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Guitarists, how would you get your volume down?


Marko

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some of the replies here reminded me about the thing I hated most about playing in bands... {censored}in volume wars.


my present day stance? {censored} keyboards. {censored} a second guitarist. {censored} anything other than a basic 3 piece. no wanking, just play your part and have it mixed right to sound good. anything else is too much {censored}ing annoyance to deal with.


{censored} everyone.

 

:lol: My main band is a 3-piece. It's difficult to work with another guitarist, unless the pair is really on the same page. And if it's a random sound guy for the venue, he's probably not going to mix the guitars just right - and how should he? He doesn't know your band or your songs. I think it's especially hard to find a good rock keyboardist. Too many of them insist on playing parts that wash out both the guitar and bass parts. To find a good one that will sit in the mix just right is a good find.

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In-ear monitors definitely got a couple of bands I've been in to reign in the volume. Is the drummer really loud to begin with, and that's why you guys are struggling? Those little little hotspot monitors aren't really meant for rock and roll, and IMO aren't good for much else but putting a little bit of vocal through. Your guitarist should be able to point his amp at his head and get enough to hear himself on-stage in a club. If he can't, then everyone else on stage is too loud too, or he's deaf, or he's being an ass. Stereo is as pointless as can be in most club settings, and really in most any setting. Nobody's really benefiting from stereo effects in a space like that. Get real. The Twin on it's own is way more than enough amp, and way too much if he's trying to get any break-up out of it.

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Small amp. Learn to manage your volumes better. I wrote an entire article complete with video on how my rig works on this subject: http://markweinguitarlessons.com/forums/content.php?386-Back-in-the-Barrel-of-the-Gun-Pt-2-managing-my-guitar-sounds-for-so-many-styles... - if you are getting paid to entertain people in a bar learn to give the talent buyer what they are paying for. Its a business transaction and not art at that point.

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if I ever had a second guitarist in a band it'd have to be someone who was just too good, and understood the music and how to make the songs better, and was completely on the same page as me. it could never be generic blues wanker/shredder/whatever #8188237. never.

 

and in the songs I write or like to play I can occasionally see the use of a keyboardist, however if I EVER, EVER ha da keyboardist in a band of mine (this is very unlikely to begin with) it'd have to be someone who understood up front that he's in a supporting role and he's to be heard when called on and will be spending a good amount of time stfuing.

 

unfortunately most people I might be in a band with, whether they're good musicians or not, are not professional enough to understand/accept "supporting role".

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if I ever had a second guitarist in a band it'd have to be someone who was just too good, and understood the music and how to make the songs better, and was completely on the same page as me. it could never be generic blues wanker/shredder/whatever #8188237. never.


and in the songs I write or like to play I can occasionally see the use of a keyboardist, however if I EVER, EVER ha da keyboardist in a band of mine (this is very unlikely to begin with) it'd have to be someone who understood up front that he's in a supporting role and he's to be heard when called on and will be spending a good amount of time stfuing.


unfortunately most people I might be in a band with, whether they're good musicians or not, are not professional enough to understand/accept "supporting role".

 

 

Interesting

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My primary instrument is piano and seriously, most keyboardists suck at left hand. You can't play chords in lower octaves, grrrr. And please back off the sustain pedal. My favorite thing to do is to use my left hand pretty high in the register to make awesome big polychords and {censored} like that.

 

You need a good bassist for this, though.

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Create "your sound" with that power tube saturation at preamp levels in the front stages of the rig. Then use your power amp to make it a suitable stage volume.

 

Use a device like a Radial 'Hot British' or a Tech21 'Character series' for the main distorted-amp voice, and then having a cranked amp and muffling it is no longer an issue. Is it perfect ? Of course not. There is nothing on earth like plugging into a large, loud, howling and sweetly distorting amp. But you are already making things hard enough.

 

It's possible to get excellent tone and feel using the pedals above or quite a number of others that are similar. The key is to set up that stage in the pedal array or preamp as if it were a full sized amp. You may also need some extra EQ to adjust for the way the human ear compensates for volume (this is what a loudness control on an MP3 player or home sound system does).

 

Personally I use the Radial box I mentioned. I have an old Rat I use for a little extra boost. I use a ported 1x10 and a semi open 1x10. The sound is extremely fat, and goes all the way from mild grit to classic metal. I can do something similar with a Tech21 PSA-1 preamp and its companion Rocktron rack amp, using the same cabinets. Volume goes up to about what you jam with a moderate drummer (50w clean, at about 1/2 power, 2x10 spkr).

 

The guitar industry and culture is a little strange. We overbuy monster amps eagerly. It's like we all own multiple supercars and use them for groceries, and bitch about being stuck in slow gear all the time. We're nuts. :freak:

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honeyiscool you seem like someone I'd be able to get along with (I'm basing this on all your posts I've been seeing). if I move to SD next year we should play our guitars in proximity of eachother. I also don't mind playing bass

 

 

We should! We could get sum mad chicks!

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Last gig I played the sound man had me turn way down and then he put me up nice and loud in the monitors. I was using my Mark IV and put it on the Tweed setting and it sounded badass. The next time I play at this other place where the soundman lets me crank my amp, I'm going to do the same thing and have him boost me in the monitor. sounds great to me and I'm sure the audience appreciates it.

 

I guess what I'm saying is tell your bass player to get a lower wattage amp. A Twin can be {censored}ing deafening!! Plus does he really need 2 amps?

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From this scenario, I would take away one amp, I would turn the remaining amp down some. I know it's rock and roll, but if you're too loud for the bar, you're not doing your job right - ie. adjusting/playing for the venue. IMO, in those situations, you must do what you need to keep the bar owner and the crowd happy. You're working, so nitpicking about something like a stereo setup shouldn't have a place in that situation. Give them what they want, and they hire you again. You live to pay rent another day.

I always use dual amps onstage and it has nothing to do with (or very little) stereo effects. I like the layering of two different amp tones. As for the question, just don't play stupid loud. Get your cabs up in the air so that your volume and tone are a straighter shot to your ears so that you truly know how bright and loud you are. After that is is basically to hear your guitar as a part of the overall stage mix, not to just hear your own playing. I always do a semi-sidefill with my amps too.

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I always use dual amps onstage and it has nothing to do with (or very little) stereo effects. I like the layering of two different amp tones. As for the question, just don't play stupid loud. Get your cabs up in the air so that your volume and tone are a straighter shot to your ears so that you truly know how bright and loud you are. After that is is basically to hear your guitar as a part of the overall stage mix, not to just hear your own playing. I always do a semi-sidefill with my amps too.

 

 

Ok, I can understand that. I do that often for recordings, but for a show, it wouldn't be worth the trouble for me to lift a second amp on to the stage. The OP mentioned stereo, though. You don't necessarily need stereo separation to layer amp tones in a house mix.

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I always used a PODxt Live stereo into a direct box and worked with the sound guy to get the mix right. My other guitarist played a Line6 Flextone III XL that had direct out XLRs and my bassist played a Fender Rumble combo which also had a direct out XLR. So... Yeah... Everything except the drums went through the PA, unless it was a bigger place, then we mic'd the drums. :)

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