Can one guitar overpower a band?

[Rainmaker]

You often hear about a guitarist's tone being eaten alive in a live band setting. Folks talk about how narrow the frequency territory available for guitarists to sit comfortably within.

But (assuming the guitarist's volume isn't considerably louder than the rest of the band) can a guitarist's tone overpower the drums, bass and vocals? Can a guitar tone be too fat or too thick?

 

[ericmeyer4]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Wait? Isn't that the goal?

lol

 

[sosomething]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Yes.

I am totally capable of doing that with my Uberschall. I could drown out our drummer and bass player handily with a little knob-tweaking and a volume jump, but that's no fun.

The only thing right now that refuses to be eaten by the Bogner is the Splawn. Those laser-like focused mids will cut through anything.

 

[wahwah]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Yeah, I'd have to say that it is certainly possible and I have experienced it, and it can be achieved predominantly by boldness of tone as opposed to sheer volume. But it takes a fairly weak drummer and a bass player who hasn't got his tone together, like the guys who have an abundance of "clack" in their sounds but a lack of fundamental. My Rockbender combo can be a culprit at this. It has a very fat tone, and sometimes it seems like even at low levels it is generating too big a voice for a lot of situations. It's a better problem to have than disappearing after the drummer counts to 4, but it still counts as a lesson in balance. This can also occur if you have progressed to the point of having an inherently large "voice" from your hands, which may sound esoteric, but is certainly an observable phenomenon. This is where lower wattage amps come to the fore, allowing a player to retain their voice without comprimise, whilst still finding the all-important balance. If it's happening just because of excess volume, then that's just the guitarist being a tool.



Cheers............................wahwah

 

[jeremy]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

if you have a hard hitting drummer and bass player with a fat tone, then the only way you are going to over power them is with volume. like wahwah said, if you got a dude who sounds like fieldy then it is quite possible

 

[uOpt]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

I always thought the problem is the other way round: the guitar often invades territory that should be left to the singer(s), thinning out the vocals, and the keyboard are nowhere too be heard either.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

if you have a hard hitting drummer and bass player with a fat tone, then the only way you are going to over power them is with volume. like wahwah said, if you got a dude who sounds like fieldy then it is quite possible

I would have agreed with this 100% before getting the Bogner. That thing is a frequency hog of the highest order.

I've managed to dial it back to a reasonable range in the last couple of weeks, but those first couple of practices everything but the snare, cymbals, the Splawn's midrange, and some sub-low resonance from the bass were completely devoured.

And our drummer is a LOUD BASTARD with LOUD DRUMS.

 

[Imp]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

i'm currently listening to rage against the machine.. morello's stuff is balanced volume wise, but the neck active pickup/cooked marshall thing just fills in any gaps there!

 

[ksmith63]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

i usually find this problem when the guitar tunes down. deep bass and low guitar frequencies together = crappy tone. i love some low bass + high guitar though

 

[uOpt]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Another pet peeve of mine is two guitars fighting each other. Two guitarists, each of them having developed their perfect tone at home, individually, then shredding in the same territory in the band.

Bands with two guitars should be careful that they stay out of each other's domain, whatever domains you invent to keep this problem at bay.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Three words: Fender Twin Reverb. I have yet to meet a drummer that can overpower a Twin at full throttle.

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Yes - Marshall Major !!!

 

[Jeff Seal]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

I always thought the problem is the other way round: the guitar often invades territory that should be left to the singer(s), thinning out the vocals, and the keyboard are nowhere too be heard either.

Bingo!....a decent musician uses exactly this to "contribute" to the overall performance, without overpowering the song. Dynamic range is what separates great players from mediocre ones. You should still be heard, but not to the point of being the main focus....In my band, my singer should be heard when she sings, I'm just providing support!

check this out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EokYII_5DwQ

notice how the guitar's gain get's substantially less when the singing is going on. (plus it's a bada$$ song)

JS

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

everything louder than
everything else

 

[Jeff Seal]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

everything louder than
everything else

..you forgot to say "please"...:laugh2:

JS

 

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Can one guitar overpower a band?

Bingo!....a decent musician uses exactly this to "contribute" to the overall performance, without overpowering the song. Dynamic range is what separates great players from mediocre ones. You should still be heard, but not to the point of being the main focus....In my band, my singer should be heard when she sings, I'm just providing support!

check this out....

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EokYII_5DwQ

notice how the guitar's gain get's substantially less when the singing is going on. (plus it's a bada$$ song)

JS

Now is this one ov your amps on the recording? :bigthumb:?
Awesome stuff Jeff, love that tele tone, thick, warm and creamy. When I will grow up I will do southern thing.