Around here Dr Z and Divided by 13 is really popular.
Most people show off with money instead of loudness.
Why do we feel LOUD is better?
« » Page 1 2 3-
- Rated: 12 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:46 a.m. Chonny:
-
- Rated: 29 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:54 a.m. jetbunny:
Gorilla pounds their chest loud, yet they sport a one inch penis...
Yeah, it's a phallic symbol.
Next: Sports cars and V8 engines.
-
- Rated: 51 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 10:56 a.m. The Norm:
AnotherGarcia quote.
They were on the same bill with Flatt and Scruggs in SF once.
F&S, being bluegrass musicians, of course just worked off mics. They were acoustic instruments.
Someone in the crowd yelled "Louder"
Jerry said, "No. no. With these guys you Listen loud."
The Dobro I played on the clip I posted. There's a story attached to it of course but I won't go into it all here.
The thing was brought into the store I was working at and I couldn't affort to buy it from the guy. (35.00). So I called Jerry and said "I got a wooden Dobro here but I can't afford to buy it. Jerry's question: "Is it loud?"
And a year or two later I was working in another store, a Fender franchised store. Jerry bought his first twin reverb from me, again, because it was 'loud.
Then there's Chet. For years he used a Fender Deluxe (tweed) amp. Recorded through a 25 watt Standel and later in life used Music Man amps Music Man RD-112.
Loud really took off with the Marshall stacks.
Then it became (imo) ridiculous.
But that's just me...
apologies for rambling
-
- Rated: 12 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 11:04 a.m. Chonny:
I'm pretty sure I suffer hearing loss from when I used to own a Triple Rectofier.
I had to quit stacks.
-
- Rated: 61 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 11:08 a.m. Bear:
I have tinnitus in both ears and I'm sure a lot of it has to do with standing in front of loud amplifiers for so many years. Also, I'm sure the straight pipes on my Harley didn't do them any good either.
-
- Rated: 44 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 11:18 a.m. Joel:
Mark G: said: Didn't EVH say "volume is tone" and that's why the original Wolfgang only had a volume control.
Actually, his Musicman Guitar had a single knob that was labeled "tone". There was no volume knob. The joke was that as you turned the volume knob, er I mean tone knob up you got "tone". Basically, you didn't need a tone knob to get a good tone. I don't think he was referring to the actual volume of the sound or anything.
I do think players can get carried away. We have a plethora of local bands that have to have PA systems that look like they should be in a stadium. They have full stacks and all that. I guess they feel that with a good sound man they'll sound like their favorite arena band. The art of coming on stage with just the essentials and blowing the band with the bigger PA and all that away that follows you has been lost. I saw STP (Stone Temple Pilots) live recently. They had all these crap drop D,C bands open for them. All of these bands had rows of metal stacks. Before STP came on, the pre-show music went from modern rock to Zep and Beatles tunes. STP came out and Dean DeLeo had just a Vox combo, a small Marshall combo, and another amp that I can't remember what it was. Regardless, most of these amps where of the one speaker variety. They sounded fantastic and blew all the other bands away tonewise. It was so refreshing to hear guitar tones that actually sounded good...
-
- Rated: 8 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 11:57 a.m. Whofan:
I think a good example of the value of 'LOUD' is the Who. It was because of the loudness of Kieth Moon's drumming that John Entwistle had to crank it up, then Pete Townshend had to crank it up to be heard: the result could have been a cacophony, but because they were such talented musicians, the higher volume became part of their dynamic, it added to the intensity and excitement, and became a part of the sound of the band. I only play loud when playing with a loud drummer, and we were lucky to have one in our band for 10 years. It is alot of fun! I found that backing off a little treble on on my guitar (Gibson humbucker) allowed for controllable feedback - I was using a Marshall stack - and that 'on the edge of exploding' sound is the best!
A great example of 'Loud' is the Who's Young Man Blues, particularly the Isle of Wright version - at one point Pete is just letting his SG hang off his neck, feedback soaring while the bass and drums are grooving,, and it's beautiful!
-
- Rated: 30 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:14 p.m. Wishinfora(nother)Falcon:
Compression.
When things are loud, you automatically receive them as being more compressed and smoother.
If you play a tube amp loud, it is more compressed and smoother.
-
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:24 p.m. Echosonic:
Not sure if anyone mentioned this but it's been my experience that in 3rd World Countries loud is better, loud is definitely better. I've been to many a 3rd Worlds and can say from this experience loud is better. People talk loud, they scream and shout like there is no tomorrow. They play their radios really loud. Whether it be music or talk radio, loud is in. As far as playing guitar, well I didn't go into people's homes to hear them play guitar but overall loud is better for them. So in this country if that becomes the norm maybe we will drop to 3rd World soon.
-
- Rated: 212 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:38 p.m. Proteus:
Wow.
-
- Rated: 35 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:40 p.m. crowbone:
WHAT?
-
- Rated: 30 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:44 p.m. Wishinfora(nother)Falcon:
HUH?
