The Truth about Expensive Gear (for local bands) | SpectreSoundStudios
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- Опубликовано: 25 авг 2024
- Are you in a band, playing shows? Ask yourself this: Do you really need that $2000 amp, or are you just envious?
The Truth about Expensive Gear (for local bands)
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This video is based on a real world observation I made regarding hi-end gear with local bands. If you think your gear is holding you back, think again! All the best gear in the world won't save your ass if you don't practice!
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I've found that most audiences won't recognize if you're out of tune either.
Once on a band contest i visited, one band was playing so badly and the melodies of one song were in different keys in the same parts and so on....Then i heard the judges say " oh you re doing so well, keep on!", i didn't know what to say...
Inter Paradox
Judges were probably friends of the band.
+Inter Paradox Amateur contest maybe at a guitar or music shop? If it's a amateur band you don't want to tell them that they suck and then they wont play and buy equipment. You want to encourage them by saying, you are getting better. As long as there are better bands that won it's not a problem to say, hey keep working on playing music. It could get better.
+monkeyman123321 I strongly disagree people telling me when I sucked made me get better. You don't have to be rude but a good" work on your tuning cause you are off or your stage presence was lacking. I think that's fair I have seen a whole music scene vanish in a small town due to way too many bands sucking.
+DrRawley Also a very bad cover is often a better gig than a very well put together composition of your own!
I've seen this so many times over and over again ;)
I like to watch the clipping on the left when he yells
right, lmao
Well, maybe he meant Glenn's right
everybody does
@@raydenabad2228 Well except for the bass players. They just like to look a blinking lights
It's like trying to explain to your teenager that they really don't need a hundred dollar pair of shoes.
danar dalin yeah fuck it! Just buy they pos Walmart knockoffs. Then they are less self conscious, fit in better at school and bonus! They last way longer! Not to mention how much more comfy they are, and the additional support!
Cheap fuck here can’t afford a bill on shoes for his kid, I pity your kid tbh
David Oksendahl (whoosh) That’s the point flying way over your head.
Oh noooooo! I even reddit, don’t post this!
Kinda, from what I understand it all depends on what you want to do. Also your level of playing, if you can’t play no amount gear will change that. Belea Fleck uses fancy gear and banjos but it sounds amazing because he’s an amazing banjo player
About expensive gear being a liability sometimes, a friend told me once:
"Never take on the road a piece of gear you'd spend more than a week crying over if you lose"
I think it's ok to have great gear, as long as a person is humble about it and doesn't think they are the best player because of it. Myself, my rig is worth about 7 grand without guitars. I'm not great. I bought it because I like the tone. To me it's a form of collecting and variety. Does it make me a better player? No. Does it sound better? Of course. Do other people care? Fuck no. Does that bother me? Fuck no.
+CrazyBadCuber and that's absolutely fine. I just don't want to see kids discouraged by not having the big-ticket items.
SpectreSoundStudios oh I know. I grew up playing a shitty 15 watt solid state Peavey Rage lol. With a danelectro fab tone distortion pedal. For years and years I played that shit.
+CrazyBadCuber Dude, I have a bridge to sell ya... :)
How the hell did you let yourself spend 7 grand in your amps? Ever heard of used? Seriously, I've seen full Engl, Mesa, Orange stacks for $1500 on CL. How do you even spend that kind of money on an AMP? Let me guess, somebody told you the only way to get good tone is to have a point to point hand wired amp from this guys who only makes one a year, and you went there and gave him your money, right? For crying out loud, there is a MArshall silver jubilee full stack on CL right now for $3000 (way too much for that bullshit amp if you ask me, but still)
+CrazyBadCuber yo this is the most unexpected place to find a comment of yours bro big fan and fellow musician and cuber too
Marvio Botticelli Wow somebody must have shit in your cereal this morning lol. Why is it any of your business what another person spends their money on? You think I spent 7 grand on one amp and now you have to come here with some snobby attitude like I'm foolish. Dude, I bought studio quality effects, many amps, floor boards, flight cases for it all etc. I said my rig is worth 7 grand without the guitars. You think ONLY an amp is a rig?
You sound like some whiney baby who can't afford good gear man. Chill the fuck out about what other people buy.
your audience will never know the difference from expensive Fender vs Made Mexico one
UNLESS the guitar player actually lets you check out his guitar. And yeh,that happened to me. Can't remember his name or his band (I can barely remember Summer of 2005,and not because of drinking) ,but we started talking as they were tearing down, and he goes out of the blue: "Dude! Check this out!" and handed me his White Fender MIM Jimmie Vaughan signature Strat! Played great.
Cornelius Maximilianus hell, I can barely tell the difference when I play them. You can hear a difference in the pickups, but feeling-wise, I don't know that I could tell the difference in a blind test. I think for most players the difference is on the back of the headstock.
Jim Root has his signature model made in Mexico and it sounds/plays amazingly well so.. :]
If the player feels a difference, then n attentive audience will as well
or even a goddamn squier affinity sound wise
Thanks dude! I was going through a mental breakdown just before this video, about how broke I am and how shit my gear is. I'm not a musician, I'm just a high school student who loves playing guitar, but it's hard seeing all my friends with good gear is super painful, since mine isn't even acceptable or mediocre, rather than good. But this video brought some hope for me. I can't thank you enough! :)
UPDATE: ALI RAFIEI STUCK IT OUT AND NOW HAS NICE GEAR.
Ali, when I was a kid, my folks hated me playing music. I saved money to buy my first electric and rode my bike to my first guitar . It was used and had a broken tuner that the seller didn't tell me about. That FORCED me to learn some guitar repair.
40 years later: I have done frettef instrument repair for lots of big name guitar companies and built tons of guitars.
