O.C. Gig Report :: Techno-Hell

[FrankiePRS]

Well, I guess I was due. Overdue, really. Technology was NOT my friend this weekend. Friday night started off great – 500 people, ready to rock… everything was normal until oh… maybe halfway thru the 1st set. My rig starts making noise. Big crackley noise. With every vibration. My tech starts trying to isolate it, switching cables, etc. between every song. I’ll make a long story short here... I finally decide that if I drink enough, it won’t matter. I’m right, too – cranked up the amp and just let it fly.



Saturday night – 600 people in the house this time… and it’s more of the same, only a lot worse - by the 3rd set, I’ve decided it’s a preamp tube. I have my tech pull the head out of the rack and replace the 2 most likely culprits. Problem fixed? HAHA Silly BAMmer! No chance. Oh, and about this time, the left side of our power amp for the main uppers craps out. You know, just ‘cause things were going a little bit too smoothly. My solution at this point was to simply adopt an IDGAF attitude and hit the strings harder. Oh, and I’d figured out that the clean channel wasn’t affected by the problem, so I just started switching to it when I wasn’t playing. This, however, required thought. And, being a loud rock lead guitarist, I HATE having to think while playing. I mean about anything other than female anatomy and where my next drink is coming from.



Sunday night. Less people (maybe 300), but very ready to party. I’ve given up on my main rig, and thrown my 100w Laney Pro Tube head / Mesa Studio Preamp into the mix instead. It sounds great for exactly 3 songs. Then the signal starts breaking up. My boys are looking at me with fear, because by all rights I should have gone ballistic by then. I decide my wireless has just taken a crap. This time my solution is to take ONE cord, and run it from my amp to my guitar. Oh, and drink heavily. No tuner. No Wah. No effects. Hell, no clean channel for that matter. It was great. My favorite night of the three. Oh, and we did fix the P.A.



First thing I did when I got home today was order new cables for my wireless. Second thing I did was set up my main rig in the garage. Third thing I did was call Mesa/Boogie. Then I passed out for 6 hours or so. Tomorrow, I'll pull out my vintage RCA tube tester and the old OHM meter and start going thru the rig. Tube by tube. Cable by cable. WTF, if I can’t find the problem I’ll start drinking again.



<exit vent mode>

[Big Mike]

Whoa! Rough weekend! Good luck on fixing the rig Bro!

[kev]

That sucks Frankie. Cables and batteries crapping out are my worst enemies.

[Aldwyn]

Dude... sounds like a friggin nightmare!!

Sorry, and hope all is cool now.

Peace,
Aldwyn

[Jen]

That sucks, and I feel your pain. I had 2 such gigging disasters. But you have the right attitude....pretend like nothing is happening, have a few drinks, and just play your A** off and have a good time. :)

[Jo]

First thing I did when I got home today was order new cables for my wireless. Uh... does no one notice the irony here :D

Sorry to hear you had a bad night, but sounds like you pulled right through it.

[jas]

Yes, I had to read that sentence twice too, Jo. And to paraphrase Frankie, I don't like thinkin'.

Frankie, perhaps you should switch to ukelele. You don't need batteries, the chicks dig it and when it gets all gummed up with "snot" like Casper, you just toss it (better yet, smash it) and buy a new one.

-John

P.S. Actually, with your fantastic work on Aldwyn's Duck Guitar, I'd say you have a bright future in Photoshopping. If you can get the preamp tubes in your computer to work in the clutch, that is.

[FrankiePRS]

LOLOL you BAMmers kill me :)

Okay, okay... it was the short cable that runs from my wireless transmitter to the guitar that crapped out. I ordered 2 new ones.

Went through the amp today and found the bad tube, replaced it - no big deal, except it was only 3-4 weeks old. Talked to Mesa - they suggested NEVER re-tubing all the preamps at once, because if they're going to fail, it will happen on burn-in. I won't, from now on.

The most interesting thing about all of this is that the Laney/Mesa rig sounded like god for leads, but not so much for rythyms. In fact, I like it BETTER for soloing - it has the best smooth sustain I've ever heard. Hmmm... Ima post a thread in the tech section about this...

Anyway -all's well that ends well... the rig is back. <whew>

[kev]

... The most interesting thing about all of this is that the Laney/Mesa rig sounded like god for leads, but not so much for rythyms. In fact, I like it BETTER for soloing - it has the best smooth sustain I've ever heard. Hmmm... Ima post a thread in the tech section about this...


A TIM pedal might be your answer to beefing up the new rig during rhythm playing.

[FrankiePRS]

A TIM pedal might be your answer to beefing up the new rig during rhythm playing.
I appreciate the input (no pun intended lol), but the problem with that rig is TOO much beef! Between the Mesa and Laney Preamp sections, its 9 preamp tubes feeding 4 EL-34's... so while the lead tone/sustain is absolutely amazing, the rythym is mud. That's why I'd like to A/B the 2 rigs, only using the Laney/Mesa Rig for truly over-the-top moments. It's probably just silliness on my part, because the MKIV still rules for me, and it would be rare to actually kick in the 2nd rig, kinda like a Nitrous system. :)

[Big Mike]

I appreciate the input (no pun intended lol), but the problem with that rig is TOO much beef! Between the Mesa and Laney Preamp sections, its 9 preamp tubes feeding 4 EL-34's... so while the lead tone/sustain is absolutely amazing, the rythym is mud. That's why I'd like to A/B the 2 rigs, only using the Laney/Mesa Rig for truly over-the-top moments. It's probably just silliness on my part, because the MKIV still rules for me, and it would be rare to actually kick in the 2nd rig, kinda like a Nitrous system. :)

I dunno. Sounds like a good idea, as then you have a spare in the event of catastrophic failure.

[kev]

I appreciate the input (no pun intended lol), but the problem with that rig is TOO much beef! Between the Mesa and Laney Preamp sections, its 9 preamp tubes feeding 4 EL-34's... so while the lead tone/sustain is absolutely amazing, the rythym is mud. That's why I'd like to A/B the 2 rigs, only using the Laney/Mesa Rig for truly over-the-top moments. It's probably just silliness on my part, because the MKIV still rules for me, and it would be rare to actually kick in the 2nd rig, kinda like a Nitrous system. :)
Aha, it all makes sense now grasshopper!

Nitrous good, nitrous is our friend. :)

[FrankiePRS]

I dunno. Sounds like a good idea, as then you have a spare in the event of catastrophic failure.
Now that's a good band name. Catastrophic Failure. :dude:


:D