Members docjeffrey Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 Thats the thing. Do I need all of the crazy expensive stuff to do my $100 bar gig or even the high dollar weddings? Nope. Nobody's paying me for my sound, they are paying me to play well and part of being comfortable enough to play well for me is things sounding a certain way. I just can't let that rule my world or I'm in trouble when things don't go my way, like this past weekend where we didn't get a soundcheck on a gig where I was outdoors with a new guitar and an amp I hadn't gigged with more than once or twice in the last few years....still had to get through the night. It all sounded fine but it was so different that it was distracting. I'll be getting my favorite amp fixed ASAP though. I don't use anything really fancy though. I have a pedal board with a few fairly pedestrian stomp boxes, nothing too boutique-ee. I always do whatever it takes to make my guitars and amps sound their best in terms of pots, pickups, speakers, tubes, etc. but I don't go too overboard with any of it. The only really self indulgent and slightly extravagant requirement for me is that my gigging amps all have Celestion Blues. Those speakers are extremely predictable and sound great at pretty much any volume level and in almost any room. My favorite gig these days are the two Sunday Morning sets that I do at my church. Our songs are arranged in a classic rock format and are 70% guitar driven. We are obviously connecting with people because we've run out of room in our small sanctuary, and the feedback is that the music is the determining factor in many cases. Since the decibel levels are reasonable and people are participating by singing along, you can really hear the nuances of the instruments. My Vox AC15TBX sounds terrific with my ES339 or one of my Les Pauls. It's really fun to play in this unique environment where sound quality is is valued over volume levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 I don't use anything really fancy though. I have a pedal board with a few fairly pedestrian stomp boxes, nothing too boutique-ee. I always do whatever it takes to make my guitars and amps sound their best in terms of pots, pickups, speakers, tubes, etc. but I don't go too overboard with any of it. The only really self indulgent and slightly extravagant requirement for me is that my gigging amps all have Celestion Blues. Those speakers are extremely predictable and sound great at pretty much any volume level and in almost any room. My favorite gig these days are the two Sunday Morning sets that I do at my church. Our songs are arranged in a classic rock format and are 70% guitar driven. We are obviously connecting with people because we've run out of room in our small sanctuary, and the feedback is that the music is the determining factor in many cases. Since the decibel levels are reasonable and people are participating by singing along, you can really hear the nuances of the instruments. My Vox AC15TBX sounds terrific with my ES339 or one of my Les Pauls. It's really fun to play in this unique environment where sound quality is is valued over volume levels. I've got a few nicer instruments I gig with and my pedalboard is a little silly; [video=youtube;RdqXD8dazOY] I'm a Celestion guy, too although I have Greenbacks in everything including my Deluxe Reverb. I'm having a month where I'd like to sell everything and start over though. My "house" gig is in a bar that we play 2-4 nights a month and it is brick with concrete floors....not the prettiest sound room but I've got things figured out for that space pretty well. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 when I do something unexpected but cool:-). That's YOU he's smiling at, not your gear. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members hecticone Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 Its funny some of the best tones I get when playing downstairs sound not that great sitting in the mix. But those good tones sound really stellar for recording. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 How about when there is NO room? These are the last three gigs I've played: September 17th September 25th October 1st Outdoors is the hardest for me. Got you beat. The gig before last was on this: To top it off, I had a piece of gear fail on me... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Got you beat. The gig before last was on this: To top it off, I had a piece of gear fail on me... The picture didn't display but now I really want to see it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members dcooper830 Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 I'm pretty picky about tone but I don't wring my hands over pots and caps or long neck tenons..... or nitro vs. poly etc... I don't have a need to mod pedals or amps. Sometimes I'll put in a different speaker...... or a different pickup.... but that's about it. As long as I'm getting a fat warm tone I'm happy. And I can get that with tube OR solid state amps... Epiphones or Gibsons..... Squiers or Fenders. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Will Chen Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 The picture didn't display but now I really want to see it. Party boat. My amp failed (amp's actually fine, speaker terminal shook loose, but didn't have time to troubleshoot it) so I routed to the FRFR (fortunately I was using a ZOOM G3 for the gig). It was an unseasonably 100 degrees in late Sept so it was extremely humid before we actually got on the water, and then a thunder storm rolled in about 3/4 the way through the set forcing us to stop early, dock, and make a mad dash when the ran let up to the parking lot with our gear. But all's good as our employer liked us and we were paid promptly! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Party boat. My amp failed (amp's actually fine, speaker terminal shook loose, but didn't have time to troubleshoot it) so I routed to the FRFR (fortunately I was using a ZOOM G3 for the gig). It was an unseasonably 100 degrees in late Sept so it was extremely humid before we actually got on the water, and then a thunder storm rolled in about 3/4 the way through the set forcing us to stop early, dock, and make a mad dash when the ran let up to the parking lot with our gear. But all's good as our employer liked us and we were paid promptly! Thats a drag. I dropped my AC50 off a stage back in the 90's and rendered it dead...I spent the whole night with my pedals plugged into the PA Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members ashasha Posted October 5, 2011 Author Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 Lots of interesting comments in here. I'm still wondering if anyone else has the same issue as me though; where when the tone isn't what we think it is we perceive it as something being wrong and go straight from creative mode to troubleshooting mode. It's a whole different part of the brain and the creative part of my brain is already at a disadvantage to begin with. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mark Wein Posted October 5, 2011 Share Posted October 5, 2011 Lots of interesting comments in here. I'm still wondering if anyone else has the same issue as me though; where when the tone isn't what we think it is we perceive it as something being wrong and go straight from creative mode to troubleshooting mode. It's a whole different part of the brain and the creative part of my brain is already at a disadvantage to begin with. Nah. I just go into "freakout mode". Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Elias Graves Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 Lots of interesting comments in here. I'm still wondering if anyone else has the same issue as me though; where when the tone isn't what we think it is we perceive it as something being wrong and go straight from creative mode to troubleshooting mode. It's a whole different part of the brain and the creative part of my brain is already at a disadvantage to begin with. Absolutely, I do. Maybe I misunderstood. Are you talking more like your tone's "off" or not quite what it normally is? If so, then probably everyone here will start looking for the problem. Some more obsessively than others. If you're talking your tone is off as in the eternal quest for the perfect tone, then, I'd have to say not so much. I've gone through phases where I do some. Those are usually short lived, thankfully. But, I'm a gearhead and a tweaker by nature. That {censored} is in my blood to a certain extent. EG Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members jtr654 Posted October 5, 2011 Members Share Posted October 5, 2011 At home I play extremely clean and a lot of guitars other than My #!. When I play out I used mostly my #1 and I seem to play effortlessly on it.As far as tone goes it come from your fingers your amps and guitars just make it louder. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Archived
This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.