The Gigging Musician

More on Pedalboards (or as my friends would say, that moron and his pedalboards!)

Paul Schille — Tue, 15 May 2012 06:28:03 +0000

So for those of you who’ve followed this site from the beginning, you already know about my compulsive fascination with all things pedalboards. It seems that no sooner do I have one finished and working perfectly, I either start in on another one or revamp my existing setup. For the last two years we have been touring and doing a lot of bigger shows and I put together a board that would give me all the sounds I needed for any show that might come along. I also put together a smaller fly-board as we were having to fly to enough dates that I got tired of tearing apart my big board every time we traveled. As I begin to wind down the touring (I am old after all!) I thought it was time to simplify and put together one reasonably-sized board that I could actually fit in my car and carry around, and would cover most everything I have coming up this summer. I blame this craziness on John Bohlinger’s latest article in Premiere Guitar about how he was simplifying this summer too. It’s seems a lot of people are heading in this direction as I’ve seen several great new pedalboards lately and I figured, hey, why not check them out here?

Touring Board

New Board

So I’ve ditched a few things that were on my big board; the Morpheus Drop Tune, a Micro POG, the new Visual Sound Dual Tap Delay (an AMAZING sounding and functioning delay if you have the room), and a couple of others. I’ve added the new Wampler Ego Compressor (best sounding compressor I’ve ever used, period!), a Vox Time Machine delay, and an Xotic EP Booster. Still tons of variety but I can lift it now without giving myself a hernia! While I’ll have to relearn a few songs that we did in drop tuning with the Morpheus, I’m amazed at how little I seem to be missing from the bigger setup.

Another new board that I saw recently is from one of my favorite guitarists, Pete Thorn. In case you don’t know who that is, Pete plays with Chris Cornell, Don Henley, is currently touring with Melissa Etheridge, and is known for his killer tone. He also does a series a fantastic gear reviews that we feature here on TGM from time to time (great excuse to go back through some of our old articles!). He wanted an alternative to his large wet/dry/wet rig, and what he’s come up with is really, really nice! A great selection of pedals including a new Carl Martin AC-Tone prototype that I can’t wait to get my hands on (September release, $269 list), as well as the Musicom Lab EFX MKIII+ switcher which is one of the great new compact switching systems out there. Being the self-professed gear nerd that he is, Pete put together a pretty lengthy video of the new board and how everything on it works. You can check that out here:

Chris' Small Board

And the Big Board!

Another friend of mine, Chris Ward also runs two (or more) different boards depending on the gig, and I thought I’d show a couple of them here as well. Chris plays in a variety of bands in the Eugene, Oregon area including Amy Clawson & Coltrane and is well known for both his killer chops and amazing tone. He also did the recent review on the new Aguilar HALO overdrive pedal for us here at TGM. Chris uses the Voodoo Lab switching system in his big setup, but still swaps pedals back and forth between boards when changing boards which I decided I was just way too lazy to do.

It all goes to show that there are tons of ways to build your dream rig, and I believe in trying all of them before I die! Hmmm, I wonder if I could fit that Musicom Lab switcher on my new, smaller board…..

Pedalboards, Pedalboards, and More Pedalboards

How to run live backing tracks for your band with Ableton

Ray Neyens — Fri, 11 May 2012 22:20:01 +0000

I’ve recently had a number of fellow musicians approach me asking about how my band runs backing tracks for our live performances. I know that the use of backing tracks is a hotly debated topic in some circles of musicians, but we’ll leave that debate to another time. These days it seems to be more and more a fact of life for a lot of musicians that gig on a regular basis.

So, if you do need to use backing tracks the video above can provide an overview on one way in which to achieve success in a live environment. Our setup involves the use of a MacBook. We use the older white version as they’re cheap to find on Craigslist and are pretty durable (don’t ask about the time we were in Montana and our singer drove over the laptop with an SUV – no it didn’t survive and we ended up doing the show sans tracks that night).

For software we use Ableton Live to run the tracks. We either trigger the tracks directly from the laptop using the arrow and enter keys or we sometimes use the Novation Launchpad which has 64 small trigger pads. This works well for randomly firing off songs. We label the 64 buttons as 1 through 64 and then label all the songs with a corresponding number and assign the buttons to the proper track in Ableton. I didn’t cover this part in the video but it’s a simple midi learn function in Ableton. If needed I can probably do a follow up video on how this is done, but trust me it’s pretty quick and easy.

The cost of this kind of solution is not exactly cheap, but it’s really no more than buying a decent guitar, keyboard or other instrument. The MacBook was about $500 used on Craigslist (they can be found even cheaper these days). Ableton Live will also run on a Windows laptop, but my personal preference is to use a Mac. The full version of Ableton Live is $499, but you can get by with Ableton Intro for $99 if you’re ok with only using a stereo output (mono tracks on one side, click on the other). If you think you want a trigger input device the Novation Launchpad can be had for $127.50, or you could trigger from a keyboard, an old Trigger Finger or any other midi trigger you might have around.

Again, the use of backing tracks might not be the right path for every band (nor should it be). But if you need to use them then this is one method that I’ve found has been reliable in all kinds of venues from clubs, fairs, festivals, concerts, theater gigs and many more. The only time if failed us was when it got run over by a full size SUV and I really can’t blame it for not being up for the gig after such a traumatic event.

Video: Making the most of a 3 piece band – These guys put on a show

Do You Need a Compressor Pedal?

Paul Schille — Wed, 02 May 2012 01:48:02 +0000

Do I need a compressor pedal? I’ve asked myself this very questions many, many times over the years, and until fairly recently the answer was always an emphatic “No.” While I’ve tried many compressors over the years, I play fairly percussively and always felt that they took away some of the natural dynamics of my playing (which of course is exactly what they’re designed to do, right?). A few years ago I started playing modern country music and it seemed that every country guitarist I saw was using a compressor on their pedalboard, sometimes even more than one pedal!

Now I’m no ace chickin’ picker, but I figured if I was going to play country I needed to find a compressor that worked for me. After trying more than a few pedals I happened onto the Barber Tone Press pedal, and the beauty of that pedal is that in addition to the regular compressor controls of Sustain, Attack, Tone, etc., it offered up a Blend knob that allowed me to add in just enough of my original, uncompressed signal that I didn’t lose all of my dynamics. Pretty cool, but I find that I still don’t turn it on all that often.

In my ongoing quest for the perfect compressor pedal I came across a great demo on YouTube of compressor pedals and how they work that I thought I’d pass along here. It’s by a guy named Just Nick for Rock’n'Roll Vintage and goes a long way towards demystifying compression, how it works, and most importantly, how to use it effectively. Great video, and make sure to check out his beautiful Nash T-63 Tele!

Being a huge Keith Urban fan and recently seeing his pedalboard and the THREE compressors he has on there, I’m going to try the Wampler Ego Compressor. It also has a Blend knob like the Barber, but has more tone shaping. If anyone out there has any thoughts on the Wampler, please drop me a line and let me know what you think. In the meantime, here is a great video of the Wampler in action.

So that’s it for compressors for now. Please feel free to share your thoughts on compression in the forum and we’ll see you there!

Talk of the Day – New Uberschall and Ecstasy Pedals from Bogner!

Paul Schille — Wed, 21 Mar 2012 22:05:42 +0000

Just announced today at Musikmesse in Frankfurt Germany, Bogner‘s new line of pedals. The Uberschall is like…..an Uberschall, while the Red Ecstasy features hotter tone and the Blue Ecstasy is crunchier/bluesier. There is rampant speculation on pricing flying around the web today, but since it’s quite apparent no one knows at this point, we won’t add to the frenzy here. Needless to say, these will be worth checking out once they are available. Check back here for more info as it becomes available!

NAMM Find #1 – Pete Schmidt Guitar Straps

Paul Schille — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 01:56:20 +0000

Pete Schmidt Straps

I don’t know about the rest of you, but even with all of the guitar straps available today, it still seems like it’s hard to find great straps! Maybe I’m too picky, but to me your guitar strap says a lot about your personality. I’ve gotten great straps from Jeri Designs and Red Monkey, and I picked up a really nice, simple strap from Gruhn’s in Nashville by Long Hollow Leather. I’ve even started making straps from new and vintage belts that have turned out pretty well.

Black Iguana w/ Black Stitching

One of the big problems with the great custom straps though is their high cost. Straps from Moody, El Dorado, and Anthology are really nice, but set you back the price of at least a couple nice effects pedals! That’s why we were happy to find Pete Schmidt Straps at NAMM this year. You always find great stuff on the bottom floor of the convention center where most of the smaller guys have booths, and this year was no exception. Pete’s straps are some of the highest quality we’ve seen and the prices are super competitive compared to straps of the same quality. I picked up a Black Iguana strap with creme stitching and at $95 list price it’s fantastic! I’m 6’5″ so it’s really nice that they come in long lengths as well. Pete lives in Peru and contracts with local leather craftsmen to make these custom straps which helps keep the costs reasonable. Plus they come in the cool, round boxes you can see in the picture.

