OSLO, Norway — For AC/DC’s Black Ice tour, rhythm guitarist, backing vocalist and co-songwriter Malcolm Young, pictured here, relies on Lectronics for its wireless mobility, which lets him roam about the stage. “Malcolm was using a wireless system, then went back to a cabled setup,” said the performer’s guitar tech, Geoff “Bison” Banks. “All the other wireless systems that we tried—and we’ve tried them all—colored his sound.” When the band started rehearsals for the Black Ice tour last September, Banks decided to give the wireless approach one more try. “Adam Day, the guitar tech for Neal Schon of Journey, showed me what he was using on tour with Journey, and it looked very impressive,” said Banks. “Immediately afterward, I contacted Larry Martin at Tour Supply and made arrangements to get a Lectrosonics system.”
The new Lectrosonics system includes two R400A Digital Hybrid Wireless diversity receivers, eight LMa Digital Hybrid UHF beltpack transmitters and several MI39A guitar cables with right angle plugs. “Malcolm uses four Gretsch guitars during the show,” Banks said, “and I have two LMa beltpacks assigned to each guitar. With each guitar, one R400A receiver and one of the two beltpacks serve as a backup system. We have separate beltpacks for each guitar, as the output from each instrument is very different.”
“When Geoff contacted me about a system for AC/DC, I had no reservations whatsoever about recommending the Lectrosonics gear,” said Tour Supply’s Larry Martin. “Geoff and I have a business relationship that dates back to the early 1990s, so he knows he can count on Tour Supply to steer him in the right direction.”
“Malcolm loves the transparent sound of the Lectrosonics system,” said Banks. “I also love the fact that the equipment is easy to use. The SmartTune feature is great. It’s fast and always finds an open frequency—no matter where we are.”
Lectrosonics’ customer and technical support services also rank high with Banks. “I’ve phoned the company a number of times and always got someone knowledgeable about the product to speak with me,” Banks said. “Mind you, I never really had any issues with the equipment; it was basically just me being uncertain about what I was doing! On every occurrence, I got right through and got my questions answered.”
For more information, please visit www.lectrosonics.com.
