Guitarist + 16 pedals = nightmare

[solo4652]

In one of the bands I play in, the lead guitarist is gadget-mad. He turns up with 16 floor pedals, an ebow and 3 guitars. Consequently there is always some sort of signal-path problem with his rig; feedback, dodgy connections, kilometres of cabling. When he's not spending time trying to work out why he's getting all manner of weird noises, he's forever fiddling with switches and buttons, in his own gadget world. Now, the singers are also turning up with floor effects pedals...

Last rehearsal, it took almost two hours to set up. We did 2 songs because, as usual, the guitarist was plugging and unplugging this and that, chasing random screeches and weird echoes. I said that if he couldn't sort it all out for the 3rd song, I was going home. That's what happened. Afterwards, when I asked if all his STUFF was absolutely necessary, he said "Yes - I'm not going to change".

I'm getting very frustrated with all the gadget-driven problems, hanging around and distractions. After 4 months of lots of hard work, we're on the verge of gigging, so I don't want to walk away now - too much time and effort invested. But, I can see this happening again and again. Not sure what I should do...

IMPORTANT EDIT: Obviously, this is a public forum and I'm already regretting posting my original comments. It's entirely possible that some basschatters will be able to work out who I'm referring to and I certainly do not want to cause any personal embarrassment. I think I've allowed my frustrations to get the better of my judgement. So, I do not intend to make any more comments about the individual because he's a friendly guy who really enjoys his guitar-playing. Somewhat red-faced, I'll go and get me coat.

Edited April 24, 2012 by solo4652

[Doctor J]

Video this. Send him two hours of video of him setting up. Also, record your rehearsals and send him audio.

Advise him that, if he wants to keep the pedals, he should get a pedalboard and set it up properly in his own time, then arrive on time and plug his guitar in one end and the amp in the other and be ready to go. If that doesn't work then you and the drummer show up two hours late and ask him if he's ready when you get in.

[BottomE]

Burn him and/or his pedals - whatever catches light first.

[Wooks79]

it depends if it suits the tunes or not. The band I'm in, we use a lot of tech, and its a long set up etc. but its worth it for the sound. We know all our gear inside out, so we avoid screeches/problems/etc.

I'm personally all for masses of pedals and all that as long as it benefits the sound, every band I have been in have always had loads of pedals and stuff.

It sounds like he just needs to spend some time getting used to his own set up, till he has it down to military precision... and to be fair if someone ever told me to sort something out now or they go home, I would be the one packing up and heading off first! lol.

[cheddatom]

there's nothing wrong with gigging with lots of gadgets, as long as you know how to use them. I used to gig with 25 pedals on two pedal boards with 2 amps. I still set up in 10 minutes. If you can't set up in 10 minutes at rehearsal you're never going to be able to set up in time at a gig.

[BigRedX]

I've used some very complicated guitar and bass set ups, but I would never waste valuable band rehearsal time on something that I hadn't tested in my own time and got all the problems ironed out first. Also I've discovered that in the majority of live band situations you can't tell the difference between the majority of single pedals and the same effect from a decent multi-effects unit which has the added advantage of giving me exactly the same sound every time I call up a particular preset.

[mikegatward]

Was the 2 hours the exception or the norm ?

If the former, then let it go. We all have bad techie days with gear from time to time. He should be sorting all this stuff out at home though. We had a guitarist who was guilty of this and said he couldn't play at any volume at home. The age of headphones seemed to have passed him by.

If it's the latter then he should be setting up in his own time and paying for it as well assuming you're hiring a studio on an hourly rate.

[Mr. Foxen]

Lots of pedals isn't the problem, the problem is having no clue what he is up to.

[dogload]

I also use tons of pedals (despite trying to downsize). The key to doing this is to prepare in advance, good cabling (ie reliable!) and having them all on an easy-to-deploy pedalboard.

