Bare Knuckle Pickups Forum
At The Back => Time Out => Topic started by: Twinfan on July 10, 2012, 12:18:33 PM
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So I've got a small private party gig coming up next week where my covers band will be playing a couple of sets in a bar's function room. We've played a similar gig before and I used my full Bogner/efects switching rig which sounded great as always, but on reflection we were probably a bit loud for a social event :(
After seeing Phil X and Larry Miller recently, I've been struck by how effective a simple rig can be. I've always used a smaller and cheaper rig for rehearsals, but since upgrading it a bit I think it may be ideal for a quieter event:
* 65 Amps London Pro and footswitch
* Semi-open back Zilla 1x12 with a G12M Greenback
* Tuner
* Klone
* Chorus
* Two guitars and that's it!
So I think I'm going to give it a whirl and see how I get on. I usually take the 65 to pub gigs as a backup to my XTC, but it's not going to work the other way round as I'm only taking a small cab. As the London Pro is cathode biased, I can just take some fuses/El84s/ECC83s/EF86s to the gig and then unless something in the amp actually breaks I can fix it in 2 minutes.
What would/do you guys do - spare amp head or spare valves and fuses?
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I can't imagine something as costly as a 65 would ever actually "break" inside. :lol:
But I've never seen the construction so I can't really say. Seems like a spare valves job to me.
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Inside it's top quality, no issues with that, and I'm sure the transformers are solid. Things can break though, for example a power valve can pop and take out resistors, but I guess it's a gamble that might be worth taking...
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If it's an important gig, I always take a spare amp. You're probably right, and you could probably fix it in 2 mins, but even good handwired amps occasionally have non-valve things go wrong. It depends on how important the gig is I guess...
My setup is v simple too, and so far (touch wood) I've never had to use my spare but you never know
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I eventually took a spare amp everytime ; even if it was something small that could be run into the P.A. option - so the diagnostic process could be reduced to the removal and re-insertion of a 13amp plug. I used to carry the whole electronics repair kit, but one ( fateful ) night, a fairly basic problem became a time eating 'spoiler' of the gig's vibe and continuity. I eventually realised ( in my situation ) that whilst there may be another ' tone seeker' somewhere in the audience, most of the audience have come to enjoy the show itself , and where we fit in - as only a smaller part of the overall picture. It's the song(s) they want, not our pedigree. :)
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i know a few guys take a modeller as backup in this situation. straight into the desk.
(edit: Dave, was it you who scored a pocket pod at one stage? take that maybe?)
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I'm pretty sure that Dave has moved the pocket pod on now!
I must admit that I never took a back up amp with me to any gigs I did. If I was gigging again I'd probably go for something really small like a 22 caliber.
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Joyo AC Tone as a backup :lol:
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I never took a spare when I was gigging. I carried spare output valves for a while, cos the bassist insisted I did, but he nicked them himself! :lol:
If I went out again, I'd take a modellor as a spare and go into the PA.
Definitely like the sound of you heading towards a simpler rig (it's still more complicated than I was using!). Good luck, hope you enjoy doing it that way :D
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I don't take a spare amp either-I am beginning to think I should but in fact, I have only had one total amp failure in the last few years and luckily I was about 2 miles from home and so was able to nip home and get my Laney Cub and mic it up. It is small enough to stick in the car though so maybe I should in future.
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Cheers guys - good suggestions :)
I haven't got the Pod any more, but one of those E-H Calibers might be a good idea...
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When I gig within a range of 25 miles I never take a spare amp. Otherwise I take a Blues Junior, just in case my Rockerverb 50 head dies. It never has. Btw, the BJ hooked up to a 2x12 cab can be pretty loud, at least in our coverband. We don't play that loud on stage. It's easier for our soundtech to make a good mix that way.
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I don't know a professional musician who takes a back up amp to anything other than on long tours :lol: Hell, I don't know many who take a back up guitar unless they need them for particular sounds/tunings. I really wouldn't worry about it.
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Understandable, the falliability of valves can make one nervous..I take a vox modeller for direct in to the pa and others I know also go for the preamp option. Light weight mini head is an option to gi through speaker if u take a combo.
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The good thing with the pedal based setup is that the amp itself is not THAT important anymore.
Why not get something small and really cheap for that purpose. It's very unlikely the 65 would break, so an Egnater Tweaker or something, damn even a Roland Cube should do it for that purpose? I never take a backup amp anyways. Some spare tubes and surely fuses, yes.
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I've got fuses/kettle lead but I think I'll grab a spare set of valves and leave it at that :D
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I always take my Crate Powerblock as a back up head for gigs. It's nothing fancy, but sounds ok & is small (& light) enough to fit in holdall I take my FX & leads to gigs in. *touch wood* never actually had to swap heads during a gig so far. :)
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I've been considering one of those new 20 watt orange micro heads, they are tiny.
Need to do a bit more homework though and make sure it would be up to the job, failing that an ehx magnum 44 looks like an option
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Not really a backup but with a stereo power amp I know that if one half dies for any reason then the other half will keep chugging away.
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I've recently integrated a Digitech RP-6 multi effects into my rig for delays, chorus etc... and it doubles up as a backup straight into the desk in a worst-case scenario. I do have a Boogie Studio Preamp which sounds great into the desk, but its not yet in our rack. Once it is, that will be my main backup. Our set-up is quite full on though with racks of gear, a 4k RCF rig (tops and subs), A&H G3 desk, rack with compressors/gates, EQ, reverbs, stage-boxes/looms plus monitors.
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I used both a spare amp and spare tubes - but during the last year of gigging I only brought one guitar.
Cheers Stephan
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I used both a spare amp and spare tubes - but during the last year of gigging I only brought one guitar.
Cheers Stephan
One guitar could be tricky if you break a string. I usually never break strings, but in december at a gig, I broke two strings on my main- and backupguitar. Bad luck, the band played one song without me to give me time to replace one string.
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Yes, that is a risk I was taking. I never broke a string when I managed to put on a new set for the gig - it only happened to me on a back-to-back gig where I did use the same guitar both days without changing strings in between.
Cheers Stephan
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I usually do two, three gigs with a set of strings, though I clean them afterwards at once. Tonally, I like a played in set better then a total fresh one, at the risk of breaking one, but I seldom do.
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Right - just heading out to the gig now with a stripped down rig. Gulp. Let's see how it goes Phil X style....
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Good luck mate!
Remember to try the 'guitar spin' out!
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I always take a Crate powerblock as a back up. To be honest with a few choice pedals it sounds pretty darn good and it has come in handy a few times over the past few years, mainly for my band mate and other bands who have had problems.
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Just picked up one of those new Marshall JMP 1 combos, sounds great. Got the combo so if my main head dies, I can go into the 4x12, and if for some reason a speaker blows, I can just mic up the speaker in the JMP. Great little practice/spare amp, I love it. I would never gig without a backup amp, you never know who's watching, and if that person sees an unprepared band, that's never good!
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Right - just heading out to the gig now with a stripped down rig. Gulp. Let's see how it goes Phil X style....
Have good one :)
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Cheers folks - it went great :) I didn't try "the spin" Ian, snapped headstocks on Private Stock PRSs aren't a great idea :roll: :lol:
The only thing I really missed was a proper solo volume jump, but as I don't have loads of them (and with us being a four piece with one guitar) I don't think I really need one. The 65 Amps London Pro was faultless and I really enjoyed the simplicity.
I may well use that approach again...
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As far as guitar spin fails go, check out this video
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zo2bq_N7I3Q
(There is some f*ing and jeffing in the video though...so watch out)