General Music Chat

Ohh I like my amp... There's just alot of people that believe that a half-stack or anything over 40w is over-kill... which is probably true.

I really prefer the fullness you get with a half-stack compared to a combo amp though.

Yea guys try playing a 100-200 seat club with your 100 watt Marsall half stack cranked and see how that goes over. 10 bucks says you don't make it to the second tune before the club owner has a "Chat" with you. I always hated getting "The Chat".

I played one particular 800 seat club a few times and the owner was not happy with me.

I've seen, I heard, I know.

I learned later on in my career that playing to loud makes the sound guy unhappy to.

Wegman,

We used to call it "The Talk".

One bass player I played with used to say "Wilder your getting your pink slip."

You are right certain amps react in certain ways to the way you play. I found a willing partner in Mesa's you found it in Marshalls. Although I play a 150 watt amp, Ive figured out how to get the tone I want at various volume levels to suit the need.

The other night I went to a younger groups practice. One of the guitarist I used to teach a little too. The other guy had all these pedals maxed out in front of his amp and everything was screaming feedback. I tryed to show him how to get his sound without all the noise but as I left I noticed he just turned everything back up. Some people dont get it. Its not all about turning everything to 10 or 11. I like your statement about being in control of your sound. Most of the players Ive been around recently are pros and have control over their sound, hearing this young guy brought it all full circle for me. This guy was playing thru a nice Marshall half stack, but he was ruining a great amps sound with all these effects pedals stacked in front of it. Of course I can remember a few practices 25 yrs ago when a guy with my initials used to drive everyone crazy.

HA, our drummer is louder than my half-stack at 1/2 volume.... He is loud... but he's damn good,, I just think he missed his lesson in dynamics.

I was playin around with my amp last night and actually turn the gain down man did I get that thing sounding sweet.. then I forgot to save it..

Im not sure I like the controls of the spider III.

JW,

Oh yea. I remember years ago having distortion pedals chained together and my guitar sound was as good as AM radio. If you stopped playing for a second it was feed back city. I can't imagine trying to play like that now.

HA, our drummer is louder than my half-stack at 1/2 volume.... He is loud... but he's damn good,, I just think he missed his lesson in dynamics.

I was playin around with my amp last night and actually turn the gain down man did I get that thing sounding sweet.. then I forgot to save it..

Im not sure I like the controls of the spider III.

The worst invention ever was electronic drums. At least with an acoustic kit their was a finite volume level that would be reached and that would be that. You can only hit the drum so hard.

With electronics they gave drummers a volume knob and they can control their own volume. YIKES!!!!!!

Needless to say the knob is never turned in the cut direction.

I am also yet to play with an electronic drummer who understands the concept of "clipping". They just think they have an equipment malfunction like a bad patch chord or something.

To my drummer buds out there I am just pulling your chain but I am serious about the drummers I have played with and them never being loud enough.

LOL he's playing accoustic drums though... I have to turn my amp up to 1oclock to get a nice sound mixing with him lol...

That's one of the best things about my Super Reverb, cranked to 10 it's just about right for most bands toward the end of the night when they start to get loud. My Peavey MX is 130 watts, I can't get it past about 4 or 5 but I use it for a very clean sound, any distortion or whatever comes from a stomp box and it's very reliable and controllable. Even at very low volume it's no problem to get a great sound out of that amp and just use stomp boxes for anything but clean.

I've used my rig for quite a few years now and can preset everything except the volume so it's very close, blend the volume during the first song and tweak the pedals a bit and I don't have to touch anything the rest of the night except to turn the amps up a bit later on when the band finally starts to drown me out. I use a volume pedal exclusively, can't live without it, so even if I'm too loud I can still keep a good blend by simply not pushing the pedal to the floor.

For effects I try to keep it simple, I have (in order)

Shure wireless
Arion SAD 1 analog delay
DOD compressor (want a better one)
Dan Electro Rocky Road (better flanger than leslie simulator by far)
Marshall Bluesbreaker overdrive
Ibanez SD 9 Sonic Distortion
Schaller Fusschweller volume pedal
A/B Switch to get both amps available.

Usually the only thing running is the delay, then I add the SD 9 or Bluesbreaker now and then for leads, (90% of the time it's the overdrive) and the others get used no more than 2 or 3 times a night. I preset everything, I hate having to fiddle with effects all night, and I only want feedback when I want it, not every time I'm not touching the strings, and that's really not often. If it feeds back, something is bad wrong, I normally have no problems with feedback at all.

I had to pot a pickup a while back because the first time I brought it onstage it absolutely howled every time I took my hand off the strings. No controlling it, screaming feedback instantly when I stopped playing. Dipped it in melted wax and it's great now. I can't make it feedback unless I get 6" from my super Reverb and then it's not easy...the only guitar I have theat will feedback without working at it is a hollow body Cort CL 1500, I love that guitar, it's great. Sounds a lot like a Les Paul without the weight and the fat neck.

I hate it when people can't control their volume level or effects...