Guitar Amps as Monitors

Most guitarists spend lots of time and effort to get the best tone possible from their amps. A guitarist's tone is very individualized, and no two guitarists prefer exactly the same tone. Your tone is unique.

The sound that comes from your amp is the sound you want the audience to hear. The best way to get the audience to hear the same tone you work hard to achieve is to mic your amp because running the guitar directly into the board colors the sound. That doesn't mean the sound is bad, just different from the one you worked hard to achieve. That's why most pro sound men swear by micing electric guitar amps.

Yes, this is a good method for hearing yourself. I think it's mentioned in one of the lessons somewhere...

A short reference is here: https://www.guitarnoise.com/article.php?id=176

When you are playing in small places, most guitarists will face their amps out to the audience and hope that the levels are balanced with the other instruments. As you grow to larger stages and halls, this method causes the stage volume to increase to uncomfortable levels. Tilting or raising the guitar amps gives you an accurate monitor for tone (as mentioned above), and if you face it toward your band mates, it allows them to hear you as well, all at lower stage volumes, which is important. Miking is good for guitars, direct line-in is usually better for bass.

When you hit the big-time, the stages get much larger, and the monitoring systems become quite complex. Multi-feed monitor mixes and in-ear monitors provide a wide range of options. This is also when you are forced to trust your sound crew to make your sound right.

Let us know if it works for you.

I have seen quite a few bands that place their amps (usually small combo 1 X 12, or even smaller) on the front of the stage aimed (sometimes tilted) back at them. Then they mic the amp into the PA. So yes, this is done and works well.

it all works... I do several ways. I mic it most of the time, since it has the pre amp out on my amp I run out of it that way my amp is a monitor and the sound crew (which is me usually) sets it on the board. This still saves tone its about 95% of what it actually sounds like coming out of hte amp. Or I will use a DI box.. Guitar to DI, out of DI to amp, then out of DI to board.... IF they are not using any effects.

Great, thanks. It has been a little frustrating as I lead sing for our praise band and have been doing some of the sound board (we don't have a dedicated sound person, although it would be nice). It is hard because I only get a few points in time, when I can run away from a song out into the seating area to hear how the mix is. I have been having a lot of trouble with the guitar speakers because they are facing forward and if the guitarist bumps a switch or moves their mic, etc it effects the overall sound, but in a way that cannot be addressed by the board until the variables are brought back under control.

I feel that as least for us in the short term, if the amps are facing backwards, if something like the above happens it won't color the sound (as much) that I hear when I get a chance to go out and listen. If the guitars aren't in the mix, and I can't adjust them via the board then I know it is an issue with their setup. Now if it is an issue with their setup but they are facing forward sometimes the amp is what I am hearing and they aren't actually in the mix, but I can't quickly tell that. It appears that I have a solution for now. Thanks.

Just a quick note that open-back guitar amps are almost as loud from the back as from the front, so putting them in front facing backward may not solve your problem. Facing cross-ways (side fill) can work if the stage is deep enough.

When you guys say "mic the amps" what type of mic are you talking about or does it matter? I'd like to be able to run everything through the PA so that I can go out the PA and into laptop for better recording during practices.

Jim

The answer is it depends.

Live situations are more prone to feedback and also create more opportunity to damage the equipment--what with drunks in the audience and clumsy roadies, so generally you'll want to use DYNAMIC mics on stage. Dynamic mics are tougher, but less sensitive. The Shure SM 57 is one of the better known mics for use in micing amps on stage.

CONDENSOR mics will give you truer sound reproduction, but they are more fragile and more prone to feedback, so they are mostly used in the studio. There are exceptions, of course.

This article gives a good basic overview. Enjoy: http://drpeterjones.com/guitar/micamp.php

I am with AustinMan, can't go wrong with the Shure SM57. You usually set the mic maybe 6" from the speaker cone. You don't want to point it at the center of the speaker or all you'll get is piercing highs. So place it to aim about 4-6" out from the center of the cone, near the outer edge.

Thanks guys.. Awsome advice as usual. I am going out on a limb here and would assume some decent behringer mics would work decently? I need 4 mics and really dont have 160 a pop to get them. I cant remember the model number but have read alot about some behringers that are great dynamic mics.

Jim

You're thinking of the Behringer XM 8500. I own six of them. You can't beat them for the price. Look here:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/Behringer-XM8500-Microphone?sku=270490&src ="3SOSWXXA"

I am with AustinMan again. :D

I also own 3 of those Behringer mics. I originally just bought them as spares, but now I like them much better than my Shure SM58s. Really good vocals mics, but they make a pretty good instrument mic as well.