How do you balance your different guitars in your own setup?

It's worked for me over the last 40 years.


There's a spare guitar and amp, just in case, somewhere in the background of course, in case of disaster.

 

I used to gig with a POD HD PRO amp modeller, so it was easy to have different amp models and different patches for different guitars based on output. I'd use a decibelmeter in the room to make sure they were as balanced as I could get them. That said, for the last few years of gigging I only took out one guitar. usually a fresh set of strings before each gig takes away the worry of snapping a string and needing a backup

 

Boss GE-7, level slider.

 

I don’t gig, but if I did with an amp, it would just be my Helix LT as my pedalboard. Just different patches for different guitars. Plus, with snapshots, you wouldn’t have to tap dance as much.

 

My BD-2 works as a little-bit-of-dirt pedal with my LP and as a clean boost with my Danelectro 12-string. Due to the Recent Unpleasantness I haven't had the chance to try it at a gig (I've only had the Danelectro since September), but I think it's all I'll need.

 

Presumably you don't play them at the same time. When you plug in the different guitar, you reach back and adjust your volume on the amp.

I prefer to adjust volume on the amp just because, in my experience, turning the volume on the guitar has a much greater effect on tone.

 

Here's my entire, pawnshop-sourced, 'pedalboard'. I've had it for probably ten years, might have been $25. I'm using it right now, it's very fresh photo.

 

I don't have this problem into an overdriven amp, my guitars are the same volume they just sound more or less distorted, more or less saturated, more or less compressed.

 

With any number of available volume controls on the guitars or the amp?

I keep reading and getting more confused about what is being asked.

 

Occam's razor

 

Usually the amp gain, and sometimes a little EQ tweaking. Just adjust for each guitar and know the basic changes you need for each guitar so you can quickly tweak the settings when switching guitars. I think a programmable EQ would be the ideal solution, but I haven't bought one yet.

 

I'm also in the "gig with one guitar" club.

But on the rare occasions when I bring two, if they are different guitars I'm fine with them sounding different.

 

Well the stupid obvious answer is turning the louder guitar down, but I'm not happy with my humbuckers turned down. I might look for a spark mini or a JHS mini bomb or some other kind of transparent clean boost to engage with the quieter guitar.

 

One 2 single coil Tele with 4way and oop push pull. One double humbucker les paul knock off with Jimmy pageish wiring. One acoustic. I'm very happy with that. The only thing I could want is a strat to add to the mix and I'll be done. Covers all the bases.

 

I usually only take one guitar to a gig.
However if I do take a HB guitar, I may plug it into input 2 on Fender amps. That balances things pretty well sometimes.

 

I used to use distortion on humbucker guitars and fuzz on single coils, but now I just use amp distortion with no switchable channels on the amp, and don't care to switch guitars.

Actually this is even more irrelevant because in an actual band I haven't used more than one guitar.

 

I use the same guitar all the way through a gig. I don't switch out or anything, because: 1) it's obnoxious waiting for a guitarist to get his act together, and 2) nobody knows/cares if you're playing "Sweet Home Alabama" through a Les Paul, a strat, or a hollowbody Gretsch. They just want to get drunk to live music, dance like old people, and wake up with a hangover.