Thoughts on how rig and location effects how you like components

[Big Mike]

So I did my first gig in a long time over the weekend.
I was a sub rhythm player for a buddy's blues band at the local horse racing track.
Was actually a lot of fun, but I do have some issues with the sport, that's not the topic though.

Round first of the year I got a new to me DGT. 08 goldtop with moons, nitro finish. 9/10 condition damn near unplayed.

I've had a love hate/ go back and forth on the neck pickup in the house, depending on the rig.
My marshalls I just use the bridge pickup and roll off the volume, fat, lovely grissomy tone. Neck pickup has underwhelmed and I've considered changing it. BUt not sure for what. My other amp, is a fabulous Greer Cam18 head. 18 watts of cathode biased vox/matchless flavored tone, chimey and rich but with 6v6's.
Through that it was a little better but it was still sorta 'meh' on the neck pickup.

Well the gig I took the little greer rig since we were mic'd and the other guitarplayer uses a deluxe reverb.
At a little more volume, (mic'd not much more) and in the band context...I suddenly found that really the bridge pickup was too strident and the neck pickup was about perfect. Split worked great for strattier tones too.

Back at home later, this held. Back into the marshall, the opposite.

Context is everything.

I may try to bump to a darker bridge pickup and see if that will bridge the gap enough to fit better with both 'rigs'.

Here's the rig BTW:
That's the greer head on a MK2 A era boogie 1x12 loaded with a WGS/Reinhardt Speaker.
Mostly used the amp a little dirty and kicked the lightspeed here and there. iStomp for the old boss VB2 sounds.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B2uY44kHRNb/?utm_source=ig_web_copy_link

The Marshall rig below (clone I built)

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Context is everything.

Absolutely.

It’s not really wise to make changes or declare a piece of gear as good or bad until you’ve tried it in many applications.

Like, if you’re primarily a bedroom player, the tone you think “kills” isn’t necessarily gonna translate into a band situation at full volume.

And you’re a gigging guy, that “ultimate” live rig can totally suck when under the microphone in the studio.

I hated my DG30 initially, thought I really sh!t the bed on the trade I made for it. It passed through a few friends before it made its way to me, and I even got a few “condolences” from some people that had had one and passed theirs along.

What I found out, and what makes so much sense to me now was that the thing needs to be all the way open, volume wise. And everyone that it had gone through or had one and didn’t care for it, were low to moderate volume users.... of course it sucks in my basement with the master on 3-4... that thing needs to be dimed!

I also kinda fear I made a mistake yanking the 53/10 out of my West St. It was so big, and so dark at my little apartment, and even when playing it alone within the context of MAPete’s basement (at admittedly more volume) that I swapped it for a 57/08 within weeks of owning it.

However, when I put it in my Bernie (because it just so happened to be the only covered neck pup I had laying around) and took it to rehearsal.... HFS! it was beautiful sounding, and made me rethink my initial disappointment with it.

 

[Big Mike]

Exactly man. The Cu22 sounds fuller through the greer rig, (59/Sat Night Special) but doesn't split or chime as well.
Horses for courses (no pun intended).

I may toss a 59b I have lying around in it (magnet swap too probably) and see how it goes, but it eas interesting.
When I gigged more regularly I did have a separate 'gig rig' than home playing often.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

When I gigged more regularly I did have a separate 'gig rig' than home playing often.

Yeah, my “at home” rig is just the BS I have leftover and laying around, which is kind of a bummer because I’m at like, 75% of the time an “at home” player.

It’s tempting to put more money into the home rig but... my cat’s just gonna barf on it and my son will drool all over it.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Oh... and f@ck horse racing and playing at race tracks! Never again (or so I say now).


Did y’all have to take breaks to avoid spooking the horses? Every time I’ve done one that sh!t was the dirtiest and nastiest gig ever... and I’ve followed Gwar.

One gig at a Texas track, it took us three hours to play our 45min set. We’d play two-three songs and then have to stop for the horses. Play another two songs and then stop... and on, and on...

They did pay great though.

 

[Big Mike]

Yeah we'd play a 3 song set between races. Was fun, lots of entertaining people watching for me. *cough sun dresses cough*
Was a grand time.

Yeah the home rig now is like,...4 50 watt marshalls. The live rig is 18 watts on a 1x12.

