Thinking of letting a band member go...

epictring · 2012-02-05T01:35:06+00:00

Hi ? We've had auditions for a replacement guitarist and chose the best audition for a 1 month period for some "testing out". Ok, so we're a rock band and we are by no means metal. 1. So this guy is metal influenced. I'm afraid of this when we're gonna start composing together, how do you tell someone if the part he spent a day on is simply not suitable for the band? 2. Equipment is not completely up to standard 3. He is certainly dedicated. 4. He can sing well (for backup vocals) The original band had a meeting tonight. We will be deciding whether he would be accepted into the band in the coming week. My idea (without the idea of "trying to catch the spotlight") is to try continue the project as a 4 piece with 1 guitarist instead of 2, with the vocalist being able to play a little, could easily play the extremely necessary rhythm sections of the songs. It's a big decision though, I mean if we're gonna let him go now there's no turning back - we might be better off, or not. Your thoughts? :-\

fjcdt

flatfourfan wrote I'd love to know what's being classified as substandard gear..............

Same here. Out of morbid curiosity more than anything else.

MIKA-the-better-one

depends on the situation, band and ambition.

you aren ot going to see John Mayer using a Behringer practice amp and a bc rich live.

vic

MIKA the better one wrote depends on the situation, band and ambition.

you aren ot going to see John Mayer using a Behringer practice amp and a bc rich live.

? ....or Segovia with a '59 Les Paul

epictring

Wow, didn't think this thread would explode like this :?

IceCreamMan wrote mmm letting a band member go cos of sub "standard " equipment ...jeepers ..i have seen some pro guitarists from here an elswehere that probably wont make yr band cos some of them would have had what is considered as general concesus as sub standard equipment ,... we are far too hung up (on this forum anyway) about "superior " equipment thats for sure (and aye i am guilty of that too.

There is a guitaist in ZA that i enjoy watching , he plays thru these shoddy stacks ,and i mean shoddy, a desk thats prolly as old as i am and shows it , stuff held together with duct tape, uses 2 pedals that he powers with one of those large 9 V batteries that the older radio use (no fancy power supply to be seen) and he is the most entertaining guitarist i ever seen in ZA....

but lets fire the guy cos he has equipment not up to par ...oh poo

The main reason is not bad gear, it's more of whats going on with his influences and playing style. He just stepped from a deathcore band into a rock band, a bit of a step in a different direction.

I do not have a problem with someone who may not be able to afford a 30k amp or guitar (and I fully understand their situation), but his tone should at least not "cripple" the band from where we once were. The amp I'm talking about here is a old Marshall MG DFX that needs a kick every 2 songs to work - I'm not sure what the other members think of this amp, but in my (and the rest of the musos in the band) opinion, it is just plain unbearable. Not sure if it's just his EQ, I did have a very quick look once but it only improved a little bit. He is also not making any effort to get it fixed, would be weird having him kick it time and time again in a live performance situation. I would rather want people in my band taking stuff like this much more seriously (as I do) and I want to share the stage with people I can feel comfortable with and be proud of.

MIKA the better one wrote Truthfully the forum does steer people in the direction of better equipment. Original poster mentioned the guitarists equipment was "sub standard".

To carry on from that equipment is very important in a band. If I am lugging a bassman and a DR Z to shows with strats and jazzmasters, and my keyboardist is bringing a little $100 casio keyboard, most likely I am going to tell him he needs to get something new that he can use (and be proud of)

I have kicked out band members in the past due to equipment. I am not asking for someone to spends $3000 or R30 000 but I am asking that they can justifiy what they use, its hard to justify certain gear.

Its like having a workplace with a standard......

Usually also commitment and the gear they use fall hand in hand

He said it for me

I feel really bad for all of this and this entire awkward situation, I really don't want to kick him out and I'm not that kind of a person as some of you might get the idea. It's nothing personal, just something that I feel needs to be done for the bands future as we are taking it rather seriously.

21Fretter

Everyone definitely needs to have reliable gear and his amp does not sound like it falls into that category.

singemonkey

21Fretter wrote Everyone definitely needs to have reliable gear and his amp does not sound like it falls into that category.

