+1 I totally agree. My amp is just a stage monitor in case I have a problem with the in-ears. A loud stage amp just makes it hard for the sound guy to control the mix.
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Will bass amps ever be obsolete?
- Thread starter Akito
- Start date
+1 I totally agree. My amp is just a stage monitor in case I have a problem with the in-ears. A loud stage amp just makes it hard for the sound guy to control the mix.
Listen with your ears and not your eyes. The sound is more important than the "look".
Depends though... Sure, if you have a 700W amp and an 8x10 cranked then yeah... It'll be too loud for sure. I've not have a problem w/ my SVT/810 at 10 o'clock & have actually gotten junk from a sound guy because all I had was a 1x15 combo w. an xlr out and it was "too hot". Depends on the sound guy, I guess.
no it's not. make no mistake...you're fooling yourself if you think looks don't count. play a formal jazz gig where everyone's wearing tuxes and you wear a t-shirt and sandals. or play a rock gig where everyone wears t-shirts and sneakers and you wear a tux. or play with devo where everyone wears a yellow hazmat suit and you wear anything else but the yellow suit.
now use that logic with amps...show up to an allman bros gig with no amp, or show up to an ampless gig with an svt...see how quickly it takes for you to be shown the door.
looks count a great deal. those who don't believe looks count usually end up not getting many gigs.
also, regarding an earlier comment...maybe for you and mama dave the amp is just a monitor. well i tried that route the last couple weeks and it isn't working for me. i don't like the sound, so i'm going back to using a mic on my amp, which makes it way more than a stage monitor...it makes it the way i get my sound to the crowd. and any soundman who complains i'm too loud is incompetent. i am NEVER too loud
so as you can see, the actual answer is "do what you think is best."
no it's not. make no mistake...you're fooling yourself if you think looks don't count. play a formal jazz gig where everyone's wearing tuxes and you wear a t-shirt and sandals. or play a rock gig where everyone wears t-shirts and sneakers and you wear a tux. or play with devo where everyone wears a yellow hazmat suit and you wear anything else but the yellow suit.
now use that logic with amps...show up to an allman bros gig with no amp, or show up to an ampless gig with an svt...see how quickly it takes for you to be shown the door.
looks count a great deal. those who don't believe looks count usually end up not getting many gigs.
also, regarding an earlier comment...maybe for you and mama dave the amp is just a monitor. well i tried that route the last couple weeks and it isn't working for me. i don't like the sound, so i'm going back to using a mic on my amp, which makes it way more than a stage monitor...it makes it the way i get my sound to the crowd. and any soundman who complains i'm too loud is incompetent. i am NEVER too loud
so as you can see, the actual answer is "do what you think is best."
+100 so many people like to think that the functionality of their equipment is ALL that matters, and that being concerned about looks or image is somehow juvenile or unenlightened. looks are a huge part of the equation and obviously your amp rig plays a big part in that. people go out to SEE a show, not just to hear it.
and another big +1 to loud stage volume. i mean i'm all for modern tech and everything, but replacing bass amps with a PA just plain blows. you can't get into the nitty gritty of the groove with a PA. it's one thing if you're on tour with some high budget act and the PA is amazing (in-ear monitors and all that) but most of us aren't doing that. we're playing clubs and bars where the PA's and sound men are anything but first rate. i think we're still going to need our trusty bass amp rigs for a long time yet.
Thank you. If you had read the whole thing, you would notice that I admit it isn't necessarily that important to tone, or is even that useful, but as has been discussed in another thread, to many there is still an image connected to Rock. I'm not saying it needed for good sound, but many still associate Rock with loud, raucous, bands and a stage full of amps. Weird concept, I know.
I mean, this:
or
However, as has been said, if it ain't your bag, and you can get your sound from DI or a small combo, that's cool. More power to you.....or, less, if that's the way you want it.....
Yes, well, I find my rig keeps becoming more and more "primitive." Because, as you say, having a huge sound coming from behind you is just an awesome feeling. Plus, I play metal. I'm a young man and heavy amps and cabs don't bother me.
Lightweight amps will still be there when I'm 60. I can use them then.
Lightweight amps will still be there when I'm 60. I can use them then.
I reckon it would only stand a chance of happening when everywhere you are ever likely to play is guaranteed to have high quality monitoring with a good monitor mix with monitors that can handle a bass sound, and there will be one just for the bass player (so the other people near it don't moan)
Don't see that ever being the case here in the uk where so many venues either have no monitors or just tiny half blown little boxes that can't get loud enough for the vocals let alone anything else. Often it's the same story with the foh cabs too!!
Don't see that ever being the case here in the uk where so many venues either have no monitors or just tiny half blown little boxes that can't get loud enough for the vocals let alone anything else. Often it's the same story with the foh cabs too!!
- May 9, 2008
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Cheers mate could you give me a hand stacking the stage monitors I have selected for the bass player!?
Righto! on the command hernia lift!
90% of the time ive noticed that clubs will spend like £1000 on each guitar amp and then when it come to the bass amp they just use a 30watt combo with a di out. this is just the clubs ive played but only 1 had a good bass amp.
the sulution is to bring your own amp but the downside to this is most soundment will just ask you to keep using theres wich meens youve wasted your trip
and i agree with the op that 90% of the time the audence dont care but call me old fashioned but im going to stick behind my old backbreaker
the sulution is to bring your own amp but the downside to this is most soundment will just ask you to keep using theres wich meens youve wasted your trip
and i agree with the op that 90% of the time the audence dont care but call me old fashioned but im going to stick behind my old backbreaker
Cheers mate could you give me a hand stacking the stage monitors I have selected for the bass player!?
Righto! on the command hernia lift!
You see my point! Lol.
You can have my amp, when you can pry it from my cold, dead hands! IMO, if your'e going to get rid of the amps on stage, you might as well take the chicks out of the crowd too!
^ this!
I ****ing hate ****ing playing ****ing ampless, for me the amp is as much a part of the sound as the bass.
It seems so common on this board for people to assume that what works for them should work for everyone.
Just saw a Journey tribute band last night and everything was thru the pa. They had a PA speaker total of 16 15's and 8 12's with a horn on each side of the stage. Big console board and plenty of power amps. Unfortunately the bass player was competing with the sound of the bass drum which was also miked. All you could hear was a big booming sound. You couldnt distinguish each individual note played on the bass. This rig was a DJ's heaven but not for a live band. Give me my backline amp anytime.
- May 9, 2008
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Which loudspeakers do you want me to put back in the truck
then and why don't you think thats an abdication of responsibility for the totality your art mate?.
Cant I just mic them up with a couple of re 20's or md421's and micro delay to phase with the front of house or don't you do your own sound at all these days!?.
Which loudspeakers do you want me to put back in the truck
then and why don't you think thats an abdication of responsibility for the totality your art mate?.
Cant I just mic them up with a couple of re 20's or md421's and micro delay to phase with the front of house or don't you do your own sound at all these days!?.
#1!!!!!!!!!! Actually I've done gigs going D.I/amp emulator only, many, many, gigs amp only, and my share of big gigs with a mic on one of the cabs or a D.I. taken off the amp for extra support from the p.a. I will say that I've had some of my crappiest sounding gigs by going ampless, because a lot of so called FOH sound techs, shouldn't be allowed to mix cake batter, let alone mix sound. Other times it went great! I love using a decent amp rig that fits the needs of the gig maybe most of all, but if I can go ampless with a competent sound tech who actually has an ear for mixing music, that's fine with me too.