-
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:46 p.m. Echosonic:
As far as listening to music goes on das radio I don't listen too loud. I listen to the level that it sounds and feels full. If that takes turning it up then so be it but I don't play loud often and for the sake of it. Then again if Loverboy's "Working for the Weekend" comes on I gotta turn it up and play it loud! J/K guys. Remember Autograph the band they had a song called "Turn Up The Radio"? That's enough to make me turn it up because they say so. Funny Autograph was considered a metal act back then but we all know now Metallica and the like are metal and Autograph and Ratt are just Poppy Metal or Pop Rock. Funny how time chanes things -
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yNb8po-ufu8
Guitar no don't play loud, just play loud enough to sound pretty good.
-
- Rated: 57 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:47 p.m. Curt:
Put down the spork and walk away...
-
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:50 p.m. Echosonic:
Curt, how can I eat my Spam without my spork?
-
- Rated: 20 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:52 p.m. gresco:
Our church, usually 300-400 per service, in an effort to reach the 18-35 year old "unchurched" target group, have stepped it up some. After many complaints, from mostly those above that bracket, a decible meter was summoned to confirm that everything was okay. I believe the reading was around 88 decibles. Since then, after more complaints, new readings have been taken, with 92 decibles the new mark. Those in power deemed 92 was acceptable. We actually have people leaving in pain. But the church "rocks on!" One member stated that anything over 80 decibles for an extended period could result in hearing damage. As an usher, I'm considering passing out ear plugs.
Even though the music quality and tone is great, (for the most part,) louder isn't always better. I know there are those in church who are hard of hearing, but those who aren't, will be in time.
-
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:53 p.m. Echosonic:
gresco sounds like we attend the same church. I am 6 years over the limit so I find it too loud by a 6 decibels.
-
- Rated: 48 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 12:54 p.m. BillyZoom:
In 1978, all of the clubs installed huge sound systems and hired sound men. Until then, we either brought our own PA, or "maybe" the venues had one, but it was just to sing through. The newly created "soundmen" would close-mic the drums and make them and the vocals ridiculously loud, but they wouldn't mic even a Champ because "it's already amplified". Until then, I'd never owned anything over 50 watts, but we all had to get 100 watt stacks to keep up the the sound system. Eventually, they started taking the bass direct, and things got even worse. Then, sometime in the early Eighties, they decided to mic the guitar amps, and suddenly started demanding that everyone turn down to a whisper so they could control everything from the board. I got around the issue by just building an amp with no volume control. I believe that live sound has pretty much sucked ever since 1978. I don't think most younger players today have any idea how to play with each other, without a sound system, just balancing the sound amongst themselves.
-
- Rated: 45 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:05 p.m. Tsar Nicholas :
I TINK DAT GUY IS RITE!
-
- Rated: 24 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:06 p.m. stjohn:
I agree with Billy on this one....there were so many great sounding live albums from the 70's (was too young to actually go to the shows then), but of all the shows I have been to since the late 80's, everything I have heard is so boomy. All you hear is a thunderous kick, a clappy snare, an overly boomy bass, and then static, which is guitar I'm told....oh yeah, and you hear the vocals at about twice the volume of everything else. Luckily, there are a couple of bands around here who can produce a nice, even all around tone...hell, I don't care if they play ABBA tunes, they at least have a good balanced tone doing it!
-
- Rated: 56 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:08 p.m. fieldhdj:
Wishinfora(nother)Falcon said: Compression.
Wishin (and others) hit it on the head for me. To get some sounds, you have to push some air. For example, when my Bassman is cranked, I get this greasy, chewy, Exiles-On-Mainstreet sound. I have not been able to get this any other way, and I have tried.Sadly, I have neighbors and don't get to do this as often as I'd like. For this reason, I've learned to love the lower wattage amps as well.
-
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:32 p.m. Echosonic:
I'm with stjohn, I was too young to go to shows back then. Didn't go to my first concert until 1982 and that was Fleetwood Mac at the LA Forum. Yes The Mac.
But what Billy says reminds me of how I feel about vinyl albums vs CDs. I feel, as many of you might feel, that vinyl album sounds way better than CD, or to be up to date, better than MP3 (duh!). CDs are fine, convenient and all that jazz but put on a vinyl album and then the same release on CD and tell me what sounds better. I think our ears, or at least our minds are better in tuned with analog any day and vinyl is analog isn't it?
-
- Rated: 115 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:35 p.m. wenzel:
I play loud so I can hear it better!
-
- Rated: 3 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:46 p.m. Creation:
I'm loud...even when un-amplified.....LOUD!
-
- Rated: 6 ↑
Nov 11, 2008 1:47 p.m. Echosonic:
I don't think it is necessary for bands to play loud in small venues. I have been to shows at small venues and the bands are way too loud to the point it sounds bad. Not sure why they do that. Maybe they are bands who think they are playing Wembley Arena or something.
