Gaps between songs during gigs. Guitarist fiddling with Effects pedals/amp to get "the perfect tone"!

[Nail Soup]

Here you go, problem solved:

[Cat Burrito]

This is my absolute pet hate. I've even left bands because of it and we've let people go for it. Learn the songs BUT it is a show. I can be the little Hitler on stage saying "talk to the audience, not each other" and telling people not to check their tuning for the 19th time. 

 

Rehearse the WHOLE set, not just the individual songs. It's the difference between a good band being good and a good band being great. 

[Munurmunuh]

If the user interfaces for the multieffects units bother him, the Headrush Gigboard has a touch screen so that building the patches is very intuitive. Furthermore the patches can be arranged into a set list, so that at the end of each song all he would need to do to tap the pedal to advance it to the next patch

[TimR]

All the gear, no idea.

 

I played with a guitarist like this.

 

I'm not sure you can cure it, some people are attracted to the gear and making new sounds with it. Some just want to get on and play the music. It's something they evolve into with experience. 

 

As has been said, some of it may be stage nerves, does it happen at rehearsals?

 

What are you playing that requires loads of different sounds?

[Jus Lukin]

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Edited March 15, 2022 by Jus Lukin

[TimR]

It depends what kind of band you are, and what the gig is, as to how fluid it needs to be between songs.

 

The main thing is to be in control of the audience. If the guitarist needs to change stuff, then the front person needs to be covering with banter to take away the focus. If you're all stood there looking at the guitarist then it's not interesting for anyone. You can have breaks as long as they're scripted, and not punctuated by the EADGCE solo. 

[rushbo]

29 minutes ago, Jakester said:

Widdling the riff inbetween tunes should be punishable by death IMHO.  

 

Yes. This.

[Pirellithecat]

I think I may need either;

a) A New Band 

b) A New Guitarist  

 

Or maybe I should go for broke and combine a) + b) 

 

And yes - going from Dr Feelgood to Bridge of Sighs would be one example where folks actually might notice the difference, and from Walking by Myself to All Right Now where I'm pretty certain no-one would care!   (But I am only the bass player .....)  

 

Bloody guitarist eh,  can't live with them can't live without them ...... or is that "partners" ?

 

[uk_lefty]

1 hour ago, Jakester said:

having listened to some of the gig videos, it sounds like we're completely uncoordinated as the guitars start, then stop, and then the band starts. 

 

Widdling the riff inbetween tunes should be punishable by death IMHO.  

Absolutely!  We threatened to do something worse than death to our guitarist who always did this, and it worked he now doesn't do it. Widdling a signature part of the next song just before we count it in or while the singer is charming the audience. It delays the count in for a start! It also ruins the show aspect. And, as Jakester points out, makes you look like rank amateurs. A video or audio clip from a gig may really help demonstrate just how shoddy this is if he won't take your word for it. 

 

If the response is to pack his gear up in a huff and drive off then you could tease him about whether he needs to try turning the engine over two or three times before his grand exit, or you could have just saved yourself a job later down the line. 

[casapete]

Nothing much to add to this that hasn't already been said. I think some guitarists have overly complicated set ups with way too many knobs to faff with in the belief that 'their tone' is in there somewhere. A simple multi effects could well be the answer, but as mentioned above just get him to have access to 2 or 3 core sounds that are easily accessible and try only using them. Also try to get him to use the volume and tone controls on the guitar more - a lot of younger guitards seem to think that they should all be untouched, set to max and then operate everything from their pedals and amp. Young kids today etc etc....

[Nicko]

If I was in that band I would be arranging with the others how to start a song so the the guitarist has a choice of polishing his knobs or playing. 

 

Covers bands shouldn't try to recreate the sound of the original guitarist anyway as they inevitably fail.  I'm looking for that Peter Green sound - hold on while I swap my pickup around the wrong way.

[lozkerr]

3 hours ago, Lozz196 said:

In my old punk covers band the guitarist used to get all the right sounds/effects. He had this big TC Electronic multi-fx pedal and was pretty swift on the changes. We found that it was worth rehearsing like it’s a gig so he could get the swap over time down. 

I've attended far more gigs than I've played, but I've always hated waiting while a band takes ages changing settings. I'm trying to get into the habit of changing anything as quickly as I can and doing it straight after the previous song's finished. I write the settings on the set list as a reminder.

[geoham]

I've got a guitarist just like it. We've now got him amp-free using a single guitar, via a Roland hex-pickup system. He can get the sound of pretty much any guitar, amp or even tuning on demand. Still messes around between songs. It's a case of - find the patch, play a few chords, kick in the 'solo' effect, play a quick lick, switch back. Then we're good to go.

 

To be fair, while we work to a setlist - we rarely stick rigidly to it - trying to accommodate requests or move things around a bit depending on the crowd.

 

Our keyboard player has two boards with many more sounds - he just has a patch number written against every song on the set list. Does it in moments without issue.

 

I don't know if there's a solution... guitarists being guitarists! 

