my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

[Hoss]

So we had praise band practice last night and i decided not to bring my amp, just my guitar (lazzzy) and just plug into the Epi tweed amp (SC-210) that the church has.

WoW...what a mistake that was...i tried and tried to get a decent sound out of that thing but it sounded so BLEH! if anyone thinks the Jr. sounds boxey, they ain't heard nothin yet! it was the woofiest sounding amp i've ever played through...it just didn't gel with my guitar at all and i was very frustrated through the whole practice...i tried everything to get some sort of clear likeable sound out of it and i failed miserably!

my Jr has a much more open sound and is much better at picking up the nuances of my playing and all the notes in my chords...a much more balanced sound with a more articulate low end, punchier mids, and chimey highs! i was taking my Jr for granted until last night! now i gotta show up early tonight and set up my amp and pedal and get "my" sound back fast!!! LOL!!!

look i'm not saying that a Blues Jr is da bomb, but if you are a frustrated player wanting a cheap real tube tone that takes to pedals pretty well, i'd recommend a Jr for sure!

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

I was a "guest worship leader" last Sunday night at a church I don't attend because the main guy is out of town for two weeks. I thought about what to bring, because I've done other little blues gigs etc. with little tube blasters, but I lugged my whole church rack over there, with the pedalboard. It was kind of embarassing. We were joking the whole time it was overkill. But MAN was I glad I did. I had all my sounds right there, and it allowed me to focus on the task at hand, instead of distracting me. In a regular gig you can fight with an amp, but for church you should be thinking about other things, and thoughts of gear should take a back seat. So if it doesn't feel right, it can be hard to focus.

 

[JacksonMIA]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

In a regular gig you can fight with an amp, but for church you should be thinking about other things, and thoughts of gear should take a back seat. So if it doesn't feel right, it can be hard to focus.

Really good point!


Mike, I hear you about the Blues Jr. I fought with an Epiphone solid state amp for several years and finally got my Blues Jr. It was like the difference between night and day. Sure, I'd like to have a little more from an amp, but it gets me by and I know it well, so I don't have to worry about playing with it for hours to get the tone dialed in.

 

[jony]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

I was a "guest worship leader" last Sunday night at a church I don't attend because the main guy is out of town for two weeks. I thought about what to bring, because I've done other little blues gigs etc. with little tube blasters, but I lugged my whole church rack over there, with the pedalboard. It was kind of embarassing. We were joking the whole time it was overkill. But MAN was I glad I did. I had all my sounds right there, and it allowed me to focus on the task at hand, instead of distracting me. In a regular gig you can fight with an amp, but for church you should be thinking about other things, and thoughts of gear should take a back seat. So if it doesn't feel right, it can be hard to focus.

I do agree with you...

I have the largest pedalboard and always have almost everything i might need in my ready bag. Strings, batteries and even cables and a DI box.

People think I'm crazy or showing off... I'm really saving myself a whole load of trouble. I've seen friends get all worked up when they had to run down to the stores across the road to get batteries and strings. I'm not about to do that.

 

[WhoFan]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

How i can relate to this... if i don't have an amp i like i hate playing

I had a hard time when i was starting out as i could never afford a good amp.... I had ok guitars but a bad amp just makes life horrible all around....

I have people ask me what type of guitar and amp they should buy for their teenage kids.... I always try and talk them into spending some money on an amp... I get by with cheaper guitars into good amps all the time...

A good amp is worth a lot to a player.....

 

[Hoss]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

haha...funny thing happened last night after church...one of the guys who runs the sound booth came down after church and said that he's gonna order another di box for me to plug into..:smack: i told him in the nicest way possible that there's no way that's gonna happen :smack: :yell: :smack: i said all we need is another mic for my amp (which i have in the youth chapel)!

they're out of their minds if they think i'm letting them control what my guitar sounds like:eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :no:

 

[Brow]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

I do agree with you...

I have the largest pedalboard and always have almost everything i might need in my ready bag. Strings, batteries and even cables and a DI box.

People think I'm crazy or showing off... I'm really saving myself a whole load of trouble. I've seen friends get all worked up when they had to run down to the stores across the road to get batteries and strings. I'm not about to do that.

I'm the same myself.

The other guys in the band joke that I always bring too much gear (a spare guitar, sometimes a head and cab or sometimes a 1x12 combo etc) and why do I not just use a POD into the PA like the singer does.

BUT, guess who saves the day every gig when someone needs a spare guitar lead or they bust a string etc :banana:

I also agree about 'my' gear making a difference to the way I play and sound.

Even something simple like sharing another bands 4x12 cab (but using my own amp) can wreck the gig for me if I don't like the sound of it etc.

To quote Randy Rhoads (and it also applies to myself 100%): 'My weakness is my sound. If the sound isn't right, I get paranoid. I rely on it 100%. If the sound isn't right, it could put me off'.