Hardship can be the door to success!! btw I gig on a fender Squier all the time. Learn about gear, learn repair, money is rarely the answer to tone.
practise my dude
What do you mean you're not a musician? If you care about music, play an instrument, and get cool song ideas every now and then, you're a musician!
That will make it even more satisfying when u sit down beside and smoke there ass...... great gear doesn’t always = great playing. As long as u are inspired by what u are playing ,and setting goals for your self , as well as practicing your ass off , the end result will be a damn good one. Play your ass off dude. Gear doesn’t mean shit at all.
The biggest tools are always the ones that own high end gear but can't play for shit
look up bad departure on youtube
I wish I hadn't looked it up.
that's me! my mesa boogie dual rectifier and $1,500 guitar
Adam Eschliman I know a guy who owns a evh stack and a Marshall 800 stack too. three decimator pedals and a box full of pedals he has no clue on how to use. as well as expensive guitars.
this guy knows no chords
he can't play at all really.
Giothedude I'm pissed, I put in 3 hours a day 5 times a week with a metronome for the last two years and I still can't play the tail end of the diary of a madman solo as fast as Randy Rhoads
Most people dont even care what they drink , as long as they get drunk.
SwordsHeldHigh Same
+SwordsHeldHigh Life's too short for cheap booze... or weed.
I've seen people like Ola Englund make Line 6 Spiders sound like pure sonic heaven. I swear some people like him could plug into a toaster and still make something brutal out of a humble kitchen appliance.
+Ànradh Official Hahaha! Don't get me wrong! I myself own a spider valve 212 and it serves me very well for my bedroom jams and rehearsals with my bands. I actually agree, Line 6 gets way too much hate in my opinion. Best gear In the price range for sure.
+BT Studio Productions Fluff made a tiny pocket amp sound great.
+Cameron Pangborn I've got their 75 watt version and for what I do if I turn it up too high at all I get terrible compression, too much low end, and it just starts sounding worse. I've messed with the knobs but to tame it at high volumes means to cut some of the tone that I want and it just makes it sound worse
but I'm the guy that goes to the insane green channel and turns everything up with a few effects over playing with a dean dimebag ml
i'm probably exactly the guy you're talking about but I'm willing to admit it and looking for ways to clean up the tone so I can enjoy this amp more
+BT Studio Productions The main thing about Line 6 is that the presets all sound horrible. Same is true for most "modeling" amps. You really have to dial in where it sounds good. While a tube amp will have it's own characteristics due to it being analog. Also, most modeling amps are cheap and built to be all-in-one beginner amps so they don't have the same amount of care put into making them sound decent out of the box. They just have to push air.
***** That's what I plan on doing, getting a nice clean tube amp and pushing it with a distortion pedal or overdrive pedal to get that metal tone, I just don't have anywhere to really crank up the amp to make it naturally distort so I can run a pedal into it. Whenever I bought this amp I thought it was a great amp so I had assumed most solid state amps would be similar and just have their own characteristics so I never really considered using a ss amp until recently when I played through some so I might just go that route and buy a nice randall and save some money
A poor craftsman blames his tools.
John Stuart Unless you're trying to record with a Line 6 spider
Alternatively, a poor tool blames its craftsman.
A good craftsman throws his tools in the trash and fixes shit with his bare hands.
Well i'm still not gonna try to build a house with dollar store tools. hahaha. just breaking you balls man.
A great craftsman screams at the top of his lungs when he cums
The same applies to photography gear.
Yep!
Did lots of great shots with an old $50 Praktica in college!
XG 7 was my first 35 :)
that moment when some dumbass thinks the more megapixels you got the better the picture is
HAHAHAHAH
"I need a camera with at LEAST 14 megapixels!" MY GOD, are you printing out wall sized mural photographs? /weird look "Um, no."
Fender Squire: $149.99
Fender Frontman 212R half stack: $299.99
Rocktron Distortion I pedal: $50.00
My buddy spending almost two grand on his setup only to realize we both live in a small, backwoods town? Priceless.
+K4RN4GE911 I spent about 4500 bucks on my main gear and we have like 3 gigs a year^^ I got that over a period of multiple years though, My pedalboard alone did take like 3 years alone to be "completed" and it doesn't have much on it, my main guitar took about 2 years to be finished. I did this for myself, not anyone else and like Glenn said, the audience doesn't care anyway. I played with 100€ solid state amp and a 30€ copy of a Boss MT2 for years and it worked too just fine.
+K4RN4GE911 try this.
dean edge 09 bass: $150
peavey max 115: $300
boss obd-3 overdrive: $40
playing anesthesia before leading into for whom the bell tolls and having a guitarist who's been playing for nearly as long as I'm alive do a double take and ask "is that fucking anesthesia????" priceless. talk about sound being in the hands.
+K4RN4GE911 My bass rig is...
Squier P-Bass - $100
1979 Carvin SC3000 SS head - Got from a friend who cut me a deal at $200
Nady PSW118 PA sub cabinet - $150 (It isn't even a real bass cab, but it sounds amazing)
Sansamp Deluxe - $250 and worth every penny, also used in studio, sound guys love me for it
AKG Mini 40 Wireless - $100. Looking to upgrade to their bigger version with multiple channels in the future
So, what's that, like, $800? My entire rig that's survived three tours (and maybe, even worse, two big festival shows) is about as expensive as a Marshall MA head.
Also, for guitarists who want the logo, but don't wanna worry about dropping their amp head and looking at a $400 re-tubing, try and find one of the old Marshall MOSFET heads used. It's solid state, but sounds like a beast, and can be found for like $250 max.
P.S. There is zero reason for a tube bass amp. Just saying.
