Stage Volume Tone and how loud should your amp be to get the best tone?

Jonathan and Baxter discuss a killer video by Jeff McErlain David Grissom and Matt Schofield on stage volume! What are some of ways you are able to crank your amps and get the tone you want on stage?
The Video Jonathan Referenced!
• How Loud is Too Loud? ...

[@f33fifofum]

Just loud enough to annoy the neighbours, not so loud they call the cops

[@user-lv7ph7hs7l]

So that would be 1 Watt...

[@Docsjeff]

PERFECT ANALOGY. Sounds like you’ve been there before,or you have 1 person out of 300 that pisses & Moans about the volume. They’re usually the ones using a Hearing Aid.

[@JeffMcErlain]

Hey thanks guys! I appreciate the nice words and sharing the video. It was fun to make and talk shop with my friends. It’s always about the “good loud” and the “right loud” for the room. Cheers! And I love your videos as well!

[@mulemusic]

I was with Greg Martin of the Kentucky Headhunters a couple of weeks ago, and we had a 27 year old guitarist (who plays brilliantly) with us. On the way home from the show, he confessed that since he has been playing (17 of his 27 years) he felt out of place talking amps and pedals. He only knows what he knows, and simply uses a 1965 Pro Reverb, and only occasionally a tube screamer. It was interesting to me in that he has a great stage volume with that amp, and has a great tone using either his Tele, Strat, or old Hagstrom style Les Paul. There are a couple of places his trio plays, when turning the amp away from the audience would be better, but they keep getting bigger and bigger crowds (and a crap load of money and tips) so is there a need to change what works? (I'm 69 and have searched for what this young man has achieved since 1966!)

[@smelltheglove2038]

Jeff! Your videos are great! Huge fan! I’ve learned a ton from you!

[@andrewhess2978]

Love your TrueFire lessons Jeff

[@JeffMcErlain]

@@andrewhess2978 Thank you!

[@victorblakey4260]

I am a sound guy, 40 years experience, and my recommendation is for the band to adjust their levels to, as much as possible, hear each other comfortably on stage, balanced against the drums. If your amp is loud, or with a speaker box that ‘throws’ (like a quad box) then angle them more and more across the stage, the louder you want to go, the more you should point them across the stage. That way, if you are too loud, your band will tell you to turn the Fck down. The reason is that, especially in a smaller club, we are trying to balance the band against the loudest sound coming off the stage. If that’s the drums, well hey, there is not much we can do about that, but your amp …

[@darwinsaye]

I've been a musician for about 40 years, and I've ALWAYS been arguing for this method, exactly.

[@GEX-_-]

First of all, this method doesnt work for all genres. That method is not a blanket fix. Especially for the common bar with old sub par P.A. Small venues & bars etc. dont need the guitar mic'd up, unless your rig is direct (ampless) or your amp is underpowered for that venue. There is no real benefit to sending your guitar through the P.A. None Festivals, outdoor shows, larger venues require decent sound reinforcement, mic those shows. Small stage volume can be accessed as well as the total guitar vol each venue requires. Stop ruining your tone at small venues with horrible P.A. speakers. Turn up not down.

[@myshow667]

@@GEX-_- what he says is how ive been running our shoebox room for years. Ive had bands insist i mic their cabs and then i watch their singer blow their voice out by the 3rd song. It may vary a lil how loud the guitars have to be depending on the drummer but, if you know your room you'll make it work

[@bozodeclown67]

I play and I run sound and yeah, I agree this is the ideal method.

[@kingstonharney5622]

​@@GEX-_- I'm ok

[@MurrayWilliams]

Amp Legs … lean that amp back and aim it at your head. This does four things. It aims it away from the first row, aims it away from the sound guy, lowers the volume you need to hear yourself, and it allows you to hear what you actually sound like. If you don’t like the way you sound with your amp pointed at your head, I have some bad news, you don’t like the way you sound. Change the EQ to what sounds good and then you’ll be sending a better sound to front of house. (The sound man is cutting your ice picky sound in the house anyway.) If you are playing arenas, you can disregard because your amps can be way back on the stage. Those people aren’t reading this comment. Lean your amp back. Amp legs do more for your tone than any part of the guitar because it forces you to EQ better.

[@MurrayWilliams]

BTW, I’m a guitar guy and not a sound guy so I’m living in your world. I’ve played for 38 years and have been playing for audiences for 28. I play pub/bar gig shows with the occasional big show (1000+ audience) from time to time.

[@benlogan430]

Sweet advice my friend! Gonna give it a go for certain!

[@youKnowWho3311]

I cannot agree more. I used to put my twin up on a rack so it was about 2 foot off the ground. Signal at your head is a big deal.

