Hello, I play bass in a classic rock/country cover band and I'm having personal problems with the stage volume of the guitarist who stands beside me. I say personal problems because it seems that I'm the only one who perceives a problem with how loud he is. No one else in the band, nor our audiences, seem to think he's too loud. I know he is 
but haven't had any luck convincing others.
I've come to an impasse with him over his volume. Last night, even though he was playing at an ear-splitting level, he said to me, "I'm on 'one.' The only setting below that is 'off.' Do you want me to turn off? There's nothing I can do." Since I've brought this volume issue up at almost every show, and since the other guitarist who runs our sound basically sided with him, and since he took such a non-negotiable stance, and I'm not normally confrontational, and don't want to look like a whiny prima donna, I conceded and that's how it stayed.
Back-story: I'm the "new" guy, been with them about a year. He played with them in years past, then left (taking their then-bassist with him) to do his own band. Other members came and went, then at the time of my audition is when he rejoined. I think he expected that he would be bringing back the old bassist (a buddy of the band), but the other members decided they wanted me instead. So it has crossed my mind that he might just as well see me go so the old bassist (who never found another band) could rejoin (?), and if his volume helps me make that decision, fine. He does seem somewhat manipulative. (Yeah, I'm a little paranoid and conspiritorial.)
This guitarist is pretty much the star of the show. He's that good. So he's not going anywhere, nor should he. And I want to stay in this band. There are very few bands in my area this good with steady work, none as close as this one. So I've been trying to come up with a solution to the problem. Since everyone else seems to think the stage volume is fine, I'm thinking about going the route of putting a monitor send and my bass into a small personal mixer, then running that to some high quality in-ear monitors. (I use a high powered amp and 810 cabinet, so the bass is usually not in the PA.) That should take care of my problem, but it will cost me a few hundred bucks in gear I wouldn't need if he would just turn down.
Oh, and moving stuff around isn't an option. I would love to just move away from him, but due to the configuration of the band, he and I stand side-by-side and that's not going to change.
So, what do you think? Would you do something this drastic to try and get along in a band you really wanted to stay in? Has anyone set up a rig like this? Do you think the in-ear setup will solve my problem? What are your thoughts in general to the situation?
Thanks!
but haven't had any luck convincing others.I've come to an impasse with him over his volume. Last night, even though he was playing at an ear-splitting level, he said to me, "I'm on 'one.' The only setting below that is 'off.' Do you want me to turn off? There's nothing I can do." Since I've brought this volume issue up at almost every show, and since the other guitarist who runs our sound basically sided with him, and since he took such a non-negotiable stance, and I'm not normally confrontational, and don't want to look like a whiny prima donna, I conceded and that's how it stayed.
Back-story: I'm the "new" guy, been with them about a year. He played with them in years past, then left (taking their then-bassist with him) to do his own band. Other members came and went, then at the time of my audition is when he rejoined. I think he expected that he would be bringing back the old bassist (a buddy of the band), but the other members decided they wanted me instead. So it has crossed my mind that he might just as well see me go so the old bassist (who never found another band) could rejoin (?), and if his volume helps me make that decision, fine. He does seem somewhat manipulative. (Yeah, I'm a little paranoid and conspiritorial.)
This guitarist is pretty much the star of the show. He's that good. So he's not going anywhere, nor should he. And I want to stay in this band. There are very few bands in my area this good with steady work, none as close as this one. So I've been trying to come up with a solution to the problem. Since everyone else seems to think the stage volume is fine, I'm thinking about going the route of putting a monitor send and my bass into a small personal mixer, then running that to some high quality in-ear monitors. (I use a high powered amp and 810 cabinet, so the bass is usually not in the PA.) That should take care of my problem, but it will cost me a few hundred bucks in gear I wouldn't need if he would just turn down.
Oh, and moving stuff around isn't an option. I would love to just move away from him, but due to the configuration of the band, he and I stand side-by-side and that's not going to change.
So, what do you think? Would you do something this drastic to try and get along in a band you really wanted to stay in? Has anyone set up a rig like this? Do you think the in-ear setup will solve my problem? What are your thoughts in general to the situation?
Thanks!
