But all that changed during production rehearsals for Kravitz's European tour in support of his latest album, Strut. After a demo of multiple high-end wireless systems arranged by Tour Supply, Lenny, Alex, and guitarist Craig Ross agreed that Shure Axient Wireless Management Network was the one system that could deliver his sonic requirements on stage.
"It started as a conversation with Lenny," Alex relates. "The subject of wireless guitar came up, and I told him there was a system I wanted him to check out. He said, 'We've been down this road before. I would like to, but you know if it doesn't sound right, I'm not going to do it.' So I called Lance at Tour Supply to set up a demo."
With rehearsals being in Miami, Lance Wascom, CEO of Tour Supply, had two days to set up the requested shootout. "We showed two Shure systems, Axient and ULX-D, plus two other major brands," he says. "Everything had to come together quickly and accurately, so I flew to Miami to set up the demo. Being that Lenny and Alex are such great clients, we really wanted to offer every level of support possible."
Axient was the system that Alex Alvarez had his eye on from the start. "I had heard about it, both from Shure and from other guitar techs," he notes. "The fact that it can detect interference and change frequencies on its own made it really attractive to me, but I knew that if the sound wasn't perfect to Lenny's ears, he would just stick with his cable. But since we already use Shure PSM 1000 in-ears, I figured it was worth a try."
Asked to comment on his adoption of the Shure Axient guitar system, Lenny Kravitz stated, "After 25 years of resisting wireless systems, I am finally free from my beloved cables without sacrificing the organic tone of my guitar and amplifiers."
Kravitz ordered three dual-channel Axient systems: two each for himself, Craig Ross, and bassist Gail Ann Dorsey. To fully realize the system's networking and control capabilities, the band also purchased an AXT6000 Spectrum Manager and ShowLink Access Point.
Having used the system on the Lenny Kravitz Strut tour of Europe, Alex Alvarez reports the Shure Axient guitar systems have been a total success. "We've literally had zero technical problems with the system," he reports. "But with Lenny, it always comes back to the sound. He wouldn't go wireless unless the system didn't change what he's worked so hard to sound like. Shure Axient does that for him."
(Jim Evans)
