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My rented backline adventures

#161
I once rented my backline - without knowing...
There was a new line of public transport and a shopping center and a whole new quarter and the big festivity over the whole place. There were several stages, big and small. We played a 45min set on the big stage, then had a set somewhere else where I was using some other bass player's equipement (SWR cab and F500 quite good). When we got back, my amp was gone. No one had any idea and it was REALLY frustrating. Ten minutes before our gig someone came with it. EQ totally screwed up, because the other one probably didn't know how to handle a passive fender stack.

The year later they said that they have a backline. There was everything but a bassamp. Everything. But. A. Bass. Amp.
Luckily my rehearsal room is 10min from there but still...
 
#162
I drew this Ampeg rig last weekend. They had a huge Meyer FOH system and tons of monitors on stage so I knew it was basically going to be a personal monitor, but.....I've had a couple "farty" 8x10 cabs over the last few months so I leaned into it pretty hard as we were getting ready for soundcheck which promptly earned me the "stage volume talk" from the FOH engineer. I deserved-it. The rig sounded great.
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#167
On a lot of the regional shows I was doing, a GK stack seemed to keep coming back from the dead, just to make my life hell. It never failed. I'd show up for a late spot on a given show and there it would be on stage, taunting me. The sound company would tell me that the rig sounded great until the last band/last night who managed to blow several of the speakers, mess up the routing in the amp and cause the speaker jacks/potentiometers to become intermittent. It really became comical after awhile. Fortunately as I was driving to any gig where this rig might rear its ugly head, I brought a rack with a tuner, wireless and a pre-amp to take it out of the equation when needed.
 
#168
Opening for Jackyl at 3 Sisters Park in Chillicothe. Was one of the bigger shows I've played, and knowing the backline provider definitely helped me out as it was threatening rain all day and I had no way of getting my rig there without it getting rained on.

So I sent Chad a text and he told me not to worry, as Jackyl decided to only use two of the four SVTs they reserved and only one GK 1001.

The DB750 sounded great and grindy pushing the SVT around. It's surprisingly simple and VERY malleable.

It also weighs a TON.
 

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#173
BillyB_from_LZ said:
I'm guessing this is an action shot of both JimmyM and the aforementioned rig...

JimmyM_zps9d93fb53.jpg
Click to expand...
The show with Merrilee was the show before the one with the Heritage. On that show, they supplied a regular SVT-CL with the same 410he.

Next entry comes on Oct. 25, BTW, I'll be in Portland, ME with Bowzer, Freddy Cannon, and a handful of other acts whose names escape me at the moment.
 
#174
In 2011 deep in the Dutch heartland, at a children's circus reunion show, I had asked for a bass amp, and helpfully suggested to rent something 250 Wats @ 8/500W at 4Ohm. What I got was an antique Hammond (for organ) open backed tube combo, kinda looked like this. [Invalid or Expired Link Removed]

I have to say though - If I didn't mind a good tubey overdrive (and I didn't) I was audible, sorta, much to my amazement. It was inside a very reverby riding school and it being 100% tubes and everything made all the difference in cutting through. It became fuzz tuba of sorts. Which was fun.
 
#177
IMG_0354_zps5dabe8d3.jpg


Oh well, you can't win 'em all. Everyone else in the band got really nice rental stuff. I got an old SVT-350 with a ground noise. At least the house sound was cookin' thanks to me bringing the REDDI, but I was treated to a low-level "bzzzzzzzzzz" all through the night. And even worse, the show went a half hour over time. Fun show, though...Freddy Cannon was on this one and he's one of my favorites of all time.
 
#179
IMG_0362_zps43721f34.jpg


So technically, this isn't a supplied backline rig, but I supplied it tonight for my gig with Gary Lewis And The Playboys. Started out bringing just the Heritage head, but decided I wanted to hear the cab with the V4B since I haven't used them together on a gig so I brought it along as well. I figured Gary's bassist Dominic would rather have the Heritage and I would use the V4B. He decided he'd rather use the V4B, so my plan was thwarted ;) Not that I was complaining. He usually uses an Orange AD200b and 410, but he loved the V4B and flipped out that I brought a REDDI, too.

Sure, it was heavy, but at least now I've forgotten my experience with Friday's buzzing SVT-350.
 
#180
That's gotta suck. Most of the venues we played and back line is provided they just provide a common cab which they mic up. for example ampeg 810 And you use your own head. That way they never have to move the mic they just make adjustments at the board. Some places you don't have to bring anything as the sound guy has a bass pre back at the board and they have decent side fills on the stage. I'm not really Into that though, like to atleast run a sans amp that i dialed in. I did play one gig though where i ran through a ampeg svp classic pre amp i think it was direct. They had a nice 212 community wedge that i thought sounded great. Probably wouldn't work good for low b but for my 4 string it sounded fantastic.
 

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