Pete and Andy are great to work with and can talk straps all day, so check out Pete Schmidt Straps and don’t hesitate to give them a call if you have any questions.

Raising the Bar… Introducing Fret-King Black Label

Paul Schille — Mon, 16 Jan 2012 21:53:15 +0000

Vintage Icon Tele, '56 RI LP Custom, Mesa Lonestar Special

With all of the articles and press releases coming out featuring all the amazing new gear debuting at this week’s NAMM show in Anaheim, there was a release that warranted a second look as many of you may not be familiar with Trevor Wilkinson’s line of guitars. I have been fortunate enough to work with Trevor and Dennis Drumm at JHS over the last year, and this new Fret-King Black Label line of guitars is well worth a closer look.The goal with this line was to combine boutique design, custom-shop quality, and pro playability, at a price that is affordable to all players.

I have been using the Wilkinson Vintage Icon Tele for the past year and it has become one of my go-to guitars for the biggest shows we play. It’s hard to believe the extremely reasonable price-point while playing this guitar, as it more than holds it’s own next to some of the iconic guitars available today.

Here is the press release in it’s entirety:

Raising the bar… Introducing Fret-King Black Label

Worldwide trade distributor John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd and leading musical instrument designer Trev Wilkinson are delighted to announce the ground-breaking new Fret-King Black Label range of electric guitars and basses.

Country Squire De-Luxe

Black Label features 12 different instruments that combine tradition, boutique design, custom shop quality, pro playability and comfortable individuality. The range will receive its worldwide unveiling at the 2012 NAMM show, held between January 19th and 22nd in Anaheim, California.

The Black Label design brief was to prove that it is possible to create spectacular guitars that are totally acceptable as a real journeyman player’s working tool, fit for the highest profile player on the biggest arena stage in the world – and yet affordable to all.

Black Label takes a fresh view of how to bring real custom shop high-end features, the benefits they bring, and the advantages you get from instruments designed to be professional working tools.

Super-Hybrid

Part of the Black Label design brief was to actually listen to pro players, and to work with them to create instruments that reflected their ideal guitar. The result of this collaboration between Trev Wilkinson and hugely experienced players like Jerry Donahue, Dave ‘Bucket’ Colwell, Gordon Giltrap, and Geoff Whitehorn – all players who have definitely paid their dues, reflect a huge variety of styles, and who, as well as being great players, know a thing or two about guitars – is a collection of artist-inspired guitars featuring attributes that all players will find useable, useful, and, above all, musical.

There are also standards to be recognised, passed and improved upon. The single cut Black Label Eclat, with peerless classic looks, and a tonal palette of such sophistication it could be three other guitars as well. The Country Squire is a magical fusion of the familiar with the contemporary. The Elise has a body style with a heritage that spans all musical styles, while the Corona, a moniker associated with high-end UK-built double-cut Fret-Kings for over two decades, builds on the roots of this icon. Meanwhile, the Super-Hybrid is radical, acoustic electric hybrid is so useable, and the Perception is a name synonymous with basses for real bass players.

Perception 4-String Bass

Dennis Drumm, JHS’s Managing Director, said: “Fret-King Black Label is taking Trev Wilkinson’s affordable boutique guitars to a new level. We’ve worked with a group of amazing artists to produce a line of guitars and basses with flair and creative innovations that give you an incredible, tactile and emotional guitar playing experience.

“Part of the design brief was to prove the point that it’s possible to create guitars that really ‘raise the bar’ – while still being affordable to any player. We love a challenge – see these guitars and you’ll be amazed! Unique and distinctive, memorable and reliable, 101% playable. Black Label represents tomorrow’s classics today.”

And Black Label has already made waves with esteemed musicians and journalists. Dave Burrluck, Gear Reviews Editor at Guitarist magazine, said: “You’d be foolish not to audition the Fret-King Black Label range – the bar has been raised!”

For more information, visit the Fret-King website, and view an introduction to Black Label with Trev Wilkinson here: www.youtube.com/watch?v=rcMficw1R0Q&feature=player_embedded

JHS will be at Hall E 1212 at NAMM 2012, so make sure to stop by and see Black Label, as well as the entire ranges of Fret-King, Vintage, Santos Martinez and Encore guitars.

You can find the entire line of Wilkinson Guitars here:

John Hornby Skewes & Co. Ltd.: www.jhs.co.uk

Fret-King: www.fret-king.com

Fret-King Black Label: www.fret-king.com/black_label.htm

Graham Oliver Vintage signature guitar: www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html#go

Paul Brett Vintage signature guitars: www.jhs.co.uk/paulbrett.html

Vintage ReIssued: www.jhs.co.uk/vintageelectric.html

Vintage ICON: www.jhs.co.uk/vintageiconguitars.html

New Aguilar HALO Overdrive Pedal to Debut at NAMM

Paul Schille — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 01:21:09 +0000

So we’ve had a few people ask us why we don’t have more bass-related articles on here (since Ray is a bass player and all), so I came across something that was pretty interesting and somewhat bass-related. We have a good friend down in Eugene, OR named Chris Ward who plays guitar with Amy Clawson & Coltrane, and he just sent me an interesting audio clip that I thought you all might be interested in.

Apparently Alex Aguilar, who is the former president and design engineer at Aguilar Amplification, has started a new company called Eagle Lair Audio, and their initial focus will be on cutting edge products geared toward guitarists. (See, there’s the bass player angle, although he’s seen the light and come over to the 6-string side!).

HALO Overdrive

The first product being launched next week at NAMM is the HALO (Harmonic Amp-Like Overdrive) pedal. The goal of the HALO is to provide a high quality, no compromise effects pedal delivering harmonically rich distortion characteristics that feel, sound and react to picking nuances like the best tube amplifier designs. The result is a pedal that is sonically equivalent (and, in many cases superior) to tube saturation in the best guitar amps, while also producing tones that previously were not possible within solid state circuit topology. List price for the HALO is $399.

So as it turns out, our friend Chris down in Eugene actually had use of a prototype of this pedal last year and recorded a short audio clip of the various sounds. Here is the clip and what Chris had to say about the pedal:

Tele-AguilarHALO-ProReverb

“This is my Tele into the Aguilar prototype pedal into my ProReverb at a low, clean volume. If I remember right the mic is a 57 straight into ProTools. I am adjusting the guitar volume knob to get different amounts of overdrive. Good sound and very responsive for a pedal

It is the same Alex Aguilar that makes the bass amps, but as I understand it, he has sold that company and is no longer involved. I gather that he has been working on this prototype pedal for about three years now. I guess the electronic circuit is a completely different way of generating overdrive compared to anything that has been done before. He is going for a tube amp like responsiveness with the ultimate goal of building a solid state amp with this circuit as the preamp.

Somehow he got in touch with a collective of players here in Eugene who passed the pedal around and gave feedback on the design. I gather that he has addressed some concerns and changed the design a bit since we had the prototype.

McKenzie River Music had some first run pedals in for sale and I think they have an order in for more. He is building them by hand right now. (apparently it takes him two days to build each pedal.)

I should add that this pedal is also extremely versatile. With the tone knob, the bass, contour, and presence knobs, the three way clipping shape switch and the saturation switch, a very wide range of tones can be dialed in.

In the clip that I recorded, I had spent some time dialing in the pedal to try to see how closely I could match the recorded tone of my Metro Amps 50watt Plexi.“

Ray and I will definitely be checking out this pedal at NAMM and will let you know what we think after we have a chance to play through it. Very special thanks to Chris Ward for the great demo clip and info on this cool new pedal!

CrossWire Backstage With: Colt Ford

Paul Schille — Fri, 13 Jan 2012 01:27:20 +0000

Ray and I have been fortunate enough to work with a lot of national acts over the last couple of years, and I always try and take a lot of photographs backstage (mainly because I’m old and don’t want to forget all the cool stuff we did!). Some shows I’m more successful than others, but we have met some really interesting and helpful band members and techs and been given access to all kinds of cool things. I thought I would start a new TGM series called “CrossWire Backstage With:” and post backstage pictures from some of these shows for you to enjoy.

I thought I’d start with our most recent shows as we did the Northwest leg of the Colt Ford tour. If you’re not familiar with Colt Ford, he wrote Jason Aldean’s #1 hit, Dirt Road Anthem, and is known for creating “Hick Hop,” a blend of hard rockin’ country and hip hop. They were great to hang out with, and his band were really great guys as well.

Hope you enjoy the pics!

Bonamassa Snubbed by Grammys Again – Guest Post by Jamie Briggs

Paul Schille — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:34:17 +0000

Ray and I are always looking for guest writers here at The Gigging Musician, and we recently received a great article from Jamie Briggs about Joe Bonamassa’s reaction to the latest Grammy Nominations. Like Toby Keith and the CMA’s, and many other deserving folks before, Bonamassa is just the latest in a long line of snubbed artists. Thanks for the article Jamie!

Joe Bonamassa isn’t happy with the Grammy Nominations, but do awards matter much?

