How to talk to guitarists

[A-Step-Towards]

As you can see in my sig i am not sporting anything fancy a b200h acoustic head and b410 cab i got for 290$ due to a small tolex rip and a used CV 50's bass i got for 200$. Thats my set up with my band , its a decent bass stays in tune and my amp is big enough and loud enough to play shows. I could afford better stuff but while in college i'll pass on spendy gear that could get stolen,

BUT HOW do i tell my band they need to get better gear? honestly we have played shows with there amps and they are to small. They have like 100$ line 6 amps each, both guitar players. One has a ibanez rg 120 that is okay but the other has this like beat up yamaha from a starter pack. How do i go about saying your gear is not cutting it? i dont want to sound like a gear snob but i mean who gigs a 15 watt amp?

[faust23]

actually,ive come to notice that the average guitarist knows very little about what theyre using,period,its very upsetting

[faust23]

so just fill em in

[BigOldHarry]

I'd dog them into getting better gear. Sometimes, you have to axe a guy who just won't pony up. I joined a band a while back that had a guitarist that had *no* amp, just played through the PA with a boss distortion pedal... And his guitar was a MIM strat. Tragic.

[A-Step-Towards]

yeah pretty much they dont know anything about gear i mean i had to string his guitar and there good to they just never stepped up the gear. We have been getting alot of show offers but i am embarrased to gig with there amps because it just sounds like crap.

ha i guess i am just going to bring it up in a nice way next practice

[A-Step-Towards]

Oh and there great bandmates i dont drive so they pick me up and drop me off and also have a van perfect for using to drive to shows. I am going to look around at some used halfstacks and try to get them to pony up for one

[wolf7883]

ahhhh.. that may change the course of the conversation lol...

"You guys may wanna think about steppin up the gear, you know?"

" You may wanna think about gettin a limo, dude!"

yeah that conversation could get full of ego and lose track of the REAL issue quickly. Hopefully they're cool like that and not total asses that they'll throw that in ur face.

But yea definitely guide them to some good equipment by educating them on what they have and what else is out there without criticizing their gear too much.

[hdracer]

Put it nicely, Tell them they are WAYYYYYYYY better than there equipment and how they need amps as good there talent. Just strok'em,

[bassophil]

Ask 'em if they could drive you to a music store and there you'll infect them with GAS by playing with decent amps

[A-Step-Towards]

Originally Posted by bassophil

Ask 'em if they could drive you to a music store and there you'll infect them with GAS by playing with decent amps

haha good one

Actually one of them just came over to borrow an allen key for there truss rod. I brought it up and he said he was wanting a new amp but was clueless about what to get .


Thats a guitarist for you we actually got on craigs and found a 4x12 carvin halfstack for 350$ ,going to look at it tomorrow.

I am guessing once the other guitar player sees this he will catch the drift.


I had to be nice about this so they did not say pony up the cash and get your own van.

[michaelc]

One time my guitarist was broke and had to sell his 75 watt bassman head and 4X12 cab. All he had to play through was this little marshall 10 watt combo that we mic'ed and ran through the PA. I could hear myself all the time and never went deaf. Oh it was terrible

[A-Step-Towards]

Originally Posted by michaelc

One time my guitarist was broke and had to sell his 75 watt bassman head and 4X12 cab. All he had to play through was this little marshall 10 watt combo that we mic'ed and ran through the PA. I could hear myself all the time and never went deaf. Oh it was terrible

oh god i never thought about that.


Dont you guys love the guitar player that just cranks it and deafens you. Or when you try to talk or yell over them playing some riff super loud over and over. WE GET IT your ego is huge

[praisebass]

If you can say it honestly you might try:

'Friend, I dig playing with you and I really admire your chops. I don't think your current rig is doing you justice. I really think you ought to consider a new rig.'

If you can't say that, why are you playing with the guy?

Peace,

[M0ses]

I can't see how a guitarist would be opposed to getting a bigger rig. They just need you to steer them in the right direction.

[P. Aaron]

...you have to have developed a sense of tone and how to get it. After a while, the listening musician developes a collection of instantly achievable tones based on their gear and the 'tones' they wish to replicate for any given song.

