Just for fun - 'Judge the band'

[guzzibass]

I expect most of us play gigs rather than watch them. However, us musical-types can be right bitches sometimes If/When you go to a pub gig, and you see the band setting up, you look at the gear etc.............

What gear makes you think....'Omg...they're gonna be a bit crap....????

We've all done it, I know I have..............

[charic]

Behringer! And seeing practice amps on stage. Cheap mics.. the list goes on........

[JTUK]

Sure... I think you can generally say what to expect before the band starts.

Edited August 30, 2010 by JTUK

[molan]

Sometimes a tell-tale sign is that every single instrument looks brand spangly new, especially if all the guitars are BC Rich. . .

[Lozz196]

It used to be if a band appeared very young, until I saw a band that totally knocked those preconceptions out of the window. Now, its usually as above, or people asking for things like "extended upper mids from the snare in my left side monitor" from the soundman.

[Bobo_Grimmer]

I have to say i hate people that do that... When i get to a gig i'm there to entertain people not show off my gear... Don't gig in Bournemouth because it's full of musicians looking down their nose at you as you set up.

I always feel very conscious of my gear. i have some good gear and sometimes hate bring it all in because it shouldn't matter what your playing it's [i]what[/i] your playing that counts. Sometimes i wish i could sit all my gear out of eye line so people could just enjoy the music for what it is and not bitch about where it's coming from.

IMO of cause. ( Sorry if i'm missing the point some what )

[OliverBlackman]

This isnt gear, but when you see print outs of ultimate guitar tabs lying around.

Gear wise, if the guitarist has a dean or jackson and the bassist has a matching shape, i know its not for me

[thisnameistaken]

When there are three or four guitars per guitarist, and they're all expensive ones, you know it's not a gig it's some middle-aged men taking their collections out for a viewing.

And they will all be trying to sound like Dave Gilmour.

[xgsjx]

After listening to some of the demos on here it proves that a £100 guitar doesn't sound much different to a £600 guitar (basses are different, of course :snob: ).
I have judged bands before (in actual competition) & paid no notice of what their tools was, but listened to the sound they produced with them. As the saying goes, a poor workman blames his tools.

[the_skezz]

Used to, back when half my ex-band's gigs were open mic slots alongside other (usually younger) bands who couldn't afford much decent gear. There I was, with my 50s Fender P, and these young rapscallions barely had a Squier to their name

Then I took a proper listen to the music we and they were playing, and realised that the only edge we actually had on them was that we generally played faster, more difficult material, which in our eyes excused the fact that it usually sounded like w***. Plus, we didn't play Sweet Child o Mine every other night...we only butchered that at one of our gigs

[Pete Academy]

[url="http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=78634&hl=gearstalkers"]http://basschat.co.uk/index.php?showtopic=...hl=gearstalkers[/url]

[nick]

Sorry to be boring, but I have to say; I honestly don't judge a band by their gear,age, look or image etc..prior to actually hearing them.
I give them two or three songs (as the first song with any band can sometimes be ropey) before I decide whether or not they're my cup of tea.
Sometimes a band can be a pleasant surprise.

[risingson]

I judge each case on it's merits, I don't think I care as much about what gear they play as it seems a little elitist. I remember seeing a band play a while ago, the bass player had a nice Spector, but it sounded dire, and his playing was pretty rough. After they were finished, the next band came up to play, the guy plugged this Tanglewood bass into the same rig and it just sounded massive, plus the guy was a monster player as well. Gear isn't indicative of how good you are, and I've often found that people with majorly expensive gear are sometimes only compensating for bad musicianship.

Edited August 30, 2010 by risingson

[Colledge]

Sometimes, for me, it works the other way around. If i see someone using some old beaten up gear that would cost next to nothing, but isn't brand new Chinese tat, I have some respect for them.

also if i see a nice beefy rack i have a pre-concieved notion that the user knows his stuff.

[SteveO]

When the band roll out a 4kw+ rig for a tiny back room pub gig, and proceed to rattle the windows at soundcheck, its generally time for me to leave. Once in the Vic in Saltburn the band thought they were playing to an empty pub, when really there were about a hundred people sat in the bar enjoying the music with the door shut.

