Gig Etiquette

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='chrismuzz' timestamp='1369434125' post='2089371']


With some amps it can take a long time to set a good sound up. Luckily my Markbass head is the king of simplicity, however nobody has ever changed my settings because they sound perfect for a metal band

HOWEVER... If I was to let somebody use my pedalboard, they would NEVER be allowed to adjust any of the settings!
[/quote]

In that case you just behave like an adult and say "look, please don't adjust anything, thanks".

Going as far as taping over the controls just strikes me as being really quite weird.

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='Dave_the_bass' timestamp='1369434551' post='2089373']
+1 to this. If I can't get hold of the bassist who's rig I'm supposed to be using before the event I tend to throw mine in the car and take it. It stays in the car until I've tracked down the bassist and double checked that it's definitely okay and that they are aware of the situation.

I turned up to a few gigs early on in my bass career where the promoter had told the other bands that they could use my amp. First I knew of this was when the next band to sound check plugged in to it!

If I'm aware in advance I don't tend to say no, but I do keep a close eye on my gear. Although this may change when I start gigging the Genz and Berg set up.
[/quote]

I usually bring my full rig, but when told not to I bring my head anyway, as it goes in the bag with my leads.. And I have two DI's on my pedalboard as well!

Luckily I don't have to pay too close attention to my rig when people are using it, since I use a 500w head into an 8 ohm 800w cab... So even at full whack you'll never put more than 350w into it... And Markbass heads have those insane limiters in for extra protection!

[chrismuzz]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1369435393' post='2089381']
[color=#282828][font=helvetica, arial, sans-serif]In that case you just behave like an adult and say "look, please don't adjust anything, thanks".[/font][/color]

Going as far as taping over the controls just strikes me as being really quite weird.
[/quote]

I wouldn't do it myself, but I'll bet people have ignored polite requests in the past!

[Guest bassman7755]

[quote name='Jack Cahalane' timestamp='1369401109' post='2088792']
The only time I lent my amp out at a gig I put duct tape over the controls to stop him changing my settings,
[/quote]

So its beyond you to remember the position of half a dozen knobs then ?.

[DarkHeart]

not trying to be funny or anything but the people who go on about the settings on the amp, why not just take a pic on your phone of your settings (everyones phone has a camera these days) and it would take seconds to restore your sounds...........................just saying

[Stan_da_man]

The one and only time I lent my gear out (because I had to) and I didn't get a thank you for it. Probably because I told the bass player off for resting his bass on top of my Genz head! Tw*t!

[rogerstodge]

[quote name='Dave Vader' timestamp='1369395226' post='2088688']


This, and yeah, if I was on first, on a weeknight, and they expected me to stay all night while they use my amp, they can either ask, or be very very quiet in the bass frequencies.

*because I would have gone home with my amp, for the hard of thinking
[/quote]yep me too. I do my bit and i'm wheel spinning up the road

Edited May 25, 2013 by rogerstodge

[mike257]

[quote name='DarkHeart' timestamp='1369447621' post='2089447']
not trying to be funny or anything but the people who go on about the settings on the amp, why not just take a pic on your phone of your settings (everyones phone has a camera these days) and it would take seconds to restore your sounds...........................just saying
[/quote]

Or if you're busting out the duct tape, just put a piece on top of your head with a quick sketch of your settings. Tried and tested. Half a dozen circles with a line to show which way they need to point and you've got instant recall!

The old ways are often the best.

[Judo Chop]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1369429912' post='2089313']


to be honest, that's pretty lame behaviour in my opinion.

By all means, refuse to lend someone an amp. That's cool. But to lend them one and then duct tape the controls? That's pretty sad.
[/quote]

I left him the volume and channel switch. He could always have gone into the desk or brought along his own amp couldn't he?

I don't care how "sad" or "weird" it was.

Edited May 25, 2013 by Jack Cahalane

[JapanAxe]

Another bass player decided to plug into my rig for a short set in between the two I was playing. I sat and watched him twiddle knobs, slide sliders, check his lead, check the battery in his bass, re-check a few of those... before finally coming off stage to find me and ask how my amp worked. 'Would you like to borrow my amp then?' I asked. I kind of knew the answer because he hadn't brought one, though he could have DI'ed into thePA. 'Yes please' he said. So I walked onto the stage and released the mute switch.

[Judo Chop]

[quote name='bassman7755' timestamp='1369437784' post='2089403']


So its beyond you to remember the position of half a dozen knobs then ?.
[/quote]

Was it beyond him to remember to bring his own amp then?

[Lynottfan]

Spot on Jack, case in point is right there, its the [b]turning up without[/b] gear that is at fault, end of.

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='Lynottfan' timestamp='1369500968' post='2089903']
Spot on Jack, case in point is right there, its the [b]turning up without[/b] gear that is at fault, end of.
[/quote]

Then don't lend them an amp! Saying "no, you can't use my amp" is absolutely fine. Saying "You can use my amp, but you can't touch the EQ" is just...odd.

[discreet]

Heh. A bass player who turns up for a gig with no gear isn't a bass player in my book.
Mind you, my book is pretty weird... but even so.

Edited May 25, 2013 by discreet

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='discreet' timestamp='1369521250' post='2090181']
Heh. A bass player who turns up for a gig with no gear isn't a bass player in my book.
Mind you, my book is pretty weird... but even so.
[/quote]

Indeed. But [i]sometimes[/i] there are excuses. I've turned up to gigs where the promoter told us there was a house backline only to discover that it either didn't exist or didn't work. Thankfully I have a DI box that I take to gigs but if you were naiive enough to take a promoter at their word you'd be in trouble!

