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Author Topic:  Location of amp when playing
Hans Penner


From:
Manitoba, Canada
Post  Posted 10 Feb 2012 7:17 pm    
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A nutty question I'm sure but . . .

Is there a "most commonly used" spot where the amp is placed relative to the pedal steel?
Eg. On the left side pointed towards me

OR, is it like many topics, just up to the individual?
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Jack Aldrich

 

From:
Washington, USA
Post  Posted 10 Feb 2012 7:29 pm    
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I put my amp on a chair behind my head, so I can hear clearly what I'm doing while not interfering with the sound of the other band members. If the sound system is good, and the monitors as well, I'll go directly into the system, so I won't use an amp. I have several pedals I'll use in lieu of a direct box: a Boss Fender '65 Deluxe Reverb, a Boss Graphic EQ, or A Boss Fender Reveb pedal. It depends on what comes out of the sound system, or whether the sound system has reveb built in. Sometimes I add in a chorus pedal (about 3 out of 10 to "perk up" the sound). If I use an amp, it's either my Peavy Vegas 400 (good ol' workhorse) or my Peavy Classic 30, which is a lot lighter and sounds really good.
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Lane Gray


From:
Topeka, KS
Post  Posted 10 Feb 2012 7:30 pm    
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Most of us put it behind us, within reach so we can tweak a knob.
If playing with a sound person, they'll often ask it to go NEXT to you, facing sideways, so the amp doesn't fill the house.
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Roger Francis

 

From:
kokomo,Indiana, USA
Post  Posted 12 Feb 2012 8:32 am    
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I have mine on amp stands behind me aprox 3 ft when i can and thats why i have a rack set up so i can make ajustments on the fly without getting up, when the bass player do'nt need an acre to stand in i like to seperate the speakers cab a foot or so apart cause to me it sounds better that way, i have 2 sets of speaker stands, one gets my speakers about 16 inches off the floor and the other about 6 In, i like the the lower ones a little better but it depends on where we play as far as volume. As far as the sound man goes, i'll respect him if he will respect me and deal with where i want my speaker cabs, i've never had any problems with that.
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Ray Leroux


From:
Vulcan Alberta CANADA/Thousand Palms CA.
Post  Posted 12 Feb 2012 9:00 am    
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I like mine behind me and on a 45 angle towards the band. Since I'm on the end this helps ballance the stage sound.
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Carson Leighton


From:
N.B. Canada
Post  Posted 12 Feb 2012 9:57 am    
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If I have enough room,,I like the amp about 3 feet behind me and to the right,,so the sound goes out by me and doesn't hit me directly in the ear... I usually have it raised....I have found that I get more bass response if it's on the floor and not raised,,without touching the settings...Once I get it dialed in,,I hardly ever touch it.. YMMV...Carson
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CrowBear Schmitt


From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
Post  Posted 12 Feb 2012 11:30 am    
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like many i have my amp titled behind me on the floor
i have tried a few times what Jean Yves Lozach does w: his
he'll lay it almost flat at a fairly high volume so the sound shoots up vertically
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Jerry Hayes


From:
Virginia Beach, Va.
Post  Posted 14 Feb 2012 8:11 pm    
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I always set mine directly behind me right on the floor, actually it's a couple of inches off the floor as it's on rollers. I like it down there as I can add more treble to the sound than I could if it were right behind me....JH in Va.
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Paul Sutherland

 

From:
Placerville, California
Post  Posted 14 Feb 2012 8:32 pm    
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I agree with Jerry. If the aluminum dome of the speaker is pointing straight at your ear you will inevitably turn down the treble until your steel sounds good to you. The problem is that what you are hearing is not what the other 99% of the people in the room are hearing. What they hear is a muddy sounding steel. The highs you are hearing get lost very quickly as the listener moves away from the rather narrowly focused beam of high frequency.

To get a good balanced tone for the whole audience you should be well off axis from the central beam of high frequency generated by the speaker. High frequency sound waves are very directional; they don't spread out and go around corners like low frequencies.

So you need to turn up the treble, but point the speaker away from you and everyone else.

Of course, if your amp is being mic'd into the PA, then you can disregard everything I just said, as the sound-man controls your tone in the house, so you might as well set the amp in whatever manner suits your fancy.

PS: I always try to set my speaker so that I predominately hear the steel in my left ear. My hearing is slightly better in that ear.


Last edited by Paul Sutherland on 14 Feb 2012 9:04 pm; edited 1 time in total
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Brad Sarno


From:
St. Louis, MO USA
Post  Posted 14 Feb 2012 8:47 pm    
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Great reply Paul...


Brad
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