[@markjohnson5636]

Completely agree. I'm both a sound guy and a guitar player and I give this same advice a lot. A lot of people think their tone is darker because it's pointed at their legs, and when they point it up they hear what the audience does (with all their high end). BTW it's also why most players don't like to hear their guitar through the monitors - they're used to the darker tone.

[@MurrayWilliams]

@@markjohnson5636 I was thinking the same thing about not liking your sound in the monitors. Thanks for pointing that out. I totally agree. In fact, one of the great things in life is to have a great sound coming from your amp and from your monitors and just be engulfed in your guitar tone from the front and the back… It’s an amazing experience!

[@guitrr]

“If a Deluxe isn’t loud enough, that’s a LOUD band.” - Guthrie Trapp I’ve played very few club gigs where a 20 watt tube amp wasn’t more than enough power, and many times I’ve turned a combo around to face the back wall.

[@user-lv7ph7hs7l]

Turn down the treble before you aim at the wall. 2 or 3.

[@garrysimmons111]

Stage volume is the enemy in small bars if you want to have a consistently good mix and not kill the audience with volume. Run direct (Helix, whatever) or use a small combo amp and use IEMs. If using an amp, point it across the stage so the drummer and rest of the band hears your amp. Plus, the bar staff is happy that they (and their customers) aren't shouting at each other all night. Nothing drives an audience away like being too loud.

[@timnewman1172]

This.

[@216trixie]

When you actually go out and start playing for money in venues, you learn that this is no longer your practice room or the basement.

[@caiusmadison2996]

Perfect mix is key. I'd also suggest drummers warm up to modern electronic sets for really small places. Also, mic their kit, and learn to soft.

[@funhousebaby3104]

Shitebags responsible for killing good rock and roll nights. Fair enough, if you want this sort of thing bloody go for it. But don't make everyone else do the feckin same!

[@baileywatts1304]

@@caiusmadison2996 I hear that. Too often back in Texas we'd get that too loud light just from the drums. How were we supposed to manage with that?

[@jessebfly]

Just played a classic small bar on a bill of 3 bands. Each band was original roots music. The drums and bass shared a back line and each band’s guitar players played through “no louder than 12 watt” amps- a 5e3, a Carr Skylark, a Princeton, an old brown Fender deluxe, and a Magnatone Varsity. Gotta say that each band was EQ’d perfectly with just “our own ears” making the calls on levels. I’ve been playing live for 35 years. Best amps I feel are the 12-15 watts or less variety. Also, each guitar player tilted their amps back a bit...makes a big difference. I always use a heavy duty door stop that has about 2.5” of rise

[@tysoncloster1074]

The missing piece of this conversation is what type of music is being played.

[@joelhabrial3897]

I definitely agree with Eric Johnson being able to hear batteries. I don't notice it with most pedals, but my Analogman Sunface definitely sounded stiffer when I ran it off of a power supply. The GigRig virtual battery made is so I could get the voltage sag and underpowered circuit that creates the tone I love from the pedal. An isolated power supply provides near perfect power, but it is the imperfection of a used battery that to my ears softens the pedal a bit. Great video!

[@MarsGuitarOfficial]

Great conversation as always!!! But at the end of the day “ like my hearing more then guitar tone” lol thank you 🙏

[@davidtomkins4242]

amen. so many people don't realise they won't be able to enjoy music when they are older because they insist on having things loud now

[@mulemusic]

Great post today! I have played in bands and have mixed as well (50+ years) and I KNOW you need to get your amp to a level where you get what you need. I have seen both sides of the volume issue. (An Ampeg 8 X 10 in a small club is horrible to mix.. it's a constant battle to get the vocals up over that in combination of a loud power drummer) I had to walk away from one band because I simply couldn't convince them that the owners of venues were jumping all over me about the volume! I am a supporter of turning the amps cross stage and not aiming for the audience. Also, baffling works! Just saw the KENTUCKY HEADHUNTERS a couple of weeks ago, and both guitarists aimed their amps away from the stage into baffling, volume 10 Marshall, no pedals. Amazing tone! (Oh, and guitarist Greg Martin pulls two of the tubes in his amp head so that helps as well. Nothing through the monitors!! One other thing.. You guys love good guitarists and bands. PLEASE check out the GEORGIA THUNDERBOLTS!! Dual guitars, passion and tipping their hats to the great Southern Rock Blues greats (more rock)..

[@jeffball6656]

Silence of the Lambs song was “Goodbye Horses” by Q Lazzarus.

