ruling out potential band members based on gear

[MCChris]

I feel like I just spent two years writing a killer original album for nothing. Without the brave pioneers who stake their claim to be different and innovative, we'd have nothing to inspire us, excite us and have our jaws on the floor.

Guys in my fortunate position would also be swallowing up the dozens of free guitars I get offered, instead of sticking to my guns and wearing a minority instrument from a dead manufacturer.

Exactly. You're among the few.

[zorrow]

I feel like I just spent two years writing a killer original album for nothing. Without the brave pioneers who stake their claim to be different and innovative, we'd have nothing to inspire us, excite us and have our jaws on the floor.

Guys in my fortunate position would also be swallowing up the dozens of free guitars I get offered, instead of sticking to my guns and wearing a minority instrument from a dead manufacturer.

Exactly. You're among the few.

That's kinda harsh, but it's also kinda true.

Nonetheless, copiers and trend followers have had little or no luck at all, as far as I can witness. I know that's easier to see when one gets older (as Cynic put it so well) but the fact is that, at this very moment, I would better bet on something a little different, instead of trying to follow current trends. At least in the metal world, "current" is often synonym of mediocrity.

Luckily there's Hell, no BS. It's dark, but it's not a King Diamond copy nor just another cheesy black metal band. It's old-school enough, but it doesn't sound like Iron Maiden or Judas Priest. Their singer can sing, but it's not power metal nor AOR. Still, all the key ingredients to please the average metal fan are there, so it remains marketable. In short, it's not a total musical revolution, but you do see they have chosen to be themselves... and they are succeeding!

So, hats off to Kev and his band, really. They prove talent and effort can still lead to somewhere, even nowadays.

[MCChris]

So, hats off to Kev and his band, really. They prove talent and effort can still lead to somewhere, even nowadays.

Agreed. Yet, Five Finger Death Punch is better known than Hell. That's what I was getting at with my comments.

[bcsride]

From my local musicians craigslist.

"I'm are looking for guys that are looking to play progressive deathmetal/deathcore and similar technical genres. Bands like Between the buried and me, Veil of Maya, The Faceless, The Black Dahlia Murder, Darkest hour, Periphery, Carnifex, Born of Osiris, August Burns Red.

If your into AX7, Trivium, Tool or use a Line 6 half stack please don't response."

So, from a practical point of view, I suspect there are many players that could play the aforementioned bands type of sound on a Line 6 half stack (though maybe I am wrong). So, it is a stupid CL seeking players add.

On the other hand, in my current band project we got a keys player, and we want to restrict him to B3, Rhodes, Piano, Electric Piano, and similar (no "synthy" sounds) specifically for the sound the leader is going for (though he plays it on a Roland synth).

Also, look and image do matter, so maybe Line 6 just looks wrong (though I wonder how many in attendance know or care about the gear one is using).

Just curios about your thoughts.

In your band, you have very specific requirements for the keyboard player. Sounds like this metal band is the same, and they are probably doing the right thing.

In the mid 2000s my then-band was looking for a keyboard player like you describe. We went through about 15 before we found the right one. We advertised EXACTLY what we were looking for and auditioned 14 who read that description, knew they didn't meet it, but auditioned away, 'just because.' We wasted so much time on that experience we almost gave up before No. 15 vindicated our efforts. It was especially burdensome on me, since I wasted a 2-hour round trip every time we auditioned the wrong guy.

This metal band has very specific needs and in their ad they hope to weed out those who they pretty much know won't make the cut. They might annoy a few who might otherwise be good candidates, but I wouldn't fault them for their approach. The more general description they provide, the more likely they'll waste their time on the wrong guys.

Right. I see that. That's why I went full disclosure on the expectations for the keyboard player in the current project I'm involved with. So, I can see it as the same thing in looking for a sound which is fine.

I don't have any experience with Line6 gear, so I don't know if it has a specific sound that needs to be avoided. I thought it was modeling stuff, so it might work for a lot of things. I think going for image if fine too. Maybe "guitar must be flying V, explorer, or similar" seems fine. But saying, guitar must be Hamer Standard seems too picky (as much as I know all of you would love to put that / see that in your ads).

[Tres Aardvarks]

I don't have any experience with Line6 gear, so I don't know if it has a specific sound that needs to be avoided. I thought it was modeling stuff, so it might work for a lot of things. I think going for image if fine too. Maybe "guitar must be flying V, explorer, or similar" seems fine. But saying, guitar must be Hamer Standard seems too picky (as much as I know all of you would love to put that / see that in your ads).

My only remaining amp is a Line6 Flextone 2..not exactly the holy grail of tone to most people. I've spent a lot of time with it though, and used to go in and set those sounds to be exactly what I want. It covers all the bases for me, including when I used it for the high end on my bi-amped bass rig.

Now, if you don't edit the tones, a lot of them sound like total CRAP!!!! I don't know why they ship with those shit presets...

[sixesandsevens]

That looks a lot like my last add on CL: i only want girls in my band, and only Hamers guitars...

