Going Ampless

[Medford Bassman]

Wow! When I started reading this I was thinking that you guys were probably in some metro area where the clubs have big PA's. Then I noticed that we're all practically neighbors.

In Minneapolis most of the clubs have PA's but many of them are too small to really do bass. Many are vocals-only and stage volume. I actually like it that way - my bands do a good job of balancing levels between the bass, guitars and drums. I've had a lot of experience with bad sound guys, so if I can eliminate the possibility, I'm happy with that*.

Are you guys carrying your own PA's? How far do you typically travel to gigs? When I lived out-state, traveling a few hours was the only way to get gigs and you pretty much carried a PA because the clubs didn't have them.

KO

*I've also had the good fortune to deal with good sound people. The problem is that the bad out number the good in my experience and you never know which you're going to get. I do everything in my power to make sure each gig is a good one. Eliminating the sound guy as a variable is one way to do it.

We bring our own PA wherever we go. We travel up to 500 miles from home, depending on the pay and tow trailer with our gear. Lots of overhead, but we make sure the $$ are right.