Sean

Thanks to a really comprehensive but easy to understand article, I've got clarity now on something that has always been an issue for me to varying degrees and has just become more evident lately with cabinet choice (TWO10 w/o tweeter). The manifestation of this issue is at its worst when you momentarily can't hear any element of your sound while performing and this causes you to make mistakes. That's not a good place to be.

I sounds glorious out front.

Looking at it, it's probably more like 3-4 feet at the last two indoor venues. Both "PA venues" with house sound guys, foldbacks. The music is standard rock covers. I agree, it doesn't seem normal but that's the reality. I can experiment with the position of the cab but it would have to be done with the band playing. At level check when it's just me hitting single notes for the sound guy, it's all tickety boo. I think it's worth reiterating that when we do soundcheck I'm setting the rig at a level where I can hear it standing on my spot, that's when they say, "too loud" and I roll off. When no one else is playing, that soundcheck volume is definitely too loud. For gigging levels, I can't hear myself properly, or I can't hear my sound, just mud.

@stevie Happy to PM me?

I tend to have my sound pretty sorted, at least it sounds good to me when I use wireless and go out front during soundcheck. I switch back to a lead for the show. It's a GK Fusion 550 (EQs mostly between 11 to 1 0'Clock). Spector, Nickel Rounds, no dirt, just some compression, and occasional chorus and EQ pedals. The last gig was fine, it was outdoors and I had some distance between me and the cab. Previous gigs have been just dreadful with the same set up. I can hear my rig OK when it's just me doing level checks but when we're playing as a band it seems to get lost on stage when I'm close to the rig.

Does it help you with on stage monitoring? You know when you're close to a rig and it's kiling the people in the front 5-6 meters away but you can't hear it, does it overcome this issue? I'm starting to lose the plot with my current rig even when it's elevated.

I've been looking at LFSys lately as there's one thing on the website that really resonated with me and I need to understand more. It says on the About LFSys page, and I quote, "The lightweight amps were great but the cabs proved a disappointment. First, my (highly regarded) compact cab regularly ran out of steam when I needed to play really loud and second, more importantly, I struggled to hear what I was playing when I was standing close to the cab. Which was more often than not." This is my biggest issue gigging. I've been using one of my (no tweeter) TWO10s vertically on an 18" high platform (alu workbench) and a Gramma isolation pad so I can hear it but the guys in the band are wondering why I'm so loud on stage when we're setting up and soudchecking. When I come down to an acceptable stage volume, I can't hear my rig very well, I just hear the room (but obviously on a lag). I'm between 3-8 feet in front of it depending on venue and where I stand. Now, the "really loud" isn't an issue for me, the venues are pubs/clubs/marquees and I never need the second TWO10, in fact the folding aluminum workbench has replaced the second TWO10 as that was being used as a shelf in some cases. Is a Monaco going to meet my need to hear myself better on stage and if so, how does it do that and why doesn't the TWO10 do it? Also would it still need to go a platform? The guys in that band are "a bit wary" of me having the cab raised as they've never really seen that before.

Deviating slightly from Tonerider but heading to a solution, I recently went through a little project where I needed/wanted a very specific tonal quality from a pair of pickups that I had to have custom made due to the configuration. I approached a few pickup makers and chose Laverack Guitars, they make Toltec pickups. Lee, who owns the business was able to interpret what I wanted tonally from a phone conversation and nailed it. They aren't expensive either. He does a range of J and P and will wind exactly to your spec or desire for very reasonable money indeed. Customer support is of the highest quality too. He has an eBay shop but always approach direct and have the conversation. https://www.laverackguitars.com/

I'll be taking at least 3 big old valve monsters (with valve power sections) to the South West Bass Bash and if anyone has an 8x10 they could bring along, we could do a VAV initiation for a small donation.

You beat me to it, Chris. These VAVs don't know what they're missing. And a valve pre-amp with a Class D is like Guinness Zero (I knows, I got one).

I don't have a No.1 per se, they're all favorites for different reasons. With the "drive-time Rock covers" band, I use a pair of Spectors (a Euro 4 and a Euro LX 4) that have the same pickups, same pre-amps, same set-up spec, same Eb standard tuning and same strings. It's run/standby redundancy. They're tools, albeit very pretty ones, to do a job. With the "obscure covers" band, I use a Spector Euro 5 LX with a BBP35 as backup, although I would like to find a Euro 5 or NS5CR. All four are absolute peaches but they get used out in the real world. I have basses that don't go out at the moment but that's mainly because they aren't what I use in these bands. They've all been gigged in the past except the one Spector and that's just because it's new and I haven't taken it to jam night yet.

That'll sort it. Probably double the cost of the pickups but...

.145

I've just got back in from seeing SatchVai Band in Wolverhampton. Two words... Kenny Aronoff. I've seen him a couple of times before but I swear he keeps getting better. He can do it all. It was like like 2 hours of some guitar blokes and Marco Mendoza keeping Kenny company while he wiped the floor with 99.99% of other drummers. And he's 72 and as fit as a butcher's dog. The people I went with said that the guitar playing was decent but then again, I wouldn't have thought Kenny would have played with anybody shoddy for a minute 😉

It's a Mesa thing. I've searched and searched and can't find it but there was an article or some written explanation by Randall Smith about why they did it that way. It used to annoy me when I gigged my 400+, Carbine M9 and Walkabout. The explanation made sense from a tone point of view but was in practice, nothing but an inconvenience. I ended up using a DI and that just killed the whole point of having the Mesa as a gigging amp. Only the band could hear it. I still love Mesa amps, though but it'll be a GK Fusion 550 behind me on Friday evening.

That's so positive to hear, Steve. I've had a similar experience with my new band recently. What rig are you playing the Euro LX through? I'm back where I was 15 years ago playing Spectors with HAZ preamps through GK heads into modern quality cabs.

Simple rock covers band board. A pedal snake covers all connections: instrument chain to amp, send and return loop and 9v power. They all sit on a PedalTrain Nano. Right to Left: 1. SFX Microthumpinator (essential, wonderful, genius). 2. Korg Pitchblack XS Bass tuner (novelty over-priced trendy bass-specific tuner) 3. Origin Effects DCX Bass (always on posh tone enhancer/drive, sparkle box). 4. Origin Effects Cali76 Compressor (always on posh compressor) 5. TC Electronic Chorus (uses TonePrint Duff Chorus but dialled down a bit. Used for quite a lot of the set).

Let's compare notes.

Right then, I'm going to play it that way at full rehearsal next week and see if I get a reaction. I'll let you know.

I've played that song for years and it's one of those that in the verses I improvise. A bit different every time. My band are all over any harmonic anomalies and no one ever says a word.