Gig rig

[gush]

I've got a gig coming up next month that I'm preparing for so im trying to learn all this material im not familiar with AND get an amp tone that sounds good.

I've been spending a lot of time dialing my amp in and its driving my nuts. I think I'm just fickle and cause my own grief because I was convinced it didn't sound good but today I flipped it on and thought it sounded kind of good.

I think I just get frustrated and impatient which is a recipe for negative results.

Anybody else suffer from this BS???

 

[gush]

Oh, I also suffer from "everybody has better tone tha me itis".

 

[dmatthews]

As a rhythm player I found my home with a Custom 50 combo.
Great clean, very nice lead/crunch, reverb, and a boost on both channels that are independent.
As a lead player I'd be more picky for sure. Kemper solves all of that for me so far.
Are you the only guitar player in the band?
What guitar are you playing, or is it more than one for the gig?

 

[dmatthews]

Oh yeah... what amp?

 

[gush]

Oh yeah... what amp?

This is kind of jacked up, so hang in there.

This band does covers but they are writing stuff like crazy so I've been recording guitar parts for them.

The two brothers play acoustic and electric respectively but they've added a bass player a few months ago.

So....when they play live guitar parts are synced with the band. Some parts are mine some parts are other guys that helped.

The two brothers aren't really much help in the guitar dept and just wear guitars because. Their guitars are WAY down in the mix as they should be.

This show is opening for somebody else so they cant do recorded guitar, that's where I come in. I'm learning the material but really won't know where my responsibilities lay until we rehearse a couple times. Not sure if I carry the band or fill in where needed.

90 minute set. I'll be sporting a 2000 McCarty 8515/5909 into a mesa stiletto.

Probably use my 2x12 cab to make things easier.

 

[gush]

As a rhythm player I found my home with a Custom 50 combo.
Great clean, very nice lead/crunch, reverb, and a boost on both channels that are independent.
As a lead player I'd be more picky for sure. Kemper solves all of that for me so far.
Are you the only guitar player in the band?
What guitar are you playing, or is it more than one for the gig?

I had a cu50 head and an HXDA head. Couldn't bond with either one at the time but I'm kind of wishing I had the HXDA back.

My good friend has an Archon combo that he's offered to let me try and I might grab it and try it out at home.

 

[dmatthews]

This is kind of jacked up, so hang in there.

This band does covers but they are writing stuff like crazy so I've been recording guitar parts for them.

The two brothers play acoustic and electric respectively but they've added a bass player a few months ago.

So....when they play live guitar parts are synced with the band. Some parts are mine some parts are other guys that helped.

The two brothers aren't really much help in the guitar dept and just wear guitars because. Their guitars are WAY down in the mix as they should be.

This show is opening for somebody else so they cant do recorded guitar, that's where I come in. I'm learning the material but really won't know where my responsibilities lay until we rehearse a couple times. Not sure if I carry the band or fill in where needed.

90 minute set. I'll be sporting a 2000 McCarty 8515/5909 into a mesa stiletto.

Probably use my 2x12 cab to make things easier.

OK, that is some responsibility.
How are you recording the parts? Do they like the recordings?

 

[dmatthews]

I had a cu50 head and an HXDA head. Couldn't bond with either one at the time but I'm kind of wishing I had the HXDA back.

My good friend has an Archon combo that he's offered to let me try and I might grab it and try it out at home.

Totally try that Archon. Nothing like more experience/evidence.

 

[dmatthews]

What kind of music?
The McCarty with those pups must be awesome.

 

[Davey]

I'm learning the material but really won't know where my responsibilities lay until we rehearse a couple times. Not sure if I carry the band or fill in where needed.

I think you just answered it. If it were me, I would learn the material backwards, forward and sideways and then at first rehearsal see if your needed to carry or just fill in and adjust then.
Until you actually rehearse and hear yourself along with the band, you may realize what sounded good during learning the material may not sound as good with the band.

Just my .02. Learn the material and dial in tone during rehearsal.

 

[markd21]

Whenever I have done fill-in gigs, I tend to talk to the band leader about what they want to hear. Then I discuss what I sound like. Usually we meet in the middle. If I am given free reign, I listen to any recordings there are of the songs I'll be performing and then I build a similar tone. It'll still be something that "works" for me, but I try to keep the context of the artist/band/music intact.

It's easier these days because I use a Helix Rack or, if I am traveling to do the gigs, a small board with an HX Stomp and a Tech 21 MIDI Mouse. But, when I was using tube amps I would go with something that provided me with a good clean and a dirt/lead channel - for the most part. In the end it almost always came down to using a Rivera M/S or a Marshall 2205. For many years I constantly experimented with speakers, using at least one EVM for girth and a Celestion of some sort for clarity and break-up.

In your case, I would just develop my tone during rehearsals. It'll come together. In the end, most of us obsess over our sounds - and 99.9% of people don't care!! Just please the band and make sure you are able to play your best and you will have a good time.

 

[11top]

I suffer from it all the time. Then I beg Boogie to come over and show me how to set my Kemper.

 

[Boogie]

For the cover band stuff, I got tired of chasing someone else’s sound just for the sake of authenticity. Once I had my rig set for ‘infinity tone’, my anxiety of covering almost anything disappeared at shows. Three basic tones...clean...dirty...lead...with or without an available boost, delay, trem, reverb. The rest of the equation was in the guitar selection and how the volume control and my picking dynamics governed the final product. On demand, the vocalist could call an audible and I needed just a couple of seconds to prepare. A couple of taps, a twist of the volume knob, or at worst a guitar change, and off we went. It worked wonders on my mental game and felt pretty confident.

 

[Alnus Rubra]

Couple of bits of solid advice from Davey, Mark and Boogie.

I know you will, but go well prepared both musically and mentally. Try to keep your attitude positive and light, it makes for easier rehearsals.

From a technical side, take spares of things you’ll need in case of break downs.

Be the most professional one there, even if others standards aren’t as high as yours.

Most importantly, have fun. Pretty much the worst day playing music is better than the best day in most jobs!

 

[gush]

What kind of music?
The McCarty with those pups must be awesome.

Oh it is.....cured my LP urges for good.

 

[gush]

OK, that is some responsibility.
How are you recording the parts? Do they like the recordings?

Yeah, it took some work but I like my recorded parts and they seem to as well.

Much more of a controlled environment though.

 

[gush]

I suffer from it all the time. Then I beg Boogie to come over and show me how to set my Kemper.

Ha......I heard he was a super guy!!!

Maybe he can come to my house and show me how to set up my amp!!

 

[Boogie]

Ha......I heard he was a super guy!!!

Maybe he can come to my house and show me how to set up my amp!!

Some people like to have Tupperware parties, I like to have Amp Parties. My place or yours? I’m sure 11Top and Markie will join in...maybe QueenCity and the Chi-Town guys? Of course, with ample notice, @veinbuster will Paul Bunyan his butt over, too.

 

[gush]

Some people like to have Tupperware parties, I like to have Amp Parties. My place or yours? I’m sure 11Top and Markie will join in...maybe QueenCity and the Chi-Town guys? Of course, with ample notice, @veinbuster will Paul Bunyan his butt over, too.

Well just so happens, I NEED to meet up with the Chicago crew anyway so I'm game.

 

[11top]

Ha......I heard he was a super guy!!

I don’t know where you heard that nonsense. But he does know Kemper stuff.