Bonamassa in Portland, OR - 12/14/11

The Joe Bonamassa musical juggernaut has showed no signs of slowing since he was awarded the Breakthrough Artist of the Year Award in the UK’s Classic Rock magazine in 2009, a year in which he was also awarded Best Blues Guitarist by Guitar Player’s Reader’s Choice Awards. With a new album released this year to widespread acclaim, along with a sell out world tour that is also receiving rave reviews, 2011 has been a good year. This is ‘business as usual’ however, for a man who has topped the US Blues chart with astonishing regularity and has the Joe Bonamassa range of guitars to his name. As a child prodigy who was playing Hendrix at the age of seven, this has always been his throne to take.

And yet, despite his massive international success, Joe Bonamassa has not been nominated for a Grammy again, making this the twelfth time in a row. Though known as a humble and quiet person, his trademark cool vanished, and he vented his anger via Twitter:

“stats.12 records.. 9 # 1 blues albums… Sold out shows around the globe.. 0 Grammy nominations.. Honestly.. I used to care.. not anymore (sic)”

“Im honestly so done with this bullshit… I will never submit another record again for the Grammys.. Its a waist of my time and postage. (sic)”

These were among the tweets posted following the nominations, and, well, who could blame him. It does raise questions once more, however, as to whether industry led musical awards have any validity. The more interesting question however, is why artists with such adoration and commercial success, and who manage the near impossible task of matching this with the respect of their musical piers seem to need an industry award for validation? Perhaps this is the last achievement left to add to his musical CV, the name ‘Grammy’ still holding as it does, a huge amount of historical kudos.

Bonamassa’s indignant stance goes against the grain of many musicians’ attitudes towards the Grammys, however. Famously, in 1996, when Pearl Jam won the award for ‘Best Hard Rock Performance’ for ‘Spin the Black Circle’, Eddie Vedder stated in his acceptance speech, “I don’t know what this means. I don’t think it means anything.” The award itself was dragged out of a dusty basement on film, during the Pearl Jam documentary Twenty. This is an attitude shared by Justin Vernon, front-man for 2011 nominee Bon Ivor, who has branded the award ceremony as ‘ridiculous’, and even gone so far as stating (in reference to artists who have ambitions of receiving a Grammy) “98 percent of the people in that room, their art is compromised by the fact that they’re thinking that.”

Whilst it’s easy to criticise Bonamassa, if viewed from the perspective of a man ‘doing a job’, it is hard not to sympathise. How many readers would not feel a little disgruntled if, after performing your job at the highest level for twelve years, had received none of the commensurate recognition? However, the most important aspect of any music, or any creative art for that matter, is the relationship between the performer and the audience. If the audience is held by the performance, and emotionally or intellectually stimulated, and leaves satisfied, their life enriched as a result, then that, surely, is the performer’s role fulfilled. And who would want more than that?

Latest “Working Guitarist” Article from Peter Thorn

Paul Schille — Thu, 12 Jan 2012 22:08:45 +0000

Peter Thorn

Peter Thorn is one of my favorite guitarists and sidemen these days, currently touring with Melissa Etheridge. Have a look at his latest installment of the Working Guitarist from Premier Guitar here.

Ask a Working Guitarist Part 2: Staying Creative and Juggling Gigs

First Review: Mesa Boogie Royal Atlantic

Paul Schille — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 02:32:38 +0000

Mesa Boogie RA-100

I’ve been a huge fan of Mesa Boogie amplifiers going back to…..well, let’s just say it’s been a loooong time! So when Tim McKee at Boogie asked if I’d like to take their new Royal Atlantic for a spin and review it here on The Gigging Musician, how could I refuse! It’s only fair to admit that I’ve been using Boogies since the 80′s and have used many of their amps over the years since. My current rig consists of a Lone Star Special head with 2, 2×12 Lone Star Cabinets, and my backup rig is an original Mark IIb head that I got from Steve Miller that’s been modded a few times by Mike Bendinelli down at Boogie. Just so you don’t think I’m too biased, I also have a 65 London, a vintage Princeton Reverb, a VOX AC-15, and a few others, but for live gigging nothing beats the Mesas!

Before we delve into the features on the amp, I’ve got to tell you that the first word that came to mind when I sat down to write this review is BOLD. This amp is BOLD! With the Lone Star, I feel like I can blend in or jump out as needed. It’s so transparent that I can sometimes get lost in the mix, and more than once I’ve actually been asked to turn up by my lead singer as well as a soundman or two. That is definitely not the case with the Royal Atlantic. This amp is chomping at the bit to be cut loose, and I had no problem finding great tones out of it as soon as I plugged it in. The amp (while being decidedly British) is more akin to a big, American V-8 muscle car, while the Lone Star is more like that racy, European job. One of the biggest tests for any new piece of gear is what my bandmates think of it, and with the Royal Atlantic they immediately knew something was different and commented very favorably on the variety of tones I was getting from it. That’s a big test to pass as these guys can be brutal when they don’t like something!

The Royal Atlantic is the flagship of the TransAtlantic line and packs 100 watts of EL-34 based power. It is a two-channel, three-mode amp, giving you access to Clean, Lo-Gain, and Hi-Gain modes via the supplied two-button footswitch. The Lo-Gain and Hi-Gain modes share their tone controls, but in a new and much more useful way than they did on say, my old Mark IIb. The tone controls on the RA-100 are much like those on the Mesa Electra-Dyne, using concentric tone pots to actually subtly change the tone stack when switching between the two modes. I have used the amp on a wide variety of settings and have never once wished I had separate tone for the gain modes. That was a pleasant surprise given the battle I always have finding a happy medium on the old MKII between the Clean and Gain channels! The Reverb on this amp is one of the best I’ve ever heard, and via switches on the back, you can have it engaged on all three channels, on just the Lo-Gain and Clean channels, or just on the Clean channel. Very useful for keeping those cleans lush, and those searing solos clear and distinct.

Multi-Soak

Which brings us to probably the most interesting and innovative feature on this amp, which is the Channel Assignable Multi-Soak. This features basically gives you a separate power attenuator for each mode of the amp, giving you the ability the get the sound you want at the volume you need! Located on the rear of the amp, each channel has a 5-position power attenuation switch (-16db, -12db, -8db, -4db & 0db) for Power Ratings ranging from 100 watts all the way down to 3 watts of class A/B power. For those of you who prefer a non-master volume amp, this is an invaluable solution, as you can have this big amp working hard and still be able to use it in the smallest settings. They do warn you that using the higher levels of attenuation will dramatically shorten tube life, but it’s a small price to pay for the amazing versatility it offers. The amp comes with a two-speed fan, and I always keep the fan on high so as to prolong tube life.

So how does it sound? Besides Bold? Suffice it to say I really love this amp. While I got my Lone Star Special mainly for it’s clean sound, the Clean channel on the Royal Atlantic is the best clean I’ve ever heard on a Boogie. No kidding! You can basically set everything at noon, attenuate wherever you want, and this thing sounds fantastic. I’ve tweaked the tone on this channel and no matter where you set it, it performs. I use Les Pauls, Teles, and Strats throughout our shows, and the clean here really lets each guitar’s distinct sound shine through without having to change settings when changing guitars. The tone is big, round and warm, very American sounding. The amp is worth trying for this channel alone!

My Rig at Work

The Gain channel really takes you back to those classic British rock tones all us old(er) guys grew up on. Between the two modes on this channel you can cover everything from sultry blues to over-the-top screaming lead, and everything in between. A huge benefit of the Gain channel is how well it responds to both your picking and use of the the volume knob on your guitar (you all know where that knob is, right???). If you’re the type that rolls back your volume for rhythm and brings it up for leads, this amp is made for you. It’s very quick to respond, giving you back exactly what you put into it. That being said, I tend not to do this (and yes, I know where that knob is on my guitars!), so I have the Lo-Gain mode set for my rhythm sound, and use the Hi-Gain mode for solos. Works perfectly either way. I did find the Gain channel a little harder to dial in, mainly because I tend towards a bit darker, warmer tone and this amp is on the brighter side. I ended up running the Bass at about 4:00 and the Treble between 8:00 and 9:00, and then use the Middle to dial it in for each room. I am running this through a couple of open-back 2×12 Lone Star cabinets and would expect more low end and punch if I were to run it through a big, closed back cab. That being said, it was easy enough to dial in, it just didn’t work as well for me with all the controls at noon.

The RA 100 also has a transparent, series effects loop which handles outboard signal processing and provides a seamless interface for units that don’t always like to live in front of the preamp such as Delay, Chorus, Flange and Pitch Shifting based effects. The Loop Send is derived from a source at the end of the preamp and the return is inserted back into the signal path near the input to the power section. Being more “old school” (as opposed to just “old!”), I run everything in front of the amp and honestly haven’t used the loop. When there are no patch cords and/or devices connected, the loop is hard bypassed and all associated circuitry is removed from the signal path, which is a nice touch.