Lord how times have changed. Hehe. I do have a separate room at home to keep teh cats out.

 

[bodia]

Yeah, my “at home” rig is just the BS I have leftover and laying around, which is kind of a bummer because I’m at like, 75% of the time an “at home” player.

It’s tempting to put more money into the home rig but... my cat’s just gonna barf on it and my son will drool all over it.

You wanna play with my Atomic Amplifire 12 for a little while? You can run it through your monitors, and have some fun.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Yeah the home rig now is like,...4 50 watt marshalls. The live rig is 18 watts on a 1x12.

Lord how times have changed. Hehe. .

Ha! Yeah, it’s like living in backwards world!

You wanna play with my Atomic Amplifire 12 for a little while? You can run it through your monitors, and have some fun.

Thanks, that mighty generous of you but... I don’t want to want the Atomic, if you know what I mean. And on the off chance I get left alone long enough to go to the basement and play, I’ve got my H&K amp.

 

[Boogie]

You wanna play with my Atomic Amplifire 12 for a little while? You can run it through your monitors, and have some fun.

Notice that he didn’t mention borrowing his Kemper.

 

[Rider1260]

You might find a McCarty pickup in the neck of you DGT more to your liking the DGT neck pickup is a pretty low output pickup the McCarty is the same family but juts a taste more push

 

[Big Mike]

You might find a McCarty pickup in the neck of you DGT more to your liking the DGT neck pickup is a pretty low output pickup the McCarty is the same family but juts a taste more push

I think I'm going to leave the neck, and go for a warmer bridge pickup. I like McCarty pickups for the most part, but changed em out when I had my mac.

 

[Big Mike]

Notice that he didn’t mention borrowing his Kemper.

toasters are for wallmart. Gimme tubes.

 

[sergiodeblanc]

Notice that he didn’t mention borrowing his Kemper.

Probably because he hasn’t plugged it in yet.

 

[Boogie]

Probably because he hasn’t plugged it in yet.

*sigh* Doing his best 11Top impression.

This whole topic is why I bought a Kemper. Got tired of over engineering solutions for crappy little bars that didn’t deserve my gear investment yet denied my ability to set it free. Now, it’s a non-issue. My sound is consistent so I can focus on doing the same with my performance. And if I suddenly need to jump from Travis Tritt to Ratt, a single button push doesn’t snap the chandelier from the ceiling.

(To be completely honest, I’ve never played Travis where there was a chandelier. However, Round n Round has shaken one or two.)

 

[Big Mike]

Think if I had to play like that I’d just get a flyrig from tech 21

 

[bodia]

Notice that he didn’t mention borrowing his Kemper.

Which is why he can borrow the AA12!

 

[bodia]

Probably because he hasn’t plugged it in yet.

Maybe tomorrow! You can get to like the AA12. They’re relatively cheap. Really cheap if you want mine.

 

[bodia]

*sigh* Doing his best 11Top impression.)

It’s my M.O.

Several years ago I decided to build a gaming rig for the first time. I got all the parts to build it, and then waited 4 months to put it all together. It was so easy, I built two more. At any rate, the Kemper is out of the box, but not hooked up. Mostly because I haven’t picked up a guitar recently. Looking for some motivation.

 

[Deleted member 5962]

I remember the first time I took my open backed cab out of my music room and put it on a stage, 30 feet from the back wall and 200 feet from the front wall... all that spacious room filling sound was now getting lost in space.

Mike, I know I'm preaching to the choir, but have you tried adjusting the pickups at all?

Other interesting points in the thread. Yeah, I laughed out loud at the gig/home thing... Just a few months ago I had a Mark V, Mark V 25, Mini Recto, PRS Custom 50 and PRS Archon, and every gig I did was with my Fender Vibro Champ XD... and now they're with my Atomic AA3 or AA12 into QSC CP8. I can't open ANY of my amps up enough to really warrant them being at most of my gigs... not even my ATMA 18 watter. If I know I can't even get decent volume from the ATMA in 5 watt mode, I don't bother and take a modeler. So, I get Boogie's point as well.

Tone doesn't compare to my Archon or ATMA at home... and nobody cares but me, because in a mix it sounds good and at ANY volume level.

 

[Big Mike]

Don't assume, y'all know i'm a knucklehead.
Yeah I've messed with heights.
It may just be a 'marshall' guitar, and stay stock. And that's fine too.