Pics or it didn't happen.

(The funny thing is that I was going to comment on about a half dozen other posts, but this is the only one that really demanded follow-up.)

[Carl.B]

This so reminds me of a group of high school kids trying to form a band. They have no real talent and wouldn't know it even when it kicked them in the balls.

They have a image they want to project that is all and musical talent is secondary to them.

You can't like certain bands in the Metal genre to be in this band WTF?. So what if you have a Line 6 half stack, gear can be bought/traded for new gea

[Brooks]

Originality is overrated, except for the ONE band or artist that emerges as a pioneer and gives rise to legions of poseurs that come afterward. Audiences don't appreciate it and the industry doesn't nurture it, so blazing your own trail is a one-way ticket to obscurity in 99.999999999999% of instances. If you're fine with that, then by all means, move forward with your world-changing vision. When you have the time to do so outside of your day job, that is.

haha!

harsh, but its true. i also have a shitty jaded attitude towards original bands; to me, 99.9% of them are mediocre (this includes most of the stuff i've been involved with, too). and, i don't like my stance on this, i honestly wish i liked more stuff. but, it is what it is. like most things in this world, there is a small concentration of amazing stuff, and an unending parade of mediocrity.

[mc2]

I don't know.....we always hired drummers who owned the P.A. and a big truck to move all the gear.

Rest of the band always just had to have talent to get hired

[TBP]

Thread resurrection!

I remember those kinds of ads when I was pretty active playing or recording/mastering (used to work in a mastering studio). After a while I noticed a pattern in that the ads with the most "don't bother unless..." and gear requirement attitudes were put up by people significantly lacking in skill.

But I have to admit I developed my own stereotype based mostly from jazz saxophone gigging: musicians who tended to carry all of their gear on one trip almost always turned out to be amazing, and most of them had fairly modest gear. On the other hand, those who had to keep going out to bring in more stuff were often--but not always--less than inspiring when they played. For a while my expectations for someone I hadn't yet heard play went down a little with each addition to his/her setup.

[Studio Custom]

I guess Randy Rhoades' Ozzy audition with a Peavey Bandit wouldn't fly with these guys.

[polara]

I will say that if you sound like The Smiths and a guy shows up with a Scarab with Floyd and a Mesa Road King, you probably are on different pages. And if you go in to play with a drop-tuned metal band with a Ric 360 and a JC120, likewise.

[HamerHokie]

Thread resurrection!

I remember those kinds of ads when I was pretty active playing or recording/mastering (used to work in a mastering studio). After a while I noticed a pattern in that the ads with the most "don't bother unless..." and gear requirement attitudes were put up by people significantly lacking in skill.

But I have to admit I developed my own stereotype based mostly from jazz saxophone gigging: musicians who tended to carry all of their gear on one trip almost always turned out to be amazing, and most of them had fairly modest gear. On the other hand, those who had to keep going out to bring in more stuff were often--but not always--less than inspiring when they played. For a while my expectations for someone I hadn't yet heard play went down a little with each addition to his/her setup.

I would never filter responses based on gear. However, I have gotten really anal about specifying EXACTLY what we're looking for musically, since I've had sooooo much experience auditioning guys who didn't know what they were doing and had no clue how to play our styles.

[bcsride]

Thread resurrection!

I remember those kinds of ads when I was pretty active playing or recording/mastering (used to work in a mastering studio). After a while I noticed a pattern in that the ads with the most "don't bother unless..." and gear requirement attitudes were put up by people significantly lacking in skill.

But I have to admit I developed my own stereotype based mostly from jazz saxophone gigging: musicians who tended to carry all of their gear on one trip almost always turned out to be amazing, and most of them had fairly modest gear. On the other hand, those who had to keep going out to bring in more stuff were often--but not always--less than inspiring when they played. For a while my expectations for someone I hadn't yet heard play went down a little with each addition to his/her setup.

I'm sort of guilty of that. I've got two projects going.

In one a play bass. I show up for my bass gig. 1) bass, 2) head 3) cab, 4) shoulder bag with tuner, di box, power supply, cables. I set up and am good to go in about 5 minutes. I'm a passable bass player.

In the second, I front and play rhythm guitar. 1) P90 guitar 2) HB guitar 3) single coil 4) mic and mic stand 5) collection of pedals and power supply 6) 2 channel combo amp. I set up, fiddle with tone nobs, pedals, guitars, amp channels, more pedal fussing, checking out the amp settings with the different guitars to make sure I can switch guitars etc. It takes me 25 minutes. I suck as a singer and a guitar player.

[dragan]

geez , I'm going to investigate a new project tonight , Imelda May/ Josh Stone sorta thing . I hope I brought the right gear cuz its in the car & to far to go home !? .....Newport & 64 princeton 1 delay & 1 od ???( no Strat ) !

[tomteriffic]

Martin Barre (Jethro Tull, Hamer #0004, etc.) auditioned with no amp at all, just a solidbody with the headstock pressed up against the headboard of his bed.