Gain Channel

Clean Channel

I was told that some of the other Boogie guys checking out this amp were running the master all the way up and then cranking the attenuators to get the volume they were looking for. While I tried this and it was very cool, I didn’t find it to be the sound I was ultimately looking for. I’ve ended up running the amp in the 100-watt setting (via the handy 50/100 switch on the front panel), and then attenuating each channel two clicks, or at -8db. Keep in mind that the ear’s perceived difference in volume between a cranked AC-15 and an AC-30 is only 3db, and you can see just how versatile this feature is! I took a couple pictures of my front panel settings, and while they turned out horribly, it at least gives you a starting point for what worked for me.

So what would I change? There’s really very little about this amp that doesn’t work for me. I would probably like the Gain channel to have a bit more low end at neutral settings, but again, that’s what those knobs are there for so that’s not a big deal. The one thing I would LOVE to see on this amp (as well as on just about any amp) would be a variable Solo Boost feature like I have on my Lone Star Special. I’ve gotten so used to having that, that it has become an indispensable feature for me. With a variable solo boost on this amp you would have six, count ‘em, six different foot-switchable settings, and tone for days!

My verdict is that the Mesa Royal Atlantic RA-100 is an amp that you definitely want to check out before making your next amp purchase. We are so lucky these days to have so many great amps out there to choose from, and the RA-100 is right up there at the top of the stack. I’ve been using the amp for about 4 months now and will follow up with another long-term review next year after I’ve got a few more miles on it. Very special thanks to Tim, Mike, Jim and everyone at Mesa for bringing us such a versatile beauty. And speaking of beauty, I’ll leave you with a picture of an amazing, custom-ordered RA-100 that was recently delivered to Geo at The Guitar Sanctuary. I don’t know about you all, but this thing ROCKS!!!

RA-100 in Champagne Tolex

From Premier Guitar – Gear Nannies: The Life of a Guitar Tech – Part 2

Paul Schille — Wed, 23 Nov 2011 04:58:53 +0000

In Premier Guitar’s followup article on guitar techs, the focus turns to gear and some of the tricks and tips that these seasoned professionals use to keep their employers (and their gear) happy and functional. All of the guitar techs I’ve met over the last couple of years have been total gear nerds and have been more than happy to talk with us about how they do their job and some of the crazy things they experience on a daily basis. These guys have seen it all, so have a look and see if there isn’t a new trick here that you might find helpful. Enjoy!

10 Tech Tips from Touring Pros

Enter All the Current Contests in One Place – The Gigging Musician.com

Paul Schille — Sat, 19 Nov 2011 01:49:54 +0000

Here at The Gigging Musician, we’re constantly combing through all the music sites out there and reading all the email blasts that come through on a daily basis, and lately there have been a ton of interesting contests with some great prizes. Consider it an early Christmas present to yourself, but if you’re the type that likes to enter contests we’ve compiled them all here so you can easily enter whichever ones look most interesting you you. So have at it, and make sure to let us know if you win something and we’ll be sure to post it here for everyone to see!

Good Luck!!!

Fender to Give Away a Custom Fender Coldplay Telecaster
http://www.fender.com/promos/2011/coldplay

Enter to Win a Roland Cube XL Amplifier
http://www.facebook.com/RolandCorpUS?sk=app_208195102528120

Win a Full Rig From Wild West Guitars
http://guitarsquid.com/Latest/enter-for-your-chance-to-win-a-full-rig-from-wild-west-guitars.html

Enter to Win an Ampeg GVT5-110 All Tube Guitar Combo
http://www.guitarplayer.com/article/Ampeg-GVT-Tube-Amp-Giveaway/6006

Win an Epiphone Robb Flynn Love/Death flying-V Guitar
http://www.craveonline.com/music/articles/178051-win-an-epiphone-robb-flynn-lovedeath-flying-v-guitar

Play the Guitar Picks Match Game from The Grand Old Opry and Win an Autographed Guitar
http://by161w.bay161.mail.live.com/default.aspx#!/mail/InboxLight.aspx?n=11330535!fid=1&pdir=NextPage&paid=ae80033c-0f10-11e1-bb17-00237de49116&pad=2011-11-14T22%3A33%3A37.010Z&pidx=2&fav=1&n=1080435861&mid=4c612acf-0b20-11e1-bbe6-002264c2089a&fv=1

Enter to Win a Creation Audio Labs Holy Fire OD, Powertrain 1250 Power Supply, and More
http://www.creationaudiolabs.com/gear-giveaway-oct-2011

Win a Jane’s Addiction Signed PRS 24
http://guitarsquid.com/newsletter/squidpick/win-a-janes-addiction-autographed-electric-guitar/5/

Win a George Harrison signature Gretsch Duo Jet
http://guitarsquid.com/Squid_Picks/Oct2011/contest-george-harrison.html

Enter to Win ‘The Rolling Stones-Inspired Prize Pack’ from HD Tracks
(Includes Custom Fender Telecaster with Let It Bleed Artwork, Custom Gretsch Drum Set with Get Yer Ya-Ya’s Out Artwork, and more)
https://www.hdtracks.com/index.php?file=fender

Win an Ernie Ball Axis Guitar and Goodsell Unibox Amp package
http://www.vintageguitar.com/the-great-vg-25th-anniversary-giveaway/?utm_source=Vintage+Guitar%2C+Inc.+List&utm_campaign=b9bba89dd0-20111020A10_20_2011&utm_medium=email

Win an Egnater Tweaker 40 Head and Matching 1×12 Cabinets
http://www.vintageguitar.com/hall-of-fame/?utm_source=Vintage+Guitar%2C+Inc.+List&utm_campaign=b9bba89dd0-20111020A10_20_2011&utm_medium=email

Win a Planet Waves Tru-Strobe Tuner
http://www.premierguitar.com/Survey/362/survey.aspx

Jeff Beck Week Continued

Paul Schille — Sat, 05 Nov 2011 13:00:57 +0000

To round out the week of Jeff Beck adoration (by me), I thought I’d share this interview with his longtime guitar tech Steve Prior. As is usually the case, the best gear info always seems to come from the tech! One of the interesting tidbits here is the huge neck profile on the first run of Jeff Beck signature Strats. It turns out that Beck didn’t like that large neck profile either and had Fender make him a bunch of necks from which he picked his favorite.

And if anyone was able to get a better shot of Beck’s pedalboard than I did last week, I’d love if you could share it with all of us here. I took a bunch of pics from the front of the stage, but even from there it was impossible to tell what all was on there.

Video – Jeff Beck’s People Get Ready in Seattle, October 2011

Paul Schille — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 13:00:25 +0000

Jeff Beck - Seattle 10/28/11

As I mentioned in my last post, Jeff Beck was in Seattle last week and I was fortunate enough to have tickets in the 7th row (Special thanks to Don and Jeff for that bit of luck!). Jeff Beck has been my favorite guitarist for as long as I can remember and I’ve seen him a few time throughout the years. The first time was in 1976 on the Wired tour, and it was easily the best show I’d ever seen. I was in high school then and I still remember parts of that show as if it were yesterday. To this day it ranks up there as one of my favorite shows ever.

Last week’s show was equally amazing, though quite different. It seems that Beck is now the acknowledged master who is completely comfortable with where he’s at and what he’s accomplished. His band was phenomenal, and he went out of his way to acknowledge and spotlight them throughout the show. As tight as any band I’ve ever seen, this is probably his best band since the original Jeff Beck Group lineup, and that’s really saying something!

I won’t bore you with all the details as there are some great reviews out there of his recent shows. But I did want to share a short clip I got at the show. People Get Ready has long been my favorite song, and holds very special meaning to me. I was able to get the first half of the song before security tapped me on the shoulder and told me there was no video allowed! So while I apologize for the abrupt end of the clip, here’s a great version of People Get Ready!

Once Again: Jeff Beck’s Guitar Collection

Paul Schille — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 22:05:48 +0000

In honor of the fact that Jeff Beck just made it through the Northwest for a handful of shows, and I was fortunate enough to see the Seattle show, here once again is my favorite Jeff Beck interview. In this clip he runs through a portion of his guitar collection, and as cool as the guitars are, it’s his playing that’s mesmerizing. When he picks up his ES-175 or 1954 Tele, he begins to channel Scotty Moore or James Burton. And when he shows you the old Gretsch he immediately sounds like Cliff Gallup. Easily my favorite guitarist ever, Beck continues to amaze and inspire, and I hope you enjoy this clip!

From Premier Guitar – Gear Nannies: The Life of a Guitar Tech

Paul Schille — Thu, 03 Nov 2011 03:05:29 +0000

Blake Shelton Tech Area

From the big boys who couldn’t live without them, to the rest of us who can only imagine how cool it would be to have one, I doubt if there’s a guitar player alive who at some point hasn’t thought about either having or being a guitar tech. And now Premier Guitar is giving us a glimpse of life behind the scenes with Gear Nannies: The Life of a Guitar Tech.

