Feels like a tipping point for live shows has hit the bar scene

FPFL

FPFL

Experienced
Did a local bar show this weekend. There as a tube amp and a 4x12 on the stage.
The other band brought it as a backup to their dual GT1000s they ran thru their PA. That was a first, for me, and a sign of the times.
The tube amp demoted to emergency backup. Huh.

I ran my FM9T thru two EV PXM12s and it was glorious! The other band were nice folks, and also a little jealous of the FM9. I noticed they were running way more FX, perhaps to compensate for the less amazing core amp sounds?

I did 90% of the set with just input noise gate, a JVM model on the orange channel and a little reverb. That's it! I did a +3.5db boost post amp for solos. I threw some chorus and delay on my cleaner sounds, which was like 5% of the set.

Rich, clear and loud, but crucially not too loud. I ran two EVs to get better coverage without having to crank.
 
I gigged with my AF2 for about 7 years 3-7 gigs per month, in the beginning running it through the fx return of my 5150, then into a 4x12. Then I started using a Quilter Toneblock 200 into a 2x12.

I usually had a Line 6 Vetta HD on the trailer as a backup, often times I had no backup.

There was a 6 month period I was using a 5150iii head and a Line 6 Helix Floor LT for fx rather than the above mentioned rig. I went with the Helix out of convenience. It was fun and all but honestly overkill so I went back to the other rig.

I haven’t gigged out for the last couple of years but should be back out later this year with a new project, I’ll be using my FM9 into the Toneblock and the 2x12, it’s going to be quick, simple and just what’s needed.
 
I haven't done a multi-band gig, but I do get questions from the people in the crowd about my FM9. As much as we all sort of take for granted that modeling is a thing, I find so many people who are trying to wrap their heads around gigging with no amp. Beyond that, it seems that Fractal is not so well-known, even for people who may know about Helix or Boss modelers.

FPFL said:
I ran my FM9T thru two EV PXM12s and it was glorious! The other band were nice folks, and also a little jealous of the FM9. I noticed they were running way more FX, perhaps to compensate for the less amazing core amp sounds?
Click to expand...
I notice that some players use a LOT of effects ALL THE TIME. Seems inevitable when a single box has so many available. I have found that I have a more impactful sound with very few, but I do love that I can occasionally add a KNOCKOUT effect that sounds killer.

My backup:
Screenshot 2024-06-20 at 8.45.29 AM.png
 
Also my experience, FAS is not really known in Germany. I can't believe it, because it is the one and only solution what is needed for future. I hope YT videos will change it. But w/o more marketing it is hard .... a deal between G66 and Thomann could be the solution. The positive reviews in Thomann Shop are missing.
 
I've had several player friend players comment on me not using an amp at shows. Several were like- " where's your amp?". Their reaction was priceless when I told it was all direct. They had no idea until I told them! Using FM-3 with the Fender FR-12 now; had the Headrush but it's now on backup status.
 
It's been nice that sound guys are more hip to the modelers and how they work - though I still had one guy a while back insisting to mic my FRFR cab. Oh he has special miking techniques and really knows how to get the tone from a cab etc. I kept trying to explain to him that it's already "miked" and he just needs to take the XLR out. The conversation ended thusly:
Him: "I still want to mic it."
Me: "I'm not going to let you."
:laughing::laughing:
 
Cainer said:
It's been nice that sound guys are more hip to the modelers and how they work - though I still had one guy a while back insisting to mic my FRFR cab. Oh he has special miking techniques and really knows how to get the tone from a cab etc. I kept trying to explain to him that it's already "miked" and he just needs to take the XLR out. The conversation ended thusly:
Him: "I still want to mic it."
Me: "I'm not going to let you."
:laughing::laughing:
Click to expand...
I'm thrilled that I've only found the opposite. Even when the sound guys didn't know what the FM9 was, they were happy to go direct with it. Live mics on stage are always risky, fewer is better.
 
