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solid state player auditioning w/ band's ampeg tube gear

#21
monsterthompson said:
Gotta love the non-responses loaded with assumptions and implications that the OP might not be well prepared for the audition, and is simply looking for some advice on what he thinks could be a potential issue.

It took him a matter of moments to post a quick question. I doubt he's cowering in a shed, all day, wringing his hands over this issue, instead of practicing.
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Gotta love the over-reaction loaded with assumptions over a few encouraging responses to the OP’s inquiry.

I’ll bet that no one, ....NO one had a mental picture of the OP cowering anywhere.

:rollno::eyebrow:
 
#22
Just bring your easy-to-carry ss amp. Especially if you haven't got an assurance from the actual owner of the tube amp that it's OK to use it.

The more comfort and familiarity you have, the better you'll feel, the better you can adjust your sound, and you don't run the risk of someone else's gear dying while you're playing it and then feeling obliged to chip in for the cost of repair/replacement. I have a "micro" amp for this purpose.

This isn't a tube vs. ss thing, or "tube are unreliable" thing at all. I love tubes.

Good luck!
 
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#23
BtaylorTheRogue said:
So. I have an audition Sunday with a new band. They want me to just bring out my bass, as they have a rig in the practice area. Fine by me. It's (unspecified) Ampeg gear. I have an inkling that it's a 610 or 810.

Now, I'm generally team solid state. Is it as good as tube gear? That's a different thread. We're not discussing it here. However, it's definitely a different animal. I love it because it's lighter, cheaper, and more durable. But it also probably behaves differently. I've never actually played long enough on a tube rig with a bass to really experience it.

What are some pratfalls I should be prepared for? Some things that I should be aware of so that I look like the 17 year player I am, and not some scrub?
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bring your amp anyway, keep in the trunk of the car......if you really need to pop out a t a break and ask to use if for a few tunes say you keep it as a "back up"......
 
#24
Old Garage-Bander said:
Worrying about playing through a different rig than you normally do, and allowing that to have a negative impact on your audition will seem to say "scrub" more than anything else.

That being said, the tube rig needs time to warm up.
The tube rig might have a standby switch.
Maybe get there a little early, and ask if you can try out the tube rig ahead of time.
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@BtaylorTheRogue This.
Definitely make sure it warms up and that the speaker is plugged in before you turn it on. I always start with my master volume all the way down and slowly bring it up. That way it isn't a sudden startling blast.
Other than that, watch your gain. Unless you want some tube distortion.
And don't mention that you haven't used that gear before. Whether you love it or hate it, keep that to yourself until after you are in.
 
#25
It’s an amplifier, not a lifestyle or medical procedure that you only have a 25% chance of surviving. Rest assured if there was a huge difference between playing a tube or SS amp, every silly unaccredited diploma mill music school would have a course on it, scheduled right after “Bass Style of Flea”. Spend time learning the tunes inside and out, dead cold. I’ll assume you already did. :D
 
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#27
The worst thing you could do (within reason) is to waste time in the audition, constantly bellyaching about the gear, and reminding the band that you're not used to this amp, whilst they have to endure listening to you playing the same riff over and over again, and fumble aimlessly with the EQ.

They should have everything setup, and ready when you arrive. So just double check the amp is warmed up, then plug in, set the gain, and play a couple of notes.

If it sounds ok, don't touch anything, and instead focus 100% on the audition.

If it sounds awful; bear in mind that the band may already have the amp set up how they want it to sound, so don't just march in and start fiddling.

Ask if it's ok to change the sound.

If they say yes, disengage any ultra low, ultra bright, and graphic EQ - you may also want to disengage the limiter.

Spend absolutely no more than 30 seconds tweaking the tone controls, and make sure you're not obnoxiously loud.

Get back to giving the audition your full attention.

You can always make further tweaks to the amp, between songs. Just limit yourself to 5 or 10 seconds at a time.

Style it out.

Good luck!
 
#29
BtaylorTheRogue said:
I have an audition Sunday with a new band. They want me to just bring out my bass, as they have a rig in the practice area. Fine by me. It's (unspecified) Ampeg gear. Some things that I should be aware of so that I look like the 17 year player I am, and not some scrub?
Click to expand...

I'm nor sure what you are worrying about, an amp is still an amp. The only thing that a tube Ampeg (hey it might be solid state) has that is different than a solid state amp is a standby switch. You turn the power on first, wait 30 seconds and then turn on the standby. After about 40 years of playing I can't think of single amp that I ever had a problem getting a sound out of.
 
#31
Like others have said start with tones flat and go from there, Ampeg tone controls tend to do a lot more with little knob action so go easy. Keep the tone switches in the mid position at least at first. Keep stand by switch off when you turn it on then let it warm up before putting the standby switch on (30 or more seconds). Tube amps especially Ampegs tend to sound thicker with more bottom. Let us know what it was and how you liked it.
 
#32
If the head is an SVT-CL the only thing that might be a little counter intuitive about them is you get the best tone by bringing up the master and keeping the gain relatively low. Maybe roll back the bass push the mids a touch and you should be ready to go. It's plug and play and it's a great tone.
 
#36
BtaylorTheRogue said:
So. I have an audition Sunday with a new band. They want me to just bring out my bass, as they have a rig in the practice area. Fine by me. It's (unspecified) Ampeg gear. I have an inkling that it's a 610 or 810.

Now, I'm generally team solid state. Is it as good as tube gear? That's a different thread. We're not discussing it here. However, it's definitely a different animal. I love it because it's lighter, cheaper, and more durable. But it also probably behaves differently. I've never actually played long enough on a tube rig with a bass to really experience it.

What are some pratfalls I should be prepared for? Some things that I should be aware of so that I look like the 17 year player I am, and not some scrub?
Click to expand...

Generalizing the difference between "tube heads" and your personal rig is impossible, because all tube heads aren't designed the same and neither are all solid state heads; my Monique behaves nothing like an SVT, and my old TH500 is night and day different than a GK RB700.

It's pretty easy to bring your own head if that's your preferred sound, but knowing how to get your bass to sound good, quickly, through any amp is a useful skill in and of itself.

Unless your on a high level audition with really tight scheduling, and you take too long to set up your gear, they should have no issues with you plugging your head into their cab though.

It should only add all of 60 seconds to your setup time :thumbsup:
 

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