Is the "bedroom player" era robbing a generation of the joy of running a full stack?

The other thing is that I like to be able to get a sense of the rest of the band and vocals. That’s why a good monitor mix is important to me. I wouldn’t want my own sound to overpower everything else I hear.

Aside from the sheer pragmatic necessity of needing to hear myself in the monitor mix, I want to enjoy the music, too! I also feed off the vibes and energy from the rest of the instrumentation, not just what I’m doing.
 
It’s fun to have your clothing (and privates) getting blown around from the air coming out of two 4x12 cabs in a stack configuration.

I still have really good hearing because I’ve been wearing ear protection at both work and playing out since the early eighties. I couldn’t imagine being hard of hearing. That would be difficult for me to take.
 
SG John said:
It’s fun to have your clothing (and privates) getting blown around from the air coming out of two 4x12 cabs in a stack configuration.

I still have really good hearing because I’ve been wearing ear protection at both work and playing out since the early eighties. I couldn’t imagine being hard of hearing. That would be difficult for me to take.
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I, sadly, never used hearing protection because I was singing as well, and any sort of ear plugs made it hard for me to sing. I spent from some time in the mid-80s to the late 90s blowing my ears out, including a run from '94-97 where I was using my JCM900/Carvin 412 stack 4-5 hours a day 5-6 days a week.

While I don't have the traditional concept of hearing loss, I do have this weird affliction I refer to as loss of hearing depth perception. If I'm in a crowded room with a lot of people talking at once, I have a really hard time differentiating between the person speaking right in front of me and someone who's talking on the other side of the room.

And, just to clarify, the spirit of the opening post wasn't to advocate for self-inflicted hearing damage, but more to endorse every rock/metal guitar player to jam through a full stack blasting at 100DB+ at least once in their life so they can fully experience it. This sort of music is more than just an audio thing, it's a feeling as well - people "feel" the bass, feel the wall of sound impacting the entire body, etc. And, with Rock & Roll and Metal intended to be played LOUD, it's hard to believe someone who has never performed anything above "bedroom player" volume truly appreciates what they're trying to create/re-create.
 
As a teenager I would set up my amp in the front yard and play for hours in the shade in the summer, Even after I got my halfstack I never confined myself to just the house Id play in garages and front porches with my buddies and I toted a 4×12 right along with me , it's just what i feel most comfortable with .
 
I've never played on anything bigger than my friends stealth 2x12 EVH with matching 5150 50w head and I thought that was pretty intense. I will most likely never know what standing and playing in front of a full stack would feel like.
I dont know if the era of the bedroom player really is a new thing though. I'm sure bedroom players have been around, especially in urban area, for a long time. The technology certainly makes playing at home more enjoyable, my guess, and this is only a speculation, bedroom players have always been around and the majority of players more than likely never played more than a 1x12.
 
smitty_p said:
The other thing is that I like to be able to get a sense of the rest of the band and vocals. That’s why a good monitor mix is important to me. I wouldn’t want my own sound to overpower everything else I hear.

Aside from the sheer pragmatic necessity of needing to hear myself in the monitor mix, I want to enjoy the music, too! I also feed off the vibes and energy from the rest of the instrumentation, not just what I’m doing.
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Yes I need to hear vox and my own singing too. Overpower a 110dB amp with 115dB vox and not a very pleasant gig for 3 hours of that!
Iron1 said:
I, sadly, never used hearing protection because I was singing as well, and any sort of ear plugs made it hard for me to sing. I spent from some time in the mid-80s to the late 90s blowing my ears out, including a run from '94-97 where I was using my JCM900/Carvin 412 stack 4-5 hours a day 5-6 days a week.

While I don't have the traditional concept of hearing loss, I do have this weird affliction I refer to as loss of hearing depth perception. If I'm in a crowded room with a lot of people talking at once, I have a really hard time differentiating between the person speaking right in front of me and someone who's talking on the other side of the room.

And, just to clarify, the spirit of the opening post wasn't to advocate for self-inflicted hearing damage, but more to endorse every rock/metal guitar player to jam through a full stack blasting at 100DB+ at least once in their life so they can fully experience it. This sort of music is more than just an audio thing, it's a feeling as well - people "feel" the bass, feel the wall of sound impacting the entire body, etc. And, with Rock & Roll and Metal intended to be played LOUD, it's hard to believe someone who has never performed anything above "bedroom player" volume truly appreciates what they're trying to create/re-create.
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I find musician earplugs better for singing. The moniotrs are quieter but you can hear yourself better in your own head, like plugging yoir ears.
Ultimately in ear monitors....

These days I care about the FOH and what sound company might want. Outside in 1983 I didn't. Had the 2203 on 6. Distorts the video camera. I stood beside ot. While not the greatest performance was incredible fun at that volume. I also was only playing for 4.5 years so there was much room for improvement.