That is a skill that one has to build by not playing and just listening.

The gear I put back in the BSMT: A Ibanez JS1200: The Candy Apple Red 'Joe', a Mesa Boogie F-100. A lovely 2-12 100/60 watt combo that went from Frigid Pink Fuzz to AC/DC near-clean crank tone that was heard in the crowd.

Along the way to develope this tone, I went from strumming chords to primarily 1-5-1 chord positions, as well as mimic-ing keyboard parts the other guitarist always failed to hear...because he would always chase (and play incorrectly) the guitar part.

Hell, with exception of the Malsteins, Vai's and Satriani's out there, which don't get covered by bands in bars that much, hearing and learning most cover band guitar parts is easy.

How many guitarists bother to listen and hear and then replicate the other essential musical stuff going on in any given song?

All that fun, abandoned for 2-2x12 cabinets running through a Hartke LH1000 and an AM 2002 Fender P/rosewood burst. No stomp boxes...straight Precision tone.

How am I likin' it? I love what I do, because I work to do the right thing. I HATE the other gutarist's note choices born from TAB and a few quick but seemingly annoying minutes of running through the original.

My job prospects as a Bassist long term...very good...after I beat cancer.

[sonic assassin]

Originally Posted by faust23

actually,ive come to notice that the average guitarist knows very little about what theyre using,period,its very upsetting

im VERY up to speed on my guitar gear, and i was LONG before i even considered playing bass on the side.

to the OP, it sucks that they are broke. they might like their terrible ice-pick tone. i know my guitarist does. he wants to be heard, and he is. my bassist likes super thunder, but it makes the entire room sound like ****, so we got him to cut it.

they likely know that their gear is cheap. they either dont care or cant do anything about it. dont insult them, but maybe bring up that in the near future, some gig-worthy gear might be in order.

IMO, the guitar itself matters much less than the player and the amp. i use a lot of 90's korean epiphone guitars that people scoff at. they are done scoffing when they hear the roar that is my tube amp.

small line 6 combos are a real PITA. i had guitarists that BOTH had spider 2's and it drove me insane. one got a valveking, the other a line 6 flextone. much better tones all around. if they can scrape up 500 bucks, they can get decent stuff in the used market.

but keep in mind.. it is their tone and their instrument and their playing. you can only push so far. my drummer likes his firecracker snare to be tuned so tight that its just a rapid pop noise. no sustain. theres no talking him out of it. i gave up.

[Stumbo]

It's really about the tone. How do they sound?
If they sound good and you don't like how they look, that's another thread.

Guitarists really don't need half-stacks to crank up the volume. Hey, they might be too loud for your current rig!

30 to 40 watts should be fine through a couple of 10s or 12s.

Check out some of the local music stores/pawn shops and see what you come up with.

If the amps sound good, maybe a small PA is in order?

Here's one:

flagstaff craigslist > for sale / wanted > musical instruments

Good, inexpensive PA - $325 (Sedona, AZ)
Date: 2009-11-15, 3:22PM MST
Reply to: sale-n7zts-1467444885@craigslist.org [Errors when replying to ads?]

Hi there - still looking to sell a PA and will lower the price to $325. It's a steal for sure for a full PA. The PA is in great condition, I just need to get something more portable for a bunch of shows up the coast.

Head - Yamaha EMX62M
Speakers - 2 Peavey PR12's

(pics in original post)
Let me know.
Brandon
bdeckermusic@gmail.com

* Location: Sedona, AZ
* it's NOT ok to contact this poster with services or other commercial interests


PostingID: 1467444885

[JamesTaylor85]

im just glad my guitarist is a gear nut (and all guitarists ive played with actually)

[ggunn]

Originally Posted by A-Step-Towards

...who gigs a 15 watt amp?

When I am wearing my guitarist hat, I gig with a 22 watt amp.

[sonic assassin]

Originally Posted by ggunn

When I am wearing my guitarist hat, I gig with a 22 watt amp.

a sub 20 watt tube amp will still rip your face clean off