Question for Larry (ljguitar) and those who use multiple guitars onstage...

[john57classic]

Maybe I'm missing something but why do you need anything more than a Morley (or equivalent) A/B Y foot switch?

[slimey]

Radial Pre z Di has an A/B switch build in, so you switch off guitar A when Playing B etc. There is also a mute button, so when you play your third instrument through the PA you can mute the two connected to the Pre Z.

It has a bunch of other features that are very nice, my only complaint is the two channels share the EQ. So I generally have to make a small adjustment when I switch instruments. I send the sound board my signal after eq so the sound guy just sets everything neutral and I change the settings.
I find finding sound guys that are good with acoustic tone a bit of a challenge, so I wanted control.

[DenverSteve]

If I can't reach my mixer, my guitar cord has an on/off switch at the guitar input end. Easy to adjust volume on guitar's that don't have an active system and on/off for all. Otherwise my pedal board has a mute.

[The Bard Rocks]

I play in a duo and we play about a dozen instruments between us. There are no pickups, we simply use mics and feel they sound better and are, ultimately, simpler. Since not every instrument has the same volume, our mikes are on adjustable goosenecks and we can simply change the distance the mike is from us without moving the stand. Takes seconds and you can do it while pattering so there's no interruption. Playing, if we are soloing, we lean in or lean back if when accompanying. Since the mikes are relatively close, a few inches makes a big difference. As far as I can tell, no one in the audience notices what we are doing with that subtle dance.

There are other advantages: less cords around to trip over or to carry and pack up. And think of the pickups we don't have to buy! Since we don't play at high volume, feedback is not a problem for us. The only drawback is that we can't wander around on stage, playing, but as I play on a high seat, I wouldn't do that anyhow. We play traditional music which does not require a fastidious eq, that helps.

[Gypsyblue]

Originally Posted by john57classic

Maybe I'm missing something but why do you need anything more than a Morley (or equivalent) A/B Y foot switch?

I have several boxes like that. I can plug three different guitars into one and choose which guitar goes to the output of the box. But that won't allow what I need: each guitar going to it's own channel of a PA Mixing Board and not to just one channel.

Let's say you have three inputs: A, B & C. You can choose whether Guitar A, Guitar B or Guitar C goes to the output of the box.

But the box will only feed to one channel of the PA Mixing Board.

If Guitar A is very deep and bass heavy and Guitar B is a little OM size guitar they're going to each need different EQ settings at the board in order to sound their best and to do that each guitar needs to go to it's own channel of the Mixing Board.

Since an A/B/C or A/B/Y box only has one output it can't feed two or three different channels of a PA Mixing Board in the way needed.

[john57classic]

Originally Posted by Gypsyblue

I have several boxes like that. I can plug three different guitars into one and choose which guitar goes to the output of the box. But that won't allow what I need: each guitar going to it's own channel of a PA Mixing Board and not to just one channel.

Let's say you have three inputs: A, B & C. You can choose whether Guitar A, Guitar B or Guitar C goes to the output of the box.

But the box will only feed to one channel of the PA Mixing Board.

If Guitar A is very deep and bass heavy and Guitar B is a little OM size guitar they're going to each need different EQ settings at the board in order to sound their best and to do that each guitar needs to go to it's own channel of the Mixing Board.



Since an A/B/C or A/B/Y box only has one output it can't feed two or three different channels of a PA Mixing Board in the way needed.

Gotcha, so use two as they are usually bidirectional. Put 3 guitars in to 1 out, then flip the other box around and you have 1 in to 3 outs.

[kydave]

Originally Posted by john57classic

Gotcha, so use two as they are usually bidirectional. Put 3 guitars in to 1 out, then flip the other box around and you have 1 in to 3 outs.

I think you're missing the point.

You'd have no separation of EQ control doing what you're talking about, if I understand what you're saying.

Simplifying it: Two guitars into an AB box - one output from AB box - one channel of board: You have the SAME EQ settings regardless of what the guitar needs.

EACH instrument needs to be able to have its own EQ controlled UNLESS:
a. You have a sound man adjusting that single channel every time an instrument changes;
b. You have very similar guitars.

For instance, at a club where my band plays I know longer take a backup D-28. The owner has two (a Marquis and Authentic) in the office. If either me or the other guitar player bust a wire, we just grab one of his and our Martins are all similar enough that no EQ change is made. When I did carry an extra, in that situation an AB box with both D-28s plugged in, one line out, was just fine.

IF I had the D-28 and an 0-18 plugged into an AB box and switched instruments, the settings on the channel the AB box fed into would need to be changed for each time I switched instruments.

[ljguitar]

Hi all…

Wow! This is a topic where there are multiple viable solutions.

There is a reason major artists who play big stages and hour long shows have a personal guitar tender who walks on and hands them the new one. It's also the reason many of those guitars are played with a high end wireless rig.

But that is out of the price range and purview of most of us.

And though it may seem obvious to some what the best solution is, messing around with one person's established method which is working for him/her is like getting into their dresser drawers and arranging them for him/her without permission.

This is a great thread which offers plenty to chew on. I'll bet lots of onlookers are going away with things to consider. Others are probably just shaking their heads.

These days I usually travel with only one guitar to a gig, or if there are multiples, one is acoustic, and one is electric. At age 66 (2015), I'm not looking to complicate my life or incur major expenses for the sake of a few seconds of convenience.