+K4RN4GE911 My gear cost about 1300 dollars, but I wouldn't take anything over it. I have an Ibanez RG 421EX black flat (insane value for the money), it sounds great and plays really well. My amp is a Blackstar HT-40, which is just perfect. I could probably play any style with this and I'm really happy with everything, wouldn't get anything else even if I had the money.
+Spider Lane - Here's a reason for a tube bass amp: (yt)/watch?v=4RpWO8r5pjg. This is a presentation made by a pal of mine. Not the greatest english accent but lovely playing and FUCKING AWESOME SOUND. You simply won't get such results with a cheap overdrive pedal - it won't react to dynamics like tubes do, and it won't even get near their natural warmth. But yes, hauling around a vintage all-tube Ampeg, Simms-Watts, or Hiwatt is a pain in the ass and can get pretty stressful.
That scream in the beginning was brutal! A great demonstration of how fantastic the Distressor is.
+sweliam1 Well... I think it was just clipping... didn't sound very pleasing :P
+Mtaalas Indeed, it was clipping. Digital clipping sounds even worse though. The Distressor handles clipping very nice in my opinion. That's a very subjective thing, but I like it a lot being into metal and all!
I was at a concert where the headliner was Saving Abel. In an opening band, one of the guitarists had a Line6 Spider IV 75 mic'd up. But it actually sounded better than the JCM the other guitarist had. I'm not saying "Don't spend money on a JCM when there's a L6SIV75 available." I'm saying "An expensive amp means nothing if you can't dial in your tone."
That's really the point here. Better gear, dialed in right, usually sounds better than worse gear dialed in right. Better gear dialed in wrong can easily sound worse than worse gear dialed in right. However, the difference between the better and worse gear if both are dialed in right is most likely negligible to almost everyone.
Some guy I know took out an empty marshall cabinet shell and put a line 6 spider in it and brought a 5150 head for show. After the show the other bands were complimenting his tone.
Ahahahhahahha
Why would anybody bring an amp head “for show”?
Eeepic!!!
Lol! Are you in Indy?? I did something similar on stage once I ran the cables from my mesa triple rec to my line 6 half stack they were supposed to go go into my Marshall 1960a. When I got off stage a guitarist from another band couldn't stop telling me how good my tone was.
"Hey guys! You sound like shit, but with a nice tone" - said no one ever...
Lmao!
DJScrubble ;-)
Though I think their guitar playing is quite ok. On the other hand, Metallica is a band that could benefit from looking into this EZdrummer thing (sorry Glenn, but it's true).
+Johan Lundqvist "You guys sounded good but that tone sucked". That sometimes happens. A band with a few good written songs but some feel what's holding the song back from being great instead of just good is the tone. That is the time to invest in something other than basic stock.
If you're buying gear for anyone other than yourself, you're doing it wrong. I couldn't care less what other people think of my gear, I get what I get because it makes me feel good and enjoy playing
That being said, I do believe that gear should never hold back your playing or take place of practicing. But I see nothing wrong with wanting or purchasing nice gear
MrBingping EXACTLY! haters will hate, no matter what. my gear is for me to enjoy.
"People came to see you, not a logo on your backline."
words to remember!
musicians care random people don't
leigh richardson I live in St Johns where every tenth person knows a hell of a lot about music. Its both awesome getting tips and sucks getting judged so harshly
sounds cool lol
@@MrIzzy5466 bro I live in Halifax
And of musicians some get it and admire you but most are just haters.
Dat freaking mic clipping at "ABSOLUTE NOBODY"
You just gave me a great idea!
+Hello, Murica! because you are
+SpectreSoundStudios I finally figured out what you're doing there! It's brilliant, Glen! Just destroy the eardrums of everybody, who wants to learn how to mix - BAM!
Competition eliminated.
so far at every gig, the guitarplayers of other bands were kind enough to let me use their amp. usually the band that played right before or after us. i helped them get their stuff carried back into their trailer and generally did some minor roadiework, saving me from the embarrasment of playing via my roland cube60 into the PA.
I love how you covered up your two 5150s with a picture of a 5150 to illustrate the idea of two 5150s
I’m 70 yrs old and been playing rock n roll electric guitar over 50 years. This is one of the greatest, informative videos I’ve ever seen. Thank you for this very valuable lesson. I learned this a LONG time ago! Cheers!
I started out with a 6505+, then an Egnater Armageddon, then 5150 iii and Two Notes Torpedo to run DI and finally landed on a Kemper. Not a single person in the last two years, save for gear nerds, has ever noticed what I was playing through, and could only slightly tell a difference between my bands tone and the kids with Peavy Valvekings and an OD. It's safe to say that I am that asshole.
Lol
When I got a BluGuitar AMP1 it was the first time I was quizzed on gear regularly as it didn't look like I had an amp and nerds noticed. Most nerds just kinda furtively gawp at your pedals and amp, though. Most don't really like having to speak to another human being.
People do subliminally notice on a small level, they just don't understand it
+anussplittingbearcok Maybe, but honestly most of them just go looking for some noise and emotions tbh.
+anussplittingbearcok I find most people are too drunk to tell.
+IDONTCAREOFNAMES obviously people don't get it so it isn't super important but if something is physically painful than they will lol
"Said anyone with expensive ass gear"
+bennymountain1 see, stuff like that matters, if you're cranking a metalzone into a line 6 than people will notice
When you learn how much you can save buying used, buy used. I also learned that I basically need two amp sounds, clean and dirty. That is it.
Just finished reading The Restaurant at the End of the Universe and I love your shirt!
