Guitar / Bass Amplifier Info & Education

Delivering a face melting guitar solo isn’t just about pulling it off, it’s also about making sure that your guitar sound comes through loud and clear to really let your playing shine. Oftentimes, the tone you dialed in for a nice crunchy rhythm guitar just doesn’t translate to a searing lead tone. While it may be simply an issue of volume in some cases, it may be that you need a significantly different sound for your solo to cut through. To avoid playing the most rocking solo of your life with no one in the audience actually hearing it, try these tips.

Live sound technicians at music venues generally use two main methods of running electric guitar and bass guitar through the PA system: Miking up a cabinet, or running a DI (direct injection) from the amplifier head or a dedicated DI box (or direct box). While guitar cabs are more commonly miked up and bass amps DI’ed, either method can work for both instruments depending on the situation, the style of music, and the player’s equipment. This article will give a basic rundown of both methods and help you decide which will work for you, whether you’re a soundman or on the stage performing. 

Have you ever had to play a gig with an amp that’s completely unsuited for the job? If so, don’t worry- it happens to the best of us, and despite our better judgment. Maybe the sound guy said that an amp will be back lined, only for you to find that it does not have nearly enough power to hang with your band. Or maybe another band on the bill is providing the equipment, but that equipment only works well for them. Or maybe it’s even your fault and you underestimated the amount of rig you would need for the show! Whatever the circumstance, it always helps to have a backup plan if you have to play on a big stage with a small amp. Here are some tips to survive this gigging situation with your sanity (and the amp) intact.

In a previous article, we discussed the common equalization points on a bass amp and described how they affect your sound (you can find that here). But in a live setting, there will be times where something is not sounding right and you need to make a quick fix in between songs. Or maybe the soundman didn’t give you ample time to soundcheck properly, and you don’t have time to stop the show and play your bass alone to check and dial in your sound. Or you could be using an amplifier you are not familiar with. These are just a few of the instances where you need to know how to quickly address any issues with your tone on the fly.

The three-piece band or power trio is a staple of rock and roll. Bands like the Police, Rush, Nirvana, and Green Day have gone down in history as three-man musical powerhouses. While a lot of talent is required to make this band format work- as with any other format- a power trio comes with its own set of unique challenges. The biggest one is: How to fill out the sound with only three musicians? Sure, it sounds fine when everyone is chugging along at full throttle, but if the guitarist takes a solo suddenly there is a big old gap in the midrange where the rhythm guitar should be. This is an age-old symptom of the power trio, leaving many bassists to wonder what they can do to make it sound less empty.

In addition to your amplifier’s standard EQ controls, a contour knob, like the one found on many Carvin Audio bass amplifier heads, can further help you find a bass tone that sits perfectly in your band’s mix. While the function and engineering of each given contour knob may vary, the general purpose is to provide an extra tool for tone shaping the midrange frequencies and providing a classic “scooped mids” sound.

Going into the studio can be an exciting endeavor, whether you are recording your own music or doing session work. To make sure your recording session goes as smoothly as possible, it’s important to take some time beforehand to make sure your guitar is working properly and ready to lay down tracks the minute you set foot in the studio.

Getting a good guitar tone in the studio can be a different beast than dialing in your tone in a live setting. While some guitarists use the same amp setup for the studio and stage without issue, some prefer to switch it up and record with different gear.

Somewhere along the line somebody probably told you “Don’t ever use guitar cables for speakers and vice versa!” If not you will be glad you noticed this article because it might save you some trouble down the road. What seems confusing is that from outward appearances the two cables can look much the same, if not identical. The plugs are interchangeable in most cases as well. So let’s take a look at why they are different, what they are optimized for, and why they don’t make good substitutions for one another.

Many of Carvin Audio’s guitar amplifiers come equipped with a knob labeled Presence (such as Carvin Audio’s V3M, Legacy, and Belair, to name a few). Though the exact technical details of this mysterious knob may vary, its overall purpose generally remains the same- to add edge and brightness to your guitar tone and serve as an additional tone shaping tool. 

Headroom is a concept that is applicable to numerous different aspects of pro audio, from PA systems to loudspeakers to guitar and bass amplifiers. Each of these devices are intended to operate within a range- one that does not put stress on components or risk damage by operating too far out of the product’s capabilities. Headroom is the room you have above what you normally need or will need from your gear. Headroom is needed for both signal levels and output levels, but here we will be looking at output level.

The human ear naturally perceives midrange frequencies more prominently, and the guitar tends to sit naturally in that range. However, many factors in a live mix can make the guitar hard to hear for both the guitarists themselves and the audience, and it’s not always the guitarist’s fault. If your guitar is getting buried by your band, there are a few things you can try.