[skej21]

[quote name='risingson' post='939948' date='Aug 30 2010, 01:16 PM']I judge each case on it's merits, I don't think I care as much about what gear they play as it seems a little elitist. I remember seeing a band play a while ago, the bass player had a nice Spector, but it sounded dire, and his playing was pretty rough. After they were finished, the next band came up to play, the guy plugged this Tanglewood bass into the same rig and it just sounded massive, plus the guy was a monster player as well. Gear isn't indicative of how good you are, and I've often found that people with majorly expensive gear are sometimes only compensating for bad musicianship.[/quote]

+ 1

The saying my bass tutor used to come out with when referring to these kind of people was;

"All the gear, no idea"

Unlike Bobby McFerrin, he has "All the idea, and no gear"

[guzzibass]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='939908' date='Aug 30 2010, 12:36 PM']When there are three or four guitars per guitarist, and they're all expensive ones, you know it's not a gig it's some middle-aged men taking their collections out for a viewing.

And they will all be trying to sound like Dave Gilmour.[/quote]


Yup - PRS lol


This is just for fun remember!!!!!

[Cat Burrito]

[quote name='nick' post='939939' date='Aug 30 2010, 01:06 PM']Sorry to be boring, but I have to say; I honestly don't judge a band by their gear,age, look or image etc..prior to actually hearing them.[/quote]
+1 I hate snobbery (& I know this thread is a bit of fun so not a pop at the OP). I worked with a rhythm guitarist once who genuinely coughed to judging bands on whether they used hard cases or gig bags. Hard cases meant you were serious musicians in case anyone wondered! At least let them get it out the case!!! I've heard some amazing players regularly gigging Squiers and I've seen some pretty mediocre to poor guitarists on Gibsons. Go figure. I've done so many gigs over the years I can't say there is a stereotype that seems to work. I've seen people with really OTT rock 'n' roll images be great players too and I've seen the office boy look also prove worthy of good playing. I've said it before but I respect anyone who gets out there and has a go. BUT all that said, we have played with some absolute howling awful bands.

One funny story from a gig back in Luton in the mid 90s that I'll never forget. This one band showed up with all the attitude, all the gear and the swagger. The singer was giving it the big star trip before his very middle class mother came running back into the venue and shouted "Felix, Felix, you've forgotten your lucozade!" We dined out for weeks on that one. Couldn't tell you what the band were like though.

[allighatt0r]

Both guitarists in my band have £2000+ PRS guitars... I'm quite proud of being the member of the band with the cheapest kit.

I gig with 3 basses (not all at once mind you!), all of which cost me no more than £350 each, a Marshall "bitsa" 410 that cost me £150 (loaded with Celestion greenbacks! that was a nice surprise.) and a 300watt Hiwatt 115 combo that cost me nothing! (although an identical one sold on here for £100 a few months ago). I think I get a great sound out of my kit! I never get people speaking to me about my gear or sound, but I don't think I'd want to! Creepy weirdos!

The main time I'll check out a bands gear is if their sound is abysmal, it's all the more satisfying when they're gear is very expensive!

Case and point: I went and saw a band recently and the bassist had a horrible lifeless clanky trebley tone with no body and bass to it (in a classic rock covers band), he was using a David Eden 410 rig with a posh looking Warwick $$. Muppet.

Edited August 30, 2010 by allighatt0r

[Truckstop]

I get tremendous saftisfaction out of watching rich kids play with their expensive kit without a clue. It actually makes me smile inside.

Truckstop

[GarethFlatlands]

Not gear but we saw a very small band on a self financed tour walking around their hometown branch of Primark, mid-tour, sporting homemade tour laminates. That was 2 years ago and it still makes us laugh.

I also got laughed at in Coventry for playing a very old school looking Matamp by some screamo kids with Marshall Valvestate heads. I won.

Edited August 30, 2010 by GarethFlatlands

[Colledge]

[quote name='GarethFlatlands' post='940549' date='Aug 31 2010, 12:34 AM']I also got laughed at in Coventry for playing a very old school looking Matamp by some screamo kids with Marshall Valvestate heads. I won.[/quote]

they didn't know their stuff then.

a while ago there was a band playing in my (may aswell be living room) local and the cones on their pa were almost completely made out of duct tape, have to say, that got them pretty high on my cool-o-meter.

[Big_Stu]

[quote name='thisnameistaken' post='939908' date='Aug 30 2010, 12:36 PM']When there are three or four guitars per guitarist, and they're all expensive ones, you know it's not a gig it's some middle-aged men taking their collections out for a viewing.

And they will all be trying to sound like Dave Gilmour.[/quote]

Oh yes!