[@virtuososo]

I use Weber Beam Blockers in all my gig amps/cabs. It blocks that initial beam of treble and makes the guitar speaker/cab disperse more evenly. If you have to point it straight at your head, you don't get killed by it. If you have to point it at your legs, it's not as dark because of the dispersion. And if you play a very small venue where the guitar doesn't even need to be in the PA, you can point it at the audience without worrying about killing the people who happen to be on-axis.

[@rosewoodsam]

its like overhearing a conversation on a bus and comb your hair

[@joshuahek4564]

My neighbor was freaking out and banging on my door last night at 3:00 a.m. Luckily I was already up, playing my bagpipes.

[@DangerAmbrose]

The volume of your amp should be equal to the volume of the drums played acoustically. The rest of the volume should be carried of the PA system.

[@MrSparks54]

In the old days we just cranked it up. I had a GK bass stack that could huff and puff and blow your house down. With modern PA systems, our sound guy decides how loud the band is since we are all using XLR out to the PA. Now our amps are small but can still get loud.

[@darwinsaye]

For guitarists: Use appropriately powered amps for the venue, ie., use an amp you can get to it's sweet spot without the volume being to loud for the space. Stop bringing Marshall stacks into small pubs. Also, for the sake of your own tone, don't come in with a Marshall stack, dime the preamp/gain, and set your master to 1. it sounds like shit. For sound personnel: Stop telling guitarists who *do* bring in reasonable amps for the venue, to turn down their amps. They need to be at their sweet spot. If you're having difficulty, pull.. the.. god.. damned.. mic.. back a bit. And for everybody: I know this is just wishful thinking on my part, but stop blasting the PA to stadium volumes in small rooms.. for everyone's sakes.

[@bks252]

That’s great if you are fortunate enough to have multiple amps. Most of these younger guys playing gigs anywhere they can get booked can’t afford multiple good amps. You can’t just throw advice like that out there without knowing your audience. Well, I guess you can but it doesn’t help these younger guys trying to learn the ropes. I’m not trying to argue with you on YT or trash your opinion, just bringing up a point. Please don’t take offense.

[@darwinsaye]

@@bks252 No offence taken. I know the general tone of my comment probably came off as bitchy, but it was really just meant as tongue in cheek bitching. Anyway, I wasn’t suggesting we need to have a corral of amps of different power. Just more suggesting that in 90% of cases of those young players you mention, they’re going to be playing all or mostly similar sized venues like bars/pubs. I mean it’s not like most people will be playing a coffee shop one night and a stadium the next. So in reality one amp between 25 to 30 watts should be good for any space, assuming there will be a PA to mic the amps. I mean, unless your playing in a large auditorium with NO PA, 100+watt stacks are overkill these days. Just my opinion, 🤷‍♂️

[@jameswhite5806]

Found a great solution. Single channel Carr amplifier through Two Notes CaptorX. Sounds wonderful FOH, and in IEMS.

[@jeremyshirah8293]

So many good points in the video and comment section. I would like to add something. There is a simple Free phone app that measures decibels. What I have become interested in is finding out exactly how much volume you really need to compete with drums. Obviously a skilled drummer that can "play the room" is imperative. I have found that about 70 db for clean and 75 at peaks with distorted tones is more than enough volume as far as the amps go to compete with drums. Drums average about 110 to 130 db. That's the most dynamic instrument and kinda sets the standard of what's required of everyone else. In a small room and a drummer that has control less volume will work fine. Maybe even 60 db from guitars for small spaces. I measure the decibels from each amp and try to balance them accordingly with the decibels phone app. It is extremely constructive. No more amp wars people. It's measured so if they are matched no body can say " dude your louder than I am". If they are unhappy or hard to hear it's probably because they have too much gain combined with scooped mids. Tonal variations change decibel readings without touching the volume at all. That's another subject to consider. Sound or front of house guys need to refrain from going straight to the fader when someone can't hear themselves. Sometimes it may need a smidge of mids on the amp and or the PA channel without just turning it up. Or maybe even just turn something else down. Facing the amps away from the crowd definitely helps but isn't always necessary. Another thing is that as you turn an amp up to over about 60 dbs, the treble needs to go down on the amp. Thats the frequency that's going to sound unpleasant and actually the most damaging to the ears. Keep your gain and treble in check especially if your cranking up loud. The cymbals are bad enough feeding into all the mics. Why add to the feedback problem with the guitar tones? With this approach you will find that you can get away with more treble in the vocal mic for intelligibility because you didn't overload the audience and mics with ice pick highs from loud amps. FYI I'm pretty sure two amps set at 75 decibels does not equal 150 db. Even combined they seem barely as loud as the loudest instrument, the drums. The EPA has done the studies and have charts available for guidelines for hearing protection and whats actually legal. A few decibels can make or break a mix. That's why it's important to use tools available to measure and actually listen critically. Stop looking at your amp settings and base your settings off of what sounds good. Listen with your ears and not your eyes. Protect your hearing as much as possible. It's a shame to develop a trained ear after years of playing only to go deaf in the end. That just sucks. Another point, what sounds good at home alone most likely won't work in a band setting. Get a base setting and expect to tweak it accordingly within the context of the entire band and environment. And yes a sound guy will butcher your tone with bad gain staging and poor EQ on the channel rack. Tell them to be modest with the bass and treble and keep plenty of mids. Alright I'm done. Sorry I tend to babble on and on.

