It's really nice to play with old timers (attn Psycho Bass Man)

[Happy Face]

We landed a nice time slot on the main stage at an outdoor city festival tomorrow. It's not Woodstock or Shea Stadium, but it should be a lot of fun. PA, stage etc provided which is really nice since our PA is in my basement.

But the bands have to bring their own amps. No big deal. I mean, that's why we agonize over our rigs, right?

Last night after practice we were talking about what rigs to bring. Our leader guitarist mumbled something about bringing his little Line 6 amp since "we'll be miked anyway so it'll be fine." In fairness to him, he does get some good sound out of it sometimes. But...

Thankfully I did not have to say a word.  

First our frontman exploded: "You have a beautiful Marshall half stack and you want to bring that little piece of crap??" He was referring to the sound. Then he added that we want to LOOK GOOD on stage. "This'll be a big crowd!"

Then our new drummer, a local legend who we were lucky to get, joined in: "Marshalls and Orange, my two favorite brands. I want one on each side of me."

Our poor lead guitarist asked "Well, what will DJ bring?" probably wondering if I'd bring my "small room" Sunn 200s on top of a 1x15 folded horn.

But I didn't get a chance to answer. The frontman declared "He's bringing his big Orange rig. And you are bringing the Marshall. End of discussion."

It's nice playing with guys who still care about how we look on stage rather than worrying about being able to carry your whole rig in one trip.  

And, it doesn't hurt that my big Orange rig sounds much, much better than any of the little mini rigs I tried when we had a 9 month residence at a club with a long flight of stairs up.

 

[hieronymous]

Hope we get to see pictures after the gig!

[exiledarchangel]

Your guitarist sounds like a very down-to-earth kind of guy, rare thing amongst them.
Also, PICS!!!

[Happy Face]

Your guitarist sounds like a very down-to-earth kind of guy, rare thing amongst them.
Also, PICS!!!

Right you are. Imagine this, we have to ENCOURAGE him to extend his leads. That's unheard of!!!

[Chris P.]

 

[Happy Face]

The Big Orange rig in action. Wth a Guild JSII, modded with Darkstars. My mainstay bass.

Yep, that's my license plate.

[Happy Face]

The massive stage. The Marshall & the Orange did present a nice visual balance.

Due to the low turnout they bagged the big stage.

But the check was paid and the sound company was good. So who's complaining??

[Happy Face]

Sorta in focus, this time playing the Rickenbacker. It must have been a Who song.

This will teach you not to ask me for gig photos again.

[Dave W]

...

Yep, that's my license plate.

How does that Orange rig handle in rush hour traffic then?

[Happy Face]

How does that Orange rig handle in rush hour traffic then? 

It's a great musician's car. Thanks to the ability to remove the back seats totally, it's like a small truck. Much better than an SUV. But the visibilty to the sides is not great.

Nor is the power. So if you are asking if it would handle LA rush hours or normal times on the BQE in NYC well, not really. You just have to accept that you will be honked at and receive a hand gesture now & then.

[Psycho Bass Guy]

the sound company was good.

I'll bet a LOT of that had to do with having a good stage sound to start with. The biggest mistake I see in 'all DI/small amp' bands is that they end up trying to make three or four wedges sound like Iron Maiden's Powerslave backline and everyone suffers. It happens when sound guys like to pretend they're producers and the bands either don't have the experience or the clout to overrule them. It's MUCH easier to balance vocals onstage when there's little to nothing else in the monitors. Unless a band has an absolutely KILLER PA/monitor system and an equally gifted set of hands on board, going the route that has worked for over 60 years ain't a bad idea.

[godofthunder]

Go big or stay home is my motto

[Highlander]

... and when Scott goes BIG...

[Pilgrim]

It's MUCH easier to balance vocals onstage when there's little to nothing else in the monitors. Unless a band has an absolutely KILLER PA/monitor system and an equally gifted set of hands on board, going the route that has worked for over 60 years ain't a bad idea.

Hear, hear!  It never hurts to have an amp that's up to the job. After 40+ years messing with audio and video, I hate depending on someone else's system.  I'll bring my gear; that's why I bought gear that I'm capable of transporting every time.

[bobyoung]

I bring my SVT everywhere, for very small rooms I use two B-15T 15" 4 ohm cabs with an SVT head.