Members Kramerguy Posted April 22, 2013 Members Share Posted April 22, 2013 Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members minn12 Posted April 22, 2013 Members Share Posted April 22, 2013 Kramerguy wrote: Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over Maybe that's more 'garage band' level stuff you find on Craigslist. Guess it depends on what you mean by 'pro level' gear. As a sound guy, in my area, I find most local bands to be extremely well equipped. Expensive big drum kits, pricey guitars and boutique guitar amps costing thousands of dollars, etc. Not to mention pedal boards with tons of pricey pedals and gizmos, lol. So are you saying no local cover bands in your area have any really good gear? Maybe I'm just not getting your post. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted April 23, 2013 Members Share Posted April 23, 2013 minn12 wrote: Kramerguy wrote: Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over Maybe that's more 'garage band' level stuff you find on Craigslist. Guess it depends on what you mean by 'pro level' gear. As a sound guy, in my area, I find most local bands to be extremely well equipped. Expensive big drum kits, pricey guitars and boutique guitar amps costing thousands of dollars, etc. Not to mention pedal boards with tons of pricey pedals and gizmos, lol. So are you saying no local cover bands in your area have any really good gear? Maybe I'm just not getting your post. Yeah, didn't make much sense to me either. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted April 23, 2013 Members Share Posted April 23, 2013 I've come to realize that "pro gear" means something different to everybody. If you've got experience with real pro sound companies - it's likely you've got experience with brands that most cover bands have never even heard of much less seen or used (I'm thinking Meyer, L'Acoustic, Midas, etc.) From that perspective, virtually everybody in the local cover band scene is using "hobbyist" gear.However if you draw the "pro gear" line between cheap Chinese stuff (Harbinger, Berhinger, Phonic, etc.) vs JBL PRX, Yamaha DSR/DXR, QSC K Series, etc. - then yes, there are a number of local cover acts in my area that work with decent gear. To me - more often than not the visible differentiator between the "pro" and "non-pro" in the local cover band world is how their gear is packaged. The "pro" local cover bands have their gear prewired, properly labeled, racked in real racks using patch panels, etc. They're using decent quality cables and mics. The "non-pro" guys are carrying "loose" amps, using junk cables, wiring / unwiring everything at every gig. etc. The real difference between "pro" and "non-pro" bands in the local cover band market is ultimately how well they operate the gear they have. A simple stroll past the mixer speaks volumes about the knowledge of the guy behind the desk ... smiley face EQ settings, meters stuck in the "red" zone, constant squeak and squack of feedback, etc..... just screams of cluelessness. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Guit-mangler Posted April 23, 2013 Members Share Posted April 23, 2013 Kramerguy wrote: Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over You know, I kind of have to agree with you.. It's a warped mentality I've run into on auditions. Seemingly maybe they are trying to keep people from showing up with a 10 watt combo amp.. Personally, in the cover band I've got going I have actually made personality a higher level requirement than gear. We are shopping for keyboardists at the moment, and I would rather have a great person playing well on a Yamaha PSR500 than a total douchenozzle playing on a Motif. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tlbonehead Posted April 23, 2013 Members Share Posted April 23, 2013 Guit-mangler wrote: Kramerguy wrote: Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over You know, I kind of have to agree with you.. It's a warped mentality I've run into on auditions. Seemingly maybe they are trying to keep people from showing up with a 10 watt combo amp.. Personally, in the cover band I've got going I have actually made personality a higher level requirement than gear. We are shopping for keyboardists at the moment, and I would rather have a great person playing well on a Yamaha PSR500 than a total douchenozzle playing on a Motif. my main gigging amp is 8 watts. So a 10 watt combo amp would be fine to use just for an audition or for a band practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members SpaceNorman Posted April 23, 2013 Members Share Posted April 23, 2013 Guit-mangler wrote: We are shopping for keyboardists at the moment, and I would rather have a great person playing well on a Yamaha PSR500 than a total douchenozzle playing on a Motif. I certainly wouldn't disagree with your call in that regard - however, it's essentially a hypothetical decision. Nobody knowingly chooses a douchenozzle over a great person. You'll never be presented with a clearcut "great person" vs "total douchenozzle" decision in the