Amp sharing at gigs?

[Hutton]

I'm with MB1 on this. I didn't buy my Markbass rig to be ruined by someone else. If you are serious about gigging then you should have your own gear. Don't expect to gig if you can't be bothered to properly equip yourself. If you can't afford an amp then wait until you can. If it's important enough to you then you will find ways to get an amp. If the promoter drones on about changeover time then tell him it doesn't take that long. If he can get the gig started when it's meant to start then it should all go smoothly. Bands shouldn't have to suffer for bad promotion and organisation. If the promoter still girns then don't play the gig. Honestly, it's high time that we got a bit more professional in all giging situations and that includes the local pub. The amateur night at the village hall syndrome has got to go!

Edited December 9, 2007 by Hutton

[DaveDDF]

I have no problems with most people using my cabinet - but I don't let people other than my friends use my head. I used to and it got to a point where it was every show, and 3 bands would ask to use it on the night. NO THANKS!

I would feel amazingly cheeky turning up to a show with no head/gear unless I had pre-arranged it with a band/promoter.

[MB1]

[quote name='Hutton' post='101845' date='Dec 9 2007, 07:23 PM']I'm with MB1 on this. I didn't buy my Markbass rig to be ruined by someone else. If you are serious about gigging then you should have your own gear. Don't expect to gig if you can't be bothered to properly equip yourself. If you can't afford an amp then wait until you can. If it's important enough to you then you will find ways to get an amp. If the promoter drones on about changeover time then tell him it doesn't take that long. If he can get the gig started when it's meant to start then it should all go smoothly. Bands shouldn't have to suffer for bad promotion and organisation. If the promoter still girns then don't play the gig. Honestly, it's high time that we got a bit more professional in all giging situations and that includes the local pub. The amateur night at the village hall syndrome has got to go![/quote]

MB1.
+ TWELVETY!

[Tee]

I'm glad i'm not alone here. Not that i thought i was.
I hate it when the promoters take the, you have to share angle. They do sod all work as it is, in my experience. They only want to to do less, as they count your audience's money come in. As someone else mentioned, if things start on time, it should all run fine. Only arrogant/inconsiderate bands put spanners in the works.

[flip]

I agree that in an ideal world everyone should own and use their own gear. However, if you're playing a tiny rock club with 3 other bands and everyone brings their own gear then there's gonna be no room for the audience, and the soundman would probably burst into tears. I find that communication prior to the gig is key, contact the other bands or promoter and find out what you need to bring beforehand. That said, I've played plenty of gigs where I've lugged my rig there for no reason, or been advised not to take it to find the other band has decided not to share! But, respect is key in these situations, I would treat anyone else's kit like my own and would expect anyone using mine to do the same. I nearly got into a fight with some cockwit who insisted upon putting his full pint on top of my new ABM500 when I was in my old band. He understood the seriousness of the situation after he did it the second time!

I do remember playing a gig where the support bands bassist literally brought a bass, they had to borrow my amp, leads and even a plectrum!

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='s_u_y_*' post='101699' date='Dec 9 2007, 01:08 PM']He broke a string, and then shouted to the audience "I need another bass now".[/quote]

in my pre-backup days, I once did this, albeit very politely and with a "I'm awfully sorry, but would anybody be able to lend me a bass for the remainder of our set?" The promoter's daughter (and also the fella who runs the studio we record at) very kindly lent me her Ibanez Blazer.

Of course, I carry a backup these days.

I've lent my rig out in the past - I'm not very happy about it when I'm put on the spot, particularly when the bass player tells me that his rig is outside in the van (go and f*cking get it then). I think the last time that happened was the gig we did with Rosalita - perfectly nice fella (couldn't say that same about his 1 trick pony drummer and keyboard player) who said he had a head in the van. no cab? Who goes touring without a cab? I wanted to go home but in the interest of keeping the gig running smoothly (for the promoter and venue more than anything as I don't want our band to get a reputation for being awkward buggers), I left my rig on the stage.