[Musky]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1369520792' post='2090178']


Then don't lend them an amp! Saying "no, you can't use my amp" is absolutely fine. Saying "You can use my amp, but you can't touch the EQ" is just...odd.
[/quote]

Not really. Turning up the lowest frequencies can kill a speaker at what can seem modest volumes, and simply telling someone to go easy does't always get heeded. I've said exactly that before only to find every control on the amp dimed to the max.

Fortunately the guy was as ignorant about his own gear as he was about mine, and was't getting the level out of his multi fx to make either the clip or limiter lights flash.

[skej21]

I've been told by venues before that back line would be supplied, turned up, plugged in and turned to the other band's bassist and said 'the back line they provided is pretty good!', to be met with the response 'that's my amp, not the venues... They didn't ask me if you could use it but I don't mind'. I always thank the bassist who brings the back line if I know about it lol.

It can be a bit awkward and often it's the venues fault for taking advantage of the willingness of others to play/bring their own gear. Luckily, I always take my Aggy Tone Hammer pedal so just use the provided amp for volume/power and control the EQ from the pre amp. It also gives me te option of just DI if communication goes wrong. Now that I'm down to using just one 12" cab and an amp that fits in my gig bag, it's rare that I don't take my rig to most gigs, even if it sits in the car all night.

Edited May 26, 2013 by skej21

[uncle psychosis]

[quote name='Musky' timestamp='1369553714' post='2090304']


Not really. Turning up the lowest frequencies can kill a speaker at what can seem modest volumes, and simply telling someone to go easy does't always get heeded. I've said exactly that before only to find every control on the amp dimed to the max.

Fortunately the guy was as ignorant about his own gear as he was about mine, and was't getting the level out of his multi fx to make either the clip or limiter lights flash.
[/quote]

If your amp was that delicate, you'd just not lend it. If the other guy has a big fat active preamp in his bass, an eq pedal, or an octaver then he could still do the same level of damage.

You're under no obligation to let a stranger use your amp. I'd never criticise anyone for saying no in that situation. But if you are going to lend someone an amp, then letting them change the EQ settings is hardly the end of the world.

[JTUK]

This is horror reading.....
It seems that no one controls the bill or controls the stage...or not much at all...???

I understand on multi bills you might not actually know who has supplied what...but if you don't know that
then I'd ship in my gear and ship it off as well...

[Lynottfan]

I agree with you Uncle, but as the borrower of the gear you have to abide by the terms of the lender and if thats don't touch my settings, then thats what it is, there is a simple answer, which again comes back to not having their own gear, sorry man but the fault is always with the guy who was unprofessional and turned up for the gig with no gear or poor manners .

[Beer of the Bass]

I used to think I was daft worrying about other people using my gear, but then I played a gig a few weeks ago, a four-band fundraiser sort of thing where the promoter told us one of the bands was "bringing the bass amp". The only problem with this was that they were an acoustic outfit, the bassist had a nice little AI contra combo, and two of the other bands were loud rock bands. The amp was run in constant fart mode and kept cutting out entirely. On this type of gig, I bring my own small rig along even where the promoter tells me another band is bringing one. The needs of different bands vary widely, and you can't expect someone in a folk band to be lugging something that will satisfy a rocker, or a metaller to supply something that will work for double bass etc.
I will share gear by prior arrangement, but in practice I only do this on gigs where we know who the other bands are and we've spoken to them about it. Those tend to be better gigs than the sort with hopeless promoters and a random selection of the first three bands who said yes!

[Musky]

[quote name='uncle psychosis' timestamp='1369558512' post='2090340']
If your amp was that delicate, you'd just not lend it. If the other guy has a big fat active preamp in his bass, an eq pedal, or an octaver then he could still do the same level of damage.

You're under no obligation to let a stranger use your amp. I'd never criticise anyone for saying no in that situation. But if you are going to lend someone an amp, then letting them change the EQ settings is hardly the end of the world.
[/quote]

It wasn't a delicate amp. SWR aren't really known for their delicacy, but if anyone abuses the EQ you can damage speakers which have much higher power ratings than the amp. So asking someone to go easy with the low EQ is hardly unreasonable - and not everyone knows what a speaker being pushed to or beyond it's limits sounds like. In the instance I mentioned I didn't have a problem with him altering the EQ, but did ask him to go easy with the bass control. I might have had a very good reason for that - it might have been a delicate amp, the speaker might have been on the way out. Or I might have just not liked hearing lots of bass.

At the end of the day, it makes no difference. If someone does you a favour you should bear in mind that it is a favour and respect their wishes. If that puts anyone out they can bring their own rig. It's not our job to provide amplification to suit other peoples' requirements.

[arthurhenry]

Then there's the person who, despite the availability of a house rig, or one provided by a player who's more than happy to share, insists on using their own rig, as they absolutely must have their "sound" for the half hour set to four people. Sound engineers love them.

[Beer of the Bass]

[quote name='arthurhenry' timestamp='1369561874' post='2090380']
Then there's the person who, despite the availability of a house rig, or one provided by a player who's more than happy to share, insists on using their own rig, as they absolutely must have their "sound" for the half hour set to four people. Sound engineers love them.
[/quote]
Sure, there's a happy medium to be found in there somewhere. If there's either a house rig or decent communication and organisation between bands, it's often practical to share at this type of gig. But if I'm not certain what I'm going to find when I get to a gig, I'll bring a small rig which I can set up in less time than the drummer setting up his cymbals and the guitarist plugging in his pedals. I do insist on using my own amp for guitar though, as I use the tremolo and reverb on the amp a lot and it barely takes a minute to stick a combo on the stage and move the mic over.

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited February 18, 2022 by Jus Lukin