Quite a few folks have asked me about the new travel rig. So here’s a nice little geek post.

I wanted to build something that would fit perfectly into half of my little suitcase, so I can pack my clothes in the other half. The more I tour, the less I want to carry. One pair of boots, one pair of jeans, a few t-shirts. I sort of enjoy doing the hotel laundry, it‘s an enjoyable distraction.

So, about carrying less…

It’s a Vertex Travel Lite board. Really well engineered and very weirdly perfect in my little travel-beaten Rimowa suitcase. Thanks for reading my mind, Mason and team!

At the centre is my new mainstay EBS pre-amp.

I have a Gig Rig patch box which lets me input separate pickups or sum them together before hitting the preamp, if ever I fancy it. It allows for an easy output for the Boss OC-5.

The FX chain has my long-term favourites. Strymon Blue Sky and El Cap.

I put the Chase Bliss MOOD at the end of the loop for fun. I haven’t worked out half of what it can do, but I don’t think I can do without it.

The whole thing is strung up with EBS flat patch cables and powered by the Ojai workhorse: and the big buttons are made by Barefoot Buttons. Makes those mid-song tap-dances so much easier!

It works! Less is more. This has everything I need in an acoustic fly rig.

Coming to a West Coast Tour near you in February!

Find it on:

This is a community-built gear list for John Smith.

Find relevant music gear like Microphones, Guitars, Amplifiers, Effects Pedals, and other instruments and add it to John Smith.
The best places to look for gear usage are typically on the artist's social media, YouTube, live performance images, and interviews.
To receive email updates when John Smith is seen with new gear, follow the artist.