Dude. He said it doesn't always work.

AlanRatcliffe

singemonkey wrote
21Fretter wrote Everyone definitely needs to have reliable gear and his amp does not sound like it falls into that category.
Dude. He said it doesn't always work.

Y e e e s...?

flatfourfan

singemonkey wrote
21Fretter wrote Everyone definitely needs to have reliable gear and his amp does not sound like it falls into that category.
Dude. He said it doesn't always work.

so that aint substandard gear, that's unreliable gear.......a service won't cost an arm and a leg.

Back to your original quote:

1. So this guy is metal influenced. I'm afraid of this when we're gonna start composing together, how do you tell someone if the part he spent a day on is simply not suitable for the band?

Don't assume that people who are metal influenced ONLY listen to metal, hell, I'm a die hard metalhead and yet I think that the beach boys and abba rock. Lay down the ground rules from day one by saying that you're NOT a metal band and you want to go more rock, this guy hasn't really done anything yet to warrant being booted. It sounds as if you don't really want to give him a chance.

epictring

flatfourfan wrote
singemonkey wrote
21Fretter wrote Everyone definitely needs to have reliable gear and his amp does not sound like it falls into that category.
Dude. He said it doesn't always work.
so that aint substandard gear, that's unreliable gear.......a service won't cost an arm and a leg.

Back to your original quote:

1. So this guy is metal influenced. I'm afraid of this when we're gonna start composing together, how do you tell someone if the part he spent a day on is simply not suitable for the band?

Don't assume that people who are metal influenced ONLY listen to metal, hell, I'm a die hard metalhead and yet I think that the beach boys and abba rock. Lay down the ground rules from day one by saying that you're NOT a metal band and you want to go more rock, this guy hasn't really done anything yet to warrant being booted. It sounds as if you don't really want to give him a chance.

I layed down the ground rules to all the auditions.
I think spending more than a month with him at least 3 times a week learning the songs is giving him a chance.. He started working metal riffs out on our existing songs and when I tell him "I don't think that will work", he simply carries on and doesn't take my opinion in.

flatfourfan

epictring wrote
I layed down the ground rules to all the auditions.
I think spending more than a month with him at least 3 times a week learning the songs is giving him a chance.. He started working metal riffs out on our existing songs and when I tell him "I don't think that will work", he simply carries on and doesn't take my opinion in.

aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaah, didn't know that. Well you've laid it down, I think it's time to sit him down in front of everyone and lay down the requests and requirements of the WHOLE group, clearly stating that the metal riffs sre not really suited to the song. Make sure that the rest of the guys are in on it as well. If he's not willing to change, then cut him loose there and then.

MIKA-the-better-one

I think Epicstring took a good approach... Sometimes a member is simply not a good fit. Style or musically he probably differed, I once had a drummer who no matter how much he tried only really inderstood music from a Metal perspective, which was a shame in our case because he was a great drummer.... in the end we parted ways for a simpler srummer and all of a sudden I wondered why we wasted so much time with the original guy.

Unreliable gear is sub standard gear... also I am going to go out on a limb here and say, I think Epicstring is using a Fender Supersonic right now :-\ and a Fender deluxe tele (correct me if I am wrong) but that seems like a valiant effort at a goood live gigging rig. I dont think a little marshall solid state would work well or be up to the same standard... broken or living

Arno-West

IceCreamMan wrote mmm letting a band member go cos of sub "standard " equipment ...jeepers ..i have seen some pro guitarists from here an elswehere that probably wont make yr band cos some of them would have had what is considered as general concesus as sub standard equipment ,... we are far too hung up (on this forum anyway) about "superior " equipment thats for sure (and aye i am guilty of that too.

There is a guitaist in ZA that i enjoy watching , he plays thru these shoddy stacks ,and i mean shoddy, a desk thats prolly as old as i am and shows it , stuff held together with duct tape, uses 2 pedals that he powers with one of those large 9 V batteries that the older radio use (no fancy power supply to be seen) and he is the most entertaining guitarist i ever seen in ZA....

but lets fire the guy cos he has equipment not up to par ...oh poo

I know who you are talking about...

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