[casapete]

7 minutes ago, geoham said:

I've got a guitarist just like it. We've now got him amp-free using a single guitar, via a Roland hex-pickup system. He can get the sound of pretty much any guitar, amp or even tuning on demand. Still messes around between songs. It's a case of - find the patch, play a few chords, kick in the 'solo' effect, play a quick lick, switch back. Then we're good to go.

Maybe ask him if the famous bands he's seen do that? 

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, Pirellithecat said:

Thanks everyone - I was starting to think it was just me .... being unreasonable!   But I can see I'm being too forgiving ........

 

So there's a cheap fix out there in the form of a

" zoom multi fix and program the patches in advance even a cheapie zoom g2.1 would do"  or equivalent?    I've told him to go and ask the bods in his local PMT already but I'll check this out just for fun.

 

It's like being a teacher at the kindergarten .........

 

 

Like this one 

 

https://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/ZOOM-G2-1U-multi-effects-unit-Good-condition-/373702655757?mkcid=16&mkevt=1&_trksid=p2349624.m2548.l6249&mkrid=710-127635-2958-0

 

but not one from Japan - all over eBay 

I have the bass version 

[Geek99]

2 hours ago, Pirellithecat said:

Thanks everyone - I was starting to think it was just me .... being unreasonable!   But I can see I'm being too forgiving ........

 

So there's a cheap fix out there in the form of a

" zoom multi fix and program the patches in advance even a cheapie zoom g2.1 would do"  or equivalent?    I've told him to go and ask the bods in his local PMT already but I'll check this out just for fun.

 

It's like being a teacher at the kindergarten .........

 

 

Nope … just a guitarist so 9/10 likely to be an idiot 

[Stub Mandrel]

2 hours ago, Pirellithecat said:

And yes - going from Dr Feelgood to Bridge of Sighs would be one example where folks actually might notice the difference, and from Walking by Myself to All Right Now where I'm pretty certain no-one would care!   (But I am only the bass player .....) 

 

To be honest Feelgood to Bridge of Sighs could be achieved by stomping on a flanger to all practical intents and purposes.

[steve-bbb]

Sooooo unprofessional

 

maybe if the rest of the band do it too he will realise what a peenarse he is being

 

that or make him di out of a mfx box so uou can mute him between songs 😂

[Muzz]

I really, really hate this, even when I'm watching it, and even more when I'm standing around like one o'clock half-struck on stage waiting...luckily, I haven't played in a band like this for a long time. Dicking about with riffs between songs is for eejits/egomaniacs, and punters hate it, too...

 

Our geetard/singist/BL retunes his guitar in between songs sometimes (by which I mean changes tuning, not tunes up), but he can talk to the crowd while he (very quickly) does it, which, if you've ever tried it, is an impressive thing to pull off...

 

I've got three banks of about half a dozen sounds in my Helix (C&W to Muse to Chic to Rawk needs a few), but the banks are all for drop tuning i.e. one bank in E, one bank in Eb, one bank in D, etc, and even then it's the work of five seconds to change. It's just a bit of homework...

[Pirellithecat]

Well B!*g"er me!    I've got a Zoom g2.1 sitting here in front of me - it's my son's!   He hasn't used it for years I was think of selling it .............   I always wondered what it was for!   Of course, it wouldn't be any good for my Guitard, as it doesn't have inverse recapitulation modelling and inverse Luna TicTok-ediness.  And it's FAR TOO CHEAP, and it would have come from an idiot Bass Guitard who know's nowt!

    

[oldslapper]

That’s great.

If he rejects the offer, it’ll fit sideways. 

It’ll change sounds every time he sits down. 

[Captain Bassman]

I cannot bear the complete inability of some musicians (from any instrument discipline) to keep quiet between songs. But it’s 9 times out of 10 the guitarist in my years of experience.

 

Learn your settings/effects/changes ad infinitum before the gig and if you need to retune between songs just mute yourself. It’s not difficult…

 

Nothing worse than inane knob twiddling or egotistical fret w*nkery between songs when there should be disciplined quiet whilst the next song is introduced. Or, even better, segue cleanly and professionally into the next song.

 

You don’t fork out 150 quid for top name tickets to see them p*ssing around unprofessionally before the first set or between songs. Neither should the causal pub goer or wedding guest be subjected to this.

 

Anyway, rant over… 😡😂

[Judo Chop]

I played with a guitarist once who stopped the song and asked for lights up so he could change a broken string, that was excruciating

[JapanAxe]

I practise my guitar fx changes along with the other aspects of the song. I rarely touch my amp between songs. Add me to the list of those who can’t stand between-song fiddlers!

[inthedoghouse]

I was in a band where the guitarist had a Kemper and most weeks spent probably over half the rehearsal time fiddling with it to the point where the rest of us would wander off to make a brew.  It never sounded much different or 'better' for all his hours of fiddling.  All he ever needed was an overdriven valve amp (which I would have gladly lent him) and a guitar with humbuckers, for the sound we needed. 

 

Things were a little better at the two gigs I did with that band but he still spent time between songs tapping on switches on the controller.  I left the band having had enough of all the time wasting.  I never want to see another Kemper!

Edited September 13, 2021 by inthedoghouse