Glen, I've been watching your videos for a few days now and I have to say that your philosophy on recording music is really inspiring. There's no denying you have a heavy-handed approach to instructing and informing us musicians (see rule #2 for details!), but your lasting passion for real, live records is awesome to experience. I'm already learning a lot, and I'll be making your channel a regular part of my viewing schedule.
Thanks for watching, Jake!
"People came to see you, not a logo on your backline" - *the* words. Rock on,
You seem to enjoy yourself way to much in these videos dude. I'm an old timer and couldn't agree with your opinions more. I love the fact that you make your living doing what you love. I played in bands in high school and years after, and miss those days. Whatever happened to printing your own flyers and fronting money for beer just so people would show? It was really a great time to be alive. Keep up your work brother
Scott Tennant, a master of a the classical guitar, was teaching a masterclass. One of the student complained that he could not get the sound Tennant was talking about because the student had a 100 dollar Yamaha. Scott Tennant picked up this 100 Yamaha, and began to play. It sounded just loud, full, and beautiful as it did with Tennant professional level guitar (usually in the 20,000 dollar range or more). Of course the professional level guitar sounded better, but it was only a small factor compared to how it was being played.
Yeah, yeah, We've all heard that same bullshit story with our favorrite guitarist as the hero. Fact of the matter is, even a pro can't make a cheap ass $100 Squier with a bad set up sound like a professional instrument. Sorry, but it ain't gonna happen. Ask any professional guitarist or sound engineer. It's been tried and tested. That's an urban myth.
Ehhh, Scott Tennant (not actually my favorite guitar player) has a very carefully made book called pumping nylon. After studying this book for many years and hearing this story from a number of professionals, I believe this story. Pumping nylon is no urban myth, but a method of playing that make any classical guitar fuller louder richer etc. I use these principles to make a classical guitar sound louder and stronger. I can make a cheap guitar sound pretty darn good. My expensive guitar just fights me less, and has that extra mmmm. The rules of the game are very different in classical guitar then electric playing. (This is becoming more obvious to me everyday.) I agree there are a million reasons why a squier with low pick ups and high action would never sound like an elite. The laws of physics for starters. Personally I would rather hear a great player on a squier then a middle of the road player on a top of the line. A good player would know where to look for tone. I even know people who say 'a poor craftsman blames his tools'. I don't go that far. The quality of the instrument matters. My experience is the quality of the player to be the bigger factor. As for asking a professional, I am a professional musician. Most of my friends are professional musicians. I will ask around.
Bradley J. Anderson I think the guy is referring to an acoustic though so the guitarist is much less at the mercy of an amplifier and its various components.
The key to good tone for a band is not 40 different amp models, it's 12 different full sized drum kits.
We play through amp sims, NO CABINETS, into a $500 digital mixer controlled by a laptop. We pack every venue we play, with the majority of the audience being female (and we're a metal band). Glenn is right - it ain't the gear!
hey, i know you guys ;) \m/
:-D
I mean, umm, \m/
lmao i was literally just talking to a member of Twizted Psycho lol....DUVALLL!!! umm...i also mean...\m/
That's awesome! We're playing with them 9/25 at 1904 Music Hall
i will be there, i havent been to 1904 Music hall yet.....broke my neck headbanging, my 2nd surgery to fix it tomorrow....long story....lol, but i will be there no doubt, keep doin' your thing guys!
Am I the only one that loves this guys direct attitude? It's wonderful I could listen to him all day
I showed up to a audition for a Blues band with a 1960's Sears Silvertone Guitar and Amp and the guys were looking at me like I was nuts until I started playing. That got me the gig. :)
I bump into a guy at work every now and then that has a complete hard-on for the most expensive gear he can possibly get his hands on... nevermind the fact that his three-piece band ever actually plays any worthwhile venues for more than a few hundred people. But for some reason his gear has to rival that of headlining acts. I'm talking $7000 custom made PRS guitars and Line 6 tube amps here. Sure, he can afford it, he makes a lot of money... just not a lot of sense.
+Ricky Wheeler espeically if he's buying an amp made by Line6
I know, right? But then again his favourite bands and biggest influences include Creed and Nickel back. Go figure.
What's wrong with line 6?
Hey you gotta spend your money on something or it's just paper. Better to put it toward your passion than going to bars and developing an alcohol problem with it or something. It's nice to have nice gear. I do hard work 5 days a week. Construction. I save a couple hundreds bucks extra and get the step up in gear. I think it's worth it if music is your passion. Not only does it sound a lil better and make practice more enjoyable but it usually lasts longer too, sometimes saving you money in the long run anyway. I'm a drummer though and have spent my money on nice drums and recording gear.
Fair enough, but I think there is reasonable spending and then there's wasting money. Maybe it's just me, but if I had that sort of money to throw about I'd put it towards something more constructive than a guitar I'm too afraid to touch. Like... putting together enough gear to start a recording studio or something. Again, that's just me. I suppose he's entitled to his spending. It's his money, after all. If you work for it, you're allowed to "waste" it any way you like.
as a self-indulgent wanker myself, i have a hard time accepting this advice.
So that's how you prepare for a video and psych yourself into the moment?
When we started doing shows, my band always had the worse equipment of all the other bands we played with, no matter if they were headlining the show or if we were. However, we always go the crowd into it more and one time almost the entire audience left after our set because they thought we were the "fancy-pants interstate headlining band" and the show was over. They had the awesome cool looking tube amp set up and no crowd, but we had the joint rockin' with our shitty solid state amps. It really is all in the show you put on, not the sound.