Dierks Bentley Tech Area

Ray and I have been fortunate enough to do a lot of opening gigs over the past couple of years, and the first guy I look for when I get to a show is the guitar tech for the headliner. As a group, these guys have proven to be the nicest, most helpful people you could ever have the good fortune to meet. From Jon who techs for Eddie Perez in Dwight Yoakam’s band, to Frank who techs for all the guitarist in Kenny Rogers band, to Rob from Gloriana, to the guys with Blake Shelton, Dierks Bentley and Lynyrd Skynyrd, they have all gone out of their way to make us feel comfortable working with their acts, and have shared some great insights into how they do their job on a daily basis.

Kenny Rogers' Guitars

I’ve been loaned those silver, reflective blankets to cover my guitars on a roasting hot stage (a must-have if you’re doing outdoor shows I quickly learned!), sat at the side of the stage with the tech for some truly awesome performances, built up quite a guitar pick collection, and even gotten to play some beautiful guitars. As a guitar player, don’t ever pass up the opportunity to talk with these guys. They are total gear nerds like the rest of us, and love to talk about their craft. A special thanks to Premier Guitar for this article, enjoy!

Get to Know Adrian Legg Live

Paul Schille — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 03:02:02 +0000

If you’re not familiar with Adrian Legg, this video should convince you that he is someone you need to listen to! In this video Adrian performs “Cajun Interlude” From the Vestapol DVD “Fingerstyle Guitar: New Dimensions & Explorations, Vol. One.” I was fortunate enough to see Legg some 20 years ago from the front row of a tiny club in Seattle, and it was one of the most jaw-dropping experiences I’ve ever had. Besides making this all look easy, he tells some of the funniest stories you’ve ever heard between songs. My favorite album of his is “Guitars & Other Cathedrals,” but you really can’t go wrong with any of them. I hope you enjoy Cajun Interlude!

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Get “Best Of Gig Magazine” Here

Paul Schille — Tue, 11 Oct 2011 13:00:13 +0000

Our friends over at Gig Magazine cover a lot of the same topics that we do, and they’ve just released their “Best of Gig Magazine.” Everything from getting a great live mix to the perfect mic placement, and troubleshooting to fighting off stage fright, these guys cover many of the things that we all deal with on a daily basis when playing live. This is an indispensable resource for the gigging musician and we’re happy to bring it to you here!

Best of Gig Magazine

Why We Play Guitar!

Paul Schille — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 12:00:21 +0000

Hmmm...I already have the guitar and the station wagon. All I need now is that "suh-weet" sweater and I should be in business!

How to be a Great Opening Act: Top 10

Ray Neyens — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 20:17:21 +0000

One of the great things about my current band is that we get to experience both the headliner and the opening act side of putting on a show. So we definitely know what it’s like to be an opening act and we also know what we like to have bands open for us.

I’ve compiled some of the lessons learned from our experiences and put them into this nifty Top 10 list for your consideration. Of course, there are many other things to consider when you’re the opening act as well. If you have some other suggestions or ideas please post them in the comments below for the benefit of all our readers.

1 . Be on time

Timing is everything as an opening act. Make sure your entire band is at the venue and ready to load in at the specified time. Most major shows run under a tight schedule, so if your band is not ready at the required time, then the production staff will likely not be happy with you. Also, as an opening act it can be challenging (if not impossible) to get a proper sound check. So, make sure that you don’t waste your precious sound check time because you’re waiting on one band member to show up. Try to make sure the entire band gets to the venue at about the same time if possible.

2. Dress to impress

If your playing a show as an opening act, then that probably means that you’re opening for a major act. Unless your type of musical genre dictates that you wear crappy clothes you should make sure that everyone in your band understands the need to dress appropriately for stage and I would also suggest they dress reasonably well for pre & post performance as well. This is your chance to impress. No one is going to find your “I’m with stupid” t-shirt all that funny (I’m looking at you Paul). Wear something nice…..no, no…not that Hawaiian print shirt…something else that’s nice.

3. Don’t overstay your welcome

Most often the set for the opening band will be somewhere between 30 to 60 minutes. We’ve typically been given around 45 minutes for most of our opening engagements. However, that assumes you start exactly on time. There are many times when a talkative Radio Personality or Emcee can cut into your time while introducing the band. You still need to be off stage at your designated time.

Also, watch for the stage manager or the headlining act’s tour manager, as they will sometimes cut your set short if they decide they need a little more time between acts (for any number of reasons). If they give you that “1 more song” sign, go strait to your last song, say thank you and good night and get off the stage as quickly as possible. Also, never expect an encore as an opening band….even if the crowd is calling for it. It is quite rare for an opener to ever return for an encore.

4. Be quick to get on and off stage

When you arrive for to the venue do not move any of your equipment out of your vehicle(s) until directed to do so by the Production Manager. Never place any of your gear on stage until you have been given the go ahead by the Production or Stage Manager. Once on stage, do not move any equipment that is not yours without getting permission from the Stage Manager. Be very careful of the other acts equipment. Set up your gear as quickly as you can. Do not waste time when you have the stage as any extra time you take setting up will generally come out of your allotted time for sound check. We’ve had times when the headliner was running late and we had to set up all of our gear on the side wing of the stage so we could get line level checks and make sure our in ear monitor system was working.

Once your performance is finished, get you and your gear off the stage as quick as you possibly can. This goes a long way with Production crews, Promoters and Headliners. So, getting a reputation for getting off stage quick can help you get future opening gigs. Our record for getting our band and all our equipment off is 4 minutes.

5. Stay out of the way & be accommodating

Once you’re off stage, be sure to get your band, your guests and all your equipment out of the way of the headliner and the production crew. If you think everything is out of the way and they ask you to move it somewhere else, just do it. This is not the time to argue. We’ve seen this happen with Green Rooms as well. As an opening act, you usually have very little clout or leverage compared to the headliner. So if they need your Green Room (assuming you even got one) after your performance is done, then you will be asked to vacate.

Whatever the promoter or the headliner needs from you try your best to accommodate them. Sometimes they may ask you to play a little longer….sometimes a little shorter….start earlier, start later….move your sound check earlier…move your sound check later….sound check after the doors open… no sound check at all. Whatever it is, this is the nature of being an opening band, so just roll with it and enjoy the experience.

6. Keep the show upbeat & energetic and play appropriate songs.

As an opening band, your entire job is to get the audience warmed up for the main act. This is not the time to be showing off your vocal chops by singing every ballad in your repertoire (unless that’s the type of genre for this gig). In general, you want to play more upbeat, energetic music that will wake the audience up and get them primed for the headlining act. It’s usually ok to play a few cover songs as well. So pick a couple that you know will go over well with your intended audience.

7. Be prepared

Take the Boy Scout’s motto to heart. Bring backups of any important cables or equipment. We have a special cable for our laptop that is critical to our performance. We always have at least 2 of these cables…sometimes 3 of them just in case. We also use an In Ear Monitor system that we bring with us and lives by our drummer. This setup requires a splitter snake with a run long enough to reach the stage box. So, we always bring a long enough snake with fan tail since we can’t be assured that the sound company will have this item for us.

Being prepared also relates to basic needs such as food, water, bathrooms. Eat before you get to the venue, since the timeline of the production can change on a moments notice. If you have time before your portion of the show, eat a little something again, but don’t wander off too far from the stage. Stay hydrated and drink often (but it’s a good idea to refrain from alcohol before your set). Make sure you find a restroom before you go on stage. It really sucks to be half way through your set and realize you may not make it to the end of your set.

8. Be friendly and say thank you to everyone

Remember to be friendly….even if it’s not your nature. If you want to continue being invited back to open for other big name acts, you need people to like you…not just the fans of your music, but all the production staff, sound crew, light crew, headlining support staff, promoter (especially the promoter). Talk to people and say thank you and how much you appreciate the opportunity. Thank them for whatever they are doing to make the show possible. If you want better sound, go out front and talk to the sound guy before your show. Thank them for working with you. If you want any lights, talk to the light guys and be appreciative of what they do….otherwise you may get no lights at all. If you are able to interact with the headliner, thank them for allowing you to share their stage. Thank the promoter for booking you on the event.

You’d be surprised how rarely any of these people here the words “Thank You” or any appreciation from the opening acts. I recently heard a story from a Promoter who had booked a young singer to open for a national act. He said that the singer was friendly and nice to him, but the singer’s band didn’t know who he was and spent the whole time bitching and moaning and basically being self indulgent jerks. So, unless you know exactly who that person is standing next to you, assume that they’re someone you don’t want to piss off.

9. Don’t be an annoying fan to the headliner

Do not assume that just because you’re sharing the same stage as the headliner that they’re actually going to invite you back to hang out in their Green room or bus and that you’re going to party all night with them and then they’ll ask you to join their tour. This rarely happens….which is not to say it never happens, just rarely. The truth is that it’s far more likely that you’ll never even meet the headliner. You may be able to watch their show from backstage….you may be within close proximity to them…if you’re lucky you may get a photo op…if you’re really lucky you might get to hang with them for a short period of time. Don’t pressure the promoter or anyone else to introduce you to the headliner. Don’t pitch them your demo tape. Don’t act like a rabid fan. Be cool and act like a professional musician. Be appreciative and don’t forget to thank them if you do meet them.

