June 2010 \ Gigging & Recording \ Tech Tales \ Brad Paisley's Flooded Gear

Brad Paisley's Flooded Gear

Chad Weaver shares photos of Brad's flooded rig as he rushes to rebuild
Premier Guitar June 2010
Editor's note: In May 2010, Nashville was hit with devastating flooding that hit the music community particularly hard. Among the losses was near-complete devastation at the instrument storage facility Soundcheck, where many professional guitarists stored their gear. Brad Paisley was one of the guitarists who lost much of his rig. In this spot each month, Brad's tech, Chad Weaver, shares technical tips and his experiences on the road with Brad. This month, Chad has the astounding responsibility of rebuilding Brad's rig from the ground up in a very short period of time. Because of this, Chad wasn't able to complete a full column. In its place, he has provided photos of Brad's gear that was lost at Soundcheck--which we think is appropriate to run under this column's title, "Tech Tales." Chad will be back next month with a full column.


Brad's guitar vault


Water was 4" deep in the bottom drawer of the vault.


One of Brad's Teles


The front of the effects rack


The back of the effects rack


Brad's soaked amps

     

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Comments

 (45 comments) display by
UsernameComment
Dan Marois
on 06/28/2010 		"So sad! A tone-geek's worst nightmare: Total devastation of our favorite gear!" The nightmare is yet to come. If you had problems finding vintage gear a couple of months ago just wait to see what happens now. Some people are going to be making a mint from this.
knee deep
on 06/27/2010 		i know i should probably feel bad about those (i count 17) amps. but my hell does he use one of them for more than a song? at least the guitar picks seemed to survive.
Josh
on 06/24/2010 		Relic anybody... Seriously though I'm sure alot of it can be restored. Then the flood can be a part of that peoce of equipments history. Sure some electronic parts won't be able to be salvaged, and that will affect the sound of that piece of equipment, but at least he has the means to move forward from this.
Muttley1975
on 06/09/2010 		If the instruments can't be restored, they should be donated to a charity and auctioned as display art. Not only did they bring joy to tens of thousands of fans, but they now serve as historical artifacts of one the most devastating floods in US history. The guitars still have value and can still serve a greater purpose.
Sober
on 06/03/2010 		I feel bad for the guy and all, but not that bad considering he's filthy stinking rich, and so many people in that area lost their homes and livelihoods, and don't have the economic means to recover so easily like Mr. Paisley can...
Dave
on 05/31/2010 		Even though Brad can afford to replace the damaged gear, it won't happen over night. He can't easily replace a vintage Tele (especially one that has any emotional history), but Crook still makes guitars, Mike Zaite still makes amps. I'm pretty sure Brad will "get by" with new gear until he finds more suitable replacements. Those pics look pretty bad, but maybe some of his gear can be restored. Regardless of who's gear got lost, this is a sobering reminder for all of us. If you value it, try to protect it.
David In Ohio
on 05/31/2010 		It was a sign of Hope to see Brad Paisley playing in Washington D.C this evening for a Memorial Day weekend Musical Event on The Grounds of The U.S.Capitol and the featured Guests were the Wounded Warriors the ragically Injured U.S.Soldiers from the Twwo Current Wars and living Survivors from Past Wars (When they said in World War Two that in total betwqeen soldiers and civilians 50 Million Lives were lost it puts the loss of Musical Instruments in a better and more realistic perspective for me , Brad and his Band played very well and I am not a big fan, but love music, He used a DrZ head and cab and ? guitars (they were Paisley) While so much of the gear is a total loss and some very collectable and historic Instruments were lost , Thank Goodness more people were not injured or killed, alot of folks are displaced thats for sure. (I am a Line 6 fan and was sad to see the rack mount Delay,Filter and modulation, but You know what, You Can Not take t with You and the Soldiers there tonight where Brad Performed were glad to be alive and breathing air, Just Breathe (and maybe its me but a lot of posts seem to blame the people who lost all or most of their gear that they perform with, its no ones fault it was a act of God and maybe we should listen to that aspect (and I am not preaching to You guitar and bass players and amp collectors A Train Wreck or Dumble amp can be found (maybe its a sign that digital modeling and plug ins are not so bad after all (as a option) :) Peace and Hope David in Ohio and Thank You American Veterans and Thank You to those Who made the Ultimate Sacrifice for our Freedom
Stan
on 05/30/2010 		I am a Hydrologist with 30 years experience in flood plain modeling and management. Flood maps are useful tools but are hardly accurate. To rely only on flood maps or the "word" of others would be a grave mistake. If your gear is really important to you, I recommend exercising due diligence and rely only on your own good judgement.
'58 Explorer
on 05/30/2010 		Although this is a tragedy for many of these musicians, it can be a learning experience for all of us concerning instrument storage and wise insurance purchasing. Building, storing and/or living in a flood plain can lead to disaster in a variety of aspects. Always check Flood plain maps. The location, location, location mantra of real estate agents should be carefully evaluated. Buyer beware!
Alan
on 05/30/2010 		Sad story. I lived in Nashville for a few years, and was a part of the music community there, I feel their pain.We can all hope and pray that the lesser known players who lost stuff and can least afford it are helped.



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