I agree 100% - the song is what matters...if you ask a guitar player what their favourite Van Halen tune is they will likely say Eruption.....but if you ask most people if they know ANY Van Halen song , they will most likely say Jump.....if you ask guitar players which Van Halen Album has the best "tone" a large number will pick VH1.(with Eruption there-in).. ..But guess which "song" in which Album that made Van Halen a household name in the 1980s and guess which Album sold the most copies? (Song was Jump in the 1984 Album of course) I don't really like 1984, but I understand why it is so popular........The song is what matters, period....subscribed!!!
Also, I watched the youtube channel where joe goes when he interviewed Eddie Van Halen on the red carpet and asked, who are you..and Eddie responded, I am in Van Halen, you know the sound Jump? Eddie gets it!
The fact that something is more popular doesn't mean that is better. Otherwise, I agree
+IVAN3DX that's what he's saying
Let's not forget that Quorthon made his first three albums with a Yamaha 25 watt amp...
Though to add to that, he didn't do live performances
+fgeo97 GuitarVids Disagreed, it was a band whom didnt need and wanted a million bucks production, they sound just it has to be
+fgeo97 GuitarVids Nah bro they're raw as shit. The rawer it is the better, but that's just my opinion.
when I gigged and my "sound" actually mattered to someone else than me, I used a $100 modeler and a keyboard amp from RadioShack. nobody cared and the zoom 505 got me clean and metal, which is all I needed. TLDR : used crap gear to get a good sound.
surprisingly I miss that keyboard amp. closed back and made multifx sound great.
This is one of the best videos I have seen in my 10 years on this website. Bravo.
At first appearances I thought I was gonna completely hate your channel. I have now been watching for about 3/4 hrs straight. You fucking rock man
Thanks, Gabriel! Glad you're enjoying the content!
Nice pep up at the end. :)
I think this applies to drum equipment too. Shitty drums with decent heads tuned well get you VERY far.
Exactly! That & a great drummer can make a cheap kit sound wonderful.
+SpectreSoundStudios
Dynamics are for pussies right? ;)
+SpectreSoundStudios can you make a video on how to get a good bass sounds?
+Tanner Hall Even shitty drums with shitty skins with a bit of work can be made workable, not ideal but atleast it sounds like something that resembles drums and be controllable through a large pa.
But id still prefer to have decent skins. it really helps. Percussion pro £200 kit pretty beat up but had remo pinstrips on top and remo single uncoated on bottom, worked pretty well.
Another one is stuffing the kick drum with multiple pillows are a sheet filing the hole whing! JUST NO!!
+Tanner Hall My drummer uses a cheap sound percussion and honestly? He makes it sound great.
As far as the gear heads go. My brother once used an empty 4x12 cab onstage underneath his other cab just for shits and giggles and it was hilarious when other bands we're complimenting him on his "stereo" sound. We had put a mic on both cabinets as a joke. Since we had removed the logos from the cab, when asked we told people the brand was an Accoustic Resonator 4x12 air xls cab.
I just recently came across your videos and oh my god. I can't get enough.
No bs commentary and straight to the point.
Love it.
0:58 got me cracking up
Good one, on my channel I have a video that compares a £1200 fender P bass with a bass I made out of a scaffold plank and some spares, there isn't much difference!
60 year old bassist here. Played clubs in NYC and beyond since the 70s.
This video is excellent advice. I would only add this - The one thing audiences do notice
(not consciously!) is "impact" - the PA having oomph and bottom. I used to do sound
for bands as well as play in my own and if I pumped the bottom on the PA
(rigs that had the whole band in them) people who were busy talking would all turn and look at the stage like something interesting was now happening!
Also - strong /in tune vocals mean WAY MORE than any other single thing in how you go over. For every Alan Holdsworth fan that may be in the club there are 200 Bowie/Queen/Pearl Jam/U2 what have you - fans.
True, often the audience can't tell the difference between mediocre and top-shelf gear (they are listening to music not gear) but it sometimes feels a lot more fun to play through something that makes you smile.
I think the problem comes down to when you are trying to get the tone your hearing in your head with the gear you currently have, and if you tried all you can to find that tone with that cheaper gear, and it just isn't happening, then you believe that the only way to find tonal nirvana is to go to the top of the mountain with buying the best gear. I bought a expensive amp, but I still felt it was missing something tonally. I think I may have made a mistake though in not buying the 4x12 cabinet that was meant for it, due to not really wanting to carry it a round, and the cost. I wound up instead going through a process of changing out power, and pre amp tubes to find a combination that worked with the 2x12, I did eventually purchase, that i liked.
In the end I don't know if I took the better route, since i don't have the 4x12 to try out.
The funny thing is I'm currently digging a preamp tube that came with a earlier cheaper rack mounted preamp that i used to have. Now I'm wondering if I could get a cheaper tube amp, and see if it is possible to use the same preamp tube configuration, to see if i could gain a tone that is close to what i have now, with the more expensive amp.
love that shirt, man. 42.
I am a guitarist or if you prefer musician and I use those 40 amp models to cover up the fact that I am a crappy player. So ya
I'm glad you posted this video. As someone who goes to a lot of local shows and has been playing for around 20 years, I've noticed one thing about metal bands versus rock and funk bands. When I see a metal show in a club that might hold between 70 - 150 people, they always have these huge rigs, the gain is always too high, you can never hear the lead guitarist solo's,(which might be for the best) and the mix mostly consists of drum and bass due to the heavy gain washing the guitars out.
In contrast I saw a funk band in a small outdoor space last night, that could hold maybe 30 people. Cheap gear, just small combo amps, un-miced drums, and small 8 channel mixer and they sounded amazing. I realize that the overall sound between a funk band and a metal band is massive, but it makes me wonder. Maybe the real way to go for small gigs is the smaller amps and cheaper equipment. Am I on to something here?
