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questions about guitar EQ, 12" speakers, and sonic space?

B

basschrs

Sep 8, 2008
96
0
Philadelphia, PA
#1
I recently purchased a pair of 12" speakers and in practices lately with the drums and 2 other guitars, the lead guitar keeps complaining he can't hear himself over me. All three of us guitar players use 12" speakers and I am wondering if that same speaker size will cause any interferience because they are all the same? He never complained when I was going through a single 15" cab, so the cab size is all that really changed from then and now. I tried cutting the lows, and raising my high mids while lowering my volume, until eventually I could barely hear myself at all, but he still complained. What should his Eq be set at for him to cut through MY sound to hear himself?

BTW, we play rock music at medium volumes, nothing too loud.

Thanks in advance for the help!
 
#2
Ach! Do NOT even THINK about "cutting through the mix"!! If anyone is cutting through it, that means there ain't no mix any more. What you need to do (all of you) is find ways so your EQs are working together. The BAND's sound is what's paramount here, not each of you clinging to "my sound".

Bass isn't just lows, and many guitarists utterly fail to realize that. Plus, lots of guitarists are after a very chunky low end, and that eats up the space that makes a bass sound like a bass instead of a dead kick drum (Metallica for example). Mids are your friend.

I don't think the size of the speaker has anything to do with it directly. It's just that the new cabinet projects differently into the room than the old one did.

jte
 
#3
whoops! Sorry I made it seem like I was married to my sound with the capital case MY in my post! That's not what I meant at all, Internet is bad for conveying ideas :-( what I meant was, I have no problem adjusting my tone, as I did several times in practice, but it seemed no matter how much I adjusted, he claimed he couldn't hear himself. I just want to know how a lead shoud EQ to be able to hear himself over the bass.
 
#4
Everybody should EQ in some more mids and take away a bit of low end. Since the bass amp's "mids" knob controls a lower frequency than the guitar amp's, this isn't the bad idea it sounds like. But also you should all make sure that you're pointing your own personal amps at your ears so you can hear them, rather than at your knees.
 

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