Does anybody play live with the amp facing backwards?

[ogradyboy]

To get the tone I'm looking for in a live gig setting my amp needs to get pretty loud. The problem becomes making my volume match the rest of the band. I prefer not to use pedals with this amp but rely on the amps circuitry and tube distortion.

Does turning the amp backwards and miking it (which we do anyway) seem like a reasonable solution? I can still hear myself through the monitors.

[wec]

To get the tone I'm looking for in a live gig setting my amp needs to get pretty loud. The problem becomes making my volume match the rest of the band. I prefer not to use pedals with this amp but rely on the amps circuitry and tube distortion.

Does turning the amp backwards and miking it (which we do anyway) seem like a reasonable solution? I can still hear myself through the monitors.

I see people do this all the time. I personally use a plexi glass shield but nothing wrong with turning the amp around. Saw Jeff Beck the other night on tv and he had one of his two Marshall 4x12's turned around backwards. John Mayer used to (or maybe still does) do it and I am pretty sure SRV used to turn at least a few of his amps around backwards. I have even had great luck in the studio mic'ing my guitar amps from the back. Has a great tone!

[cochese]

assuming your amp has a closed back cab it's certainly a viable solution as long as you trust the sound man. If it's an open back cab or combo you won't be solving the problem as there is still quite a bit of volume that comes from the back of the cab.

If you try the foam inserts as mentioned on the speaker directivity thread those work quite well but can present a problem for mic'ing. A plexi-glass baffle 2-3 feet in front of your amp with a sound blanket draped over the baffle will also work quite well when close mic'ing. This is an easy way to tame down any amp in the studio but also works well for live.

[dorianadams]

Yes I do. I play an empty (no speakers fender Concert through a 1X12 backed up against the Fender and facing backwards. I mic the amp off the back wall.It is still loud but less "cutting" and has real good low end.The sound is basically coming out of the back and the front through the 2X10 inch ports in the Fender. Obviously the 1x12 has to an open back.http://www.blues2001.com/images/004.jpg

[scott1568]

I saw GE Smith and his band Moon Alice this year in a small club. He had a tweed Bassman thet was turned around.

His gear guy said he likes it turned up, but it is entirely too loud that way for it to face the audience directly. It was still loud at times when he turned up his guitar.

[zzmoore]

dorianadams -
Awesome!!!
A very ingenious, not to mention a low cost solution. :BEER

[Austinrocks]

used to use a blanket to muffle the volume in practice, sounds similar to the plexiglass idea.

[Adel2]

AC/DC did this on SNL a few years back. The Marshall cabs were all backwards.

[Squigglefunk]

I saw GE Smith and his band Moon Alice this year in a small club. He had a tweed Bassman thet was turned around.

His gear guy said he likes it turned up, but it is entirely too loud that way for it to face the audience directly. It was still loud at times when he turned up his guitar.

I saw these guys last year and it was great, didn't notice if GE had his amp turned around but he sounded great!

[Rev2S]

I turn mine to the side or backwards because the soundmen get easily riled up when facing forward.

[therhodeo]

Nope. Don't want my sound getting to the crowd backwards. If flipping your cables the wrong way is bad think what this could do.

[crifasta]

EVH use to turn his cabs around when he played clubs for the same reason.

[Mark Kane]

I used a 50 watt Marshall half stack most of the '70's and would often turn in backwards. another trick was to leave the cover over the cab but cut a hole flap in the cover to expose just one speaker. That worked real good too, in fact it worked better later in the nite when the band got crankin' more.

[GearHeadFred]

:rotflmao But you have to reverse the polarity on the speaker wires.... or play only "up strokes"

[therhodeo]

or play only "up strokes"

Then your tone is upside down and backwards.

[HeeHaw]

I play with my amp facing the rear of the stage. It lets the sound man and the mains do their job and doesn't interfere with the stage mix. I consider it a very professional way to gig.

[therhodeo]

I actually keep my amp up somewhat in front of me and point in and backwards at the drummer.

[dorianadams]

dorianadams -
Awesome!!!
A very ingenious, not to mention a low cost solution. :BEER
Thank you sir. :BEER

[motis1953]

Roy Buchanan did this ALL the time. I find that in smaller or especially bright rooms I place a rectangular hardshell guitar case directly behind and in front of my amp. When using open backed cabinets about as much sound does come out the back as out the front. Then I've gotten pretty good at angling the cases so they contact the top of the cabinet but are about 6 inches away from the bottom of the cabinet. this allows the sound to deflect to the right and left rather than towards the whiner in the front row. The final step is to move the case in front of the amp an inch or two the right or left so only a couple of inches of speaker shows and is not deflected. It works for me. When I had a Swart AST I found out that a ton of guys using them turned them around backwards to better access the controls and actually liked the sound better that way. Without a wall behind you at an outdoor gig you lose half the sound coming from your amp including a mess of low end.

[m@2]

i've done sort of a side fill arrangement at a few smaller clubs.. helps my drummer to hear me, and tones down the volume for the audience