Q: How do you get a guitarist to turn down his amp?

[rocket 88]

If you want to blow the guitar players mind, just take a nylon strap and wrap it around the KB's and tell him you just put a capo on.

[frogmonkey]

I've got no patience for that loud guitar bullshit. I recently went to an audition, and the guitarist had a very similar rig to the one in my regular band, a vintage Fender Twin and some of the same pedals.

 

In my regular band I have to ask for more guitar in my monitor. The guy can really shape his tone, too, and "he knows all them fancy chords".

 

At the audition I had to beg for earplugs. Even worse, I had to turn up bleedingly loud just so they could hear me. I was ready to pack up and leave, and I told the guy so. Obviously I didn't get called back Worse yet, the stuff he was playing wasn't even good-- just a waste of sonic space!

[The Real MC]

I will not tolerate loud guitar players either. I am also a guitar player and I know for a fact that it is not necessary to crank a guitar amp to ten to achieve "that sound" and if a player refuses to compromise then I will not work with him.

[Joe Muscara]

How about a loud bass player that drives the drummer crazy and drowns out the guitar player?

[B3_borne]

At a club (125 seat) I play in (house band) they mic everthing

 

The drums too?

 

Yes drum too ... Kick /snare and 2 overheads.

[JeffLearman]

Question:

When playing in small clubs, does anybody here Mic the guitar amp and run it through the PA? Or is that something that's only done in larger venues?

Most clubs mike everything. FOHs at most clubs mix WAY too loud, and the bigger standing-only ones are the worst. Most bands play way too loud.

 

Regardless, it's reasonable to mike everything on stage, and use as needed in the mix. This is especially great if the band is playing at a decent level, which takes skill and good sense on the part of the guitarist and drummer -- it's fairly easy for the rest to play at any volume.

 

It's very common to mike kick and snare, especially for hard rock and hot country where folks really want to hear (feel?) that thump and whack.

 

IMHO, overheads for drums are super overkill for smaller clubs. Cymbals are plenty loud, and when we hear them acoustically, they image so nicely, whereas from speakers, they sound like crap in comparison (even when done very well, and in stereo, and even to my 50-yr-old ears).

 

The more you put in the mains, the better they need to be to handle it. Vocals are not particularly demanding. (Yes, quality counts, but you don't need blisteringly loud, flat from 20-20k, or good transient response.) Add bass and kick, you need 10 times the power (really -- that's only twice the loudness, and bass sucks power like nobody's business). Add keyboards, you need flat and good transients. Most of all, everything you add to the front mix has the possibility to interfere more with the vocals, demanding more accuracy of the PA (assuming that players are leaving sufficient sonic space for the vocals).

 

Fortunately, for most small clubs, we don't need much in the FOH mix to round out the tone.

 

And finally, everyone would do FOH and the audience a huge favor by using nice low levels. Not to mention the benefit to your hearing. Use a small guitar amp and point it at the guitarist's head!