[quote name='BigRedX' timestamp='1335276661' post='1628461']
Also I've discovered that in the majority of live band situations you can't tell the difference between the majority of single pedals and the same effect from a decent multi-effects unit which has the added advantage of giving me exactly the same sound every time I call up a particular preset.
[/quote]
This is no doubt true, but I can never manage to just have 'a preset'!

[risingson]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1335275664' post='1628440']
Now, the singers are also turning up with floor effects pedals...
[/quote]

Murder would happen if my singer did this

[pietruszka]

Im going to be really brutal about this. I really am not a huge fan of effects, I personally don't see much gain for any one but the person using them. I have a few myself but rarely do they leave the shelf at home. And I'll explain my harshness;

A friend used to play guitar in a rock band and had 3 different distortion pedals with different settings. Why I asked him, he told me it was because they had different qualities. The next gig he only had 1, his reason was because you couldn't hear the different to make it worth carrying the extra luggage. He only had them for his own benefit.

There is no way your guitarist NEEDS 16 pedals. And to take 2 hours setting up he is wasting everyones time including his own. I do apologise to any one who thinks I'm being OTT, but I really have no time for people who take a life time to set up with an excessive amount of gear not knowing how to set it up ready to go. Band practice is just that, BAND practice, it's for the benefit of the band and if he needs time to run through his set up then he should be doing that at home in his own time.

I'd be inclined to get rid of him, but thats me. If this is what he's like in rehearsal what is he going to be like for a gig? It always amazes pubs when my function band plays them as we take about 10 bars to sound check following the 20 minute set up. Why? Because we know our gear inside out.

And breath!






Dan

[dogload]

[quote]
A friend used to play guitar in a rock band and had 3 different distortion pedals with different settings. Why I asked him, he told me it was because they had different qualities.
[/quote]

That's fair enough

[quote]There is no way your guitarist NEEDS 16 pedals. And to take 2 hours setting up he is wasting everyones time including his own.[/quote]

There's a thin line between want and need... [i]however[/i], I couldn't agree more about the second point. My rig has 13 pedals in one case, with one universal psu and a psu for my Holy Grail reverb, a lead in, a lead out and the whole thing takes about five minutes to set up.

[pietruszka]

[quote name='dogload' timestamp='1335279234' post='1628507']

There's a thin line between want and need... [i]however[/i], I couldn't agree more about the second point. My rig has 13 pedals in one case, with one universal psu and a psu for my Holy Grail reverb, a lead in, a lead out and the whole thing takes about five minutes to set up.
[/quote]

Thats fine and very workable in a band, you have however displayed knowing your equipment, matron, and you don't waste time. I get the impression the OP guitarist has got the pedals because he possibly feels he needs them? My guitarist in the function band is like your self, everything is on a pedal board and he plugs it in and away he goes. Or am I being too harsh by expecting musicians to know what they're doing?
Christ I've stopped bringing my fretless to gigs because no one hears the difference and it wastes time on stage I find, especially when we don't play to a set list. No one notices so it stays at home. Less to carry, less to go wrong, less time wasted.



Dan

[BottomE]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1335278088' post='1628483']
Im going to be really brutal about this. I really am not a huge fan of effects, I personally don't see much gain for any one but the person using them. I have a few myself but rarely do they leave the shelf at home. And I'll explain my harshness;
It always amazes pubs when my function band plays them as we take about 10 bars to sound check
And breath!
Dan
[/quote]

10 bars to soundcheck! What luxury

I am also not a big fan of peddles but i understand why they can be useful. 16 pedals though? I sympathise with SOLO and couldn't think of anything more tedious than watching someone fiddling with their stuff for 2 hours. FFS thats longer than most gigs we do and you haven't even played a tune. This guy (pedal freak) is compensating for something. Couldn't he collect stamps or train numbers like other geeks?

[Mr. Foxen]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1335278088' post='1628483']
There is no way your guitarist NEEDS 16 pedals.
[/quote]

This really depends on what you are playing. More accurate to say guitarist's don't need more pedals than they know how to use competently.