[@tonepilot]

Agree, I like my monitor mix so that I can hear myself but not so loud that it’s at the top of the mix.

[@davidtomkins4242]

In England, most gigs for amateurs and semi pros are in pubs with no sound guy. It’s all backline, no monitors and only the vocals through the pa. it’s even more important to not be too loud but you are making a compromise between being able to hear yourself on stage and getting a balance out front. Tricky.

[@funhousebaby3104]

Agreed, or an uppity sound engineer tries to force everything through an absolutely shite pa and refuses to do anything less but attempting to polish shit rather than allowing people to just vibe out at a semi-comfortable volume where your ears might ring for a bit during the night but it's gone by the morning 😂

[@Docsjeff]

I like using tilt-back legs on my amps in some venues…..especially on a small stage where room is critical.

[@JESUSHAUDIO]

As a live audio guy I always like for the band to sound like a band before I put anything into FOH or monitors so I've been told that I'm very gratuitous with guitar stage volume and a lot of it is definitely just rolling back that treble knob so that you don't send the audience running out the door.

[@rockerz57]

YES! I hate my guitar through the monitors.

[@steveatkinson9123]

Put your amp on the side of the stage facing the other side, if the other musicians do the same, you can hear everything without being to loud out front. And best thing....all you need is the vocals coming through monitors. Try it it works great.

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

What about just keep it close to you and turning it around backwards or place a piece of foam over the grill cloth' different thickness of foam according to the volume you're after.

[@deangullberry5148]

​@@BryanClark-gk6iebecause your band mates will let you know if you need to turn it up or down.

[@ernieb3626]

I’m sitting in my jeep by myself at the golf course waiting to get out and watching you guys laughing my ass off. I have to get to your store and buy a guitar. Going to ask Siri how far it is from Michigan right now lol. Modelers be damned have a great day

[@randa4382]

I am in the toledo area and trying to find players if youre around that part of MI. Also as a hillbilly im gonna say from the MI/OH stateline at toledo its probably about an 8hr drive i think. Only made the trip to myrtle beach once years ago and i didnt drive so i dont remember how long the ride was but unless youre way far up north or are a yooper it could probably almost be a day trip.

[@ToddH76]

I saw Dokken…yes Dokken in 1995…yes 1995…anyway saw them in a small club/bar in Syracuse and my friends and I stood in front of George Lynch…he was playing a full stack at an absurd level. We stuck it out and we all felt sick on the 35 minute drive home!!! My head and ears hurt for a full two days after the show. It was nuts, he could have played the carrier dome with his setup and it was a bar with about 700 people in it!

[@Frankie_Holt]

Rule of thumb Not so loud your ears hurt but loud enough so that you can’t hear the bartender say turn it down

[@jonwanrocks]

theres a kid that i've been like. dropping little nuggets of wisdom on here lately (sounds gross) (but its not i swear) and he is DYING to buy a 100 watt monster amp. something w tubes. something w a marshall logo. so i had him over and ran thru a BUNCH of different amps, jcm800 combo, 100 watt plexi, origin 20, and lastly, the amp that gets the MOST action around here. the katana....on 0.5 watts. and tried to show him the pros and cons of each one. 'hay dude you can really crank these smaller amps UP and still rattle the windows' absolutely no surprise the shootout just made him crave a gigantic amp even harder and he sent me a picture of a brand new 5150 iconic (80 watts) he just received in the mail. so monda, if you're here. i'm sorry for the uptick in volume at your house recently. i SWEAR i was tryna steer him in the other direction. but when you ground him from it, convince him to just leave that amp up here at my house...for safe keeping

[@andrewmire9493]

I have a 4X10 Deville and the Dr. Watson Lion Tamer changed my life. I wanted to record with it but it was way too loud. Now I get all the breakup and tone with volume I can actually use.

[@robertprice5039]

Yes, having the guitar amp in the monitor speakers is the most annoying thing about playing live that I have to deal with, and it is not that I am not hearing the actually sound of my amp. I have a wedge to point the amp’s speaker towards my head. It seems like I get a monitor mix with a fizzy guitar sound, and muddy vocals, and nothing else. I usually am playing a 16 watt 65 Amps Tupelo live, so I am able to get a decent tone at a low level that can compete with our drummer.

[@csnide6702]

Loud enough to be able to dial it back and be loud enough to be heard in any environment.

[@brianhensien]

I had a post phase inverter master volume installed on my blackfaced 70’s Super Reverb and it’s Awesome. I can get the cranked sound at whisper levels if I want and I think it sounds Great. Why is that not more popular?! Volume is more important than tone because if you enter the volume wars, nobody wins.

[@willdenham]

I'm finding that I can crank my 50watters and just go through my CaptorX with a cab sim. I haven't tried it yet, but from what I understand I can go through the front of house desk and get a pretty great, cranked amp sound through the PA and monitors at any volume the sound guy/audience wants. Or just use the attenuation feature and go through an actual cabinet. Different world than when I was clubbin' 20 years ago.

[@alexwoolridge94aw]

I'm glad I'm not the only one who hates the tone of my Amps through the monitor. I want to hear my amp on stage if even little. My Magnatone sounded like shit in the stage monitors at Saturday's gig. I loveoud amps tho

[@jerryrichardson5545]

It starts with the drums, it’s the only thing there isn’t a volume control for. Get the drummer to calm down, the amps come down, the monitors come down and the whole mix gets better. If you’re louder than the PA, there is nothing I can do, it is what it is. All that work every one does to play well is lost if the mix in the house sucks. Some tricks I use: - gels on the drums - minimal (or no) instruments in monitors - kick the guitar amps back so the player is in the cone (they can be played a bit quieter - lower power amps so you can the tubes cooking

[@jeffsquires6620]

When I play my vintage 40w Fenders, the people 2 streets over know it.

[@Bob-Whiting]

Okay, so like I took my wife to a Halloween Alice Cooper concert, cause she's been a huge fan of Vincent's (Alice) since the 70's and I like him too. So the opening act was Ace Frehley who would have been Great, except he was so phreakin' loud my ears were SQUEALIN'! Now I've been around loud live music since the 70s, used to work for a small record co., played all the major Hollywood clubs (me doing lights back then) lots of concerts, etc, etc, etc. But ACE was SO Fookin' LOUD that people were actually leaving the show. Now that's BAD LOUD, BAD. So when the Coopster comes on with Nita and crew, they were good loud and actually had a healing effect on our ears. I have a FULL STACK in my bedroom and the next door neighbors can hear me in their upstairs bedroom with all their windows closed and mine too, and I ain't even Close to how loud Ace was that Halloween night. Note: I usually practice while they are at work ;-) ( BAD LOUD, BAD. )

[@imijofsoul-ajimiexperience7164]

We’re a Hendrix tribute,bonna shields have helped us immensely in our smaller venues

[@gr8trgoodsimpatico310]

What are your thoughts on power soaks or power brakes? All the tone without the ear splitting volume?

[@stevenrosado7692]

Side note, saw MCR Wednesday night and Holy shit they brought the house down!

[@DorseyFaught]

I believe the song you’re referring to is “Goodbye Horses”. Couldn’t tell you who it’s by though. I like Jonathan HATE the guitar in the monitor. I’ve also never used in ears. There’s something about the amp on stage that is way to natural for me.

[@baileywatts1304]

Q Lazarus is the artist

[@peteralerich5085]

I wish you had put the "modelers be damned" comment at the beginning of the video. I could clicked the X then and spent that 17 minutes of my life playing my guitar. Through my Kemper. Great tone at just about any volume you want or need. I wish I had this thing forty years ago.

[@sparkyguitar0058]

Ya when I was younger big loud amps were the key. Now I got a pro tube Twin, a Mesa Boogie S O B and a Lab Series L-5. Now I need a stadium to play these in. I end up using a Hotone Mojo Diamond on top of a 1- 12 Celestion cab 90% of the time and using a D I box for signal to the FO H. So nice amps not getting much use

[@216trixie]

Watching a recent limp Bizkit performance turned me from a lifetime non-fan into a fan. Fred has it going on now. The old man.

[@NickM95]

The walls should be shaking

[@Mikey__R]

Years ago, in the late 90s, one house engineer told our guitarist to put his 4x12 on the side of the stage, shooting across, rather than at the back shooting out. I say shooting, because that thing was VERY directional, like a sniper rifle.

[@oliverchristopher8941]

I’ve found (in my bands circle) that too many guitar players are afraid of turning the treble and mids up. I’ve seen so many bands that preform before and after us where their guitar player doesn’t cut through the mix no matter how loud they are. And the audience DOES care, they don’t notice that it is the tone doing it, but they will just think that the person they can hear better is the better guitar player. Since they can actually hear what you’re playing.