 
I just gifted my friend Randy Miller 3 Marshall 1959 SL100 full stacks years 1969,, 1970, 1972 in flight cases
Randy has been a good friend since 1976 and I have not played the amps since 2000 plus I don't have room for 3 full stacks
that was my Seattle rig oh well most of my amps are 100 watt but been playing a pair of 50 watt ODS amps since 2008
I was thinking about this ODS 100 build it has a 1968 Marshall OPT a custom wound PT from my friend at Two-Rock
3 way bright switch a tone stack bypass switch. If your amps can't do Hendrix Machine Gun they are marginal at best.
The first time I nailed Machine Gun was with 3 Trainwreck Express amps not Marshall's
When I was growing up in Seattle Machine Gun was the test My friend Randy Hansen was the winner.

ODS #183 001.JPG

183 001.JPG

With a little help from my friends the 100 watt Green Hornet amp was born 2008.
 
Jethro Rocker said:
Yes I need to hear vox and my own singing too. Overpower a 110dB amp with 115dB vox and not a very pleasant gig for 3 hours of that!

I find musician earplugs better for singing. The moniotrs are quieter but you can hear yourself better in your own head, like plugging yoir ears.
Ultimately in ear monitors....

These days I care about the FOH and what sound company might want. Outside in 1983 I didn't. Had the 2203 on 6. Distorts the video camera. I stood beside ot. While not the greatest performance was incredible fun at that volume. I also was only playing for 4.5 years so there was much room for improvement.

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Man, that's in your blood, bro. You're ripping up like you're at Maddison Square Garden. So REAL then, before everything kinda went ...surreal.
 
Iron1 said:
And, just to clarify, the spirit of the opening post wasn't to advocate for self-inflicted hearing damage, but more to endorse every rock/metal guitar player to jam through a full stack blasting at 100DB+ at least once in their life so they can fully experience it. This sort of music is more than just an audio thing, it's a feeling as well - people "feel" the bass, feel the wall of sound impacting the entire body, etc. And, with Rock & Roll and Metal intended to be played LOUD, it's hard to believe someone who has never performed anything above "bedroom player" volume truly appreciates what they're trying to create/re-create.
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Yeah, when I walked up to the front of the stage at both Hammersmith and Brixton Academy when seeing Motὂrhead, everyone of those stacks were plugged in, and on 10. The sound punched you.... repeatedly. The fact that Lemmy did it every night for so long is a testament to what the human body can handle for abuse.
 
SG John said:
Yeah, when I walked up to the front of the stage at both Hammersmith and Brixton Academy when seeing Motὂrhead, everyone of those stacks were plugged in, and on 10. The sound punched you.... repeatedly. The fact that Lemmy did it every night for so long is a testament to what the human body can handle for abuse.
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when i saw motorhead after show my ears were ringing ding ding ding like someone is pissed at the hotel and want to get front desk attention when no one is there ....
 
SG John said:
Yeah, when I walked up to the front of the stage at both Hammersmith and Brixton Academy when seeing Motὂrhead, everyone of those stacks were plugged in, and on 10. The sound punched you.... repeatedly. The fact that Lemmy did it every night for so long is a testament to what the human body can handle for abuse.
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John, my sis and I were close enough to the stage. We felt the moving air so strong it was as if our arms were paralyzed. Or like moving them through thick mud.

 
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I all ready have hearing damage form a baseball clocking me directly in my left ear in high school (that was BEFORE we had helmets for baseball with an ear cover --)
and the right one actually hurts to some varying degree 24/7/365 due to a diving incident and not pressurizing properly.....and all with the additional BONUS of tinnitus-- in both ears-- but (aint life GRAND!) not at the same frequency (right ones a hair lower and not as loud)

loud for me is NO GO, period-- so my days of 100 watt stacks (or 100 watt anything) are over -- rarely do I take a 7 watt amp over vol. level 3 "in the room" I do not CRANK anything I own -- (and it all last for years without repairs....:unsure::unsure:)

Concerts....nope dont attend those any more --- might as well shove an ice pick in my ear ........

which for me is another "win" for the modeling technology through monitors -- I can crank the gain CRANK the volume (on the model) but drop the master volume on the unit (or the speakers-- or the computer ... so many variables) down to "useable" levels and not be in agony using my amps ...............................

But hey ya'll have fun with all that ;)
 
To answer the question, yes they are missingmout! Around the time of that outdoor show we recorded in a dude's garage studio with a 4 track a bunch of metal originals, just for fun. Wish we could sing back then...
Same deal had the half stack about 6 pointed to the corner. Chords would start to feedback with sustain, something that you can only get with a loud cab turned up. Was awesome.
 
It's not just new tech to blame for the lack of experience with half & full stacks...you can also blame club owners and crowds.

Try walking into a lot of bar gigs with a 4x12 and watch the owner/manager freak out. Audiences are also less tolerant of real volume anymore. They expect to be able to hear each other talk, or for the bartender to hear their order.

Things sure have changed a lot....
 
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