GUITAR
[ THROWN IN THE DEEP END, PART 2 | Jeffrey B. Scott ]
GEAR FAILURE
Last month we talked about surviving the deep
While by far the most panic-inducing, string have and get you back in business. And their
breakage isn’t the only culprit you may BIAS FX software will give you the ability to
encounter on your worship journey! rebuild your whole pedalboard and amp set-
end of an unfamiliar setlist, and a few tools to
have in your belt, just in case.
up virtually on your iPad. I’ve personally played
SIMPLE FAILURE through BIAS FX through a large line-array PA
This isn’t likely to appear in the middle of a song, and it sounds absolutely amazing.
But there’s another deep end we have all though it can happen, but user-error failures are experienced at one point or another: gear usually our own fault and present themselves In the event of a pedalboard meltdown, check
failure! It could be as simple as the inevitable at a less-stressful time. I once installed a pedal those obvious things again: Is there power
string breakage, or as complex as a buzz in on my pedalboard and didn’t thoroughly test it coming in? Did someone unplug your board in
your rig that drives you nuts. In either case, the before I showed up to play with it. Needless to favor of their iPhone charger? If you need to run
middle of a song is not the time to figure out say, when I was turning it on and didn’t hear direct into your amp to make sure, have a cable
what you’re going to do; you have to make it anything, I got pretty freaked out! I reached out handy that you can use to test that out.
to the end first! to the manufacturer to see if something was wrong; I reached out to a colleague who tried WHEN POSSIBLE, HAVE A BACKUP
So, what do you do when and if something to help, and spent several panicked minutes I remember vividly when I began realizing the
unscripted happens? worried that I had somehow destroyed this need for a backup plan, and I started saving
pedal! As it turns out, I had swapped the “In” and looking for a way to implement that in my
and “Out” cables. music life. In a string-break scenario, a second
STRING BREAK
Unless you have the opportunity to change
guitar is a killer safety net, even if it’s not exactly
your strings before you play every time, this If everything is hooked up and you don’t hear the same as your main guitar. And now, even
will happen to all of us at some point (if it anything, check the obvious things first. A cable when I don’t think I will need it, I always bring
hasn’t already!). The first step is to take an that is run but not plugged in obviously won’t a second guitar if possible. And I have the
assessment of which string gave out and what carry audio anywhere. Positive Grid app on my phone that will give me
you might need it for in the ensuing seconds.
a backup amp and pedalboard too.
On acoustic guitars, it’s unlikely a broken string COMPLEX FAILURE will change your tuning, but depending on the Things like a tube going out on your amp or a Remember, the idea here is to have a plan in
bridge you have on electric, it is probably going power supply melting down on your pedalboard case something goes wrong. But the hope -
to necessitate an adjustment. Think forward to are rare, but it can happen. If an amp leaves you and my encouragement to you - is that we all
the next moment in the song where you may hanging, think about carrying a digital solution. take the proactive steps to make sure nothing
have an opportunity to stop and tune. If a verse Positive Grid’s BIAS Amp software runs on an does.
is coming next, you can drop out dynamically iPhone and does a great job not only emulating and then re-enter at the next section. If there is classic amps, but also designing your own. This a signature part or solo coming up, you will be can allow you to simply run your pedalboard better positioned to take it somewhere if you as-is into a digital model of the same amp you
are in tune.
40
March 2018
Jeffrey B. Scott
Jeffrey lives in Nashville with his wife and 3 kids
(and 1 dog child) and plays guitar for American
Idol winner David Cook.
WorshipMusician.com