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Guitarist plays too loud

#182
lucas vigor said:
I am not buying the age issue thing.
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+1

I am 60 in a few weeks and have been gigging since 1968, quite often at stupid volume, but less so since getting our present guitarist. My hearing is better than most of my (similar age) non band playing friends.

Our guitarist has been gigging since about 1978 he recently had a hearing test because he has worked in noisy engineering environments all his life. His hearing is perfect.

Sure some people do have hearing damage or problems and it does get worse with age but playing in a band and advancing years does not guarantee hearing loss.

On the other hand I know an ex pro guitarist (my age) who's hearing is pretty well shot. I have resisted the invitation to form a blues band with him because on the few occasions I have played the same stage as him he has always been very loud, and I value my hearing.
 
#183
Yeah, but this aging thing, the original post I stated this, was that I actually "ASKED" if this could be the cause. I am not stating it, or saying that it is so, that it is like that, but IF that could play a role into it or not.

Me myself have slowly discovered such things. And as for Telecaster, well, if you're into coutrny or old school blues you simply must have that guitar to go with it. But it's the one's who CHANGE over to them, as they get senior. There's even a YouTube flick of legendary Roy Buchanan playing his classic "The Messiah will come again" live, and if you look at it, towards the end you see his Fender amp TURNED AWAY from the audience and stage. It's turned backwards, with speaker facing back of the stage. That's loud if you'd ask me...mic'd up, however, but anyway. He walks behind to let it feed back...but he had treble that could strip paint from walls...

------

BTW, there is a reason why the script writers to "SPINAL TAP" movie did choose the guitarist to have this scene, with his amp to go to eleven "one louder". It wasn't the bassist, keyboardist, or drummer. Go figure. There's something to it for sure.
 
#184
Well he has turned down a little bit, but there are other problems with the band. Like having no direction people not learning songs or playing them half assed. I like the band as people but we really don't work well in a band situation. Back to trying to find a good band to play with.
 
#185
I've been through the volume wars with every guitarist I've ever played with. The last band with 2 guitarists and 100w stacks competing against each other was rough.

I don't worry about it now, I can win those wars :). IMO, the only way to change things is by having the ability to turn the tables. Make it as uncomfortable for everyone else as it is for you, and the volume will come down.
 
#188
Honch said:
Twobass, if there are those other issues in the band, it seems that the loud guitarist is the LEAST problem. Time to move on, and I hope you get a good band to play with.
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I did that a few months ago and the band that I'm in right now is better than the last band. Also the guitarist in this band plays at a good volume and he's the best guitarist that I've ever played with. So life if good right now.
 
#189
Twobass said:
I did that a few months ago and the band that I'm in right now is better than the last band. Also the guitarist in this band plays at a good volume and he's the best guitarist that I've ever played with. So life if good right now.
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Awesome! I’m still with the same band whose guitarist was too loud, but I’ve managed to get him under control, partly by persistence and educating the rest of the band whom he can no longer BS.

Now his offenses are only intermittent, and it gets addressed in short order.

Glad it worked out for both of us.

:)
 
#190
Marko and TwoBass, tips to all of your loud guitarists, sorry for this necrobump, but something has happened in the technology since the last time we posted. But just point them loud guitarists to this site:

Invalid Link Removed

Master Volume, and attenuators are a thing of the past.

Mind you that this is a bass forum, and these speakers wouldn't really make any sense for bass or on bass amps (or any solid state amp). Purely a guitarists phenomenon, and tube amp problem.
 
#192
Well that Emininence is like 9 db attenuation, the Fluxtone 29 db. I guess you'll pay for more attenuation. Still, loud playing on an onstage amp with 4x12 is a thing of the past. You mike up only one of them anyway.

I still remember an interview from the 70's... the 70's mind you, and PINK FLOYD was at their peak, in where David Gilmour said - elaborating on the groups technology on stage, and what amps they used - "Well, Nick Mason and the drums doesn't need to be in any monitor, the drums's played loud enough on stage to be heard for anyone of us".