Cainer said:
It's been nice that sound guys are more hip to the modelers and how they work - though I still had one guy a while back insisting to mic my FRFR cab. Oh he has special miking techniques and really knows how to get the tone from a cab etc. I kept trying to explain to him that it's already "miked" and he just needs to take the XLR out. The conversation ended thusly:
Him: "I still want to mic it."
Me: "I'm not going to let you."
:laughing::laughing:
Click to expand...
How did that turn out?
 
FPFL said:
I ran two EVs to get better coverage without having to crank.
Click to expand...
This reminds me of my current bands previous lead guitar player.

We used to play at the Washington State Fair every year, big wide stage. Dustin, bless his soul, brought some of his guitar students and - inevitably - one of his students made a comment that his guitar was too loud on stage. Hardly any signal passed to FOH he was so loud. Just raw amp tones from the stage.

His solution - bring a SECOND amp. We all razzed him pretty hard for bringing ANOTHER amp as a solution for being too loud. He took it in jest and it was a funny moment the band still talks about despite him not being in the band for 5 years.

I look back on that now and think - well it makes sense. He was trying to cover each side of the huge stage with two amps while turning the overall volume down. Looks like I’m the stupid one all along.
 
I see modelers very much where moving lights were 20 years ago. You now see a lot of them, but in a few years every gig will have them.

Thanks
Pauly
FPFL said:
Did a local bar show this weekend. There as a tube amp and a 4x12 on the stage.
The other band brought it as a backup to their dual GT1000s they ran thru their PA. That was a first, for me, and a sign of the times.
The tube amp demoted to emergency backup. Huh.

I ran my FM9T thru two EV PXM12s and it was glorious! The other band were nice folks, and also a little jealous of the FM9. I noticed they were running way more FX, perhaps to compensate for the less amazing core amp sounds?

I did 90% of the set with just input noise gate, a JVM model on the orange channel and a little reverb. That's it! I did a +3.5db boost post amp for solos. I threw some chorus and delay on my cleaner sounds, which was like 5% of the set.

Rich, clear and loud, but crucially not too loud. I ran two EVs to get better coverage without having to crank.
Click to expand...
 
Hopper_ said:
This reminds me of my current bands previous lead guitar player.

We used to play at the Washington State Fair every year, big wide stage. Dustin, bless his soul, brought some of his guitar students and - inevitably - one of his students made a comment that his guitar was too loud on stage. Hardly any signal passed to FOH he was so loud. Just raw amp tones from the stage.

His solution - bring a SECOND amp. We all razzed him pretty hard for bringing ANOTHER amp as a solution for being too loud. He took it in jest and it was a funny moment the band still talks about despite him not being in the band for 5 years.

I look back on that now and think - well it makes sense. He was trying to cover each side of the huge stage with two amps while turning the overall volume down. Looks like I’m the stupid one all along.
Click to expand...
Cool story! Good to see I'm not the only crazy one : )

I try hard to get us to sound good as a band, which is never easy when you are same day setup and tear down in a place you've never played before, but I'd rather be a little too quiet than a little too loud. Don't want to push people away with decibels.
 
We played a VERY small club last night. Bass player brought his whole rig. By some MIRACLE he forgot his Speakon cables, which you can't generally find somewhere on the gig. So he went direct out the back of his bass amp. It was AWESOME! Lots of venues we play don't have subs or any kind of low-end reproduction capability, so he really does need to use a bass amp mostly, but hopefully we can transition him to DI.
 
It is definitely becoming much more of a thing for sure. The other guitarist in my band is and old school hard rock guy and still plays a traditional rig, but he is really starting to think about moving to the dark side.

Interestingly I saw Queensryche live last night. First thing I noticed was that they had a wall of Marshall's behind them...and they were all off with nothing plugged into them. Purely props. They used a huge variety of tones during the show which for sure would have told me they weren't using only those amps even if I didn't see that. I chatted briefly with the sound guy after the show and confirmed they are all running Kempers now.

Honestly, if I was a full time touring musician, I can't imagine doing anything else. And seeing how happy sound guys are when we do sound checks, I'm sure lots of players are being convinced to switch by their techs even if they weren't the initiators.
 
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