Loved this video because it is sooo true! I have been playing for 32 years and when I started at 13, my gear was an old shitty, race blue "Cort" guitar with one humbucker pickup and a Gorilla 50 watt amp from the Sears catalog haha! I played nonstop until I could afford my first Ibanez RG550, and a Marshall JMP 50 Lead 1/2 stack.
we as modern musicians should really count ourselves lucky. these days you can have a solid rig with spending more than 600 bucks. I myself have (in my opinion) a great rig that cost me less than 300 bucks. ive seen 5150 and 6505s go for 500 dollars all day on the Internet. hell you can find a peavey triple x for less than 400 more often than not. ive even seen some of the fender evh heads go for less than 700 bucks. if you have a little patience and do your research you can build yourself a rig for next to nothing.
I could not agree more with the points raised here. I have been playing lead guitar (or at least trying to) since I was 12 years old and Im 31 now. I have had full on Marshall and Mesa Boogie valve amps / cabs over hundreds of live gigs but these days I just use an old Marshall VS100 combo (50% transistor). I bought it used for £130 used and it does pub gigs when my old band mates asked me to join the "for the love of it" band I play in today. I love to pull it out of the car knowing the valves will always be working and if it gets broken / stolen its only £130. Bang for buck its amazing and no one ever complains about the tone. That said I play a Gibson LP flame top which is probably over kill for a nobody playing in a pub! Got to dig the fantasy where you can though hehe :)
+James Smith I have three VS100 amps so far, people keep selling them cheap. I have a Irt60 and a couple of Jet City amps but for tone the old Valvestates specially the original 8100 are just as good :)
Michael Walters Best amp for the money by far :)
Agreed.
Was my first real amp (the VS100 Combo) when I first started playing guitar in the 1990's and back then I hated it, but funny enough looking back I also had no clue how to dial in a good tone (or play Guitar) all I remember is a bag of spanners sound, must be the amp moved on.
I think most people just did the same and moved on without experimenting and learning
to dial it in.
Michael Walters True. I was just the same back when I first started playing but I only had a 30 watt practice amp! I find the VS100 sounds at its best (like all decent amps) when its turned up for gigging. Volume set above 6 makes a massive difference to the tone. I back off the gain and use a Joyo tube screamer clone set on medium settings. Makes it sound like a much more expensive piece of kit ;)
I have been playing out for 30 years, and my current rig is a bass I bought for $120 used, and a Behringer amp and cab. This set up has got me through several theater gigs with multiple thousands, numerous recording sessions, and more club dates than I can count.
I have had the GK rig with the $1500 bass, and-after the gear walked away after a festival show, I got this..... and, nobody knew the difference, nor do they want to steal it.
So, the distressor seems to be on the vocal chain and he manages to clip the track. way to go!
And if you learn to make that "shitty" gear sound good, it just means you'll sound astronomically better when you play on quality gear. That was my goal in the early days. It really helps and saves money to get the good stuff if you learn to do some basic fixes, modifications, and basically take care of your gear yourself as well.
creepingnet that's how I've started since I'm learning drumming and learning to make it sound well so when I can afford better gear, it'll sound good
Tbh, guys (or gals), that's not true. What will happen is that you will buy a 'better' amp, and find out that it plays and sounds just as different as playing another brand of guitar. COMPLETELY different sound and feel. So you will have to start from zero and learn to play with that amp. It's worth it, though, to be sure. (Y)
Pro gear for pro results,most pro musicians use professional quality instruments.
I played through a B-52 AT-112 (60 watt tube combo) that cost me a whole $172. I've had guys playing through Vox AC30s (around $500), and even guys playing ridiculous >$1000 Fender amps say I had a great tone. Admittedly I thought it sounded like shit, but even some guitarists can't tell an expensive amp from a trash amp.
+Bob Jones Its all in the hands....
John Isom Well yeah probably, since I was playing "blues" on the clean channel. I'm not a blues guy, they just had me playing because I'm a guitarist.
+Bob Jones just like that guy in the video, lets say a bar has 100 ppl watching your band play. like the dude said in the video, there are approx 3 guitar players that will be like, "oh i can tell he is playing a solid state. cause it sounds so paper thin." but like the dude said no one will notice.
i will never play with solid state computerized mush however,
+Bob Jones The AT series B52 amps really are surprisingly good for how incredibly cheap they can be found used.
I agree that at least some can't. Sad but true. Some can't notice when they are not in tune either, wich should be punishable xD
it seems like a lot of musicians just are not capable of seeing things from a fan perspective. seriously. ive noticed and made a mental note of that soooooo many freakin times through the years. that knowledge is like a secret weapon to me. please keep being closed minded everyone else. thanks!
Good advice and can be attributed to SO MUCH MORE than music and sound gear. Same can be said for tools in your garage, PC's in your office. You get out of things what you put in, and focusing on your craftsmanship, goes a lot further than high end gear can take you!
the fact is guitar players want a good sound for themselves, who the fuck thinks I/m buying Music man JP and an AXE FX II , cause fans should have the best sound? :))) guitar players are generally obsessed with tone ...and that is for sure not because of fans :)
Idk why I've been watching these videos... I'm pretty terrible at the guitar and have no plan on recording at all lol ...
Lmao!
+Serj Abraham Holguin maybe they will inspire you to be awesome! by watching these videos you already know more than the average Bassist!
+Serj Abraham Holguin and some day you'll change your mind, who knows.
I've played a digitech as a preamp through a XXX tube amp on an old 5150 slant cab for years. My band has been playing gigs since 1999. I've had every just about every guitar through every amp on the planet. $$$$ money money money spent. I found that being in a cover band, the digitech gives me enough different sounds and effects, the tube amp warms it all up, the cabinet projects enough for the singer to hear over loud monitors. It's worked for so long I ain't changing!