[TheRev]

I played a support gig on Friday night and the the bassist from the main band use my head and cab after his died. He was happy enough to go through the PA but it was a chance for me to hear what my new cab (BFM Omni 10.5) sounded like, plus he was a nice bloke.
I've no problem with letting others use my amp & cabs as long as they're not complete tw@ts and ask nicely.

[john_the_bass]

[quote name='TheRev' post='102065' date='Dec 10 2007, 11:08 AM']I've no problem with letting others use my amp & cabs as long as they're not complete tw@ts and ask nicely.[/quote]

i am partly with you on that - although if I've not had any advance notice, I am still a bit reluctant no matter how much of a nice person they are.

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='MB1' post='101100' date='Dec 7 2007, 08:04 PM']MB1.
"Its usually expected that the bass amp will be provided by one band and shared with others?
While Dr Marten says....... "A swift kick in the balls often offends!"....when i leave the stage so does my gear,im not running a hire firm,and i dont purchase amplification/basses with others in mind. A little Extreme perhaps but it saves on repair bills,if you havent got your own gear you shouldnt be on the stage.[/quote]



Bloody too right mate!!!

ive only ever had bad experiences with gear sharing!!

about a month after i got my mesa m2000 bass head (bought on credit) we were playing in leeds with a pretty big american band called minus the bear!! the bass player was really sound and very polite, he asked me if he could borrow my gear, there was really no other option, no other bass players had bothered to bring anything!! (so annoying ive not just put my self in loads of debt to make everyone else sound good!!) any way we played our support slot and then minus the bear took to the stage.........3 songs in there was blue smoke flooding from the stage!!!! yep my amp had blown!!! BIG TIME!! i was not a happy man!! i was a nightmare!!

mesa eventually sorted me out (i phoned them direct) sound control were being slow and useless!!!

but from that moment on i dont care who you are!! famous or not!! your not using my gear!!!!

to me its just plain lazy to expect someone else to provide everything for you!!!!

get a job buy some gear then get up on stage!!


rant over

[flip]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='102102' date='Dec 10 2007, 12:33 PM']Bloody too right mate!!!

ive only ever had bad experiences with gear sharing!!

about a month after i got my mesa m2000 bass head (bought on credit) we were playing in leeds with a pretty big american band called minus the bear!! the bass player was really sound and very polite, he asked me if he could borrow my gear, there was really no other option, no other bass players had bothered to bring anything!! (so annoying ive not just put my self in loads of debt to make everyone else sound good!!) any way we played our support slot and then minus the bear took to the stage.........3 songs in there was blue smoke flooding from the stage!!!! yep my amp had blown!!! BIG TIME!! i was not a happy man!! i was a nightmare!!

mesa eventually sorted me out (i phoned them direct) sound control were being slow and useless!!!

but from that moment on i dont care who you are!! famous or not!! your not using my gear!!!!

to me its just plain lazy to expect someone else to provide everything for you!!!!

get a job buy some gear then get up on stage!!


rant over [/quote]

Was the amp faulty or did he knacker it though carelessness though? As I recall I used the Minus The Bear bass stack when my old band supported them! Great band.

I still think it would be chaos if three or four bands on a bill all brought their own gear, some of the venues we play would have issues storing 4 bass rigs and 4 drumkits. Plus the changeover times would be increased.

[chris_b]

[quote name='flip' post='102171' date='Dec 10 2007, 02:51 PM']I still think it would be chaos if three or four bands on a bill all brought their own gear, some of the venues we play would have issues storing 4 bass rigs and 4 drumkits. Plus the changeover times would be increased.[/quote]
Then have 2 or 3 bands and proper change over time. The promoter wouldn't like it? Tough, it's not his gear at risk!!

[thedontcarebear]

Minus The Bear are a good band, my old Basis M 2000 died too mid gig!

[CHRISDABASS]

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='102175' date='Dec 10 2007, 03:02 PM']Minus The Bear are a good band, my old Basis M 2000 died too mid gig![/quote]


yeah they are awesome!! really good bunch of lads!! im going to see them tomorrow in leeds!!

i dont blame cory for blowing the amp!! it was just very unfortunate timing!!

we live and learn!!