Kinda getting away from the original post a little, but hopefully this is kinda relevant

 

[jony]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

haha...funny thing happened last night after church...one of the guys who runs the sound booth came down after church and said that he's gonna order another di box for me to plug into..:smack: i told him in the nicest way possible that there's no way that's gonna happen :smack: :yell: :smack: i said all we need is another mic for my amp (which i have in the youth chapel)!

they're out of their minds if they think i'm letting them control what my guitar sounds like:eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :eek13: :no:

The sad thing is in my church, the adult congregation guitar players, have to go through the DI box. They've actually taken all the amps off stage. Everything Aviom... It sounds horrid.

 

[YJM_Rocks]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

To quote Randy Rhoads (and it also applies to myself 100%): 'My weakness is my sound. If the sound isn't right, I get paranoid. I rely on it 100%. If the sound isn't right, it could put me off'.

Oh the irony!!!

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

I play a lot more and therefore I end up becoming a better guitar player from playing through gear that inspires me. I've been chasing tone for a long time and I should have spent that time focusing on technique, but I just wasn't happy with my tone. I'm finally at a point in my life where it's all coming together and I'm finding myself writing more and more material because of it.

I wish I knew then what I know now, but that's all part of the experience. I'll be damned if it gets much better than what I have now, I'm just not looking anymore

 

[Mephis]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

Heh, it's taken for EVER for me to get descent enough gear to force me to focus on my abilities over my tone.

If my tone isn't spot on, i'll play for 5minutes then get bored. When it's spot on, I could go for as long as my fingers can handel. (Till I start loosing my fingers tips that is.)

I'm getting pretty close to being done with the tone run around.

 

[Hoss]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

The sad thing is in my church, the adult congregation guitar players, have to go through the DI box. They've actually taken all the amps off stage. Everything Aviom... It sounds horrid.

:argh: :argh: :argh: :banghead: :banghead: :banghead: :sad: :sad: :sad:

i'm horrified at the thought of this...:no:

 

[spacecaptain21]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

My gear definitely makes a difference as well. Moreso my guitar than anything. I can use different amps, but if I don't have one of my guitars, I don't play nearly as well.

I did an ensemble performance thing yesterday at a jazz club. You had to use the amps they gave you. I was expecting total crap...I got to plug into a Fender Vibrolux RI, the other guitarist plugged into a Marshall combo (the DSL401 I think) and the third guitarist plugged into a Traynor YCV40. Cool! We all sounded great (except the third, but she seems to always have horrid tone...those LP Classic pups...P.U!).

My point is, it doesn't matter if it's my amp as long as it's a good amp. If it's not then...I'm screwed!

 

[kneadmomunny]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

now with my tone memberdom i can be the guy who says "your tone is all in your fingers" while i pack 12 guitars and 9 amps and three pedal boards the size of the 9th green onto a stage the size of a bar table. :smack: :blackeye: :smokin:

 

[\m/(00)\m/]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

kinda funny because i would struggle with that at church too. i would have to lug my gear all around from the sanctuary to the youth room, and it would get so annoying that i just left my amp in the youth room and either play bass or acoustic guitar. i've actually just considered getting a nice fender amp to leave in the sanctuary, that way people dont gotta bring their gear and they can do whatever with their own pedals...except me...cause i like fender

the guitar going direct sounds horrible too, and if they tell me to do that i might have to just play acoustic that sunday

 

[Grandor]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

The sad thing is in my church, the adult congregation guitar players, have to go through the DI box. They've actually taken all the amps off stage. Everything Aviom... It sounds horrid.

Thank God that all I get is the occasional 'turn down a smidge'.

I play youth and church services with my dual recto and marshall 1960 cab just fine. If a sound guy ever tried to make me go DI, I would tell him where to go, simple as that. Lukily our church has been blessed with techies who appreciate good sounds and like good music (can relate to the rock and roll band aspect good and know whats going on).

 

[WhoFan]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

i'm not a church going guy but i do work on the weekends in a building that holds a church service with a band.... they set up a PA and bring in tons of guitars, keys, drums, and assorted stuff... they have better gear then a lot of bands..

 

[Hoss]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

:yell: :yell: :yell:

this is hilarious...my tri-od is crapping out on me as i write this...lots of crackling and buzzing at higher volumes...when i plug straight into the amp everything is fine...this is not good as we have a huge service tomorrow morning with alot of visiotors expected......:no: :yell: :no: :yell: :smack:

 

[frankfalbo]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

Hey don't worry, your gear isn't everything. Tone is in your hands, man! Or at least it's going to be tomorrow if you don't get the Tri-OD working!

:laugh2:

 

[Mephis]

Re: my gear does make a difference...to me anyways!

now with my tone memberdom i can be the guy who says "your tone is all in your fingers" while i pack 12 guitars and 9 amps and three pedal boards the size of the 9th green onto a stage the size of a bar table. :smack: :blackeye: :smokin:

That's like when I tell people about all my gear. When I tell them I'm not in a band I get some of the best expressions lol! :laugh2: