Well, it's complicated...and a little bit political...LOL
The academy is a Yamaha/Line 6 dealer and they asked me to use their 'backline.' I did so out of respect for the owner, but - TBTH - it was not a great experience. It was another 'learning curve' of trying to dial in a decent live sound with limited time and the bandleader did not want to do 'legit' soundcheck, so we ran the first set 'cold turkey' and it was 'OK,' but could have been better. The first Line 6 combo we plugged into made a loud squeal (with all volumes at zero) and then a wisp of smoke wafted out of the back panel. We had to have two additional Line 6 Combos (Spider 240 V) brought in from the academy to accommodate an extra guitarist. It was all very last minute. IMHO, it could have been greatly simplified.
In the past, our soundman has wanted everyone to go direct-out. He was not real happy when I showed up with a Marshall Origin 50, 2x12 cabinet and 34" pedalboard with 100 feet of cable. I can understand this - at least in some respects - when we are showcasing multiple bands with only about 5 minutes to setup between bands. This is the primary reason I volunteered to use my MG50 for our December 18th 2021 Christmas Party, just to make things easier.
But, today was one of those experiences that solidified the fact that all the time and effort that went into my rig, my pedalboard, has produced a much better quality of sound than I can get with ANY amp just plugging in and playing, cold turkey...
