It's not just bad tone that interferes with my playing, but basically anything unexpected.

It never goes as planned. You can practice your parts until they're flawless and it all goes out the window when the keyboard player doesnt show to the gig... and now youll have cover all their parts AND vocals. Or, You are forced to play through a backline 74' Peavey Classic loaded with Black Widows. Or, The monitors power amp DC's mid song and now nobody can hear themselves and you can tell by the fact that suddenly nobody in the audience will make eye contact with the band that the band sounds like The Four Yokos.... Good tone thats too loud, not the worst problem that can happen.

 

This is true. I drum in one of my bands, and while I don't "self destruct", if something with my setup isn't just right, it screws with my head. It's an uneasy feeling.

On guitar, none of that stuff matters to me. I can break a string, go out of tune, blow a tube, who cares.

 

The only thing that REALLY throws me is if I can't hear the drummer.

 

When I was playing in self-contained bands and freelancing as a guitarist in the 60-70s, the bands rarely encountered anything weird enough to alter our sound or what we heard. But as freelancer, you really earn your money. Part of the fun of that kind of work is having to stylistically modify your playing as the situation demands.

 

You're not playing with the right drummer.

 

for guitar i have to be by the bass amp & kick when i run solo's(only guitar) dont like to pick it out of the mix, have to set up to right of drummer for guitar & left side for bass..when this is off..i lose my stage comfort ability. I was born with messed up ears with depth issues..we have to mark the stage for me once sound check is done. I actually do best in audience when playing..with the music coming at me..

 

Band name alert.

 

The usual drummer is on the Bonham Decibel Scale.

 

Then how can you not hear him? Are you using multiple Plexi stacks?

 

Yep. I have a volume pedal though so i don't need to play lightly.
Though I do have opposite problem sometimes, when my volume is maxed out and Im trying to fingerpick harder to compensate - but all it does is just messes with my playing.

Or...bass player plays wrong root notes and you second guess yourself wondering if your playing wrong chords, so you start over analyzing in your head and lose focus.
Well thats me

 

Yep, had that happen!

 

Volume knob , then dig in again

 

That's a lot of fun. The danger. The power. Controlling it, then when the appropriate time comes BOOM LOUD LEAD BREAK. And back to light picking.