Moving Aside to Play Guitar

[EricssonB]

I've been playing bass at the chapel (...I'm the atheist in a church band, wife sings...) on base for about two years. I've got my comfortable pocket that I sit in, but just stepped aside to play guitar while someone else plays bass. I've been playing guitar for over a decade, so my technique isn't lacking for this type of gig.

On bass I was comfortable. I knew where I fit. I knew how I sat in the mix.

...I hit a plateau a year ago. Stagnant since.

Just had my first Sunday on guitar. It was awkward. I was uncomfortable and underplayed even the strummed chords to not sound like a hack.

No amps on stage. Les Paul Studio through a Boss GT-5 and EHX Germanium Muffpi and DI'd to the house. IEMs on an Axiom/Ethernet system so I have a hand on my ear mix. Sound guy is on very experienced and knows what to ask and how to tell, so I'm sure that once I give a more consistent performance, I'll be blended just fine.

What would you folks say about taking my performance level up? The usual practice and exposure thing?

 

[dhsierra1]

yep, practice and exposure, it's different on guitar for sure.

I think also you should look into getting an amp because that's so much of your sound w/an electric instrument. That way you know how to adjust your touch, deal w/the effects, etc.

Doesn't have to be anything fancy, either, or even tubes. My favorite ss guitar amp these days is the old Yamaha G50-112. A very warm sounding 50 watt 1-12 combo that can be had for under 200 bucks all day. If you're looking for crunch you've got the pedal so you're good there.

There's also a 100 watts model and a 2-12 version but I've found the 1-12 at 50 watts plenty for my needs. I've tried a number of ss guitar amps over the years and hands down this is my favorite, even over the venerable Roland JC-120, and I definitely like that amp.

Edit: and if you want the tube amp sound, there's a plethora of good modeling pedals out there. This way you avoid the expense and schlep of a tube amp yet get about 80 to 90 percent there if that's what you're looking for. I'll schlep my old Showman rig to larger gigs but generally try to avoid that for practices or small coffee-shop types of gigs.

 

[cjmatt]

I second the idea of having an amplifier on stage. I play bass at my church and we have two guitarist. All of us are DI'ed in to the house, but have small amps on stage to monitor our sound and add to the house mix. Keep in mind that we have a smaller church, so the amps don't have to get too loud to do their jobs.

If you keep an eye on overall volume, you should be able to add to the mix, and monitor your sound.

 

[EricssonB]

I'm feeling the amp on stage thing. When still playing bass, I had it settled with BL that I need an amp for the same reasons, even if it's set low. Probably bring my cute little Crate to have pointed at my face if only for myself.

Don't need anything too fancy. I use only simple chorus and light delay, and just enough overdrive to fill the chords out.