Try to get that one across to any FOH enginner or monitor mixer today... :-)
 
#193
I just don't think this is worth it, if you are going to play in a band (which takes a great deal of time) it needs to be with ADULTS, not overgrown middle schoolers. The ability to squash guitarist by doing these 810 rigs with 2500 watts power amps just brings you down to their level.
I actually take an alternate approach, I set my stuff at a reasonable vollume, and if I know they can't hear it, I mention they need to come down. If they do, great I stay in the band if they want me to buy ever increasing larger amps just to be heard, I don't, MY hearing is more important than any band.
Note- I am not saying a show up to gigs and practice with a 100 watt 1-10 or anything, just reasonable.

Plstrns said:
I've been through the volume wars with every guitarist I've ever played with. The last band with 2 guitarists and 100w stacks competing against each other was rough.

I don't worry about it now, I can win those wars :). IMO, the only way to change things is by having the ability to turn the tables. Make it as uncomfortable for everyone else as it is for you, and the volume will come down.
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#194
We did the whole volume wars thing. Really for us it lasted almost 15 years.

our solution was age and technology. We started as teenagers and were all 30 or 31 now and got tired of lugging all the gear around. Also amp choices had a lot to do with it. More and more companies are coming out with "mini" guitar tube amps and better and better digital modeling amps that allow guitarists to get that tube saturation sound they love at reasonable volumes. Everyone used to have 100, 120, or 150w tube guitar heads. These days a 50w tube amp is "big" and a 30w is pretty much perfect. My guitar players got rid of their marshall and mesa half stacks and now play a orange dual terror with an orange 212 and a new line 6 212 combo. I sold my ampeg 810e and stack a ampeg 410he on top of my rack and now we sound better than ever. Everyone is more enthusiastic about playing because the sound is better and we no longer dread moving all that gear. As far as not looking as "cool" at shows get some band banners made to put in front of the amps. They look professional and promote the band.
 
#197
IF you play with real pros, the bass player is in control of everyone's volume. If any player is too loud or the whole band is too loud I simply turn down the bass. Long ago it took them maybe 16 bars to match my volume, now it's much quicker. If they cannot hear you, they must turn down to be able to do so. There is no need for arguments or even discussions on the subject. It is, quite simply, up to me. If you turn down and the offender(s) fail to respond.....you're playing with amateurs.
 
#198
Yes this is the right test to do, but you need to be prepared to walk quick, when you realize they aren't listening to what you play at all. (LIke my one band)
Moe Monsarrat said:
IF you play with real pros, the bass player is in control of everyone's volume. If any player is too loud or the whole band is too loud I simply turn down the bass. Long ago it took them maybe 16 bars to match my volume, now it's much quicker. If they cannot hear you, they must turn down to be able to do so. There is no need for arguments or even discussions on the subject. It is, quite simply, up to me. If you turn down and the offender(s) fail to respond.....you're playing with amateurs.
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#200
Moe Monsarrat said:
IF you play with real pros, the bass player is in control of everyone's volume. If any player is too loud or the whole band is too loud I simply turn down the bass. Long ago it took them maybe 16 bars to match my volume, now it's much quicker. If they cannot hear you, they must turn down to be able to do so. There is no need for arguments or even discussions on the subject. It is, quite simply, up to me. If you turn down and the offender(s) fail to respond.....you're playing with amateurs.
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Works in theory, but most other members of most bands don't really understand how bass volume works. They often think it has to be in your face because that's what THEY do themselves. The best lesson bass players ever learn is how a little goes a long way.

A few months ago I went to see a local band with national connections at a downtown joint, more of a restaurant than a club, a lot of glass and concrete. The bass player was a kid, scary talented, and WAY too loud. By the time the show was over, there were zero dynamics to the music, my ears were whistling, and I felt ground up. And all because the bass player insisted on playing his fairly large rig to its max.

I'm sure if I had mentioned it, I would have been greeted with claims of "But that's my sound". What a crock of BS masquerading as an artistic choice!

Good common sense is not automatic.
 

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