Guitarist too loud

ozrider · #1 09-06-2008, 10:46 AM

My guitarist is too LOUD. I think he is deaf in the mids and can't hear his own instrument which is like an ice pick in my head. I have got ear plugs and my ears are still ringing at the end of the night. I have tried to tell him but he gets offended at the suggestion he is deaf. Anyone had this problem? solutions?

fenderhutz · #2 09-06-2008, 10:58 AM

New Earplugs. The kind that people that shoot guns use.

BillyRay · #3 09-06-2008, 11:07 AM

Yeah, after a while, he might get the message if you arrive at rehearsal with big earcups.

fenderhutz · #4 09-06-2008, 11:09 AM

Is he using a full stack, half stack, or a Fender Twin Reverb. I found Twin Reverbs horrible for the loud hearing loss tones.

Thunderthumbs73 · #5 09-06-2008, 11:13 AM

I agree with fenderhutz. It is a not-so-subtle message if you come in with some serious ear protection. If your guitar player doesn't get it, it may be time to somehow disengage yourself from the situation or find another guitar player.

I have a few friends who I would dearly like to play music on a more formal or more permanent basis (or even at all!!!) with but it's very clear to me that they don't "get" the reasonable volume thing. I've had to resign myself to not playing with them as that is the only way to avoid this irreconcileable difference with them over the issue, despite my efforts to resolve it.

I am not loosing my hearing, and ending my career in music just for their comfort. I know it sounds "absolutist" but I believe it is a very practical and pragmatic consideration. I have to look out for number one.

All the best in resolving this.

martyman5000 · #6 09-06-2008, 11:17 AM

I had to deal with that when I had a 100 combo and it just didn't work when guys would turn up. Play with the drummer only and then tell the guitarist to slowly turn up until you tell him what volume is fine. It depends on what kind of room you are in also that can contribute to confusion on levels.

dj150888 · #7 09-06-2008, 11:31 AM

....go over and turn his volume knob down and dial a little more mids back into his tone. If he complains, tell him that you don't want to lose your hearing and if he hadn't spent the last so long playing like that, he might be able to hear that he's too loud.

fenderhutz · #8 09-06-2008, 11:38 AM

Would your guitarists name happen to be Pete Townshend?

bobunit · #9 09-06-2008, 12:00 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ozrider

My guitarist is too LOUD. I think he is deaf in the mids and can't hear his own instrument which is like an ice pick in my head. I have got ear plugs and my ears are still ringing at the end of the night. I have tried to tell him but he gets offended at the suggestion he is deaf. Anyone had this problem? solutions?

Suggesting to your guitarist that he is deaf, may be perceived by him that you think he is stupid. I would tell him your concerns about your hearing. During setup, you may consider positioning your rig on the opposite side of the stage of the guitarist. Depending on the length of your gig, you may want to look for earplugs that offer greater noise reduction for longer periods of exposure.

Thangfish · #10 09-06-2008, 12:02 PM

This probably won't end well.

Seems like you either piss him off by insisting, or just find a new guitar player with more experience in a group situation.

The end result is usually the same.

JoshC · #11 09-06-2008, 01:59 PM

I wore gun muffs to a practice the other night. That worked well.

fretlessguy · #12 09-06-2008, 07:42 PM

I play with a guitarist who in the past was LOUD. Way too LOUD. Even our former lead singer, who likes things loud, told the guitarist was too loud.

Certain kinds of noises make my panic attacks click in. Noises like lots of kids all trying to talk at the same time. Fire alarms. And heavy distorted guitar!

Well, we were practicing for a performance at a church some years ago. He really cranked it up. The lead singer and harmony singer stopped the song and asked him to turn it down some. The guitarist got adamant about it and said "I'll consider it" At that point in time, my attack had really set in, and I got a little "In the flesh" as they say. I jumped up and told him if he didn't turn it down, I was going to get my tire tool out of the car and ram it through his precious Eminence speaker!

He turned it down.

Now he has had trouble with loud electric guitars and it sets his recently developed panic attacks off. Well, I told him if he didn't turn it down it could effect his health in some way later.

christmetal · #13 09-06-2008, 07:43 PM

well maybe try new earplugs
thats all i could think of

Bassman822 · #14 09-06-2008, 07:49 PM

suggest that he place his combo/ cabinet closer to ear level and he might realize how #$%^ loud he actually is

bassist4dalord · #15 09-06-2008, 07:57 PM

Aren't they always? This is just a good excuse to get 1 or 2 more 410HLFs

Rick Auricchio · #16 09-06-2008, 08:20 PM

If he plays that loud, you won't get any repeat gigs. And your reputation as being way too loud will spread like wildfire. Soon nobody will hire the band.

Maybe he'll respond to that.

Richo · #17 09-06-2008, 09:03 PM

i wish i had a dollar every time i saw a thread like this

im in the exact same situation at the moment. my guitard (and i only call guitarists this name when they deserve it!) feels the need to pump his 100W marshall tube halfstack to 11 every practice session. it is bloody rediculous

mlowe · #18 09-06-2008, 09:22 PM

Count me in, I guess it wasn't hard to name Guitar "Hero"

It certainly separates the real ones from the tools.

No matter how you say it, diplomatic, kind, hard, beer bottle over the head, they just don't get it.

I think they should make a heavy penalized law that all guitar amps should be governed by a DI loop.......

Thunderthumbs73 · #19 09-07-2008, 10:33 AM

Ahh if only someone would invent an active DB filter... Anything above volume X would be reduced to conform to that DB threshold setting. While it would make for somewhat undynamic music, it would be very useful for maintaining hearing and quantifying/taking the guesswork out of volume issues for practices. Yes, a compressor is interesting, but that's not quite what I'm thinking.

A DB measurement tool is one of the best and most interesting tools out there, but except for certain sharp soundguys, is criminally underused, if used at all.

Anybody adding in "ear fatigue" or "hearing fatigue" to this discussion yet?

I'm just glad I'm one of those guitarists who has to be asked to turn up, rather than one who has to be asked to turn down. I'd much rather err on the side of the former than the later. I don't equate volume with confidence. I suspect some do.

Best to you.

fdeck · #20 09-07-2008, 04:23 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Thunderthumbs73

Ahh if only someone would invent an active DB filter... Anything above volume X would be reduced to conform to that DB threshold setting. While it would make for somewhat undynamic music, it would be very useful for maintaining hearing and quantifying/taking the guesswork out of volume issues for practices. Yes, a compressor is interesting, but that's not quite what I'm thinking.

A DB measurement tool is one of the best and most interesting tools out there, but except for certain sharp soundguys, is criminally underused, if used at all.

Anybody adding in "ear fatigue" or "hearing fatigue" to this discussion yet?

I'm just glad I'm one of those guitarists who has to be asked to turn up, rather than one who has to be asked to turn down. I'd much rather err on the side of the former than the later. I don't equate volume with confidence. I suspect some do.

Best to you.

Radio stations use sophisticated compression to increase the perceived loudness while staying within the legal modulation limits, because it is known that all things being equal, the louder station gets the better ratings.

It is debatable whether this makes anything more musical, though. There's no substitute for players who know how to play. For electric instruments, this means knowing how to equip oneself to sound good at any volume level. The guitarist who argues with bands / club owners over his extreme volume levels is just an ignorant moron.