So we went on a small mini tour and the places were all different sizes and had different setups. We're headlining this first show and the promoter (who I've known for about 5 years) says we can play as long as we want, it's all about us, the club is ours for the night, blah blah blah.
The first place had the following listed on their backline: "GK 800RB bass head, Hartke 4 x 10 and 2 x 15 bass cabinets"
I get there and all it has is the Hartke 2x15(which in hindsight I think was actually a 2x12 by the diminutive size of it) so I ask the sound guy about the head and 4x10 cab and he tells me they're only supplying the 2x15 cab that night. For all I know it was in a closet.
Fine, I grab my head (SVT-4) and I ask him "Hey dude, I have my 8x10 in the trailer and I set up fast...can I use that?" He pretty much acted as if I could bone his mom..."NO! If you don't like it you can go home and not play!"
I look at the back of the cab and it's rated at 500watts....oh boy! I see this "cable" wrapped in red duct tape sticking out the back (no chance in hell I'm plugging this thing in) and grab my cable. I pull on the cable and...you guessed it...the cable comes out without the tip. I laughed a little as I pulled it out with a pair of needlenose pliers. The guitar players in the band are pretty much in tears at this point from laughing at my misfortune as they set up their full stacks.
Okay, I'm plugged in. The cabinet doesn't sound bad, a little farty but the PA will take care of what everyone in the club hears. It's a Halloween show so I strap on my costume: giant Woopie Cushion. Here's where my comedy career starts....
Now I gotta plug into the PA. He's in his booth thingy and I'm on stage so we have a conversation over the PA:
"Hey man, where's the bass DI?"
"There's a mic behind the cabinet"
Okay, maybe the last guy didn't have a DI and needed the mic. I unplugged the mic(which isn't on a stand, it clips onto the cabinet!) and lean to the back of my head and plug in.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? PLUG THE MIC BACK IN!"
"It's cool man, I have a DI, do you want pre or post EQ?"
"JUST PLUG IT BACK INTO THE ***** MIC!
"You mean I have to mic this piece of ***?"
::laughter from pretty much the whole club, including a few bartenders and a bouncer::
I'm unplugging the head and I have to climb over a bunch of stuff to get the mic from behind the cabinet. Plugged it in..DOOF DOOF! OK.
"Hurry up! This is coming out of your set!"
From behind all the equipment I say into the cabinet mic: "We're headlining you d***squeeze! Everyone's here to see us!"
Everyone goes bonkers, I clip on the mic and we finally play.
3/4 through the set in between songs the lead guitar player says "Hey man, I think you left your distortion on" Nope. It's off. I go to the cabinet during the next song and it is making all sorts of noise. I lower my amp volume to pretty much nothing and during the last song....completely silent. I turn the volume up, nothing. Plug my bass directly in to the head, maybe I kicked a wire out or something, nothing.
We ended our set, load up and say our goodbyes to the promoter, other bands, fans, etc. The sound guy comes up to me and either he had a huge change of heart or, most likely, he got chewed out by the promoter and says "I'm sorry about giving you a hard time man, it's just how we do it here" to which I reply "Sorry about your cabinet chief" and we ride off to the next show, where I get to use my delicious 8x10 and 2x15 cabinets. The sound guy there was the man, he looked my rig and said "Holy ****! Do I even have to plug this thing in?"
The first place had the following listed on their backline: "GK 800RB bass head, Hartke 4 x 10 and 2 x 15 bass cabinets"
I get there and all it has is the Hartke 2x15(which in hindsight I think was actually a 2x12 by the diminutive size of it) so I ask the sound guy about the head and 4x10 cab and he tells me they're only supplying the 2x15 cab that night. For all I know it was in a closet.
Fine, I grab my head (SVT-4) and I ask him "Hey dude, I have my 8x10 in the trailer and I set up fast...can I use that?" He pretty much acted as if I could bone his mom..."NO! If you don't like it you can go home and not play!"
I look at the back of the cab and it's rated at 500watts....oh boy! I see this "cable" wrapped in red duct tape sticking out the back (no chance in hell I'm plugging this thing in) and grab my cable. I pull on the cable and...you guessed it...the cable comes out without the tip. I laughed a little as I pulled it out with a pair of needlenose pliers. The guitar players in the band are pretty much in tears at this point from laughing at my misfortune as they set up their full stacks.
Okay, I'm plugged in. The cabinet doesn't sound bad, a little farty but the PA will take care of what everyone in the club hears. It's a Halloween show so I strap on my costume: giant Woopie Cushion. Here's where my comedy career starts....
Now I gotta plug into the PA. He's in his booth thingy and I'm on stage so we have a conversation over the PA:
"Hey man, where's the bass DI?"
"There's a mic behind the cabinet"
Okay, maybe the last guy didn't have a DI and needed the mic. I unplugged the mic(which isn't on a stand, it clips onto the cabinet!) and lean to the back of my head and plug in.
"WHAT ARE YOU DOING? PLUG THE MIC BACK IN!"
"It's cool man, I have a DI, do you want pre or post EQ?"
"JUST PLUG IT BACK INTO THE ***** MIC!
"You mean I have to mic this piece of ***?"
::laughter from pretty much the whole club, including a few bartenders and a bouncer::
I'm unplugging the head and I have to climb over a bunch of stuff to get the mic from behind the cabinet. Plugged it in..DOOF DOOF! OK.
"Hurry up! This is coming out of your set!"
From behind all the equipment I say into the cabinet mic: "We're headlining you d***squeeze! Everyone's here to see us!"
Everyone goes bonkers, I clip on the mic and we finally play.
3/4 through the set in between songs the lead guitar player says "Hey man, I think you left your distortion on" Nope. It's off. I go to the cabinet during the next song and it is making all sorts of noise. I lower my amp volume to pretty much nothing and during the last song....completely silent. I turn the volume up, nothing. Plug my bass directly in to the head, maybe I kicked a wire out or something, nothing.
We ended our set, load up and say our goodbyes to the promoter, other bands, fans, etc. The sound guy comes up to me and either he had a huge change of heart or, most likely, he got chewed out by the promoter and says "I'm sorry about giving you a hard time man, it's just how we do it here" to which I reply "Sorry about your cabinet chief" and we ride off to the next show, where I get to use my delicious 8x10 and 2x15 cabinets. The sound guy there was the man, he looked my rig and said "Holy ****! Do I even have to plug this thing in?"