We were recently told a story by a headliner’s tour manager about how their previous opening band had been pissed off that they didn’t get a proper sound check and had tweeted about it the next day. This really upset the headliner and he had decided to just get rid of all future opening bands (which would have included us for the following day). Luckily the promoter had intervened and convinced him that we were not like that. We were only told this story because we first had told the tour manager that we knew we probably wouldn’t have a chance to meet Mr. Headliner, but would he please make sure to tell him how appreciative we were that he was allowing us to open the show for him. After we finished our set, the tour manager made sure that we were able to get a photo op with Mr. Headliner, who in turned thanked us for putting on a great show and being so professional. That would not have happened if we had not been so nice to the tour manager.

10. Make yourself available to fans after the show

One of the big reasons you want to be an opening band is to get in front of people who are not yet fans of your music. This is a great opportunity for you to get your music out to a large audience. Be sure to bring merchandise with you (if you don’t have any, get some before you play the gig). Make sure you have CD’s, t-shirts, bandanas, whatever merch you think your audience might like.

Ask the promoter if you can sign your merch after your set, while the headliner is preparing to take the stage. If not, go out after the show and meet fans at your merch booth. If possible do it both at intermission and after the show. We’ve made a lot of new fans/friends this way. It’s not unusual for the headliner to not come out to sign autographs at all. More often than not we’re the only band out signing autographs after the show and the line has been huge. Most people are thrilled that you would take the time to stay after and meet them. We make it a policy to not leave until everyone who wants one has gotten an autograph, picture or whatever.

Well, there you have it. This is “Opening Band: 101″. Many of you probably have experience as an opening act as well. Do you have something else to add or maybe you disagree on a point I’ve made? Well, feel free to add to the conversation in the comments below. I look forward to hearing other stories from those of you who have lived through being an opening band.

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So Where Have These Guys Been All Summer???

Paul Schille — Fri, 30 Sep 2011 05:14:20 +0000

Passes & Picks

So I think it’s fair that if there’s one thing Ray and I have learned since starting this blog, is that it can be a lot of work for just two guys to keep up with while we’re on the road playing! We initially thought this was the perfect thing as we could post updates between shows, from the bus, on our iPhones or iPads, from anywhere really. Yeah, not so much! It’s been a crazy, great summer, but when I just looked at when I last posted a story I was completely embarrassed! Four months, ouch!

So much has happened over the last few months, for us and in the industry, that there is no way we’re ever going to be able to catch up! So we’ve decided to pick up right where we left off and try to once again bring you the most interesting and relevant stories we can find for all you gigging musicians out there who have been so supportive of the site. We were gigging during Summer NAMM so missed that, but are planning to go to Anaheim again this year, so start thinking now about anything particular you want us to check out for you. We may even have a few gems from the last winter NAMM we can share here sometime soon!

Kenny & the boys

As for Ray and I, we spent most of the summer gigging and we plan to bring you a few stories stories and more importantly, some great backstage pictures from many of those shows. I have collected picks for many years and picked up some great ones over the summer I’ll share here too. May even give a few away at some point! We were very fortunate this year to do a lot of headlining shows as well as open for some of our favorite artists including Alan Jackson, Dierks Bentley, Gloriana, Phil Vassar, Dwight Yoakam, Sunny Sweeney, David Nail, Steve Azar, and my personal favorite, Kenny Rogers. That’s right, Kenny Rogers! I had several people (including Phil Vassar) tell me that Kenny is the greatest guy in our business, and they were absolutely right. He gave us his motorhome to use as our dressing room, moved his Meet & Greet so it wouldn’t conflict with our time on stage, and made sure there was time to meet the band and take a few pictures. An amazing experience and one we won’t soon forget!

'57 Les Paul Custom

On a personal level, this summer was a great one for me. One of the highlights of my career was being signed to an endorsement deal with Gibson Guitars! Now it’s obvious that they’ve lowered their standards to an unprecedented level for me to be included, but a very special Thank You to Jenny, Danny and everyone there for this opportunity. They even loaned me a beautiful ’57 Reissue Black Beauty to play for the summer! Sadly is has gone back to Gibson, but that may end up being the next guitar in the collection! It really was a beauty!

And I got home late one night from being on the road, and there in the garage was a big box from Mesa Boogie with their new Royal Atlantic amp inside! What a treat. I’ve been using it for a few weeks now and will be writing a review and updates here for you to check out. So far I love it, different from my Lone Star Special, but very cool tones. Thanks to Tim, Mike and everyone there for their continued support.

I was also fortunate enough to meet some great guitar players and make some new friends, guys like Jeff “J-Dawg” Smith (Phil Vassar), Brian Layson (Dierks Bentley), Eddie Perez (Dwight Yoakam) and Delaney Jackson (Mark Chesnutt). Not only great players, but really nice guys as well. Look forward to keeping in touch and meeting up with all of them again sometime soon.

So we’re back! Thanks for sticking with us during the summer and we look forward to bringing you all kinds of interesting things moving forward. As always, let us know if you have any questions or there’s anything you’d like us to address.

Look forward to hearing from you!

Paul & Ray

Will Your Personality Get You, or Lose You, the Gig?

Paul Schille — Tue, 31 May 2011 23:50:41 +0000

One of the best articles I’ve ever read on this subject, Peter Thorn helps explain why some people get tons of gigs, and others don’t.

Psychology of a Working Guitarist

I won’t get into all the do’s and don’ts as Peter does a great job of covering those, but I’ve been talking about this for years and it always amazes how some people just never seem to get it. At the end of the day, there are always several players who are good enough for whatever level a particular gig is at (and let’s face it, Peter is at a different level than I am, and I’m at a different level than someone just starting out). So if there are always more good players than there are great gigs, what are you doing to be the one who gets the gig?

For a touring band like ours, I’ve always felt that there are lots of guys good enough to play the parts, so I’m always looking for someone that I respect and want to hang with. I genuinely like the guys in my current band and I am really looking forward to an incredibly busy summer of planes, buses, vans, and bad hotels with those guys. Do we have our issues? Of course we do, who doesn’t? But at the end of the day, you are on stage for a couple of hours a night (if you’re lucky) and the rest of the time is spent just hanging out with your bandmates.

And I don’t think this just goes for band situations. I used to be a CEO in a previous life and have hired literally hundreds of people over the years. I’ve found the exact same thing there, where the quality of your work-life goes up exponentially if you are working with people whom you respect and enjoy being around. And with the high levels of unemployment out there today, you can just multiply the number of good people out there competing with you for that gig!

So have a look at the article to see how you stack up and ask yourself: Are you getting the gigs you want?

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Overcoming Stage Fright

Paul Schille — Sun, 22 May 2011 00:00:17 +0000

Back when we started this blog late last year, one of the first questions we received was how to deal with stage fright. Ray and I both took a stab at what we thought might be helpful, but since it’s not something either one of us has had to deal with, I don’t know that we were of much help. I’ve been performing onstage since I was in grade school and then spent many years as a corporate executive, so being in front of groups of people is pretty much second nature at this point. And let’s face it, Ray’s middle name is “Ham!”

So when I came across this article in Gig Magazine, I thought I would share it here as I know this can be a real issue for a lot of people.

Overcoming Stage Fright

My favorite line is near the end where the author says, “Ultimately, overcoming stage fright is accomplished by doing the one thing you fear the most: performing…if you are not willing to “face the fear of failure,” stage fright will continue to haunt your performance attempts.” You can ask Ray, I have fallen on my face (both literally AND figuratively) many times over the years and yet I’m still here performing, and have a pretty good gig at that! At the end of the day it’s important to remember that the only person that cares whether you were “perfect” or not, is you! Everyone else is simply there to have a good time and be entertained. If you can find a way to keep that in mind, it will make it a lot easier to go out there and take some chances and have fun!

Road Dog Travel Tips from John Bohlinger

Paul Schille — Wed, 18 May 2011 01:58:45 +0000

John Bohlinger

For those of you not familiar with John Bohlinger, it’s a safe bet to say you’re probably familiar with his playing. A noted Nashville guitarist, he has recorded and toured with over 30 major-label artists, and currently spends most of his time doing TV and film work. John is a close friend of our good friend Forrest Lee Jr., and when it comes to travel tips on the road, John really knows is stuff. As summer is upon us again, it’s the time where many of us gigging musicians spend a substantial amount of time on the road, and these tips can be lifesavers. You can have a look at his article in Premier Guitar here:

Road-Dog Travel Tips

And I have another tip to add as well. While you’re removing that disgusting comforter from the bed, take an extra minute and douse the TV remote with Purell. One of the most germ-ridden items in the whole room, I don’t touch that thing until it’s had a sanitizing bath!

But other than that, have a great time on the road this summer!

