Coachella---all Ampeg all the time, pretty much

JimmyM · #1 04-18-2010, 09:22 PM

holy cow, i've never seen ampeg bass amps so clearly dominate a 3-day rock festival. i've been watching the coachella webcast, and i haven't seen everyone but i think i might have seen two, maybe 3 rigs that weren't ampeg. them crooked vultures had jpj with swr, couldn't tell what the dude in coheed and cambria was using (he's fantastic, btw), muse wouldn't allow a broadcast but their guy uses marshalls, and maybe one other act on the small stage that i can't remember. fender basses are definitely the popular favorite, but i'm seeing a bit more variety in basses, but very little variety with amps.

anyway, back to the show...les claypool's on...

JimiLL · #2 04-18-2010, 09:26 PM

Lucky mofo you are. I wanna see!!!

JimmyM · #3 04-18-2010, 09:28 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimiLL

Lucky mofo you are. I wanna see!!!

actually, he's hugely boring tonight, but go to www.facebook/5gum and you can see the last 15 minutes.

D.M.N. · #4 04-18-2010, 10:25 PM

Hm, interesting to hear. But I suppose it kind of makes sense, sure there's a lot of companies that make festival capable gear, but Ampeg's really the only major hold over from the old festival days, and they're solid gear. Still, it'd be nice to see a bit more variety.

blendermassacre · #5 04-18-2010, 10:30 PM

Irony: 98% of people in attendance don't give a flying ****. I realize that I do, and most of us do, but I'm starting to go with the " the audience is the one who matters, and they don't care". If it can cut through (ampeg, check) and sound good with the music you're playing (rock, ampeg, check) then play the crap out of it.

D.M.N. · #6 04-18-2010, 10:48 PM

This is true. Most people don't give a rats bum what you're playing, but I could never get into that mentality because I care about what my tone and amp are. Not bashing Ampeg at all, its solid gear, my last amp was one. They just aren't my thing anymore. Another point is, the ampeg backline could have been the festivals stock backline for bass, and the people who weren't playing them just decided to play their own gear.

**B-string** · #7 04-18-2010, 10:51 PM

Don't care if LOUD ("Ampeg") gives every Bass player one to use and one to loose, my dimes still go elsewhere

MetroBass · #8 04-18-2010, 10:55 PM

LCD Soundsystem rocked!!! Jay-Z sucked- I still don't understand why they place rappers in a festival event? Everyone I've been to they always sucked! What really sucked is I could only go for Friday's show.

stanger503 · #9 04-18-2010, 11:01 PM

coheeds bassist( Mic Todd) uses 2 fender Tb-1200 heads into a fender 810. his tone was monstrously awesome on this set...well...i just saw them 3 times 2 weeks ago and he just kills it every time. the band is the most amazing spectacle i've ever seen and i try and spread the word as much as i can. his bass playing is in a league all his own and even if you dont like the music you should check them out for his playing alone

MetroBass · #10 04-18-2010, 11:05 PM

Back to the original post: Ampeg rules, not only at Coachella, but across the universe!

wdinc01 · #11 04-18-2010, 11:09 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by stanger503

coheeds bassist( Mic Todd) uses 2 fender Tb-1200 heads into a fender 810. his tone was monstrously awesome on this set...well...i just saw them 3 times 2 weeks ago and he just kills it every time. the band is the most amazing spectacle i've ever seen and i try and spread the word as much as i can. his bass playing is in a league all his own and even if you dont like the music you should check them out for his playing alone

+1. Love Mic Todd, and I feel he's underrated (which I'm fine with). For what its worth, I think he used an Ampeg in their earlier days, and as far as I can tell he started using the Fender amp after he rejoined the band. I think its cool to see a somewhat big name star (I'm a huge fan, but I know they aren't extremely popular) using Fender bass amps. I would consider them if they weren't so expensive.

stanger503 · #12 04-18-2010, 11:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by wdinc01

+1. Love Mic Todd, and I feel he's underrated (which I'm fine with). For what its worth, I think he used an Ampeg in their earlier days, and as far as I can tell he started using the Fender amp after he rejoined the band. I think its cool to see a somewhat big name star (I'm a huge fan, but I know they aren't extremely popular) using Fender bass amps. I would consider them if they weren't so expensive.

yea he used an svt and 810 cab most of the bands career. i know he was playing that setup still at neverender but when they went out with heaven and hell he switched to the fender amps. then he was using the big tube monster fender has(300?) but now he's using their hybrid and his tone is awesome. i was a little bummed he went to all fender gear but i cant disagree, it sounds awesome. at the show in buffalo last august he was still using that 300 and was having major issues with it, shortly after he switched the the tb 1200's. but you are right the amps are crazy expensive

JimmyM · #13 04-19-2010, 12:20 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by D.M.N.

