Playing loaner gear...

[deeaa]

Hey,

We have a support band gig in a month pretty far away (~500km) and since it' Friday night, we have to really zoom there after work to get there in time, we can't get a decent soundcheck or bring our own gear. There is just no time to set up two sets.

Well, as you'd expect, we have to pay the travel and the hotel and all, so it's gonna cost us plenty to just get there...but that's not a problem, the problem is having to play other people's gear without any proper soundcheck.

The headliner allows us to use all of their gear (except guitars of course) so we'll just use those...they have two Tech-21 120W 2x12" amps, and use no effects whatsoever, not a lot of gain (they play ACDC Bon Scott era covers only). I've got a small techie myself...BUT instead of using their channel switching setups, to make it easier for me, I'm thinking I'll just ask the guy there to put it in his 'semi-clean' setting and use my Transparent OD for the drive channel, and nevermind the lead boost and wah at all. Unless he happens to have a wah there at hand.

But I worry about our inexperienced lead guitarist...he's pretty accustomed to using his Line6 with loads of FX, dunno how well he'll be able to play with no FX...or handle the techie's channel switching pedal.

How would you approach the situation? Any ideas?

 

[hubberjub]

That's rough. We've had many situations where if we're playing a string of shows with another band we'll share drums and bass amp (usually ours) but I'd never use someone else's amp. That's mostly because I'm a snob but also because I gig with a lot of pedals and I use them all. At least you're familiar with the Tech 21 amps. I wouldn't know the first thing about them. Good luck man.

 

[deeaa]

Auyh, I just tested with my TM-10...if I can get a similar base sound out of the TM.120 they have, I'm pretty much good to go...I'll bring my Transparent OD for some extra drive in spots and use his wah if it's easy to position. I just worry for the lead guy...he doesn't even have any pedals...I'll take my Warp Factor for him I guess.

It'd be great to be able to bring my own amp, but there just isn't any room in the car, plus the timing makes it impossible. It'll be drive there, hop onstage and play pretty much.

 

[wingsdad]

Fortunately for you, d, the TM120's control interface is like your TM10's. If it were a TM60, you'd be dealing with a very different breed. They're as different as night & day.

Maybe you can have your other guitarist try out your TM10 to familiarize himself with how to work the character matrix, etc. and dialing in a workable sound?

 

[deeaa]

Yes, indeed...gotta drag the TM-10 to him for tests! Good idea!

 

[markb]

Or, use your TM10 as a preamp and line out to the 120 for stage volume :AOK .

Seriously, dial in your clean as per TM10 and use pedals.

 

[deeaa]

Yeah...only, we have no FX pedals...I own a bunch of OD's and a comp, but the other guitarist has none...and he's used to a lot of FX...but I'll let him have the TM-10 for a while and see if he can find a useable sound.

 

[t_ross33]

Pick up a small multi-fx pedal like a Digitech RP-80/150 etc. and have him set up the patches he needs, plug in and go. Not "pro" gear, but I've gigged with one with pretty reasonable results.

I sold my RP-80 (major upgrade to the GNX-3000), but kind of wish I had kept it - pretty handy to throw in a gig bag for quick rehearsals, pick-up gigs etc.

Good luck and keep us posted. Our band is starting to get more "support/opening" gigs and I'm not very familiar with using someone else's gear or a supplied backline. I'm very interested to see what you come up with.

 

[marnold]

I've read on The Gear Page of some guys getting a couple of the Tech 21 character pedals and using them as a poor man's amph to go right to the PA.

 

[deeaa]

Pick up a small multi-fx pedal like a Digitech RP-80/150 etc. and have him set up the patches he needs, plug in and go. Not "pro" gear, but I've gigged with one with pretty reasonable results.

I sold my RP-80 (major upgrade to the GNX-3000), but kind of wish I had kept it - pretty handy to throw in a gig bag for quick rehearsals, pick-up gigs etc.

Good luck and keep us posted. Our band is starting to get more "support/opening" gigs and I'm not very familiar with using someone else's gear or a supplied backline. I'm very interested to see what you come up with.

One problem with buying a pedal...money. Already costing enough to pull the gig...

$125 for gas...
$142 for the lodging
$150 for food for the band if we just eat McDonalds both days.

Who knows how much goes into drinks/taxi/stuff after the gig...

Anyway expenses estimated at least a hundred a head, easy. Twice that if we venture deep into nightlife later. Man, it's expensive for us to throw a gig. Thankfully we need no backline so no van rental fees though.

I'll be lucky if the guys can manage a couple of new drumsticks and spare set of strings...definitely won't be getting new gear.

If anything, they might have to pawn a guitar to pay for the gas, LOL....but if we're lucky there will be more than a few dozen audience, maybe even up to 100...so it'd be only a dollar a head we'll pay for every face in the audience, could be worse

 

[Eric]

How would you approach the situation? Any ideas?

I agree that having him figure out the TM10 is definitely a good idea. If he's used to relying on a lot of effects, maybe he can find a high-gain setting that will blend things together enough to give him the slack he needs. Back off the volume once he finds it, and he might have something workable fairly easily.

 

[deeaa]

Well,

Last weekend I played loaner gear; a TM-120 it was.

I brought along my pedal board and all, but in the end I decided to just try it directly. I used the clean sound the amp owner had dialed in for himself; with my EMG's it was pretty driven already. Quite nice with neck PU, sort of jangly cleanish but a bit driven, very nice, and with bridge a good rock crunch.

I just used that the whole gig, just swapping pickups for parts, and the rest by using different picking volume.

The only things I kind of missed were a lead boost and wah in places, but I did some false harmonics picking to mimic some wah use.

All in all...surprisingly good to play. The annoying thing was that the amp was REALLY low in volume...I play louder at home it seems...and since it was well to the side and back I heard absolutely nothing of it directly, and all I heard of my guitar was from the vocals monitor. Still, it went OK.

Here's a 10-minute video clip off the songs on the gig:

 

[deeaa]

BTW the experience makes me really think I could just use the TM-10 for gigging quite as easily. I only really need one sound...and since them techies use an XLR out for PA access, you really need no amp volume...as on this gig as well. OR I could just have the TM-10 on a stand, hell, even bolted to the mic stand in front of me for monitoring if I wanted.

Worth really thinking if it's worth lugging a half-stack to gigs...or even many FX.

 

[bcdon]

That was very good!

 

[Plank_Spanker]

You pulled it off quite well, deeaa!

Working on loaner / strange gear can really take you off your game if you let it. Well done!