Need pix of the brothers!

[Granny Gremlin]

Speaking as a man who has used many an opening (or headlining for that matter) band's rig, this has sometimes turned out very badly.  I've met plenty an amp I didn't like (solid state SVTs; lower-end Acoustic... though in retrospect it could have been the cabs as much as, or moreso than, the amps).

[uwe]

Functionality and headroom are the two key ingredients for me. I tell opening acts they can use my rig, but that I wouldn't mind playing over theirs either, and if they prefer playing over their stuff I just ask "no drop-outs?" and "is it loud enough"? I then tend to have the MarkBass with me in case all fails, but if the other guy's rig is ok, the MarkBass stay comfortably in the car.

Really, all that "I need (i) this amp over (ii) those speakers with (iii) my effects board or it just ain't me" is for whining guitarists. Always embarrasses me if I witness that and if a guitarist wants to lose my respect really quick all he needs to do is say "I can't play over this thing". Pansies.

[Blackbird]

"Choice" is overstating things, I'm not hung up over what amp I play as long as it works and is loud enough. People tell me that I sound the same over anything. The MarkBass stuff is more variable than most, not that I really change sounds during a set once I've found one I like.  

Amps and cabs with me never transcend the "tool" status. I play Ampeg SVT, Orange Little Terror, Roland Modeling combos, MarkBass and an Ashdown JAE master-/pre-amp, none of them bugs me enough that I wouldn't take it on stage, but I'd be hard-pressed to name a favorite. This sounds terribly uncool, but it might even be the Roland Modeling combos for sheer variety with a single turn of a knob.  

These days I tend to take the amp/cab with the best weight to loudness ratio with me to an audition or gig (or ask the opening act if I can use their bassist's rig)!

Yah, I found Markbass was the perfect match for loudness to weight ratio.  I have 500W, which seems to be plenty in a six piece rock outfit, but I know if there's a need the cabinet has 300w more of handling and MB has some nice stuff out there.  I think my whole rig comes under 70lbs, which is nice.  I can pretty much sound like me whatever I play thru, but my setup right now has such a cutting/grinding tone I don't want to mess with it and leave it home.  The guys still mention it, so that can't be a bad thing!

[Granny Gremlin]

Functionality and headroom are the two key ingredients for me. I tell opening acts they can use my rig, but that I wouldn't mind playing over theirs either, and if they prefer playing over their stuff I just ask "no drop-outs?" and "is it loud enough"? I then tend to have the MarkBass with me in case all fails, but if the other guy's rig is ok, the MarkBass stay comfortably in the car.

Really, all that "I need (i) this amp over (ii) those speakers with (iii) my effects board or it just ain't me" is for whining guitarists. Always embarrasses me if I witness that and if a guitarist wants to lose my respect really quick all he needs to do is say "I can't play over this thing". Pansies.

This may be all fine and good when you're playing shows with people of your social-economic demographic vs broke-ass student hipsters.  The amps tend to really take a nose dive in both quality and level of maintenance.  You see a lot of really bad cabs, speakers that needed a recone last year and amps that haven't seen a tech in a decade.

I do like playing other people's rigs (because I wouldn't ever get to experience some cool stuff otherwise) but sometimes it can be a real crapshoot.  I was really keen to try this dude's Acoustic at my last out of town show but it turned out that it was distorted and farty at 2 on the gain knob.  Dude was in a punk band and liked it that way, but it just wasn't something that was useful to me.  I made the best of it without comment or complaint, as I did with the solid state SVTs in the rehearsal space we've been using lately, but it makes my day when we get the Markbass room (not that I am a MB fanboy, my top 5 choices would be different amps altogether). ... that may be due to being newer actually; you never know about the gear in sleazy rehearsal spaces.

The flip side of this coin is the otherwise destitute musician who has an immaculate vintage rig and won't let anyone else touch it because it's the only thing of value he owns.  I understand that (I've had gear damaged when sharing; usually drums), but it's still funny/annoying; flip it for a brick shithouse Peavey and buy a new pair of shoes and some dinner, dude.

[Hörnisse]

Give me a good in ear mix and I'm fine. 

[uwe]

I haven't progressed to that yet and feel guilty! 

[Blackbird]

NOTE TO ME:  When given the option to being your rig, or use what is provided, always being your own.  I played the last 8 songs of the 10 song set with no stage bass as the cabinet was being an ass, no time to see why.  Luckily the  Peavey head was DI's as the cab was miked.  I heard nothing cuz they couldn't seem to get me anything in the monitors....but it was recorded and me and the drums were locked in!

[Granny Gremlin]

Good pic!  Love the lighting and the creepy eyes.

[Pilgrim]

Good pic!  Love the lighting and the creepy eyes.

Indeed!  That's an excellent photo!!

[Aussie Mark]

Stones tribute show on Saturday night ....

[Basvarken]

Did you have the wig on backwards? 

[uwe]

I miss the matching shirts.

[TBird1958]

We did matching skirt once..........We were all Catholic School Girls.

[Pilgrim]

We did matching skirt once..........We were all Catholic School Girls.

Naughty!!   

[TBird1958]

Naughty!!   

It was out in Pt. Angeles, after the show this logger comes up to me and says " I've been out murdering trees all day, just got out of the Pen(itentury), can I buy you a drink?.............Uhhhhhh, no!