Amps in NYC venues...

[bassnutj]

Hey Janek-
I know you're sponsored by Fender amps these days, which I assume means when you've got a gig, such as the 55 bar or the Letterman taping, Fender sends one over for you?

Do you find yourself in rehearsal rooms or gigs where the backline is in house? If so, can you comment on the state of these amps? I have my own opinions, but I'm curious as to yours.

Also, before the Fender deal, what were you using, and did you cart it around NYC yourself?

Lastly, do you have a preference for a small gig ala the 55, such as 2x10's, a 12, 4x10's, a 15?

I'm debating a new rig these days; some of these tiny heads seem intriguing, and Epifani has a 12 that is super light...

Thanks in advance,
J.

[janekbass]

Either Fender will send an amp for me if I request it through them, or the production company of whomever I'm working for will just ask me what gear I play ahead of time and backline it for me. For Letterman all the Fender amps came from SIR which is where all the stuff in NYC is pretty much. And I have a complete rig of my own from Fender that I keep at the 55bar because I play there so much. before I was using FBA gear or playing at the 55bar so much I had various combinations of gear. Eden, SWR, even Hartke at one point, and I used to take it to gigs in a cab. It was a beat down as the round trip cab ride to most gigs in Manhattan where I live is about $40, so it actually meant I did far less playing in town than perhaps I would have liked to beause the gigs didn't pay enough to warrant me bringing all that gear downtown.

On small gigs I still use a pretty sizable rig. 2 2x10's with the power amp and tube pre amp. I definitely want to move some air while I'm playing. It doesn't have to be super loud, but to have a good presence you need some speakers shifting that air......

and for the pop gigs I've been using either 1 4x10 or two of them stacked up, with the new combo head from fender which has the TBP-1 in it and a great power amp. Really kick ass sounding rig.


Easy,

Janek

[bassnutj]

Cool. Thanks man.