I had a guy from another band come out and listen to me play last weekend at the bar I was playing at with the band I'm in. He was "scopin" me out as a possible addition to thier band. The guy listened for about two sets and left. Later in the week I call him and he says "You got some great lics, but you have a volume problem-you play too loud". The band I'm in is just a small 4 pc country/rock band, and everything is run thru the pa, and I didn't think I was that loud out front. I just have a 2-12 combo amp and it is kinda beamy, so maybe I need to stand directly in front of it more often. I guess all the years of playing has caught up with me and I have a hearing problem.

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Life is like a sh*t sandwich. The more bread you have, the less sh*t you have to eat.

I don't like the guys approach. Did he say if he was talking about your stage volume, direct out of your amp, or the volume thru the pa? Are you the guy in the band that sets the sound levels for all the instruments? Maybe the person who sets your sound levels has a different ear or idea of what your band should sound like. He probably sat where he could hear you best. Did he check out your volume at a more neutral part of the room?

I think the guy identifing you as having a problem may be the one with the problem.

Also, turn down, will ya? J/K, pal.

I've never been told I have a volume problem as I always ask if I am loud enough! One time I had a guy jump on stage at a gig and he started messing with my amp. I kneed him in the chest and kept on playing! The bartender pulled him off stage right away.

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i'm usually not loud enough, oftentimes because i'm too conscientious. the guitar isn't the only instrument playing.

I'm used to playing in Church, where you're too loud if anyone can hear you. When I play bars I usually get people yelling "TURN IT UP!!!!!" for the first few songs.

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What instrument does the guy play? If its guitar, I bet he's intimidated. Sounds like a BS response to me. Everyone knows you can turn down and that stage volume isnt a accurate representation of front of house.

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No no and no

Pretty much anytime I play I have a volume problem, but not because it is too loud, but because it is being played so terribly!

Yes, but not with amps, rather the intake of various substances...

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RAMA LAMA FA FA FA

We are in the same boat.

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-Kc
"Payin' dues."

In some open stages i've seen it reduced to a pissin contest, were a couple of players believe they have to be heard over everyone else, and battle each other with the volume knobs. It almost always will clear a room, guys who shredd over vocalist are really disrespectfull too.
I usually show up early play my easy songs and get out before the attitudes show up.
So to answer your question yes I have seen volume problems in poorly managed jams and open stages.

Why I always pack a few extra pairs of ear filters (not quite earplugs, knocks down the sound by 12-20 dB) just in case somebody tells me I have such a problem >_>

Also solved by doing the following <_<

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I traded my car in for a microphone.

Sure but I just turn up so I cant hear them.

My grandmother does that at my concerts, in the front row. She only stops when I'm playing. But she does it to everyone else, even though they're no louder than me. It's freakin' embarrassing and totally uncool. I really should bring earplugs for her in the future...

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The last band I was in about 18yrs. ago I was the only one that wasn't miked as I played that loud using a 135 . Peavey Deuce,the good one with the tremelo instead of the cheesy phaser.Now I barely go above 15 wts.,how things change.But then again I was always into huge volume in my younger days.I wouldn't be to worried about that guy complaining about your volume,he was obviously intimidated.

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'65 Strat,65 Mustang,65 Jaguar,4 more Strats,3 vintage Vox guitars,5 Vox amps,'69 Bassman with a '68 2-15 Bassman cab,36 guitars total-15asst'd amps total,2 vintage '60s Hammond organs & a myriad of effects-with a few rare vintage ones.

This is kind of a tricky thing for some people...please know that these are -ONLY- my own personal opinions.

Personally I've only been told I was too loud (as a guitar player) just once...right after I had got my Lab L5 (2x12 100 watt ss combo). In this case...well...the whole band (including my wife/lead singer) was yelling at me to turn down. I was really mystified as I honestly could -NOT- hear myself. Now in this case it was a setup issue. At the time I had the amp sitting on the floor with me standing pretty much right in front of it...I honestly couldn't hear myself play. That week I bought an amp stand and "WHAMMO!!!!" Yea...I was WAAAAAAYYYYY to freakin' loud.

With that, I would like to make a few general comments. Personally my primary concern when it comes to playing live is simply about "the mix". I dunno...maybe it's because I also play bass, drums and keys (not too mention doing my own recordings) and not guitar exclusively but in my mind it's always been about how the band sounds...I'm simply a part of that sound. On the other hand I have certainly worked with guys who simply had to be "the loudest". I always used to assume it was just an ego thing (and in some cases I'm sure it was) but in the time after my own experience above, now I wonder if they're simply not aware of how loud they actually are. Conversely I've also worked with people who weren't loud enough. In most cases this has always been a confidence issue and to be completely honest, it's nearly as annoying as people who are too loud.

I think that part of the problem is that a great many people simply don't know what a "good" mix is supposed to sound like. Many people who aren't musicians for example tend to listen to the vocals and the bass or "beat". A person who is just a guitar player (or drummer or bass player, etc) on the other hand is almost certainly going to hear the guitar first (especially with their own playing). In this case, they may feel something like the vocals or something else is too prominent in the mix...they can't hear every little nuance of their own playing so they feel they need to be louder (or they CAN hear their own playing and aren't happy with it so they back off on the volume). I think it's a little subjective based on one's personal point of view and their own experience.

