Speaker Baffles

[some_dude]

I read an article in Guitar Player today where one of the artists mentions using speaker baffles to quiet down his amp enough (Fender Twin) and allow him to overdrive it without taking the heads off the people in the front row.

Now, I know all about using baffles to cut down on a speakers beam, but this is to cut down on volume. Has anyone seen these being used or used them themselves?

 

[dystrust]

Re: Speaker Baffles

Last time I saw Kenny Wayne Shepherd he was using plexiglass shields in front of his twins to cut down on stage volume. He was still stupid loud, but it was quite a bit less than a typical twin on 10.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Speaker Baffles

I just played behind a guitar player that used them this last weekend. They didn't really cut his volume any but they DID diffuse the output so that everyone in front of his amp wasn't beheaded. It would have helped had he been a decent player!

 

[some_dude]

Re: Speaker Baffles

Was it one piece? And did it cover the whole cab, or just individual speakers?

Do you remember how far away from the amp it was?

How do you mic something like that?

Sorry for all the questions, just trying to figure this thing out.

 

[Hellion]

Re: Speaker Baffles

His was a three piece hinged plexiglass job that went from the floor to just under the control panel on the head. He had an extension cab underneath the main chassis of the amp, and he had it about 8-12 inches in front of the amp. I don't think he was miking it at all, but it wouldn't have been a big thing to shove an SM58 in there with a mic stand. There wouldn't have been a point in amplifying the crap he was playing, though. Sound systems just reproduce what you give them, ya know? Put in a turd and it will give you a loud turd.

 

[some_dude]

Re: Speaker Baffles

Haha.

Sounds pretty bad. I guess it's a good thing they didn't mic him.

 

[dystrust]

Re: Speaker Baffles

Kenny had his baffles about 12-18" in front of his amps; the top of the shields extended to just over the bottom of the control panels on the amps. Both of his Twins were miked with SM-57s.