Getting gigs as an originals band (also equipment)

Cirrus

ICBM said:

Cirrus said:

So don't confuse my wanting to use my own rig because I like it with being unable to get a usable sound another way.

That was pretty much the impression you gave though .

Cirrus said:

Personally, neither do I. Obviously the drum kit is an integral part of the sound of the drummer, because of what an insanely large number of options there are for tuning, shell size, cymbal selection etc. There is truth that a lot of the sound of the drummer is the way they play, but I have a theory that if Neil Peart had to use Ringo's old Ludwig kit at a gig, it'd sound pretty different.

The only practical difference is, if 5 drummers all insisted on using their own kit a gig would become untenable far more quickly than if 5 guitarists bring their amps.

Obviously - but it's really quite a pain when guitarists bring too many amps too... so if the drummers are going to have to just live with it, why do guitarists seem to think they're exempt from showing a bit of common sense?

Maybe you were reading between the lines between the lines. I think I was pretty clear. I want to use my own rig, it makes me happy, if I can't use my own rig for a good practical reason I won't and I'll still play the gig to RAVE reviews from my family, friends and the other bands.  On the other hand, if someone wants me not to use my rig because of a stupid reason, I will politely state my case because I want to be in a position to deliver my best, and I've found that for me part of that is confidence in knowing what I'll sound like.

I'm sure you've played many more gigs than me, but in my limited experience it's very rarely a problem to bring your own combo amp to a gig, as long as you're sensible in where it's stored and able to quickly set up and tear down. And where it is a problem, you either know about it in advance or it's immediately obvious when you walk through the door - in which case, you go and talk to people and decide on the best way to proceed.

It seems to me you must have had some pretty bad experiences in the past with unreasonable guitarists (and I admit there are plenty of those about) to have arrived at the position that anyone who expresses a preference to use their own gear is being unreasonable/ lacking in common sense, even more so if they think what they're doing matters? 

I'm imagining a situation where we cross paths at a gig, and you're sitting in the corner quietly scoffing at me because I'm using my own amp... just doesn't seem reasonable to me.

digitalscream

ICBM said:

digitalscream said:

Unless you play in a rock/metal band and you get all the drive from your three-channel amp, and your pedals are set up specifically to account for that (ie mostly effects and the amp footswitch). The suggestion that the problem is the player if they rely on their amp to get all their drive tones strikes me as a bit unfair.

You can always still do that with a decent outboard preamp. That's why I used the Mesa V-Twin, because my own amp was a Mesa. You need to prepare, basically.

I think we're probably less far apart on this than I thought originally, but I still found that by far the most unreasonable and finicky musicians were the guitarists. I've actually heard the phrase "I can't play through that" more than once, when shown a perfectly good amp...

True, but it depends whether that outboard preamp has the right sound for you. Taking my example - I need an amp which has two dirty channels in order to be able to use it properly. It's pretty rare that occurs out in the wild; in an amp with a clean and a dirty channel, I'd end up not being able to boost the gain and volume of the lead channel properly at the same time, which in turn requires that the sound guy know our songs and bring the volume up when I'm on a solo.

For my purposes, it's more or less irrelevant anyway; with my amp-based rig it takes no more than five minutes to set up my whole rig if I've already got it prepped at the side of the stage, and with my board-based rig I don't really care what amp I'm using as long as it has an effects loop so I can use the power amp

ICBM

Cirrus said:

I'm imagining a situation where we cross paths at a gig, and you're sitting in the corner quietly scoffing at me because I'm using my own amp... just doesn't seem reasonable to me.

Probably not... it depends on how you approach it . But you're right, I have come a cross a lot of complete pain-in-the-backside guitarists who seem to the think the world is going to end if they can't bring their own amp to a gig, or if someone else might ask to use it. This is not true of any other instrumentalist, including (with a couple of exceptions) bass and the long-suffering drummer. I do understand that a guitar amp is a bit more characterful than a bass amp, but many of them seem to get so finicky about 'their sound', which often sounds like an excuse for not being able to dial in something else. The result is a lot of extra work for the soundman, faffing around between sets etc.

I was actually really quite fussy about my sound, too. Being willing to use any available amp is not the same as not caring.

digitalscream said:

For my purposes, it's more or less irrelevant anyway; with my amp-based rig it takes no more than five minutes to set up my whole rig if I've already got it prepped at the side of the stage, and with my board-based rig I don't really care what amp I'm using as long as it has an effects loop so I can use the power amp

That's exactly the point I'm making . If you think ahead you can get your sound through anything, yours or anyone else's, while carrying the minimum of gear and being able to set up quickly.

Reverend

My sound is reliant on a JMP 2203 and an original guvnor. 

So I used a guvnor 2 which will get me ion the ball park with pretty much mostly heads that I'm likely to use in my travels. 

slacker

I can see both sides of the amp argument. I think it's horses for courses. 

I can get a decent sound from most amps I've tried and sometimes from unpoplar amps (JTM 60 TSL60). However there are some amps Fender HRD, Blackstar HT60 that are just awful as as subjective opinion. As a disclaimer I love the sound of other people playing a Boogie but cannot operate them myself I even owned a F30 for two weeks.

I've done gigs with no sound check, I've looked at the other guitarists amp settings and set mine accordingly (no problem). I've done a funeral on a really feedbacky archtop with no soundcheck, again no problem. So I'm no prima donna. 

So whilst I'll have a go to fit in with other people's convenience why do I bother with a shoddy amp when I have a Matchless and a Badcat? Why bother buying decent amps?

I like Vox type amps and use a number of gain pedals. If I'm playing a proper gig why do I have to screw around trying to make a Fuzz Factory work with a Fender Twin? (which I love sans pedals btw) 

So yes people should always be prepared to use anything but if you have a choice or can negotiate why wouldnt you use your amp? 

 

ICBM

That's pretty much what I'm saying - if you have the choice and it's not a pain for everyone else, take your own amp. Be prepared to let someone else use it too if it makes everything easier and it's all good - a bit of common sense and you can easily halve the amount of gear on stage and the hassle at changeovers.

Too many guitarists won't do either though, that's what I'm moaning about .