That said I think another issue is more about tone (ok...I know I just heard someone say "Oh no...not again! LOL!). Ok...let's be honest here...a lot of guitar folk are really obsessed with this thing we call "tone". Many of us I'm sure spend a lot of time and a lot of money trying to dial in that perfect sound that many of us hear in our heads. We have to find "the best guitar", "the best amp", "just the right effects", and so on. As I've said many times now, if your only goal is to sit there in your bedroom or basement, then this is fine...wank away! LOL!!! However the moment you start playing in "a band" it becomes a MUCH bigger picture and that sound that you spend years and years and thousands of dollars trying to perfect simply may NOT work with what the other members of the band are doing.

Ya know it's kind of funny as I sit here thinking about this. A lot of guys (and ladies I'm sure) will go in to a band audition and try to play their best...I know I certainly do if I'm auditioning for someone else. Ya spend a few days/weeks learning the new material and getting your chops up so that you can walk in and "blow everyone away" by being as impressive as you can be. On the other hand as the guy who's running the band, I've discovered that's usually the LAST thing I listen for when I'm auditioning someone else. Honestly for me the audition starts the moment a new player walks in the door...the very first thing I look for in a person is simply, "Is this person going to be easy to get along and work with?". I don't really pay all that much attention to what kind of gear they have any more...beyond evaluating whether or not it's going to work with what we're doing (in other words, if a guy shows up at my studio door with a full Marshall stack for a basement jam, I usually turn him away! LOL!!!). After we're set up, tuned up (I do pay attention to how well a person can tune their own instrument), the second big thing I look for...or rather listen for is simply how well their individual sound and style works with the band and whether or not they are trying to actually work with the band as apposed to standing there doing their own thing. Seriously...if a person is standing there pulling off EVH like chops, I'm not really that impressed. On the other hand, if someone is making volume and tone adjustments to try and make their sound work with the band...-that- get's my attention every time.

I would also add that this not only applies to other guitar players but to everyone who enters my "realm of darkness", LOL!!! I've worked with drummers for example who have the proverbial dynamics of "Elk in heat". Drums, bass, keys, guitar or anything else really...when I/we are auditioning someone new, I'm looking for someone who's going to be a "team player"...and knows how to do it.

I wanted to mention that because it relates directly to this volume issue as well. Looking at vocals as a wonderfully specific example, many if not most people associate "volume" with "intelligibility". If people can't understand the lyrics or what the vocalist is saying/singing, then they think the vocalist needs to be "louder". Certainly that can be the case...like all musicians, a vocalist can certainly get self-conscious about their performance. However just as often the problem can also be something other than sheer volume. In a studio for example, if you bump the 3000 hz range of the vocals just a tad, the vocals will be more "intelligible" without raising the actual volume. It's also possible that some frequencies from the guitar or keys are over-lapping making things sound "muddy". In this regards, I don't think most folks who play a single instrument are really aware of how the individual instruments (including the vocals) really work together as a whole let alone how EQ effects all of that...it's been my experience that many, if not most "week end warriors" really have no clue about proper EQ. As long as the singer's mic doesn't feedback...hey...whatever, right? Again in this case a guitar player may spend years trying to achieve that ever elusive "perfect tone" but it may not work in the over all mix and depending on what's what, it may in fact come off sounding way too loud in the mix...not because it's actually that loud but simply because it doesn't really blend in properly with the mix.

Since I wasn't there and I certainly haven't met the person you speak of, assuming that you really believe you weren't that loud, my initial guess would be that it may be more of a mix/EQ thing than anything else. If you're fairly sure you weren't too loud, then sit down and listen to how your guitar sounds against the rest of the band. Try adjusting your amp's tone settings a little or using different effects or even different pickup settings on your guitar...don't be afraid to experiment a little. With that I would also suggest to record -everything-! Whether you are practicing, having a jam or playing a gig, have a recorder setup so you can listen objectively afterward. Like (unaltered) photographs, recordings don't lie...if you really are too loud, it will be heard! Typically when I'm playing a gig I will try to have 2 tape decks running...one at the front of the house and one at the back (or at the very least 1 mic on front and one mic in back). This way if we play that particular venue again, I can reference the last gig to make the next one sound even better. Listen to your recordings the same way you would of your favorite band...does something sound off? Does something sound muddy? Is something too loud/too soft? Does the mix sound full or does it sound thin/brittle? Don't just listen as a guitar player...listen objectively as a person who loves music.

Second to that, I always try to have a "spotter" in the audience. This doesn't have to be another musician (again a guitar player will listen to the guitar, a drummer will listen to the drums, etc) as much as someone who simply knows what the music should sound like. This will not only give you a good initial impression of the mix but it will also give you progressive feedback as the night (or day) goes on...remember that with something like a bar or club, the dynamics of the room change over the course of a few hours. By the time you hit your third set at 1:30 in the morning for example you may not have as many people in the bar as you did during the second set (and the folks who are left -may- be a bit more sedate if not slobbering drunk) and the volume as a whole may need to come down a bit...spotters are great for this (assuming of course they're not plastered by that point! LOL!) as your own ears may be tired after playing all night.

BTW...when you do go to review your own recordings remember this one last thing; being drunk, stoned, etc., is -NOT- going to give you an objective opinion of your own work. Listen to your recordings the next morning with fresh ears and a straight and clear head

Alrighty, I guess that's enough rambling for one day...time to go try and be a productive member of society

Peace,
Jim