65 Amps and PreSonus Changing the Way We Listen Online

Paul Schille — Thu, 05 May 2011 21:23:29 +0000

I am a huge fan of 65 Amps, and if you don’t know who they are I can guarantee you’ve heard their amps all over the radio and TV. From Keith Urban to Ritchie Sambora to Jared Scharff in the Saturday Night Live band, these amp are everywhere, and once you hear one you’ll know why. Founded by Dan Boul and Peter Stroud (Sheryl Crowe’s guitarist), 65 Amps has quickly become one of the premier boutique amp builders around. Ray and I were fortunate enough to get a private interview with Dan and Peter at NAMM this year, and if we ever get around to recording our NAMM wrap-up podcast you’ll be able to hear it here. They are a couple of the nicest guys you’ll ever meet and Dan does a weekly webcast on Wednesdays at noon Pacific time that’s well worth tuning into.

Which brings us to the point of this post. Dan has been looking for the best way to broadcast live sound online and has teamed up with PreSonus to bring you as good a guitar sound as you’re going to find anywhere. Dan recently filmed a piece on how they’re using the PreSonus Studio Live 16-channel board for his broadcasts and it’s well worth checking out. This is the same digital board that Ray and I have used and it’s one of the best small boards out there. For all you guitar players, one of the most interesting things in this video is how they mic the cabinets for the broadcast. I have a couple of those mics, but that Royer 121 is definitely next on my list for recording purposes. You also get an insider’s tour of the 65 Amps facility that is fantastic.

So check out the video and tune in to Dan’s weekly broadcast to learn more about 65 Amps.

Instrument Cable Rundown – Guest Submission by Lee Hodgson

Paul Schille — Sat, 30 Apr 2011 19:07:21 +0000

Today we have a guest submission on instrument cables from Lee Hodgson. Lee teaches at London’s Guitar Institute (part of the Institute of Contemporary Music Performance), has written for Guitar Techniques magazine, been an official demonstrator for Vox amps, and is a Fret-King guitar endorsee. He has put together a very thorough comparison of a wide variety of cables, and though we may differ in our preferences (he disses one of my favorite cables!), the bottom line is that the cable you use DOES make a significant difference and it’s worth trying as many as you can to find what works best for you. Thanks for the great article Lee!

Guitar Leads Do Sound Different…

By Lee Hodgson

Introduction

Are there really audible differences between guitar leads? And if so, is there a ‘best sounding’ one? Well, they all sound different for sure, so I believe it’s a case of finding what’s best for you. After all, not everyone might want a totally transparent sounding lead. (An electric guitar is not exactly a piece of hi-fi…) Blues players, for example, may want a warmer tone, whereas a funk guitarist might want sparkle, get the idea? On a larger scale, we basically choose between, let’s say, a Fender Strat over a Gibson Les Paul (or vice versa); one has more warmth yet the other has more brightness and cut. Of course an amplifier has tone controls, so does a lead’s characteristics count? I believe so. It’s not just about treble, middle and bass; there are other more subtle factors at work – which scientific studies could explain. All we musicians care about is a musically satisfying result, wouldn’t you say? My main point is that I really can hear how some leads impede or alter the sound in some way or another. Curiously, I can also sense when a lead is the ‘right’ way round: it’s not about tone, it’s rather more to do with cohesiveness and the frequencies all arriving synchronously. Whatever, all I ultimately want is a balanced, uncongested, cohesive and generally wholesome sound. I only want gear that lets me get on with the playing of music.

Test Guitar: Fret-King Corona & Super S with Wilkinson pickups (various pickup settings used).

Test Amps: Mesa/Boogie MkIII Simulclass (EV12L), Cornell Voyager 20 (6V6 tubes, Celestion Gold Alnico loudspeaker). Also a Vox ToneLab ST (modeller).

I USED AN ESSENTIALLY CLEAN SOUND THROUGHOUT. Using parallel thinking, I’m one of those who want even their ‘dirty’ sound to be essentially clean – articulate is probably a better word – when using overdrive. I believe that clarity is invariably perceived as being a positive quality. Some producers think in terms of ‘expensive’ sounds…

Playing Style(s) used: hybrid picking mostly, plus some fingerpicking – the sound of flesh makes Jeff Beck sound good, wouldn’t you agree? I played single note lines (including soulful bends), double-stops, triads and chord strums. I can state categorically that playing multiple notes together or closely in succession, sustaining that is, reveals just how a lead accurately or inaccurately passes the component sound(s). Some leads make your chords sound disjointed and imbalanced, almost as if it’s two guitars fighting each other, whereas certain other leads definitely produce a singular, coherent sound. OK, what follows is my professional opinion of various guitar leads.

My favourite guitar cable is without a doubt, Van Den Hul Integration Hybrid (from Lava Cable). It’s just the best! It actually does seem to improve sustain. It’s quite expensive but not ridiculously so. I went for a 10-foot length.

Lava Soar.

I bought a 20-foot one of these and it’s fine. I use it for general gigging. It’s a ‘high-end’ cable but very reasonably priced.

Cordial.

The CGK 122N is definitely one of my favourite guitar cables! It seems to add something – which might imply that it’s not neutral sounding…

Fabulously clear sound (especially on double stops).
Sounds musically integrated and has a balanced tone; it’s a wholesome sound that makes a guitar sound wonderful by itself yet, it’s also offers a sound that gels with accompaniment noticeably better than when using other leads. It makes you think: “this is what my guitar should sound like!”
It ‘feels’ great! I’d say it’s best suited for rock/blues/overdrive sounds.

I own several Cordial leads: the CGK175, which is slightly different physically (it is more flexible so is more suited to stage use) but sounds every bit as good as the CGK 122 N, plus I have the slightly cheaper CIK122, which is ever so slightly edgier and more vibrant sounding than the rest.

Sommer Cable.

The Grindycop Beast seems to have gained a great reputation amongst discerning players. It’s main feature is its “quickness” (transient response). I bought one and found it to be, as Sommer themselves put it, ‘analytical’…

Evidence Audio.

Dave Gilmour uses the ‘Lyric HG’, as do many other top-ranking players, but I’m left unimpressed. This twin-core (solid) cable is clear enough and well balanced but all I can say is, playing loud through a VOX AC15, a Cordial cable just delivered something special. Evidence Audio might well say that their cables are totally neutral sounding but I don’t really care, I enjoyed playing through another cable more.

Elixir.

Sweet, clean and fairly open sounding. The cable measures a little resistance, which worries me very slightly.

Horizon Siverflex.

The Horizon Silverflex cable is very good but not quite as cohesive and balanced sounding as Cordial leads. It has a great sounding treble response, which makes high-pitched lead work very clear, but I think the bass end is ever so slightly disjointed.

George L’s.

I’ve heard that these are highly regarded but they’re not for me. Despite having great clarity and transparency, they have a slightly cold, clinical sound in my opinion. However, I’d recommend that you try them out with your own guitar…

Extremely clear, brilliant sound that works well with all kinds of sounds and playing styles.
Good integration and balanced tone: it’s a wholesome sound.
Excellent transient attack! Which makes it sound immediate as opposed to blurred.

Planet Waves (D’Addario).

I bought a 20-footer (the more expensive twisted-pair version) and had been using it quite happily until I discovered Cordial… By comparison, the PW lead sounded cluttered and uncohesive, especially on double stops (playing D & F# together on the 5th & 4th strings sounded much nicer through the Cordial lead; it sounded more focussed and the chord was noticeably more vibrant!). Planet Waves’ advertising claims that its cable is “acoustically transparent”, devoid of any filtering effects, yet it does, to my ears, sound a little thicker than other leads – which is probably why endorsee Eric Clapton likes them! I should add, however, that I once played a master-built Fender Tele at a gig and the Planet Waves lead did do it justice. You see, it’s a marriage…

Fairly clear sound for single-note lines but not so great for double stops or chords.
Flattering when you play hard but loses some detail (sounds a little furry) when using softer dynamics.
Might suit a rock/blues lead guitarist who wants a marginally thicker, fatter tone. (It doesn’t actually boost anything, it’s just not ultimately as brilliant or detailed sounding as certain others.)

Ki-Sound (Rotosound).

I paid £4.00 for a 10-footer and I really can’t fault it!

Lovely clear sound for any playing style and note formation.
Balanced tone: gives a wholesome, integrated sound.
A cosy sound. Highly recommended!

Active Lead.

I used to be an endorsee. The Active Lead is kind of like a DI-box-as-a-lead if you know what I mean. It’s perfect, therefore, if you want to quickly plug into a mixing desk or hi-fi etc that doesn’t have a dedicated guitar input (the Active Lead has a mega-high impedance, which is good for guitars).

Check this out: I once travelled by air so I couldn’t take my main rig. All I took was my (back-up) guitar, a Squier Silver Strat, and my Active Lead. I plugged into another guitarist’s little tranny Fender Deluxe (mic’d up)… …and I received many favourable comments from guitarists from the other bands at the festival. I can’t help liking my Active Lead! It serves a purpose.

Particularly clear sound, with enhanced high-end – it sparkles!
Balanced tone: gives a wholesome, integrated sound. Designed to eliminate an undesirable peak that’s found in most electric guitars’ pickup response.
Suffers from a little added hiss. Also, in order to avoid induced hum, you must keep the integral battery box away from transformers etc.