[@JoshMarzolf]

I run a JHS Little Black Amp Box in the effects loop that acts as a passive attenuator. Then I can cook the tubes at controllable volumes.

[@michaelgranka7904]

Please , tell me more about this little black box.

[@evanharmon7928]

Jonathan can whisper. It’s dynamics man.

[@NJSonye]

I started playing when there were NO monitors. We had to learn about mixing our sound on stage, and never stepping on the vocals. We learned about tone and whats happens with open mics. Now I’ve had great monitors. They were hi fidelity, but the monitors were drowning out the guitar. There was no dynamics. There was no way to play the volume for the parts… especially a funk tune where you have to finesse the chords. I play with 3 horns and one cannot believe the energy a baritone sax can deliver. I have to remind the FOH engineer there’s a big difference between Sound Reenforcement and PA. It’s amazing to see how much volume you can get on stage when you’re the headliner! My boss would say “sound man … your name is not on the marquee!

[@jambajoby32]

My amp can be loud but I like the natural break up and nearly instant response I get from playing. I can feel a delay/lag when I use the attenuator or pedals but I like the natural break up within the amp so I have to use the attenuator in the signal.

[@216trixie]

We all wish we could crank it up for that feeling. But if you're going to play in a band in any professional situation nope.

[@jambajoby32]

@@216trixie yeah 🤦🏽 some of us like to work and often times that professionalism = containing volume

[@jambajoby32]

@@216trixie fwiw It’s a LOUD 15 watts So it has more use than a 50/100w amp but small clubs, it’s likely too loud

[@erickmiec8898]

Everything dimed! No discussion

[@kevmgoodman]

Was told my mag varsity reverb was set too loud at sound check. Then during show turned my volume back up…same guy told me at the end of the show how great the lead and lead tones were lol…loud is more good

[@thewhiskeycowboy-official]

I actually came here FROM that video! But I have to be honest, because David Grissom's mic was messed up I simply could not continue watching the video. So... here I am. LOL Cheers,

[@WayneMemphisMojo]

Vertex Boost is your tonal friend when set correctly before the amp

[@scottclark7592]

My amp is always dimed, and i use the guitar volume knob. Just choose the right wattage amp for right situation.

[@clovergrass9439]

Yup...Ive used a 5 watt Marshall Class 5 to great effect this way.

[@fiducialpoint1]

i doe believe i have seen Beck with reversed marshals behind the forward facing ampd

[@billkallas1762]

I had a Magnatone (2-12 w/ Vib) back in the late 60's, before I got married, got a real job, bought a house, and quit playing until I retired. Wish I had never sold it.

[@tonepilot]

What do you mean if the sound guy can hear you from the stage, you’re too loud? Do you mean hearing your mic’d amp as if it wasn’t mic’d?

[@middle_pickup]

The amp needs to be loud enough to reach the threshold of compression with your pick attack. "Edge of breakup" people call it. This is very dependent on the amp's design as well. The good news is that there are a multitude of load boxes and cabinet sims out there to get the amp in the zone within a safe level. I for one appreciate my ox box despite its clear limitations.

[@codytodd9773]

If a sound guy tells me to turn down. I do for sound check. Then back to 10 as soon as the show starts. They hate me every time.

[@honkytonkinson9787]

While they are compelled to mic up the drums and crank the bass drum through the subwoofer so you can’t hear anything in the mid range without EQing and compressing the crap out of guitars and vocals I’m not a fan of the live sound guys; seems like they’re all deaf!

[@jeffsquires6620]

I believe that's called Rocknroll.

[@randa4382]

And thats also why i have my cheeky 2nd volume pedal... should also have some juice left here and there on your board... use an eq as a flat boost... things like that.

[@randa4382]

@@honkytonkinson9787 my problems with sound guys literally goes back to my high school talent shows.... the sound guy didnt think some high school kids might have serious enough equipment etc to even have any knowledge. Basically jusy brushed off our concerns. He ran something wrong, power into something that shouldnt have had power running in and the board caught fire.... as the board burned our sound started cutting in and out. We were so tight we didnt even lose time with one another. People told me that they thought it was an effect ( like tremolo for the whole band lol) until they saw the mixer smoking and the sound guy running up to it just as it caught fire. We played through it.

[@aoctavio]

Sabotaging the sound guy is the best way to get good sound to your audience.

[@northmanlogging2769]

Loud amps are rock and roll, played itty bitty holes were we bring our own PA and sounds great, no monitors except for vocals, and big club stages where the sound guy insists on turning amps down (they already are) they pipe on nothing but guitar into the monitors and crank the treble on the mains cause the sound guys are all half deaf and it sounds like crap. Then you go see a show at the same club, with a semi famous band that has their own sound man, full stacks on 10 and it sounds killer. I think the sound guys need to calm the F down and just mix whats presented to them as its presented to them.