The most important part about buying gear is that first you buy what you can afford.
Secondly buy what you like, buy what makes you play more, buy what makes you smile when you pick it up.
I have a PRS here, that I absolutely love, especially for clean sounds, it is completely and absolutely beautiful.
And I have a super cheap 200 bucks VGS here, which was terrible out of the box. I learned how to set up guitars with it, I learned how to switch stuff and electronics on this guitar. It is now after 15 years, with new electronics and a for me perfect setup my absolute favorite guitar for high gain stuff. Boy that baby cries and sustains, pure love for this guitar.
What I want to say with this. Yes, new and shiny gear is awesome, but if you are not completely happy with your guitar, you can always make small, incremental changes. Often alone a new set of strings works wonders. And maybe along the way you are able to learn something by doing stuff.
100% agree. No one cares, does the song as a whole sound good to the audience or not. Thats all that matters.
you should've put "40 different amp simulations and you still sound like shit " or something along those lines,I'm sure someone else could tweak that to be better
I agree with a lot of this, as a musician matures into their own sound, they will settle down into a rig that makes sense for them. The cost, or the name brand of the amp are not exactly the most important factors. Lots of young musicians buy amps because that's what their hero's use.
For me, it's about the feel of the amp, the way it reacts to my guitars and my playing dynamics. It's about the functionality of the amp. It's about the versatility of the amp and it's about the reliability of the amp. I try and keep my rig as simple as possible (years of complicated rigs was a real learning experience). I've had rigs that had 4 channel amps, midi controlled switching, A/B'ing amps etc and I found I was using about 4 different general tone (clean, crunch, lead and boost) settings, and a few effect setups for specialized sounds.
A couple of pedals, a good, small wattage tube amp, my guitars and my fingers are what I like to have to entertain people. An in-tune acoustic is all I really need to entertain people.
My best advice to novice musicians is to play what you can afford, and constantly be on the lookout for good amps to trade up to. You will make some deals that you regret, but in the long run you will find out what type of rig suits you best. The quest for tone will never end but at least you'll figure out exactly what you don't want. Don't get hung up on wattage, or brand name, or having all the "bells and whistles" because in the long run, you will setting into a few specific sounds.
This just reminded me to practice, Glenn. Thanks
Welll I just bought a 2700 guitar recently... oops
We all want one don't worry lol
but...resale value...
It makes a difference if you are happy with your sound
Dude, you hit it on the nose, as usual! Bravo!
Also....
Avoid heavy FX ....
A delay or reverb that sounds like you"re in an arena sounds cool sitting next to your amp in your room, but live you want to be almost as dry as you can possibly stand ...your sound will actually be a more powerful in your face sound.
The only exception I could think of is if it's something like the intro "Welcome to the Jungle" by Guns & Roses where the delay repeat is a big part of the sounds signature. Otherwise ....
Less is more .... ;0)
Oh, or U2 stuff... lol!
I have a guitarist who says that delay sucks, trying to reproduce it never works (ie the timing is always slightly off). So he loads on the effects and then double picks it - lol I have to admit, he has the right sound anyway.
Thanks for some common sense talk. Having gigged for years and done some studio work here is the secret to having a smoking band, A GOOD DRUMMER !! there are 10 million great guitar players out there, there are very few great bass players and a great drummer is the hardest thing to find why because they are usually already playing with big or famous Bands.Not counting the obvious exceptions IMHO The larger the drum kit the worse the player, the first giveaway is a double kick drum set,, make your drummer audition with a minimum kit 2 toms, 2 cymbals, a high hat and a single snare and kick drum, first test can he tune the drums properly, can he keep time, can he play a whole song without touching any cymbals at all, if the answer to ANY of these is no keep looking. or no matter how great you are you will always be just a garage band.Why do great artists sound so different live to even a good bar band, first the drummer and then a great singer (the second hardest to find). Yes the average moron in the audience won't be able to tell why a famous band sounds better but they know it when they hear it.
While I get what you are trying to say, I disagree with 80% of it. Playing a song without touching the cymbals? You can't seriously mean that. All that means is the song either doesn't require it or the drummer doesn't know what they are doing. A well timed punch of cymbal is a great accent, someone who just goes nuts on them...pass. Double bass is a great tool, it is not the hallmark of a great sound. Multiple toms are likewise great tools in the hands of someone who can use them. 2 toms to me means lackluster fills. You don't have to be set up like Bozio but a standard 3 tom kit is fine.
What you a really looking for is a drummer who plays TO the music not just within the framework. If the song calls for simple time keeping, that's what a good drummer will play, but if the song calls for bombast that is also what a good drummer will play. What kills a drummer for me is the acrobat. I saw this one kid who never stopped twirling bouncing or overhand spinning his sticks. He was otherwise a decent drummer, but he was so frikkin' visually distracting. And in the midst of his acrobatic feats he dropped time and left dead space where a good fill (so called because it fills otherwise dead space) or a cymbal crash would have helped support the song. He was too busy trying to impress the panties that he let his band mates down. Shameful.
As for tuning - TOTALLY agree - we have an otherwise infamous local player who is constantly making the asinine statement "I don't need to tune, they'll fix it in EQ" . Hello, McFly! If we don't have less on what do we have? A: More on (moron).
The point with the gear is it is ok to use not as expensive gear when playing live if it is like a small or even medium area(like you said). I saw a band who's catchphrase for live shows is "if you wanted to hear the perfect version, buy the cd. We go live to have fun and connect with the audience"
Here are some inexpensive transistor amps I've used on small stages for rock, hard rock and metal (miked) and lined out to my 2x12 univox cab (when playing bigger venues):
-Peavey Bandit 112
-Marshall 80's 5010
-Roland Orange 1978 Cube 40
-Fender Deluxe 85
-Sans-amp into the board!
