Setup for a southern rock gig

[Powdered Toast Man]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

Call me crazy, but I don't think I've heard anything more than some slap back delay, reverb, and tremolo on any CCR record. Don't think the guitar matters just as long as it's not pointy. Strat, Tele, Les Paul - all would work equally well.

Oh, and lower gain settings. You want a greasy tone, not full-on crunch.

 

[Securb]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

This may sound crazy - but take whatever effects that you need for the songs you are playing. Freebird? Better have a phaser...just one example..

And there lies the problem. These guys have a pretty long setlist ranging from Molly Hatchet to Black Crowes and Shooter Jennings. For a tune like Ram Jam's Black Betty I know my Totally Wycked Audio Triskelion nails that tune do I want to bring that pedal for one song, no. Also there is a stigma sometimes attached to players with tons of pedals, we get pigeon-holed as shredders, prog guys or people think we are using them to cover for lack of talent. I think I am going to go with boost, delay, one mod and wah/vol and drag everything else in after I get the gig.

 

[DrNewcenstein]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

However, you also have to consider that each of those band's guitar tones are relatively unique to each band, meaning their bass and drums and keys and vocals all work together to contribute. While you can have 15 pedals that get the guitar tones of 15 different bands, you don't have the complimentary bass, drums, and vocal tones, so you're more than likely to sound completely out of context with the band.

Take the pedals you are interested in bringing, but go with guitar>amp first, maybe EQ or clean boost just for the push or shift for solos. If they ask "can you get such-and-such guitar tone?", dump the pedal bag on the floor and say "lemme see if I got that here".
If they don't ask, don't dump the bag on the floor, and for pete's sake don't show up at the gig with the bag and say "I wanna try this pedal instead of the one I used in rehearsal". That never ends well, but usually ends quickly.

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

If your marshall is a single channel amp, then take along an overdrive pedal like an sd-1. If its a channel switcher, then just use the footswitch.
No need for any other pedals at least at the first rehearsal/gig. You can bring them in one by one if you find them to be absolutely necessary at subsequent jams. Even the phaser that you hear on the recorded version of free bird is unnecessary if you are playing live covers. "Nailing" tones you hear on record is overrated.
Just make sure you have your licks down - and keep a slide in your pocket.

 

[Diminished Triad]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

When is your tryout ...........following this one and wish you the best. Whether ZZ Top, Dr. Hook, L.Skynard, and to some extent CCRish and Dire Straits...........there is no monopoly on the southern rock sound but you know that jam when you hear it. My students play Free Bird and some of their parents were just born when it hit the airwaves.

 

[Aceman]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

And there lies the problem. These guys have a pretty long setlist ranging from Molly Hatchet to Black Crowes and Shooter Jennings. For a tune like Ram Jam's Black Betty I know my Totally Wycked Audio Triskelion nails that tune do I want to bring that pedal for one song, no. Also there is a stigma sometimes attached to players with tons of pedals, we get pigeon-holed as shredders, prog guys or people think we are using them to cover for lack of talent. I think I am going to go with boost, delay, one mod and wah/vol and drag everything else in after I get the gig.

Ok - that helps. I'll assume you are going to play all of those tunes.

New approach: Tweeked out patches for each song, lead and Rhythm, in a Boss GT-10....

 

[Aceman]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

"Nailing" tones you hear on record is overrated.
Just make sure you have your licks down - and keep a slide in your pocket.

Lick down - TRUTH! I am always a fan of Play what you play WELL and play it like you mean it - even if it isn't note for note or the same tone.

That said, in a cover band covering all of that, they may seriously be looking for gear and sounds. And I personally like to see a band who can do .38 specials tone on one song, CCR on another, and then cop Molly Hatchett's feel. A band that can play well AND do that - they get $$$.

You do raise a good question, and I guess this is something that most musicians don't look into enough. At the first meeting what are they looking for?

- Is it a chops display, and playing ability is MOST important?
- Is it a "how do we feel about hanging with you as a dude?" sort of event, and then they'll take their favorite as long as chops are decent
- Is it a "Let's make sure the dude has pro gear" meeting...

Never know with musicians, and the two, IMO are reasonable, but the third happens also....

 

[Securb]

Re: Setup for a southern rock gig

- Is it a chops display, and playing ability is MOST important?
- Is it a "how do we feel about hanging with you as a dude?" sort of event, and then they'll take their favorite as long as chops are decent
- Is it a "Let's make sure the dude has pro gear" meeting...

Never know with musicians, and the two, IMO are reasonable, but the third happens also....

I think it is a little bit of all three. I have already been invited out for beers by the lead singer. Learning the tunes I have decided I am just going to bring my NASA control panel looking PedalTrain Pro. Born on the Bayou sounds great with my Leslie sim and a bit of boost where as with Preacher Stones's That's Just the Whiskey Talking I can get the twin lead tones with my harmonizer. The cool thing is the singer plays guitar and has a Mesa, Fender and Marshall in the space so I don't have to bring an amp.