[Doc B]

Been years since I've gigged but I did have someone sound check using my amp get his settings and then immediately crank the pre-amp gain to full when he took to the stage. Good job I'd switched the compressor/limiter in 'to make it louder for him' - no real distortion or volume increase just a lot of action on the clip LED on low notes. Good job he didn't know to turn the post EQ volume.

Arrangements made with the promotor can also be a pain - did one gig where the 'headline' act got lost between Manchester and Sheffield and they were supposed to be supplying the backline. Ended up going through the PA via my multi FX - and it sounded great!

[flip]

[quote name='chris_b' post='102173' date='Dec 10 2007, 02:57 PM']Then have 2 or 3 bands and proper change over time. The promoter wouldn't like it? Tough, it's not his gear at risk!![/quote]

Or just tough for your band as the promoter will find another act willing to play the bill instead.

Don't get me wrong, no-one wants some tosser balancing pints on the top of their amp or throwing guitars at their speakers, but I've found that most venues prefer bands to share gear to some extent.

Each to their own though, I'm flexible enough to use my own gear, or someone else's. Whatever makes things easier on the night. We play a lot of gigs where a band will play with us in our hometown and we provide the gear and then vice versa when we go play their hometown.

I'm off to see Minus The Bear this week too!

[thedontcarebear]

[quote name='CHRISDABASS' post='102180' date='Dec 10 2007, 03:11 PM']yeah they are awesome!![/quote]

They're no Botch though!

[flip]

[quote name='thedontcarebear' post='102198' date='Dec 10 2007, 03:43 PM']They're no Botch though![/quote]

I liked Botch, but I listen to The Bear far more these days. Maybe I'm getting old...

Kill Sadie were pretty cool too though.

[dangerboy]

I always let people use my amp, without complaints or worries.

I figure they'd have to do something pretty loud to hurt it, and it's SO loud that the soundman would probably storm the stage and turn them off if they did, before it got hurt. Past '3' on the volume would totally overwhelm most venues.

But then I don't have valves so my amp's indestructible. One of the reasons I chose GK was facing the reality that is kit-share.

On the crummy London circuit I play nearly every gig is a drums and bassamp share. Can you imagine people trying to get 4 vans to a pub in Piccadilly Circus? Pretty much every band I've played with have been totally cool about it. The ones who don't like to share usually don't get booked again, and don't make themselves many friends.

The funniest bassplayers are the ones who turn up having draged their amp from miles away despite knowing there's one available to use for free, and insist on a full breakdown so they can use their own crappy gear that sounds like someone's stuffed a sheep into the cab...

[Jono Bolton]

I've had to borrow amps before, but I've also had to let other people use mine, so I always make sure I take really good care of it. I don't want my stuff wrecked so I'm not gonna trash other people's hard-earned gear.

[alexclaber]

I've been letting people use my rig for years and it hasn't blown up yet. I do tend to point out that the amp is very powerful whilst the cabs are only small and that much less bass boost (if any) is required compared to typical rigs. Despite that it's had a lot of abuse from some LOUD bands and has yet to to throw in the towel.

I always volunteer my amp as the backline because despite forums giving the impression that GAS is rife and the world is full of fancy bass rigs the amp I most often encounter is the ubiquitous Peavey TNT 115, which does what it does very well for the money but rather pins you into a certain tonal corner, to say the least...

Alex

[Jono Bolton]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='103455' date='Dec 12 2007, 05:56 PM']I've been letting people use my rig for years and it hasn't blown up yet. I do tend to point out that the amp is very powerful whilst the cabs are only small and that much less bass boost (if any) is required compared to typical rigs. Despite that it's had a lot of abuse from some LOUD bands and has yet to to throw in the towel.

I always volunteer my amp as the backline because despite forums giving the impression that GAS is rife and the world is full of fancy bass rigs the amp I most often encounter is the ubiquitous Peavey TNT 115, which does what it does very well for the money but rather pins you into a certain tonal corner, to say the least...