This is true. Most people don't give a rats bum what you're playing, but I could never get into that mentality because I care about what my tone and amp are. Not bashing Ampeg at all, its solid gear, my last amp was one. They just aren't my thing anymore. Another point is, the ampeg backline could have been the festivals stock backline for bass, and the people who weren't playing them just decided to play their own gear.

yeah, i was wondering how long it would take for someone to dig out this old chestnut. yes, it's all rented backline and nobody ever has a choice of what gear they want. all these big huge bands at coachella and nobody gets what they want. that makes sense. come on, d...i raised you better than that.

JimmyM · #14 04-19-2010, 12:22 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by blendermassacre

Irony: 98% of people in attendance don't give a flying ****. I realize that I do, and most of us do, but I'm starting to go with the " the audience is the one who matters, and they don't care". If it can cut through (ampeg, check) and sound good with the music you're playing (rock, ampeg, check) then play the crap out of it.

um, you do realize this is a bass player site, right?

btw, i 100% agree. and i also 100% disagree. gear doesn't matter at all. not a bit. but it matters to me, so i like to use gear i like.

Joe Gress · #15 04-19-2010, 12:28 AM

Meh, as long as it can split open the earth, I'm fine with it.

johnk_10 · #16 04-19-2010, 12:29 AM

whether you love/hate ampegs or not, try to remember that somewhere in there, there's another small reason that they are used in so many backlines - they get the job done on a pro level, and IMO, still do it very well.

JimmyM · #17 04-19-2010, 12:53 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by johnk_10

whether you love/hate ampegs or not, try to remember that somewhere in there, there's another small reason that they are used in so many backlines - they get the job done on a pro level, and IMO, still do it very well.

wow, didn't you hear, john? we only like ampeg because we were conditioned to like only ampeg because they held the market hostage. just like fender basses...we're all conditioned to like fender basses and ampeg amps because they were the only gear you could buy 50 years ago. it couldn't possibly be because we like it. ask any teenager on here who doesn't have fender/ampeg...they know. we play fender/ampeg to be trendy and fit in.

D.M.N. · #18 04-19-2010, 12:58 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

yeah, i was wondering how long it would take for someone to dig out this old chestnut. yes, it's all rented backline and nobody ever has a choice of what gear they want. all these big huge bands at coachella and nobody gets what they want. that makes sense. come on, d...i raised you better than that.

I'm sooooo sorry I've disappointed you!

But on a serious note, it's not out of the question that there was a backline provided. Not saying people were forced to use it, but rather proposing that it was an option that was available. Or maybe everyone was just playing ampeg, that's not unlikely either. I mean, hell, they work well. And when I said they were the only major hold over from the old festival days, I meant that Sunn and Acoustic are out of business, Marshalls don't really work too well for projecting bass, and Hiwatts aren't that common either. Not that these guys are going without PA support and need those types of festival rigs.

Or it could be that they were all trying to be trendy. Were they all playing Fenders?

blendermassacre · #19 04-19-2010, 01:02 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by JimmyM

um, you do realize this is a bass player site, right?

btw, i 100% agree. and i also 100% disagree. gear doesn't matter at all. not a bit. but it matters to me, so i like to use gear i like.

I would love a svt vr. I do love ampeg stuff. I just recently got over being gear obsessed. I'm into stuff that does the job, and svt classics and 810s definitely do the job and then some. That's why a ton of pros use it.

JimmyM · #20 04-19-2010, 01:09 AM

most of the bands looked to me like they were using their own gear. i'm sure a handful of bands rented gear, but it's not like they don't have other rigs they can use there. a show like that probably had backline provided by sir, and sir in la can get pretty much anything you want. the bands send their riders, and sir delivers.

and even though i enjoyed your joke, d, a lot of ampeg players were using other basses. jack lawrence from dead weather used a white falcon into a vr/810av. the dude with lcd soundsystem played a hagstrom-looking thing. les claypool used carl thompsons. billy gould from faith no more used a zon. jerry casale from devo used a steinberger l2. and sir horace gentleman from the specials used a t-bird.