[@DadRockAndGuitars]

Went to a live rock show recently. Most of the bands were 100% direct. It was weird hearing the drums coming from the stage (and PA of course) and everything else PA only. Really missed stage volume.

[@jacksguitarplanet]

I agree. It also sounds like a giant stereo. The sound man mixes it but it isn’t the same as the guitar amp being on one side of the stage. I wouldn’t say it is better (to each his own), but it is not what I am used to so therefore I don’t line it as much as a when the PA is only used for the vocals (and maybe the kick drum). But folks have to adjust when it is a large venue, I get it.

[@stevencancel1727]

You know you like to have your amp on "7" or the sweet spot for the tubes to breathe now configure that with reduced tube output and maybe one or two speakers instead of four make sure you can hear everybody onstage, keep vocals clearly above the mix and watch db output and allow patrons to converse unimpeded, use Dynamics in the performance

[@000MidnightSun]

What do you guys think of Sunn O)))?

[@christianbelena]

Here's another discussion on playing loud: kzbin.info/www/bejne/rHucgoRsgdd6hK8

[@GinraiMinor]

Q Lazzarus-Goodbye Horses for buffalo bill's dance scene 😆

[@Journey-of-1000-Miles]

So much of this depends on your drummer. My dream is to have a quiet drummer that can play dynamically, instead of a smasher and basher! I gauge my sound volume by the snare drum and the symbols. The guitar should be a little above that, add more for lead guitar solos.

[@stuartkinzel8195]

I rarely play with a mic'd amp. Playing little dive bars, the PA is normally only for the vocals. Maybe the harmonica player. As such I am not used to hearing my guitar come back to me through monitors. Hearing my guitar that way creates a disconnect between me and my playing and I'm almost always unhappy with how it sounds. I really prefer to have my guitar sound coming to me from behind me. I'm also paranoid about being "the loud guitar player."

[@BryanClark-gk6ie]

What about putting the lead players amp behind the drummer and both rhythm players amps on each side of the drummer then the bass amp in front of the drummer' how about doing that and while you're at it just go ahead and put them on stands head level with the drummer, do you think that would make the drummer play at a lower volume or do you think that would be a good way of getting rid of a loud drummer?

[@jimmyp1017]

I've recently thrown in the towel...I play with several different bands in my area and more often than not, they want everything run through the PA (even in small bars) so I have a Quilter Superblock set up with my pedalboard running into it. The quilter has a XLR out...I just EQ it as best I can to sound good through the monitors...I don't love it but it is my reality. On the up side...load in/out is quick and easy.

[@stevencancel1727]

We set the volume so we can hear the other musicians on stage, keys guitars bass vox etc vocals clearly out front all this done that allows for patrons to engage in conversation that isn't impeded by band volume. if people can't converse and comprehend their conversation they will simply leave Proper stage volume is essential to successful club business

[@curciopaul]

Very entertaining video. I left. I'm not sure if the question was answered given all the entertaining sidebars, but a must-watch regardless. 😂 That said, if you don't like to put your guitar in the monitor, how does the rest of the band hear you to know when you're done with your solo?

[@alexdenton6586]

I still remember the Harley Benton video on this channel These people are snobs

[@edgeofeternity101]

I have a friend I jam with once in while. At his his house and set up, his Carvin Belair 212 is on a 410 cab direct behind where I have to sit(I'm 69), and I swear this guy is "tone def", to him more treble good, I always have to do the cring thing, and say Jez, "can you turn that treble down some?" I use a 115 cab with a hand built Fender style Deluxe running 6L6's, more Vibroverb or Super. It drips tone. So what I hear right off the bat, is where his last settings were, and to honest it's kinda frightening. I've seen lately some pros turning their amp around to the back if it's open back. I'm heading over there today, it's been a good six months since we've played any, it can be fun sometimes, not always.

[@drivenmad7676]

I saw ACDC in a small venue in the 80's, that was waaaay too loud.

[@nickforcillo]

To the side…now saying this I went to Fractal about 6 months ago..I use a mission engineering Gemini 2 cab and I like what I hear🤷…I’ve had tubes my whole life so that’s a lot for me to say….but I did change the grill cloth to Marshall and put the plastic logo on it too🤣..I guess you can take the amp out of the player…but……..

[@ryangunwitch-black]

Dude. Wes Borland is an awesome musician. Check out Black Light Burns and Crystal Machete. Even Big Dumb Face if you're feeling goofy. Sam and John are hella talented players too.

