Yungblud’s Guitar Tech Talks Radial Engineering Solutions for Touring Reliability

POLAR talks to Ben Jackson, guitar and backline tech for Yungblud, on how Radial products can build bulletproof signal chains.

Can you provide a bit of information about your work as guitar/backline tech for Yungblud - how long you’ve been doing the gig, the challenges of the job?

I’ve been Yungblud’s guitar and backline tech since 2019, working predominantly with Dom (Yungblud) and Adam Warrington SR Guitar. It’s a high energy, fast paced show where performative elements can be unpredictable so having a rig that is rock solid every night is essential.

I would say my biggest challenge is keeping things consistent across every stage, country, and venue every night. There’s no time for tech issues mid-set, so everything’s built for reliability and speed. Radial gear plays a big part in that — it just works, every time.

How long have you been a Radial user and when did you first come across Radial products?

I’ve been using radial products since 2017, I started working with a band called Neck Deep, their stage left guitarist Sam Bowden introduced me to the Radial StageBug SB-6 Isolator.

He was running two heads, one for clean and one for dirty. Without the SB-6 in the chain we had the most horrendous hum, I instantly bought myself one as a get out of jail free card.

On my first day with Yungblud, Adam had me build him a stereo amp set up and the SB-6 was the first thing I added to the rig. It’s still there to this day!

How are you using/deploying the JX42s? What challenges (sonically and in terms of your workflow) do they help you overcome?

Up until March this year I was using 1 Line of RF each for Adam and Silke our SL Bassist.

This was down to budget restrictions. At the start of this album cycle we were given budget to upgrade the rigs and to employ a second tech to split the workload.

The first thing I ordered was the JX42, I always felt I was pushing my luck having only 1 line of RF on such a high-profile show. Having 4 lines of RF easily interchangeable was essential for not only slick guitar changes but should any of my RF get stomped on mid show, I’m able to switch to a backup guitar on a clean frequency.

I’m blown away by how user friendly the JX42 is, especially when coupled with the JR5 Remote. Having the JR5 remote in the wings means that I can easily engage/disengage each input whilst 20 meters from my guitar world. This is a must, especially when handing off two guitars at once!

How do they help the individual musicians on stage? Do they solve any specific issues they or you have come up against?

Earlier this year, while designing the new Rigs, Elliot Russel (stage left Guitar tech) and myself quickly settled on the JX42s as an essential part of the build.

With high pressure shows it is so important to relieve any tech responsibility from your artist. Their focus should be on the performance and nothing further. Eliminating the need to switch packs on and off is just one less thing for the artist to worry about and achieving this without compromising tone is essential. The JX42 sounds like it’s not even there! It’s the industry standard for a reason.

Why did you choose Radial in general and these products specifically?

I spend a lot of time working/talking with other techs, especially about issues that arise in our daily jobs. One thing that comes up time and time again is the reliability of Radial products. To a point where once they’re installed you can stop thinking about them, you power on and they work! Having this reliability is ultimately why I look to Radial in every instance.

We have countless Radial products over the whole Yungblud stage and wings, from JDIs, Backtracks and Hotshots and I would say this is down to build quality and durability.

When building Dom’s redundant Quad Cortex rack back in April 2024 I consulted the pioneer of fly racks - Brad Bartosz of BTPA. He pointed to the Backtrack immediately for its practical implement and rock-solid application. Since installing this unit I’ve had it save my skin multiple times. With seamless switching between A and B machines, having such a reliable analogue switcher for essentially two computers is the only way to go!

I understand you’re thinking of purchasing the SGI RX/TX - can you tell me why that product and what issues that will help you address?

We actually have 3 SGI RX/TX on the Gig at the moment, with our stages expanding in what feels like a weekly occurrence, we have had to allow for our Tech worlds getting further away. With 20-meter looms, our concern for running unbalanced cables had to be addressed.

Queue the SGI TX/RX, with its capability of switching an unbalanced signal into a balanced signal and back again. It was a no brainer for us to implement this product. With its ability to do this comfortably up to 100 meters, it could handle or 20 meters with light work!

I can see myself upgrading to the JX44 for Adam and passing the JX42 to Dom, especially with Dom playing both acoustic and Electric, I can utilise the A&B outputs to go to either the quad cortex or the Radial JDI.

Are any other techs or musicians in the Yungblud camp using Radial gear that you’re aware of?

As Mentioned, Elliot our stage left tech has Radial products littered throughout his world but Radial has found its way in to our Audio package and play back world as well! Luke Collins (playback and keys tech) relies heavily on the Radial Backtrack as well as the ProD8 in his keys world.

Are any of the devices other crew or band members are using - or the ones you’ve purchased - gear that you would consider to be must-haves for A) someone working a gig similar to yours? B) techs and musicians in general? C) this artist and show specifically?

I lean heavily on all my Radial products, as mentioned I’ve carried a SB-6 in my work box for 8 years as well as permanent fixtures in Adam’s rack.

The JX42 Paired with the JR5 is possibly the most harmonious pairing of two bits of Radial gear out there for a guitar tech, perhaps only rivalled by the SGI TX RX.

I’m excited to hopefully integrate the new Hotshot MD into the rig down the line. As I’ve mentioned, this show moves fast, and things change in real time. For Adam, who also MDs while playing, having a direct and isolated line to me and monitor world means he can communicate without distracting the rest of the band — but still have the option to switch to a more global line for quick, on-the-fly changes when needed!

Any final thoughts on Radial and the service you’ve received from POLAR?

Having an attentive service like POLAR in the UK has made getting hold of radial products a breeze, fantastic customer service who pick up the phone when you need them and even post things out when you’ve most certainly missed their next day cut off the time (speaking from experience!)