Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Woo exciting news First gig with my new band has been confirmed as sat 5th June. Trouble is we've been asked to supply backline. Fair enough, as there's currently no other bands confirmed so we will probably end up headlining unless someone more popular joins the bill. I've played the venue before with my ex-ex-band using my amp (Laney RBW300, 165w) DI into the PA but found that I could hardly hear anything onstage as my amp was basically my backing monitor even with it at full whack. It's old, I got it for free and it's served me well.. but is it time for an upgrade? I could probably justify somewhere in the region of £300-£400 for something new that will be a good all rounder. Currently we're looking at doing pub gigs but if I do upgrade I'd want something that'll last me a good few years really. What do you guys think? Time to upgrade? I've already fallen in love with the little giant 350s but hear they're prone to breakdown.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MIJ-VI Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Asked to supply the backline? This issue seems to come up a lot around here. Are there no places to rent gear from in the U.K.? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='MIJ-VI' post='788399' date='Mar 28 2010, 11:45 AM']Asked to supply the backline? This issue seems to come up a lot around here. Are there no places to rent gear from in the U.K.?[/quote] Well, he said backline but I know they already have a PA etc there so would just be amps and drums presumably. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 Have just emailed him to double check just to be on the safe side lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
pete.young Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 If I was gonna spend a reasonably large sum of money for something thats going to last me for a number of years, the last think I'd do is offer to share it with a bunch of people I didn't know. By all means upgrade your stuff but hang onto the Laney precisely for jobs like this. If the other bands hear 'yes there's backline but it's a POS 165W Laney' they might be more inclined to offer to bring their own gear! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='788400' date='Mar 28 2010, 10:46 AM']Well, he said backline but I know they already have a PA etc there so would just be amps and drums presumably.[/quote] Sarah You need to find out if the PA is just a vocal one or if the use it for the instruments as well. If so your Laney will be fine as a stage monitor for bass. Other than that I'd suggest that 300 watts is a working minimum for a band with drums wher ethe backline has to do the bulk of the work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Stewart Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Can't they provide you with a monitor with a little bass in it? (typically the answer would be no, but...) You're unlikely to get too much of an upgrade with the money you have available - save up, and run your Laney into the ground first Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='pete.young' post='788406' date='Mar 28 2010, 11:50 AM']If I was gonna spend a reasonably large sum of money for something thats going to last me for a number of years, the last think I'd do is offer to share it with a bunch of people I didn't know. By all means upgrade your stuff but hang onto the Laney precisely for jobs like this. If the other bands hear 'yes there's backline but it's a POS 165W Laney' they might be more inclined to offer to bring their own gear![/quote] Very true but if they were using my gear I'd be making damn sure that A) it was suitably insured and that I checked their settings before they started playing. lol Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='pete.young' post='788406' date='Mar 28 2010, 10:50 AM']By all means upgrade your stuff but hang onto the Laney precisely for jobs like this. If the other bands hear 'yes there's backline but it's a POS 165W Laney' they might be more inclined to offer to bring their own gear![/quote] I suspect they will hear the "yes there is a backline" and stop listening. Hence your amp will take a battering. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='Stewart' post='788408' date='Mar 28 2010, 11:51 AM']Can't they provide you with a monitor with a little bass in it? (typically the answer would be no, but...) You're unlikely to get too much of an upgrade with the money you have available - save up, and run your Laney into the ground first [/quote] They can, and did last time, but the monitors last time I was there were shocking and I could hardly hear anything other than my own backing vox. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='788409' date='Mar 28 2010, 10:52 AM']Very true but if they were using my gear I'd be making damn sure that A) it was suitably insured and that I checked their settings before they started playing. lol[/quote] Er Not sure either of those will be possible in reality Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
thepurpleblob Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='Sarah5string' post='788400' date='Mar 28 2010, 11:46 AM']Well, he said backline but I know they already have a PA etc there so would just be amps and drums presumably.[/quote] There's PA and there's PA. If you are D.I.ing into some huge house PA then your existing rig will be do (just). However, if the PA is vocal only and that's it for the bass then I don't think so. The wisdom seems to be more like a minimum of 300W but do make sure that you read the small print. Some amps only give their rated power into certain speaker combinations. Even that is an oversimplification as how "loud" a rig is is down to many more factors than just watts. For comparison I have a 500W-ish Ashdown into a 2x10 and 4x10 and mostly do pub gigs. It's more than I really need but it's nice to have the headroom! Either way, good luck with your new band and sorry the vague and unhelpful reply Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='thepurpleblob' post='788414' date='Mar 28 2010, 11:54 AM']There's PA and there's PA. If you are D.I.ing into some huge house PA then your existing rig will be do (just). However, if the PA is vocal only and that's it for the bass then I don't think so. The wisdom seems to be more like a minimum of 300W but do make sure that you read the small print. Some amps only give their rated power into certain speaker combinations. Even that is an oversimplification as how "loud" a rig is is down to many more factors than just watts. For comparison I have a 500W-ish Ashdown into a 2x10 and 4x10 and mostly do pub gigs. It's more than I really need but it's nice to have the headroom! Either way, good luck with your new band and sorry the vague and unhelpful reply [/quote] Last time I played there I went DI into the PA so front of house sound was fine, was just on stage I could hardly hear squat. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JTUK Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='pete.young' post='788406' date='Mar 28 2010, 11:50 AM']If I was gonna spend a reasonably large sum of money for something thats going to last me for a number of years, the last think I'd do is offer to share it with a bunch of people I didn't know. By all means upgrade your stuff but hang onto the Laney precisely for jobs like this. If the other bands hear 'yes there's backline but it's a POS 165W Laney' they might be more inclined to offer to bring their own gear![/quote] Good idea.. tell the other band the backline is s*** and they'll bring their own and you end up headlining and carrying nothing..RESULT..!! Sorry, Sarah, don't mean to make light of this and not meaning to take the p** or anything but this has cropped up before and who knows who will be using your amp and what they'll do... It is a lottery unless you know the guys and trust them. If the Promoter says he has a PA with vox AND band mix, so a min of a 2 channel monitor mix, you might be lucky and get a PA and guys that know what they are doing, which if that is the case, your bass amp will be your monitor and depending on the size of the stage, likely ok.. If it is vocal only in the monitors then we can only guess what they will put FOH.. and the stakes go down somewhat for getting a good all round sound. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RAY AGAINST THE MACHINE Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I'd say get a combo(250 watts +)and don't let others use it.I wouldn't D I it as I like to hear what I'm doin'. My Eden is loud ,and if you were in my neck of the woods I'd recommend you trying my one out. Gallien Krueger are really good amps also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest MoJo Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 (edited) Where's the gig? .....just checked your MySpace, The Varsity. I'll see if I can get along and lend some support Edited March 28, 2010 by bassman2790 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='bassman2790' post='788435' date='Mar 28 2010, 12:13 PM']Where's the gig?[/quote] Varsity, Wolverhampton Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarah5string Posted March 28, 2010 Author Share Posted March 28, 2010 I've yet to talk to the rest of the band about it to be fair as obviously it's their gear on the line too, so may not end up sharing gear anyway or poss only drumkit, who knows. Still making me GAS for a new amp though Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 In general terms I like to have enough ampage to cope with the room even if there's no PA support for bass. Then if there is you can turn it down on stage and if there isn't you aren't stuffed. We're assuming you are on with other bands and thus lending your backline to others. is this the case or do all teh bands on bring backline? There's lots of threads on here about using other people's back line and lending yours. Plenty of views. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Captain Rumble Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Having read the variouse comments I think the reality is you will be using your amp so if I was you I would find a way to get your cab up to as near to ear level as possible in a stable manner and I would set it up aiming across the stage aiming at youself and the drummer. (Guitar and vocs dont matter they wont be listening anyhow . Bottom end is what will soak up the watts and does not really help you to hear yourself you may need to roll of the bass in favour of the mid range frequencies. Do not let anyone move your amp from where you put it if they want it diferent they should have bought thier own. Make sure you find a way to raise your cab before you get to the gig as sods law says they wont have even beer crates for you to useand as an option get a chair and a baseball bat sit on the chair alongside the amp and threaten to break the fingers of anyone who trys to adjust where you set it Hope this helps Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OutToPlayJazz Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Hi Sarah, Firstly, as others have said, I'd be very wary about being asked to "supply the backline" at a multi-band event. If you do, make sure you supervise all of the other players using your rig. Just appear helpful, but don't let anyone crank the settings for themselves. As for a new rig, the Ashdown MAG combos are very good for the money. The 2X10 one is excellent especially and you can always add another cabinet quite cheaply later on to get the full 300w. The Little Giants are rated at 4ohms, so you're going to have to make sure you get 4ohm speakers, or you'll only be running half of the power quoted. And of course, there's the aforementioned reliability issue with them, but I suppose you're going to get a certain amount of that with any electrical equipment. Rich. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Doddy Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I think everyone knows my opinion on gear sharing by now. I don't like it or do it. If there are other bands playing aswell,what I would do of I were you, is use your amp and then get it shifted as soon as you are done. As it's a combo it'll only takes a few secs to get of stage. There is no way I'd buy a shiny new amp and let other bands use it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EssentialTension Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 [quote name='Doddy' post='788494' date='Mar 28 2010, 01:43 PM']There is no way I'd buy a shiny new amp and let other bands use it.[/quote] +1. But, anyway, if the promoter is hiring the backline from you then how much are they paying (on top of your appearance fee) for that service? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bassfunk Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 Well it sounds to me like you have pa and monitor support. My Advice would be to get there early and introduce yourself to the Sound guy (and monitor guy if they have one) make friends with them and remember their names. Then when it comes to sound check call them by their names and tell them what you would like in your monitors, this works almost all of the time for me. But If you've got a bit of GAS then find a more powerful 2nd hand amp. Ashdowns seem to go fairly cheaply. Have a good gig. Pete Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pete Academy Posted March 28, 2010 Share Posted March 28, 2010 I'm usually OK with someone else using my gear, as long as a I know who it is beforehand. I've been in situations where it's been impractical to bring two rigs, and have used someone's else's rig. I think if the other player(s) is experienced, he or she will treat the gear with repect. Saying that, if it was a few bands, I might be a bit wary. We're doing a gig with another band soon and I'm using their rig, as we're the opening act. It's an Ampeg SVT AND 8 X 10" Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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