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Me and My SVT just got Shutdown

#122
Unless you're playing in St. Peter's Basilica, and SVT with 410 cab is like hunting mice with an elephant gun. Still, I agree with most sentiments here in that it's your decision. If you want to use the SVT, then keep using it. Ignore. If the topic is raised again, ask them what other options they have available. Perhaps the church should have their own, 'house' bass amp.
 
#125
The post about identifying the real reason for someone's problem with your rig and then working with that person makes sense to me. That said, I agree that your rig is about the least visually distracting thing on that ample and brightly decorated stage. The only thing I can see it blocking is a little bit of the shiny metal behind it. If it's in the bongo player's airspace, maybe it could be scooted just a couple of inches. If the bongo player has no problem with it, though, maybe he'd be willing to speak up and say so. If the background set designers are into their work and want it prominently displayed, that's understandable, but it is the *background*. You're the music on stage and the rig is part of your sound -- part of your instrument. It's good to be flexible, but it sounds like someone is being unreasonable. If they want to focus on paring things down and eliminating distractions, there appear to be other places they could look before your rig.

See if you can work with people to tweak the setup to make it work. Explain to them that a good sound/feel are important to you and that it makes a difference in how you feel/play.

If you have to run a smaller rig, and if they're willing to purchase it, then I agree with the poster who suggested going on a field trip with the guy buying the gear, to make sure you've got some input.
 
#126
Well, to bring things up to date, wound up dragging in my first bass rig, Ampeg B2 with matching Classic 4-8 and 115 cabs. Same footprint but because it was black grill cloth it was far less ostentatious than the old SVT I suppose.

Long story short, we left the congregation, I left the rig in there for another month so the other bass player could drag up his rig.

One of the last services I was there for, a member of the church, who had been there just as long as I had, 2 or more years, walks up to introduce himself again, knows everyone else but me, and I think to myself, "I stand onstage, every service, 2 times every Sunday, in front of an SVT!!!!! How dare you not notice me!"

It's not like we're a 1000 member church we were 300 at most, even then I still stand onstage!

Should have played the Gene Simmons Axe bass, could kill two birds with one stone!

But we just came detached from the church.

Thanks for the lively answers on the thread! If you're ever having a bad day it's a great read.

Sorry the pics are gone.... So is my iDisk. Thanks Apple. The 1st bonehead mistake since Steve left us.
 
#127
No offense OP, but your rig might look a little silly up there...more suitable for Madison Square Garden or even a Mega-Church :bassist:

It's one of those "right tools for the job" situations where you certainly have the right tools, but it's the wrong job for them. I remember buying an SVT 8X10 for $90 out of a want ad and being so proud. Then I started getting gigs in downtown Albany and Troy and it just became a problem. That and I looked like an idiot opening up for a national act with more speakers than the whole headliner combined:eyebrow:

I traded it for a Warwick Corvette, which was traded for a :bawl:....you get the idea.

edit: dang! late for this one. Good luck with the rig!
 
#131
I played in a true inner city gospel church back around 1998 for maybe 3 months.
IMO church life is just not for me. They had no issue with my half stack rig or the Ken Smith...but they wanted me to stop playing that "devil R&B!".

I pointed out that that "devil R&B" was paying my ghetto house mortgage! They shut up then worked on converting me for the next 2 months.

God I love gospel! That Hammond B3 through the Leslie simply is the voice of god! This was true Gospel music, not contemporary Urban worship music. The church life ain't for me, tho.

My story is not so different from Sam Cooke or Aretha Franklin- I just left the church far quicker to play R&B! :)
 
#134
guy n. cognito said:
Of course they do. But a practical bassist sizes his rig to his gig.
Click to expand...

+1 Perception.
We've had to convince tables of patrons who were finishing desert, while we are setting up for the post dinner "club" time that we wouldn't be loud. Just because they saw gear, any gear.
They'd thank us for not being loud. We'd be blazing at conversation level. The tables at the back are asking us to turn up and cheering wildly.

There really is so much gear that's really loud that doesn't look like a fridge. When some folks say they need the look of an SVT for their act that's cool. Then I hope they could see that that look swings both ways.:).
 
#135
chadds said:
+1 Perception.
We've had to convince tables of patrons who were finishing desert, while we are setting up for the post dinner "club" time that we wouldn't be loud. Just because they saw gear, any gear.
They'd thank us for not being loud. We'd be blazing at conversation level. The tables at the back are asking us to turn up and cheering wildly.

There really is so much gear that's really loud that doesn't look like a fridge. When some folks say they need the look of an SVT for their act that's cool. Then I hope they could see that that look swings both ways.:).
Click to expand...

+1

I love me a big cab.... but there is something about a small very capable cab. Lots of sound out of a sleeper of a cab.
 

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