[@riffwrath6236]

DB max 82 . Spectrum Analyzer max 1 KHz. Drums behind plexiglass.

[@satinwhip]

If a sound guy asked me to turn down and said he'd give it back in the monitors and I hated the way that sounded my first thought would be "Man, what does the FOH sound like?'.

[@Frettedchaos]

But a Torpedo Captor X and be done with it. You can go silent or any volume with your amp in the sweet spot.

[@pecktox]

Me and my cousin the bass player, always said,he was tone deaf to lows, and I the guitarist was tone deaf to highs... I believe that was right.. and yeah I had a certain level,if it dropped below, it sounded cheesy. Peck

[@patm5086]

I've heard the amp turned all the way and work it from your guitar is a way to go

[@shanerose5348]

Unrelated, but best day #2 was hearing Uncle Larry say he hates transposing.

[@joerob3081]

Why put 10 on a super reverb of I'm not supposed to use it

[@davidjoel111]

I miss playing tube amps so much! They are too much fun but it’s impossible to live in society and play a tube amp. For all aspects, digital is more convenient, the only way a tube still works is gigs where the sound system sux and they only use the PA for vocals.

[@Docsjeff]

And we all know when you’re setting up in an empty room it’s totally different when/hopefully,it fills up. Their bodies suck up a lot of volume.

[@justinguitarcia]

your dynamics should coexist with the dynamics of the drumset, imo. The snare being your peak db, learn dynamics and how to mix yourself live

[@crsstephen72]

Good day guys.....love to come down to meet you and buy a guitar:)

[@paristhalheimer]

I have my Hotrod DeVille set at about 3 or 4 and it's too loud for my church band.

[@egoncorneliscallery9535]

Sound guys working with non celebs do not want loud amps on stage but push for monitors. Well, monitors are pointing towards the players not the sound engineer. He will judge the balance with ear phones. He knows he cant turn the drummer down on stage. Overall, the amps should be loud enough on stage for the players to hear them properly next to the drummer. But always work with the sound engineer prior to the start of the gig and do what he says. Then adjust your amp during or right after the first song. The engineer will be too busy to notice. Also, a good tip is to put the amp where you like it but turn your guitar volume pot way down so the engineer does not see the amp volume changing.

[@jubjub905]

Wait…you guys are saying you’ve never seen Satriani and Mike Keneally go back and forth?

[@jimmyjams1974]

I use in ears a lot and sometimes I think I turn them up to loud to get that feeling and then they are focused on my ears and can cause issues.

[@davidtomkins4242]

paul gilbert lost his hearing because of headphones....

[@jimmyjams1974]

@@davidtomkins4242 I did not know that. Wow.

[@benlogan430]

The modern sound person is like the recording engineers I always dealt with on recordings. The engineer would always have me deadening my natural sweet Ringo drum tones and say “I’ll make it sound good in the final mix”. I always wondered why not record good drum sounds and then make it better rather than polish a poo. Some Sound people and recording engineers often don’t capture the sound, but rather have a hand in creating the sound with the band. Like a member. Not an opinion, but an observation only.

[@victorblakey4260]

I try to teach my sound students that our job is not to create the sound, it’s not our sound, our name isn’t on the board in front of the venue. A sound engineers job is ‘sound reinforcement’, it is to take the sound coming off stage, and make it louder in a way that will please (or at least not upset) the greatest number of people in the audience. This means keeping at a suitable volume for the venue, and trying to capture and amplify the actual sounds coming off stage. If you are playing on stage, and I turn your fader up, then all the audience should hear is you getting louder, not your sound changing from what you have on stage, to something different coming through the PA.

[@jamesmaddock]

Drummers set the volume on stage . If they are hammering away you’re stuck trying to hear yourself so you turn up .

[@ericwarrington6650]

Hey guys!🤘😁🎸🎶

[@jessefillmore]

I recently saw "The Kochness Monster" the "Milwaukee Mad Man" the great Greg Koch , playing with his band The Koch Marshall Trio . They played in Columbus Ohio at a place called The Summit Music Hall . The promotion for this show must have been lacking cause there was only about 30 to 40 ppl there at the most . It's probably a 300 to 400 person venue . Whoever was running sound for the venue had the volume so loud , it was painful . I just plugged my ears but I still had tinnitus for 3 days after . The whole band was loud but I know Greg's amp was cranked and he plays a Tele with p 90's . He is still one of the greats but I hope they don't play that place next time around . The Summit's sound man must be near deaf .

[@lanemendenhall7664]

If you think the tubes might burst then your at the right level of volume

[@0burrus]

We’ve all played with ppl playing too loud on stage gotta be balanced