Filling out your live sound when you're a guitarist down

maharg101

Ensure you are using a Custom Shop strat with some fancy schmanchy pickups, plus about 20 grands worth of amps and pedals, so that the audience are too awed by your gear to pay much attention to the music

Or make some subtle changes to the arrangement and enjoy the space !

EricTheWeary

I’ve watched people use loopers and samples but often it’s so obvious it’s slightly painful and for people who use it well it’s a skill set in itself. Unless it’s something you already do then in the heat of a gig I’d be wary. 

From watching others and a bit of youtubing a dry-wet set up can add some depth to a guitar sound. I think it's largely lost in bigger bands but for single guitar band it can make a difference. More faff (and potentially more expense) but if you've got access to two amps then anything wet (delay, chorus, etc) just in the one amp can work really well. 

Having said that I like really stripped down, single guitar sounds like early Rory Gallagher, The Jam or The Toy Dolls. Use of space, dynamics and guitar orchestration (for want of a better phrase!). Weller in The Jam, for example, moving between riffing, simple rhythm playing and soloing in the same song. 

Jonathangus

AntonHunter said:

Wazmeister said:

Two amps.

Honestly, first time I tried this I was blown away. I was teaching a class, the song that week was a Green Tune, I think American Idiot, so I rigged up two amps, I think just a Laney Cub combo and whatever soulless Orange head + 4×12. Switching between them with a Boss Line Selector, sounded huge with both on, much greater than the sum of their parts. 

No fancy business, just dual mono with two differently voiced dirty ish amps. 

Actually that's quite similar to our usual setup - I'm into a 2204, he's into a Dual Terror, or more recently, a Rockerverb.  So I'll see if I can borrow the Dual Terror, split the signal with a spare TU-2, and run the DT as a second dry amp.  Want to keep it simple - it's not like we get paid or anything - but still want it to sound big.

fastonebaz said:

Put Yr guitar through the PA as well to get a bit of sound spread.

If there are solos, tell the bass player to dig on extra hard or hit a fuzz pedal during them to boost their sound level and then back to normal for the vocals.

Works for my band.

It's an outdoor thing, so we'll all be mic'd up.  And I try to keep solos to a minimum, as I'm not blessed with your facility in that department. 

Barney

Iff the drums and bass are good it shouldn't really be a problem ...sometimes 2 guitars sound to much any ways iff not worked on a bit ....it's a good idea to use the space as well ..

Stratavarious

Shhhh… don”t tell ‘em… but I get a kick out of being a guitarist down… I get to play it all as I hear it in my head,,, not just the twiddly bits.

Lay into it, solo lower down, turn your amp up and use all the dynamics… you’ll enjoy it.

prowla

A bit of echo/reverb.

Teyeplayer

As outlined above: two amps. One set clean with a good helping of reverb, one set to a light break up, dry. Push one or both with further pedals if required. As they will be going through the pa, get the sound guy to pan hard L&R but ensure the two are balanced. You won’t want the other guitarist back.

Musicwolf

Have you tried just getting into the practice room without the other guitarist and seeing how it sounds?  You may be pleasantly surprised.  It will certainly let you know where the problems, if any, lie.

flying_pie

Get your keyboard player to play the guitar parts with his spare hand....

ryanverbena

Set up your other guitarists gear and employ the Grohl technique:

CountryDave

What @fretmeister said.
Played a number of gigs when a 2nd guitarist couldn’t make it.
The gap gives the song space to breathe and unless you are playing a full set of Status Quo to a Quo audience, very few will notice
The listeners mind tends to fill any major gaps anyway.

Roland

CountryDave said:

What @fretmeister said.
Played a number of gigs when a 2nd guitarist couldn’t make it.
The gap gives the song space to breathe and unless you are playing a full set of Status Quo to a Quo audience, very few will notice
The listeners mind tends to fill any major gaps anyway.

My band once did a rehearsal without me. Apparently they sang the guitar solos. 

Fully agree about giving the songs space to breathe.

fretmeister

I think I also need to mention the unmentionable.

If you get the arrangement right and you like it better that way...







you'll only be splitting gig money between fewer people...

Jonathangus

fretmeister said:

I think I also need to mention the unmentionable.

If you get the arrangement right and you like it better that way...







you'll only be splitting gig money between fewer people...

1 - the guy who's not there?  It's kinda his band.
2 - what is this 'gig money' of which you speak?

fretmeister

Was.

Was his band!   

ESBlonde

Less is more, you can sound full with the audio spectrum occupied by just bass drums and guitar, loads of bands have done this successfully. You might have to modify some lead breaks and add double stops or tri tones, cut the length etc. again simplify and be melodic. 

Finally if the material and musicians ability allow add more vocals even double up a line here and there or simple harmony or odd words shouted from the back line all help orchestrate the piece.

RickLucas

I've been gigging recently in a three-piece format and have been enjoying the change.

axisus

I've always preferred one guitarist to two live. I think that the Iron Maiden 3 guitarist thing is a bit silly

Rkphilpot

But also - enjoy the space. So many bands follow a wall of noise approach that frankly gets damn tiring for every song. Enjoy the space and us it to give the tunes more variety.

This!! We spent a year trying to get two guitars to sound good. It was only when our other guitarist decided he didn't want to start gigging and walked away that we played with one guitar. The space was so good, the dynamics so much more pronounced. I don't think I'd go back now. Granted it does make some songs more difficult or impossible to cover. But mostly it is fine and can really open up the sound.

The guitar is a mid range instrument. Let the Bass do the heaving lifting of the low end.

ICBM

Delay and some reverb will help, but more importantly you just need to rejig your guitar parts for the context - playing long noodly solos over (what are now non-existent) rhythm chords doesn't really work.

Listen to a lot of power-trio music and you'll be able to work it out. I went from being a lead guitarist to a sole guitarist in a former band, and in the end I much preferred it. I did use more effects, but it wasn't the most important difference.