Grumble, grumble . . .

[McCawber]

I jam with several guys one evening each week. We project all the words and chords and add some decent vocals (8 of us) supported by as much as 4 guitars, drums congas/bongos an electric bass, harmonica and occasionally substituting a banjo for a guitar. The music selection is pretty eclectic - anywhere from the Beatles to hard country and sometimes bluegrass.

The problem? Except for the bass we all play acoustics, two Martins, a Guild and an Ovation. However one of the guys has started plugging in his Martin. he uses rather low end electronics and frankly, it sounds terrible, especially when he's just strumming. A couple of not-so-subtle hints have had only a temporary effect. I hate to give it up, but I may just have to move on if the group continues to tolerate one electric among the unplugged acoustics, or if even worse, some of the others start to plug in.

[Big Band Guitar]

Life is too short for that.
The only person you can change is you.
Time to move on.

[Wade Hampton]

If I was you, I wouldn't be so quick to jettison the group as Big Band Guitar so blithely suggested. Finding compatible people to play with is never easy, and gets ever more difficult the older you get.

A more productive approach would probably be to talk to the others in the group, make sure they're more or less in agreement with you on this, then tell Sparky that his guitar sounded better when it was left unplugged.

Something I've noticed with older players in particular is that - when their hearing starts to fail a little bit - instead of admitting it or working with the acoustics of the room they just buy some cheapspit electronics and start plugging in.

Of course he won't discuss it with any of the rest of you. But hearing loss is probably the root cause of the guy plugging in. The problem is, as you've correctly noted, it's a slippery slope kind of situation and it's likely that others will follow suit and start lugging in amplifiers unless you get proactive and nip it in the bud.

If the acoustics of the room are live enough, one thing you can do is work on the physical placement of the players. Put Sparky in a corner, where the 90˚ angle of the walls gives him a bit more room sound that he can hear and possibly even feel in his chest. You guys can also experiment with altering the acoustics by bringing in some sheets of plywood to prop against the walls, again so that you can generate some sound reflection without having to plug everybody in.

If you let this go now, it will snowball into precisely the sort of everybody-plugged-in, everybody-successively-turning-their-amps-up kind of session killer that you fear the most.

So talk to the other guys by telephone first, get a consensus, and then talk to Sparky about it. Be diplomatic but explain that it's really ruining the whole thing for you. (Don't say "ruin," though - say: "It's just not nearly as much fun now." Or words to that effect.)

If a purely acoustic solution doesn't work, another option might be to get a more directional monitor for the guy, something pointed at his ears and nobody else's. But I do suspect that this is related to hearing loss on his part, and he might be very unhappy to have the subject brought up at all, much less be told to do something else.

Gruff alpha males don't like having their own failings pointed out, especially if it's somehow age-related. But do make an attempt to work with the guy and work with the others before this whole thing metastasizes and it spirals out beyond repair.

Hope this helps.


Wade Hampton Miller

[jazzguy]

I agree with Wade. You have something special there to be able to jam with a few other fellows. Open and respectful communication is the best course.

[tdq]

I have a small jamming group, with varying levels of attendance and instruments. I do have an early blues focus but my only steadfast rule is "acoustic only". So far, so good

[rokdog49]

I would agree that it is likely a hearing issue on Mr. Electric's part.
The last thing anybody wants is to be in a band or group scenario where he/she can't hear themselves. I would ask him straight out if this is the issue.
If so, as others have suggested, may be a placement issue and it may not be correctable.
Has anyone asked this person why he is plugging in.
Maybe do an intervention.

[harpspitfire]

just say its an acoustic jam- tell him you dont mind him plugging in as long as he takes the strings off 1st !

[jwing]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

Life is too short for that.
The only person you can change is you.
Time to move on.

I agree.

I don't get the OP. He wants an all-acoustic jam, so he objects to an amplified guitar, but at the same time he's OK with an amplified bass guitar. I'm assuming the bass is a guitar because bass fiddles do not need to be amplified in a jam situation. It will be a tough sell to allow one guy to amplify but not allow another guy to plug in.

