Re: Stage volume...was: What amp for 12C

[PL500@xxxxxxx]

In a message dated 5/6/03 9:17:21 AM Eastern Daylight Time, 
2738540@xxxxxxxxxxx writes:


> Hmm, the thread has evolved.  Ok, the reason I sold my Twin Reverb,
> master volume, is it was too loud.  We play out door gigs with 2 15"
> JBL's and no monitors.  We're not loud enough to need them.  I play a 5
> watt amplifier and don't turn up much past 5.  The P/A never gets turned
> up much past one third.  You can sit in back at our gigs and actually
> talk quietly to the person next to you.  Conversely we played the Folk
> Festival this weekend, waiting behind stage for one song before our set
> my ears were ringing in 2 minutes.  We were playing in a courtyard and
> the sound was up so loud that the slap from the rear wall was hitting
> the stage and I had no idea of where I was timing wise.  This for an all
> acoustic gig.  I'd had to sign a form acknowledging that it was acoustic
> only and no amplifiers were alowed.  Ah the irony.  Recently opened for
> Freddy Fender out of town.  I had to beg the very professional sound
> guys to lower the sound in the house and on stage to the point it only
> kind of hurt my ears.  This in a half full 415 seat college auditorium. 
> Generally speaking concert volume levels are too loud most of the time. 
> Ever notice what small children do when they're standing next to the
> train tracks and a train goes by?  They cover their ears, adults don't. 
> Sometimes we are truly clueless. I had a band gig playing out 2-4 times
> a week for 3 and a half years, the reason I quit the gig was I didn't
> want to lose my hearing playing Mustang Sally for drunks screaming
> Freebird.  Who was that really good guitar player that used to gig with
> Gary Primich?  Rusty something?  He's a deaf butcher now.  Freddy
> Fender's 60% deaf or so someone in his band said.  Of course it's not
> just amplified music that gets you, symphonic players regularly lose
> their hearing.  Depends on where you sit.  Too close to the horns you're
> dead.  fjm
> 

Bro, 

Get some earplugs! PA guys can ruthless when it comes to volume. All these 
guys I swear think they are trying mix a KISS or Who concert, the other thing 
is that harp ( much like sax and trumpet) projects at that ear splitting 3K 
level (Listen to Little Walter's "Boogie" at full blast in your car and you 
will see what I mean), this gives it a perceived volume quite a bit greater 
than say guitar. Thats why guitar players can be absolutely deafening on 
stage and still complain the harp player is still too loud when they are 
drowning out the mains. As far as trains go, we do a gig right beside some 
train tracks and when trains come by I always cover my ears. 

Andrew