Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

[jmv]

Okay so, i'm going to school to be a percussion teacher. I'm about halfway through school and have lots of different drumline experience, so like most other guys i'm getting jobs as a tech at different high schools. Theres a high school i go to who is trying to put together an indoor drumline show.... last night at rehearsal a guy walks in halfway through carrying a case, and i think to myself "oh sweet, the bass player is here!!" Its pretty common to have a bass in these types of ensembles. But instead, it was a kid with a strat plugged into a marshall MG (30watts i think), with the distortion dimed, playing out of time, and making noise everytime i was talking to the ensemble. I wish there was something i could do to help it not sound like a bag of crap, but my guess is we're probably screwed when it comes to him using that amp.

Do you guys think i should approach the director about it and see if we can do anything?? He spent a little bit of time working on balancing levels with the kid, and seemed to think it sounded fine....

maybe next rehearsal i should bring my tube screamer and have him try using that out on the clean channel.

 

[marvar]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

"You can't make chicken salad out of chicken sh*t"

 

[Jimbojsr]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

...But instead, it was a kid with a strat plugged into a marshall MG (30watts i think), with the distortion dimed, playing out of time, and making noise everytime i was talking to the ensemble. I wish there was something i could do to help it not sound like a bag of crap, but my guess is we're probably screwed when it comes to him using that amp... maybe next rehearsal i should bring my tube screamer and have him try using that out on the clean channel.

Actually, I suspect the only way you'll get a decent sound out of that amp is by turning the "MASTER VOLUME" knob anti-clockwise as far as it'll go...

 

[Lazarus1140]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

The first thing you need to address is the lack of discipline. I have O tolerence for people playing between songs. It is an inconsiderate waste of everyone's time.

 

[jmv]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

i completely understand, and i hate it and it would be the first thing i'd fix.... but the actual band director there is in the rehearsal and is even some-what encouraging of the behavior. As a tech, theres really nothing i can do about most of it, unless he's gone and i'm the one running rehearsal.

 

[darnright]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

or unless you're the one gone...you shouldn't have to put up with such BS behavior. IMO (especially an MG)

-dave

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

poor kid must've been lied to and lied to and lied to by the salesman that let him leave the shop with a 30 watt marshall for his bass.

 

[guitfiddle]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

poor kid must've been lied to and lied to and lied to by the salesman that let him leave the shop with a 30 watt marshall for his bass.

umm...it's a Strat...but it's still a Marshall MG...:earl:

 

[jmv]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

i only know MGs by reputation.... are their clean channels at all decent??

 

[ModestCargo]

Re: Ugh, dealing with horrible tone!

The clean channel will be decent. I have a buddy that played in the school band with a 30 watt MG and apart from being a little weak in the volume department at times (30 clean watts my ASS) it sounded fine.

Get him off the distortion, and you'll be okay.