Alex[/quote]

I've been using a TNT I've shared it a few times, sounds alright, but I hate having people mess with the EQ. At the same time, I know that my tone doesn't suit every bassist, I tend to have a fairly flat EQ, with a slight "frown" shape if that makes sense, but a lot of promoters I've worked with are pretty lazy and'll just chuck together 4 bands to fill a bill regardless of their style. We're prog/indie/heavy rock but we've played with emo, metal, cock rock, and an RATM/Muse rip off so not everyone's gonna fancy my sound.

[alexclaber]

[quote name='jono b' post='103516' date='Dec 12 2007, 07:34 PM']I've been using a TNT I've shared it a few times, sounds alright, but I hate having people mess with the EQ.[/quote]

If I were you I'd either mark your EQ on the amp (stickers, tippex, marker pen, masking tape) or write it down, and expect everyone to screw around with the EQ and to have to reset it when it's your turn... The classic situation I regularly encounter is someone applying the EQ they normally use with their rig to my rig and then expecting it to sound the same - duh!

It'll be interesting watching other bassist's expressions when they encounter my rig at future gigs, since my rack now looks like this:





Alex

[Jono Bolton]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='103522' date='Dec 12 2007, 07:47 PM']If I were you I'd either mark your EQ on the amp (stickers, tippex, marker pen, masking tape) or write it down, and expect everyone to screw around with the EQ and to have to reset it when it's your turn... The classic situation I regularly encounter is someone applying the EQ they normally use with their rig to my rig and then expecting it to sound the same - duh!

It'll be interesting watching other bassist's expressions when they encounter my rig at future gigs, since my rack now looks like this:





Alex[/quote]

I set the EQ pretty flat, and have a a rough idea of how it sits so it's not usually much of a problem, as long as I get a couple of minutes to try and re-adjust it.

[jammie17]

[quote name='Bananaman' post='101090' date='Dec 7 2007, 07:37 PM']Just wondering how people tend to deal with the issue of amp sharing at gigs- for unsigned bands its usually expected that the bass amp will be provided by one band and shared with others.

This never used to bother me, but having now got a very expensive ampeg valve amp setup (V4BH with SVT 410he) i'm a lot more protective than i was with a cheap combo.

At a recent gig we played with a totally novice band and the bass player plugged into the passive input (turned out he had an active bass despite me asking him) & cranked the volume way higher than needed, overpowering the guitar. In the sound check alone one of the valves went fully red, rather than glowing slightly as they usually do. I had a word with him and he kept the volume down and plugged into the active input, but i still spent the entire gig worrying!

What do you tend to do if you're expected to provide an amp for other bands? take a cheaper spare amp/insist other bands bring their own amp/lecture them fully on how to use it etc!? [i][b]I'm not that technical myself- what are the most important things to watch with valve amps- not turning them off or on without leaving on standby for a while etc.? Any advice would be allow me to fully lecture people correctly![/b][/i][/quote]


I have owned SVT's for over 30 years on and off, and the most important thing I can say is...let them COOL before moving them about. I usually will give my head at least a couple minutes to warm up before switching on the high voltage....but after your finished and are on standby for a while....when you turn your V4B off...it's NOT READY to move...give it at LEAST 5-10 minutes to cool down.

[url="http://www.tweakshop.com/Tube%20care.html"]http://www.tweakshop.com/Tube%20care.html[/url]

As for sharing, I have only shared one time in over 30 years. Everyone always had their own gear. And they demanded to play their own rigs.

Edited December 12, 2007 by jammie17

[MB1]

[quote name='alexclaber' post='103522' date='Dec 12 2007, 07:47 PM']If I were you I'd either mark your EQ on the amp (stickers, tippex, marker pen, masking tape) or write it down, and expect everyone to screw around with the EQ and to have to reset it when it's your turn... The classic situation I regularly encounter is someone applying the EQ they normally use with their rig to my rig and then expecting it to sound the same - duh!

It'll be interesting watching other bassist's expressions when they encounter my rig at future gigs, since my rack now looks like this:





Alex[/quote]

MB1.
??is this not one of those gizmos that takes moisture out of the air?