dreaming of the day when I could buy one of those Mesas or one of the 5150's...

[@Havanacuba1985]

They were better magazines then. I have lots of 80s and early 90s guitar world and guitar player ,they are the best . I find them unreadable these days ,more+like coffee table books

[@joeschlicht]

@@Havanacuba1985 I haven't even seen the current magazines. But yes, the 80s and early 90s were great 👍

[@pgriffinbaron]

About 10 years ago I was going to the NAMM show and Michael Angelo Batio was on our flight. I didn't realize who he was, I just saw lots of 80's hair. We get to the baggage claim and as we're waiting for our bag, he heads over to oversized luggage, gets a case, sits it down right behind us and opens up the double guitar. Instantly we all looked at each other and went, "It's THAT guy!"

[@vikramjitbanerjeetuki]

I love grease 😻 Larry Carlton had a great rig rundown in his first hot licks VHS tape,he demonstrated the Dumble and the Dumbulator!!!!!!!!

[@Jaidezilla]

I remember somewhere between 1984 and 1987 Guitar Player magazine had a contest where you could win Steve Vai's rig. It included one or two guitars, a marshall stack, a Carvin stack and then two big 6 ft tall racks full of effects units.

[@benjaminfinley9314]

R.J., I have that same Ibanez Luke. I believe they made the Lukather Roadstar II in 83 and 84. Mine is the 83 version a little different bridge and knob styling.

[@deanbibb3680]

Trevor Rabin’s Star Licks video came out in the early 1990’s but contained the most in depth breakdown of a Bradshaw rig I had seen up to that point in time and also the first mention of Digidesign and Pro Tools I ever heard.

[@6bender]

Loved the 80s. Guitarists ruled!!

[@angryshoebox]

The 1st time I saw the Lukather video, on KZbin, just for fun I dialed up overdrive, delay and chorus on my Roland Micro Cube GX, and, sure enough, I got a similar type of tone. Not as big and loud, of course, but still. Technology’s amazing.

[@emadismusic]

This is great! Very funny, and so true. However, I was gigging around in the 70s and we actually did have a vintage market back then. But those were the guitars from the 50s!

[@greekfreak1980]

"Let´s take a moment to admire the hair..." That´s a wig, my dude.

[@neilbantugan]

Lukather starlicks is still my favorite! "the delay crossed" (stereo) 😁

[@garyfox8]

"He needs some milk." Best. Line. Ever.

[@JoeR203]

My first real guitar (the very first being a POS from Sears that my mother bought for me) was an Ibanez Roadstar II (RS-440) in dark red. After hearing Night Ranger, I knew I wanted a red guitar with a tremolo. So I paid $350 (in 1985) for a brand new Ibanez from Sam Ash Music in White Plains, NY. I didn't know it had a push/push knob to split the humbucker until my guitar teach reached over and pushed it. I guess that says a lot about the Sam Ash salesman. Anyway, the pickups were weak but the tremolo took a hell of a beating from me (trying to play like Brad Gillis) and it always stayed in tune.

[@jeffhutchins6874]

"Aparently in the 80's, there were blue tigers.?.: I was there too R.J and yes..... there definitely were blue tigers. I love that Brad was on here. I freakin love that guy.