Ripcord (MI).

I paid £82.00 for a 20-footer several years ago and loved it for a while. But then I fell out of love with it and so I sold it! It definitely has a ‘sound’ though…

Not neutral sounding – imparts fatness and mid-range drive, a “juicy” sound!
Suffers from a kind of crackling/rustling noise when you shake it. (So don’t!)
Ripcord also sell expensive speaker and mains leads…

Digressing for a moment, but still considering the lengths people will go for great tone, Eddie Van Halen lowered the voltage supply to his Marshall amp and the sound, he says, went “brown”! And Eric Johnson believes, rather obsessively, in all manner of things that affect tone… Mind you, I’ve heard him play live and I can vouch that his sound was absolutely phenomenal!

Winding down now, I do recall once trying an upmarket Monster lead – they do all kinds of dedicated, stylised guitar/bass leads – and I seem to remember that it sounded neutral. Ultimately though, I preferred my “fruitier” sounding Ripcord, which I favoured at the time.

If you want esoterica, then check out Russ Andrews product brochure, which offers guitar leads that cost up to £600!!!

Finally and in conclusion, I have bought many guitar leads over the years (and plenty more besides those mentioned here, which varied between acceptable and unacceptable) and I can most definitely hear – I’d rather say “feel” – when something is right or wrong, subjectively speaking, that is. It’s all about finding that elusive “perfect combination” isn’t it?

Have fun!

ROCKIN’ YOUR STAGE SOUND – Excerpt – Live Sound Checklist

Ray Neyens — Tue, 19 Apr 2011 12:00:36 +0000

[EDITORS NOTE: This is another post by Guest Writer Rob Gainey. Rob and his publisher, Hal Leonard, have been gracious enough to allow posting of some excerpts of his recent book "Rockin' Your Stage Sound". If you enjoy this, or any, of his articles please consider supporting his efforts by purchasing his book...it just may help Rock Your Stage Sound. - Ray]

Think about all the aspects of your tone on its way to the PA—your cords, effects, amp, speakers, the mic. Everything counts! Don’t be afraid to admit when you get in over your head and need some help, but don’t just let someone fix it; fix the problem with them and you will have earned the money you paid them to teach you. Try many different combinations with your setup. Most discoveries were accidents waiting to happen, but in a good way. Practicing at home and rehearsals are the places to do this, not during showtime! Never forget that it all begins with your tone—it has to be at its best! This is the first and most important step in taking control of your stage sound.
Here is a checklist of points that were made during the chapter. It is a good idea to look these over before every rehearsal and get into the habit of doing this for shows as well.

1. Always Use Fresh Strings
2. Listen in a Quiet Room
3. Eliminate Buzzes and Noises
4. Intonate Your Instrument
5. Check All Batteries and Keep Spares
6. Use a Quality Guitar Strap and Fastener
7. Secure Your Instrument Cable
8. Adjust Your Action Properly
9. Adjust Your Pickups Properly
10. Keep Strong Magnets Away from Pickups
11. Eliminate Squeaks and Rattles
12. Use Fresh Drum Heads
13. Tune Drum Heads Evenly
14. Allow Room for Microphones
15. Play with Dynamics
16. Use a Pickup on Acoustic Instruments
17. Use a Mute Switch to Prevent Problems
18. Use a Stage Amp for a Personal Monitor
19. Use a Clip-on Mic When You Can
20. Carefully Check All Cables
21. Carry Backup Power Supplies
22. Keep Spare Sound Cards and Discs
23. Keep Your Gear in Working Condition
24. Never Cup the Ball of the Mic
25. Never Drop the Mic
26. Never Expose the Mic Directly to the Mains or Monitors
27. Balance Your Stage Levels with the Monitors
28. Use Your Own Mic
29. Keep Wireless Systems in the Line of Sight
30. Learn What Sounds Good on Your Voice
31. Keep Your Lyrics Handy
32. Listen to Your Amp Without Effects
33. Use Fresh Tubes
34. Buy and Use a Volt-Ohm Meter
35. Check for Microphonics in Your Rig
36. Try Your Effects One at a Time to Find Problems
37. Use Only the Effects You Really Need
38. Don’t Wear Earplugs—Turn Down
39. Place Your Effects in the Correct Order
40. Use Loop Switching to Create Unusual Effects

[Editor's Note: Do you have anything to add to this list? What is on your checklist for making sure you have a great gig? Let us know in the comments.]

ROCKIN’ YOUR STAGE SOUND – Excerpt 2 – Effects Overview (pt 2 )

Rob Gainey — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 12:00:20 +0000

Flangers/Choruses/Phasers
These units are all similar in that they mix a processed signal with the original unprocessed signal to produce a particular sweeping or swirling effect. Flangers and choruses both change the speed of a delayed signal to produce a swishy or sloshy sound, depending on their settings. Phasers shift the phase of a signal by using a filter to sweep the frequency range. They all sound different when you hear them one after the other, but they are remarkably similar. Extreme settings on a flanger or chorus will produce a warbling effect known as vibrato. While phasers have Speed and Depth controls, flangers and choruses can also have Sweep in their settings.
An ordinary delay unit can be used to produce a flange or chorus effect if it has a modulation control, which automatically varies the speed of the delay. Sweep is the equivalent of delay time, Speed is the equivalent of modulation, and Depth is the equivalent of the feedback or repeat control of a delay unit. With no modulation and longer delay times of 40-60 ms, this is called a doubler, because it sounds like two people playing the same thing ever so slightly out of time.

Delay
Delay is an effect in which you can hear the individual repeats of a signal. Often called “echo,” this is one of the most popular effects in the history of audio. There are many types of delay units, from old tube Echoplexes to pristine-sounding digital delays, but they all perform a similar function: to repeat a given length of your input signal at least once, often more. With each succession or repeat, the volume decreases; at least for normal delay usage. Most delay units have a control for length, another for feedback (the number of repeats), and a mix control that allows you to balance the delayed signal with the original signal. Delay is best used before any reverb, as this is what occurs in the real world and sounds most natural to us.

Reverb
Often confused with delay, a reverb unit produces a large number of “reflections” by means of a digital algorithm. No discrete “echoes” can be heard; instead it sounds like you’re playing in a cave. The evolution of the reverb effect went from using a microphone and speaker in a tiled room to a long box with a “plate” in it or a small box with “springs” to the now famous digital reverbs with complex space modeling, backward reverbs, and “gated reverbs” that build and end abruptly.
The operation of these units will vary considerably, but there are three main parameters on most digital reverbs: Room, Density, and Decay. Smaller rooms produce shorter, tighter reverbs, Plates produce medium-length reverbs, and Halls produce longer reverbs. Each program uses a different algorithm to produce a particular tone for each reverb. Density controls the amount of reflections produced by each program. Decay determines how long the total reverb time is from the initial sound until the final reflection has decayed. While there are often a few more parameters, each unit has a different set of features, sometimes even for different programs.
Reverbs should always be last in the chain, as they usually sound most natural after everything else. The tails they create would sound quite unusual before other units like harmonizers, choruses, and delays, but if you’re out to discover that “unique tone,” this may be the one rule you’d want to break, and my leading choice for a strange effect.

Line Drivers
A line driver really isn’t an “effect”; it simply amplifies a signal that has been weakened by multiple effects units in series to a level that will drive a long cord to an amp without a significant loss of gain. This unit will rarely be switched in or out of the signal path; it is usually left in the whole time. It doesn’t provide “distortion” as we know it—its main purpose is to cleanly amplify a signal without changing the quality, just the level.
These units are best used very last in your signal chain, even after any reverb. If you only have a few effects, you may not need one at all. If you have six or seven units, you may need one. It really depends on how much gain your amp has. If you have plenty of gain left over after all is said and done, you don’t need one. If your gain is cranked all the way up and you could use some more level, then you definitely need one.
An entire library could be devoted to just effects, but that’s just not practical for the purposes of this book. There are quite a few other effects—some of them one-of-a-kind specialty units that nothing else can replicate, but in the end, they will typically fall into one of the four categories we have discussed here. As long as they are sequenced correctly, you should be able to make what you have work with few problems. Just keep in mind that people come to hear music, not effects.

Yamaha Release iPad App For LS9 Mixers

Ray Neyens — Fri, 15 Apr 2011 01:34:38 +0000

Yamaha’s new StageMix iPad app for it’s LS9 mixers finally hit the Apple iPad App store yesterday. The app was previously available for Yamaha’s higher end M7CL mixers. This new app brings mobility to the mix engineer. With it’s “Sends on Faders” ability you could have the LS9 at front of house and have an iPad on stage for making adjustments to monitor mixes (or vice versa, LS9 on stage & iPad at FOH).

My band is thrilled by this new release as we use the LS9 for our in ear monitor mixer. The mixer lives next to our drummer which can make access to it a little challenging for the rest of us in some venues. With the new iPad app we can set up an iPad near the front of the stage for the rest of the band to use for tweaking their own mixes.