[bclhaynes]

I'm primarily a guitarist and use a similar amount of pedals without issue, but it does take a huge investment in time and money to get things right. Time spent working out how everything works and setting it up on a pedal board which requires a few connections to set up. Money spent on good quality cables, such as George L's and a pedal switcher, like the Gig Rig Pro-14. Also a good quality power supply, not your Boss wall wart!

[EdwardHimself]

You think that's bad? The bass player in my band has got about £600 worth of effects pedals, including 2 envelope filters, and NO tuner!

[Stag]

Having seen bclhaynes's UBER PEDAL I can safely say it is the saviour to all ills in the pedal department.

Although it does cost as much as a bass

Edited April 24, 2012 by Stag

[Doctor J]

The nub of it is that he needs to get his setup together and he needs to do this in his own time. There's no harm using effects, but two hours is not acceptable, even thirty minutes is not acceptable.

[bclhaynes]

[quote name='EdwardHimself' timestamp='1335280553' post='1628542']
You think that's bad? The bass player in my band has got about £600 worth of effects pedals, including 2 envelope filters, and NO tuner!
[/quote]

With two envelope filters, I doubt he'd need the use of a tuner

[Toasted]

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1335278088' post='1628483']There is no way your guitarist NEEDS 16 pedals.[/quote]

Judgmental nonsense.

[quote name='pietruszka' timestamp='1335278088' post='1628483']And to take 2 hours setting up he is wasting everyones time including his own.[/quote]

Absolutely correct.

[jaydentaku]

Can
He actually play the damn thing?

[0175westwood29]

[quote name='solo4652' timestamp='1335275664' post='1628440']
In one of the bands I play in, the lead guitarist is gadget-mad. He turns up with 16 floor pedals, an ebow and 3 guitars. Consequently there is always some sort of signal-path problem with his rig; feedback, dodgy connections, kilometres of cabling. When he's not spending time trying to work out why he's getting all manner of weird noises, he's forever fiddling with switches and buttons, in his own gadget world. Now, the singers are also turning up with floor effects pedals...

Last rehearsal, it took almost two hours to set up. We did 2 songs because, as usual, the guitarist was plugging and unplugging this and that, chasing random screeches and weird echoes. I said that if he couldn't sort it all out for the 3rd song, I was going home. That's what happened. Afterwards, when I asked if all his STUFF was absolutely necessary, he said "Yes - I'm not going to change".

I'm getting very frustrated with all the gadget-driven problems, hanging around and distractions. After 4 months of lots of hard work, we're on the verge of gigging, so I don't want to walk away now - too much time and effort invested. But, I can see this happening again and again.

Don't know what to do...
[/quote]

does he have a pedalboard?

theres nothing wrong with him having 16 pedals! like many above ive had 11/12 pedals and i used all of them if this guy uses his pedals then maybe just give him a few links to pedalboards site?

andy

[bclhaynes]

Something else to consider is splitting rehearsals up so that at one you play through the songs and don't worry about effects, where he can bring a tuner and distortion pedal and then another time do your 'dress rehearsals' with everything going, but he really shouldn't be wasting the whole bands time sorting his own gear out. That time should be spent on the song writing and rehearsing. If he's bringing three guitars and they're not all in different tunings then again he's wasting time. Nothing kills motivation like somebody constantly fiddling with gear - been there...been responsible for it!

[Marvin]

All the gear no idea!

I was in a band with one of these sorts, although he never took 2 hours to set up. Rehearsals just ended up bringing more and more equipment per se - mixing desk, wedge monitors, cd player etc. It's not the number of pedals, effects or whatever that's the problem, it's whether the person who has them knows what they're doing with them.

Contrast with the 2 guitarists (in different bands) I play with at the moment. One has nearly no effects, the other has about a dozen pedals. They're both comfortable with they're sound and what they're using and both thoroughly decent sorts.