Conference napalm::guitar

sounds like a capacitor on it's way south..
(Peavy's are pretty common to this..  I've had a
few CS800 power amps that have had to have them
replaced..)

or could even be a solder joint, but the solder joint
usually doesn't fade, come back, fade,, it just stops
working.


at any rate, what we usually do over here, is take it
to someone who's got the ability to isolate the bad 
component and replace it....

RE: has it been driven too hard...

Well if so, that would be the first...  if anything what
would go would be the speakers,,,,, 

/r

    Thanks for the info - I've found a guy that will have a look at the amp
    side. I've also discovered a small tear in the speaker :-( Looks like 
    get the cash out time :-(
    
    UK Noters - is it possible to get the speaker direct from Peavy - I
    believe that they have a factory in Wales ? Anyone got the
    address/number to call ?
    
    I've manged to borrow a Valve 65-Watt Peavy (I think its called Encore)
    - Its been a while since I've used a valve amp but I'm WARMING to going
    back to them....I've read the Pros and Cons for Valve vs. SS . All I
    can say is that I found the wee Peavy valve amp a joy to play through;
    simple to use/set and the sounds were wht I've tried to get from the
    Bandit but couldn't. I could have been doing with just a bit more power
    as the band gets louder as the night goes on . .....must convince the
    singer to let me Mike up :-)
    
    ....Gordon.

I don't know what the general philosphy over in the U.k. is,
but here's the way most of the guys over here look at it..


Your Amp (be it Keys, Bass, or Guitar) is for the STAGE mix..
(So you and others on the stage, here each other)

Here, just about everything is piped through the PA system.
We also belive in sound men for the most part.  They're
chartered with mixing the band, and keeping the volume of
the system, in perpesctive with the room (Crowd, room size,
type of music the band offers ... etc..)

So, in  my mind, there's no talking anyone into anything, I need
three mics..  One for my vocal, and two for my amps (I happen
to run stereo, and the Sound man who works with us, just loves
having the stereo amps miced (Other guitar player runs stereo
too..)

just a little bit of a different perspective!

/r

re: .3

>Here, just about everything is piped through the PA system.
>We also belive in sound men for the most part.  They're
>chartered with mixing the band, and keeping the volume of
>the system, in perpesctive with the room (Crowd, room size,
>type of music the band offers ... etc..)

I'm not sure what you mean by "here", but if you mean the US in
general than you're definitely over-generalizing.  Bands playing
the small-bar circuit (at least around here in Baltimore) generally 
*don't* have a sound man, and don't run everything through the PA.
Larger venues are a different story, of course.

-Hal

Re last two:

Yeah, that's the way I'd *much* rather do stuff with our group; trouble is, we
have a few folk who had some band experience back about twenty years or so ago,
who *insist* that all sound from onstage instruments usually comes from onstage
amps, not through the mains.

It's become a real pet peeve with me, since my ears (for some strange reason)
seem to be a bit more sensitive than those of said band members. In any case,
though, I would definitely agree that piping everything through the mains has
not as of yet become "de rigeur" in the States. (In this case, that's New
Hampshire, BTW.)

Bob

    
    You guys are making feel guilty for having everything run through
    the mains, with two separate boards (and sound engineers) for the
    mains and the monitors. Obviously, I'm spoiled... :-)
    
    -b

re: .6
    
>    You guys are making feel guilty for having everything run through
>    the mains, with two separate boards (and sound engineers) for the
>    mains and the monitors. Obviously, I'm spoiled... :-)
    
Hey, don't feel guilty!  The people I'm talking about would much prefer 
to do it your way, but the bar gigs around here don't pay enough to 
afford it.  Count your blessings.

-Hal

    
    Re the UK vs. US method - I believe that its mostly the same i.e.
    the smaller venues are mostly on stage/backline with the larger ones
    through the front (PA system). This of course also depends on the band
    and its goals and its budget etc.   
    
    The venues that I play fall 50/50 ; Satuarday nights tend to be the
    smaller clubs and pubs. However we are the resendent band at a much larger
    club on the Sunday nights. The first half of the night isn't so bad 
    as its mostly catering for the older punters (50s+ folks) for the
    first hour, then we back cabaret (the acts don't like us to be loud
    anyway) , then we up the tempo and the VOLUME for the last hour. Not
    being miced means individual VOLUME buttons :-) with he who has the 
    most power setting the standard....no seriously the place gets noisy
    by this time and you do need a bit more ! 
    
    Because the hall is large and the stage is enclosed (like playing in a hut)
    the backline is bending our ears forward (I'm sticking protectors in them 
    to save what's left of the wee hairs from being blown away). Anything 
    requiring clean solos or fills goes out the window ....soul fills are
    anything but soul sounding to be heard. 
    
    On stage, the band is at least sounding in ballance but halfway up the 
    hall the Guitar disapears (so I'm told ...I don't have a loooong neck ;-) 
    The drums and keyboards reach the back of the hall but not in ballance. 
    
    I've played in both situations i.e. backline only, and through the front
    and I believe that both have their + and - . I'm trying hard to
    convince the rest of the band to invest in a better PA (current one's
    500-W through a pair of EV 12-in cabs which is fine for the smaller
    clubs with just the voicals), OR try to get the Social club (venue) to 
    invest in a good size, reasonable quality house PA ....The latter option
    looks best as the band is basically made up of four old timers (well
    not that old) who have played for many years, have bought sold and 
    destroyed more gear than has ever been marketed, and are mostly looking
    for some beer money and a bit of enjoyment :-)
    
    Now to the jsutification :-)
    
    
    Thanks for the comments.....Gordon.
      

    This is really turning into note about anything _but_ a broken Bandit,
    but I'll keep it going.
    
    I've probably said this before... it's one of my repeating themes.  Now
    seems like a good time to repeat it.
    
    When I hear people discussing the merits of using an external sound
    company vs. filling the house from the on-stage amps and/or a small,
    band-owned vocal-only PA, I often hear the cost of hiring external
    sound as a reason to stay away from it.
    
    My band's experience is quite the opposite.  A few years ago, after
    we'd been playing for two or three years, we made a decision to always
    use an outside sound company, no matter how small the venue or how low
    the pay.  The driving reason behind it was that we'd have more fun
    because there'd be less work (not dragging the PA around), and less
    bickering (less knobs on-stage to argue about the settings of).
    
    What we found out was that using an external sound company made us
    sound 100% more professional and in no time at all (I'm talking about
    the space of a very few gigs... two or three months), we were playing
    better-paying gigs... much better paying.  We were taking home
    considerably more from each gig even after paying the sound company.
     
    Somthing to think about.
    
    								Marc