couple of encounters you're likely to have with your keyboard playing candidates before you make your decision. The reality is that it usually takes a little time (and a little adversity) before the real personality of who you hire starts to emerge. "Great people" don't show up with a "great person" certification .... and even total douchenozzles usually manage to hold it together through the audition and a couple of rehearsals before their douchenozzlery starts to ooze. Unless you're only interviewing/auditioning candidates who come to you via personal referrals from people you know and trust and who know the candidate well - my bet is that you will be influenced - and to a significant degree - by the playing skills and gear of each of folks you consider - especially if you're auditioning folks who've may not have come to you via a personal referral. If two candidates present roughly the same skill level - gear may very well be the deciding factor. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Old Fart Rocker Posted April 23, 2013 Members Share Posted April 23, 2013 Guit-mangler wrote: Kramerguy wrote: Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over You know, I kind of have to agree with you.. It's a warped mentality I've run into on auditions. Seemingly maybe they are trying to keep people from showing up with a 10 watt combo amp.. Personally, in the cover band I've got going I have actually made personality a higher level requirement than gear. We are shopping for keyboardists at the moment, and I would rather have a great person playing well on a Yamaha PSR500 than a total douchenozzle playing on a Motif. I have to agree. Our prior KB player had a 3 key rig with stereo this and expensive that, but he was real hard to work with. Our new KB player has a single something or other $1000 keyboard and kicks all kinds of ass over our previous guy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members chevybusa Posted April 24, 2013 Members Share Posted April 24, 2013 LOL Been there done that, back when I was gigging and playing in bands I can't even tell you how many times I came across that, not to mention the clowns that weren't on CL that had completely garbage rigs and were broke as hell and yeah man I feel your pain, GD was it frustrating!!!!! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kramerguy Posted April 24, 2013 Author Members Share Posted April 24, 2013 minn12 wrote: Kramerguy wrote: Craigslist ads.. almost all of them say "you must have PRO GEAR".. yet none of these clowns would even know what PRO GEAR was if they saw it. No local cover bands / musicians have pro gear- they have either amateur/noob gear, or sem-pro gear at best. I'm not talking about their sweet les paul studio or their american strat.. but everything else past that. It's just stupid and annoying. Rant over Maybe that's more 'garage band' level stuff you find on Craigslist. Guess it depends on what you mean by 'pro level' gear. As a sound guy, in my area, I find most local bands to be extremely well equipped. Expensive big drum kits, pricey guitars and boutique guitar amps costing thousands of dollars, etc. Not to mention pedal boards with tons of pricey pedals and gizmos, lol. So are you saying no local cover bands in your area have any really good gear? Maybe I'm just not getting your post. Think about it in terms of a PA system. A "decent" PA for any local band would probably be an Allen & Heath board, some EV's or JBL's for monitors and mains, some shure mics, decent power amps, the works. That system is great.. but PRO? No, it's not even close to what the "pros" use. I was pointing out the irony that EVERY ad says PRO GEAR, yet most of those bands don't have any better than peavey gear. As far as guys in local bands playing sweet guitars, boutique amps, etc.. yeah, there's a few, but far more who play the lower end line 6 and fender noob gear. It's all just a stroke contest really. Spacenorman pretty much hit the nail on the head in his first response. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StratGuy22 Posted April 24, 2013 Members Share Posted April 24, 2013 To me - more often than not the visible differentiator between the "pro" and "non-pro" in the local cover band world is how their gear is packaged. The "pro" local cover bands have their gear prewired, properly labeled, racked in real racks using patch panels, etc. They're using decent quality cables and mics. The "non-pro" guys are carrying "loose" amps, using junk cables, wiring / unwiring everything at every gig. etc.The real difference between "pro" and "non-pro" bands in the local cover band market is ultimately how well they operate the gear they have. A simple stroll past the mixer speaks volumes about the knowledge of the guy behind the desk ... smiley face EQ settings, meters stuck in the "red" zone, constant squeak and squack of feedback, etc..... just screams of cluelessness.------------------------------ This. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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