Gig report from last Friday
Sept 9, 2014 0:14:10 GMT -7
Alan M (aka 'Milky'), Sean, and 3 more like this
Post by Pete aka shouldb on Sept 9, 2014 0:14:10 GMT -7
Another gig down with the Therapy folks.
Can't stress this enough, but this is the BEST gigging amp I have ever played, period. We played a pub on the south coast which was virtually empty (50 people maybe?), but at least 12 of then were other gigging musicians from various covers / functions bands in the area. Apparently this pub is a great supporter of musicians and the regulars get reduced price drinks, so it's a place they hang out on nights off! Who knew these places still existed??
We hadn't gigged for a while, so we were rusty. First set was okay, and we got plenty of feedback from our audience (some pretty straightforward in tone, but respectful). Focussing in on my bit, there were two guys there from a pretty successful Pink Floyd tribute band on a rare night off, and I got talking with them, or more accurately, they grabbed me! They were extremely complimentary on the tone of my rig, and asking lots of questions about this "amp with a big zed on the front" They LOVED the tone, especially with the P90 loaded LPS - "man, that thing ROCKS" was a typical comment.
One criticism they had though, was that I wasn't loud enough, especially in my solos, which brings me to the continual challenge I always have by using a hot amp - how to get enough of a solo boost in volume to really cut through. I can be a pretty enthusiastic rhythm player, so when the solo time comes, I'm already playing pretty hard, and if the amp is hot, a clean boost pedal doesn't have enough headroom left to do much more than just saturate the preamp.
So, on second set I tried a very different approach. I set the V at 1-2 o'clock instead of 3-4 as usual, and maxed my GV for the rhythm parts (instead of the usual set at 7-8). I also maxed the Mid - this added a lovely crunch to the tone (that is the most "active" of the tone controls), turned the Bass off, and had Treble set at noon. Then on my SL, I set the Drive very low (9 o'clock) and the Volume very high (3 o'clock) and when I engaged it for a solo, ROLLED BACK my GV to about 7-8 - it worked! It gave me a good lift in volume without over saturating. Oh, and I upped the MV by a notch or two to about 11 o'clock .......... I was getting thumbs up from the Pink Floyd boys okay!
I don't think I would have tried such extreme changes in my set up, on the fly, with any other amp, but this one just seems to know what I want, and delivers it! I have total faith in it - I know its tone, I know its range, and I know it will sound essentially great whatever I do. None of the knobs are extreme in their range, and that gives me confidence to mess around. With others amps, I've had to be aware of their limitations - too much saturation; too much treble; losing the mojo etc., but with the narrower range of sweep on these controls, you can just twiddle away and enjoy.
The other thing with this amp I am now learning, is to play it louder than you think you should. Now maybe that's just me - I am always trying to fit in the pocket in a band, so tend to play quieter than other guitarists might, but that being said, this amp makes my guitar vibrate in my hands in unique ways - I can feel the sound as much as hear it. Very special!
So, long winded I know, but I hope it helps others get used to this glorious amp!
(btw, the reason for turning the Bass off was the wooden stage we were playing on - VERY boomy, so I did not need to add any Bass to the tone)
Can't stress this enough, but this is the BEST gigging amp I have ever played, period. We played a pub on the south coast which was virtually empty (50 people maybe?), but at least 12 of then were other gigging musicians from various covers / functions bands in the area. Apparently this pub is a great supporter of musicians and the regulars get reduced price drinks, so it's a place they hang out on nights off! Who knew these places still existed??
We hadn't gigged for a while, so we were rusty. First set was okay, and we got plenty of feedback from our audience (some pretty straightforward in tone, but respectful). Focussing in on my bit, there were two guys there from a pretty successful Pink Floyd tribute band on a rare night off, and I got talking with them, or more accurately, they grabbed me! They were extremely complimentary on the tone of my rig, and asking lots of questions about this "amp with a big zed on the front" They LOVED the tone, especially with the P90 loaded LPS - "man, that thing ROCKS" was a typical comment.
One criticism they had though, was that I wasn't loud enough, especially in my solos, which brings me to the continual challenge I always have by using a hot amp - how to get enough of a solo boost in volume to really cut through. I can be a pretty enthusiastic rhythm player, so when the solo time comes, I'm already playing pretty hard, and if the amp is hot, a clean boost pedal doesn't have enough headroom left to do much more than just saturate the preamp.
So, on second set I tried a very different approach. I set the V at 1-2 o'clock instead of 3-4 as usual, and maxed my GV for the rhythm parts (instead of the usual set at 7-8). I also maxed the Mid - this added a lovely crunch to the tone (that is the most "active" of the tone controls), turned the Bass off, and had Treble set at noon. Then on my SL, I set the Drive very low (9 o'clock) and the Volume very high (3 o'clock) and when I engaged it for a solo, ROLLED BACK my GV to about 7-8 - it worked! It gave me a good lift in volume without over saturating. Oh, and I upped the MV by a notch or two to about 11 o'clock .......... I was getting thumbs up from the Pink Floyd boys okay!
I don't think I would have tried such extreme changes in my set up, on the fly, with any other amp, but this one just seems to know what I want, and delivers it! I have total faith in it - I know its tone, I know its range, and I know it will sound essentially great whatever I do. None of the knobs are extreme in their range, and that gives me confidence to mess around. With others amps, I've had to be aware of their limitations - too much saturation; too much treble; losing the mojo etc., but with the narrower range of sweep on these controls, you can just twiddle away and enjoy.
The other thing with this amp I am now learning, is to play it louder than you think you should. Now maybe that's just me - I am always trying to fit in the pocket in a band, so tend to play quieter than other guitarists might, but that being said, this amp makes my guitar vibrate in my hands in unique ways - I can feel the sound as much as hear it. Very special!
So, long winded I know, but I hope it helps others get used to this glorious amp!
(btw, the reason for turning the Bass off was the wooden stage we were playing on - VERY boomy, so I did not need to add any Bass to the tone)