Rock on !!
literally line 6 spyders arent even that bad
Its pretty terrible
+Daken Kramer idk my line 6 spider is great
+Mechanical Organism Designed Only For Killing dude you know you can save settings right?
Eh for studio recording, the tone isn't any good for any genre especially metal. Trust me I have a Line 6 Spider 4 and I can never get a good tone out of it. For live shows though, nobody will give two fucks and a half.
My line 6 use to, literally, change its settings and channels during live performances.
I started out with expensive gear (Gibson guitars and full Marshall stack) and something that occured to me much later than it probably should have, is that the peiple who usually care the most about that, are other players. Sure, try and impress them... but one really should be trying to impress their audience.
I used to sit at concerts, right there at the barricade and scope their gear, see who is using what, etc. So I thought it was something most people did and I wanted to use likewise gear that all the musicians I look up to had. Not only for that, but also the repution of saod gear, in which for such Idols to have them.
However, over the years, when talking with a lot of "huge music fans", they don't know the difference between a lot of that gear. A Gibson Flying V may as well be a Jackson King V and a Marshall is a Marshall is a Marshall. They have no idea the difference between a tube amp or a solid state, they're just used to seeing the name up on stage. You could seriously have a 200w Marshall Major or a 100w MG100HDFX and they wouldnt even be able to tell.
I agree that you should never let a lack of gear hold you back. But cutting corners in sound quality, is something that makes a difference with the general public, even if they are not consciously thinking about it or talking about it.
I used an £80 Squier P Bass for 3 years...almost 150 gigs. Wonderful. Never worried about spilling beer on it or chucking it in the van in a soft case...never let me down.
This channel deserves WAAAAAY more subs and likes than it has.
What I love about your videos is that You are realistic. Keep going.
I found this extremely helpful. I have a orange amp but it's nothing crazy but this helped me realize I (at this moment) don't need a crazy setup or a pedlebord bigger than my closet.
I just noticed the shirt, and i felt like I'd been hit in the head with a lemon tied to a large golden brick.
As a guitarist of 18 yrs., I can rest assure you this video is pretty damn true. I’ve had ALL kinds of amps and rigs. Everything from a crappy solid-state practice amp to a tube driven full stack, and in between. After being musically low-key and minimalistic lately, I’m now simply running a tech 21 RK5 pedal (with other pedals) into a FRFR powered speaker/amp. It gets the job done nicely whether at home, practice, or gigging despite it just being analog with Class C output. And I’m gonna be sticking with it for years to come.
You don’t need fancy gear to sound good, trust me. You just need a good ear for perceiving the tone you want to achieve, and being able to play it well through your fingers. If that means playing line 6 combo amps (god forbid in my opinion) then so be it. Like the guy said, no one really gives a flying fuck lol just practice, play good and no worries 😉
I did the gigging musician thing for a while fresh out of high school, absolutely loved the experience, practiced daily, etc. but I did have terribly shitty gear, a Korean squier strat with an upgraded Humbucker, and a 120 watt crate combo. Played with a lot of other bands, mostly with far nicer gear (marshalls and gibsons was common), and although I always felt I had to improve more as a musician I never ONCE worried about my gear. I upgraded when I could afford to, however I did not let my low end gear interfere with my stage performance. The tones weren't great by any means, but in a loud live situation they were definitely passable. Awesome videos overall man keep up the good work
It's actually our bass player, who needs the best and most expensive equipment. His instrument and amp is now so big, we need two cars to get to a gig.
I got my Triple rectifier for 700$. It was used but it looks new, tubes are good for probably 2 years. Good deal. I waited 2 years for a amp but i really played 7 years of guitar and i just started to want more, better gears. Take your time and let faith get you gears. Work hard :) Thx Glenn
Use what you can get and make it sound the best you can. That's all you can do. I've played a lot of cheap shit. My opportunities for spendable income are rare so my focus has ALWAYS been the music. Songwriting arrangement, orchestration, improvisation skills, etc. As soon as I can afford a $2,000 guitar, I'll do it but until then, I'm not gonna sit around waiting.
I've been stressing myself out a lot about getting the right gear for my band lately, and I really needed to hear this. Thanks a ton!
Absolutely! Play shows with gear you can afford to lose and replace. I learned that the hard way when I was young and had good gear damaged or stolen at gigs.
If I was gigging now, I'd probably use a MIM HSS Strat (I don't play metal), a solid state amp, and inexpensive pedals. Less expensive to buy, less expensive to maintain, and easier to replace on the road.
found your channel 2 hours ago and now I can't stop watching. gonna bike watch till I've seen everything!!! great content thank you for uploading :)
Don't let budget trump your creativity, start practicing, start writing, start playing, start recording, now. That, is the first step everyone should take.
I agree to a point, some of the audience members could be another band that wants to take you out on the road, or a engineer who wants to work with you in the studio because of how you sound, but that really does not matter if you can not play.
My freakin' god. This (well other that the cupping the mic works wonders video) is probably the best one I have seen you do. Thank you. Hell, I work in a music store and I would love it if every kid who came in would buy a 6505 Full stack. But, they can afford the Peavey Bandit. Rock on... Thanks for this.
I started gigging with a Kustom 100w PA head and Randall 2x12 PA cab. When I stopped I had a Trace Elliott GP7SM head with a Trace Elliott 4x10 Cab and often used the guitar player's Ampeg SVT-8 Pro and SWR 8x10 Cab. The latter 2 setups would draw attention from other bass players and that was it. Most concert goers do not care what equipment you use.