I started a weekly bluegrass slow jam. It wasn't so hard. It did evolve. The group decided to change the time to Sunday afternoons - after church. The musical direction made a sharp turn toward the gospel and religious side of bluegrass. I hate those songs. So I freed up my Sundays by not going to the jam. I have no hard feelings and I'm glad that I went through the birthing pains to make it happen.

OH well, anyhow, the jam had gotten too big. I found a banjo player and we worked on crafting some arrangements. We invited a mandolin player and then a fiddler. It was way more fun than an open jam.

[Don54]

If a monitor is needed just for him because of hearing issues, maybe am in-ear monitor would be ideal. He can crank up his guitar as loud as he wants and everyone else would only hear his guitar acoustically.

[T Texas]

Originally Posted by jwing

I agree.

I don't get the OP. He wants an all-acoustic jam, so he objects to an amplified guitar, but at the same time he's OK with an amplified bass guitar. I'm assuming the bass is a guitar because bass fiddles do not need to be amplified in a jam situation. It will be a tough sell to allow one guy to amplify but not allow another guy to plug in.

I don't know where you live but double bass players aren't exactly lurking around every corner where I'm from. Bass player has to get a pass. Acoustic bass guitars won't even keep up with one acoustic flat top.

[Nymuso]

Yeah, bass gets a pass. You even see flat out BG groups with electric bass. BUT . . . . I'd love to get a spot as bassist for a Bluegrass group. It would be my excuse to get an upright bass. I played one several years ago and I loved it. Couldn't justify buying one though.

As for the OP's dilemma - ya gotta do what's right for you. Take a shot at getting this guy to unplug - but if it doesn't work out and you remain unhappy? Well, then there's only once course of action to take.

[Big Band Guitar]

Originally Posted by Big Band Guitar

Life is too short for that.
The only person you can change is you.
Time to move on.

I will add to this.

I recently left a monthly jam because 2 new saxophone players started coming. They took over, blew their brains out with little sense of rhythm, and stepped all over any vocals or someone's turn. Then complained we needed a better rhythm section. I may not be that good but my timing is solid.

It wasn't my jam I'm sure I wasn't missed.

[Wade Hampton]

Originally Posted by T Texas

I don't know where you live but double bass players aren't exactly lurking around every corner where I'm from. Bass player has to get a pass. Acoustic bass guitars won't even keep up with one acoustic flat top.

Agreed. Even the most hardcore “acoustic only” bluegrass purists generally make an exception for electric bass guitar, for precisely those reasons.


whm

[bufflehead]

Originally Posted by Wade Hampton

If I was you, I wouldn't be so quick to jettison the group as Big Band Guitar so blithely suggested. Finding compatible people to play with is never easy, and gets ever more difficult the older you get.

I agree 100%. A good jam is worth preserving. And hard to replace.

I recently moved 900 miles north, and I'm completely perplexed at finding a jam to replace what I had--a nice BBQ potluck out in a ramshackle cabinet-maker's shop. It had a dirt floor and awful acoustics and was perfect for a dozen or so musicians playing at once. I liked it because there were always too many guitars, so no one minded if you put your guitar in the stand for a few songs while working on a cob of corn. Can't find anything like it near my new digs.

[T Texas]

Originally Posted by Nymuso

Yeah, bass gets a pass. You even see flat out BG groups with electric bass. BUT . . . . I'd love to get a spot as bassist for a Bluegrass group. It would be my excuse to get an upright bass. I played one several years ago and I loved it. Couldn't justify buying one though.

As for the OP's dilemma - ya gotta do what's right for you. Take a shot at getting this guy to unplug - but if it doesn't work out and you remain unhappy? Well, then there's only once course of action to take.

My dad played double bass. Whenever I'd see him loading that thing up to go to a gig I felt so sorry for him lol. He claimed he used to finesse one into a VW Beetle when he was in college