Wanted: tips for tonal balance.

[Blue Calx]

I had the good fortune of finally being able to jam with a few friends again the other day, and it was great fun! Oddly enough, it was the first time I've ever played in a situation where I wasn't the only guitarist (usually just me, a bass player and a drummer) - which was interesting, but now I'm finally having to deal with the headache of two guitar players stepping on each others' sound.

I could barely make out what the other guy was playing, yet my own amp wasn't overly loud. And when we played unison, it just sounded like suck!

So does anyone more experienced in this area have any suggestions on how to alter our settings so that we're both audible and it sounds good together? We both use a fair ammount of mids, and I think maybe that has something to do with the uninteligibility, but I"m not too sure. Maybe also it's got to do with the overal loud volume of all of us playing, and the non-acoustically-ideal situation of a garage with parallel brick walls and a metal door. Should one of us back off the gain even (how do other bands pull off high-gain situations, then)?

[Guitarist]

Re: Wanted: tips for tonal balance.

I'm in a band with another guitarist as well, his amp is S/S so it usually breaks up a little more and tends to take it's liking to being bassy (and ballsy!). With my amp being more treble/mid heavy, I cut through the mix a little better, and it makes for two tones that go together easier. Both of us also cut back on the gain to lose any mud you can get when having too much happening at once. Also, the acoustics of a room do more to your tone than you can imagine! So, I wouldn't do anything too drastic until you get the oppurtunity to experiment in a more acoustically balanced room. Well, this is just my experience, hope it helped you.

[Blue Calx]

Re: Wanted: tips for tonal balance.

Hmmm, now that you mention it, the other guy's tone is really ballsy - he's playing a mahogany bodied guitar through some SS crate head and a 4X12. My tone cuts a bit more, maybe because i'm playing an alder strat with a dimebucker in it through a 2X12 combo? But still, even with that difference, we get blech! Though i'm sure the room has something to do with it, could anyone maybe suggest some EQ starting points?