Enhancing Opeth's Live Sound

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

First off, I think they sound great live, but I have always had this dream of doing this live with my own songs, which also cut into many acoustic parts. I would love to see Opeth try to use their acoustics in the heavy songs, but just have them on those stands, so they dont have to sit down. This could do two great things for their live sound.

1. Obviously, if it is an acoustic guitar on the record, then this will sound best live.

2. On many of those changes, it's an electric guitar fading out, while the acoustic has already started, if there are any open strings in the last chord, the fading out could be controlled using a volume pedal, while playing the acoustic riff.

Some of you may disagree for your own reasons, but I think it would be great if they gave it a try, all they would really need to do would be set up another mic for Mike (hehe) next to his acoustic stand.

 

[Land Of Grey And Pink]

Mikael has mentioned this in an interview i believe. He says that the main reason he hasnt already brought the acoustics on most the tours so far is that he doesnt want to risk breaking or damaging them. theyre not rock stars, and to have a $3,000 martin acoustic get broken on tour...would be devastating. So they feel using the electrics on the clean channel would suffice enough to recreate the acoutic parts. Perhaps theyll change their mind one day though.

 

[Risquit]

Has anybody listened in on an Opeth sound check? At the Lamentations show here in San Diego, the sound was horrible (couldn't hear Per at all--vocals and keyboard). They did sound a lot better on the Damnation tour (HOB, Hollywood), but with the quieter songs, perhaps it was easier to achieve a consistent mix.

Maybe it depends on the venue, but I was just wondering how much effort the band puts into sound checks, because it seemed to me at the last show the problems could have been easily fixed. Moonspell's sound was fine.

 

[Rose Immortal]

I think there are also pickups (bridge? Pickup? Help me, I'm a keyboardist! ) they could have installed on their electric guitars that can actually create something more like an acoustic guitar sound. This sort of thing could be useful and may save them the necessity of having to bring out acoustic guitars they have to worry about damaging or losing.

 

[suislidE]

yea they could install piezo pickups to do that.. duno why they dont try it.

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Well, I know he talked about the whole damaging the 3000$ guitar thing, but for the Damnation tour they brought them, and he brought it for the lamentations tour for songs like In My Time Of Need, so I dont see why they couldn't just do that. It seems like now it's pointless to bitch about him being scared to bring them, because why would he haul it for the Lamentations tour for one song, that didn't need it as much as other songs like TBYF etc.

 

[KennonKun]

Hmm. I'm just wondering why, why, why they never play Harvest with one acoustic guitar and one electric, not even on Lamentations, when they easily could have.

 

[Land Of Grey And Pink]

The piezo pickups would have to replace the seymour duncans he had especially installed in the guitar in the first place (correct me if im wrong)...

The acoustic simulator pedal on a pedal board would probably not be too far off from a piezo anyway...and i guess above all...theyre content with the clean sound they have on stage, otherwise they probably would have changed it.

 

[koolboee cdmo87]

eh yeah... like "The Drapery Falls", the verse just doesn't sound the same.

 

[ethereallights]

In Houston they played at the engine room, and thats basically a garage made into a concert venue, and the sound was terrific. It sounded just like the album, but I think they probably use just clean electrics, or an electric simulator on the GT6 By boss

 

[Ermz]

If you guys have noticed, Mike uses acoustic sim on the Lamentations vid. I don't think a piezo would fit onto the Custom 24s, but correct me if I'm wrong. I'm aware of some Jazz models of the PRS having F-holes and piezo though.

I think trying to achieve the ultimate live sound is very troublesome for Opeth as too much equipment and presetting would be needed. It's not like they have 10 guitar roadies, one for each patch on the GT-6 or something

 

[suislidE]

piezo pickups arent the same as a normal one, they dont go in the bridge or neck position. I honestly dont know exactly where they go, but i have seen them fit between the bridge pu and the bridge. some are very small, some are who knows lol. anyways, im positive they could get them installed on their prs guitars. maybe they are just too lazy hehe.

about the acoustic deal, i dont have much to comment on except that the martin 00016gt isnt a $3,000 guitar.. its $1,000. Maybe in their currency or something.. but i dunno. Their prs guitars are 2000-3000 anyways... why the hell would they complain?

 

[Rose Immortal]

I bet the import cost to Sweden is something horrible. I've heard that taxes on imports in the EU are quite nasty. Maybe that's what makes the price so daunting to Opeth.

 

[suislidE]

Well.. im sure they dont just hide in their tour bus between gigs while they are in other countries... there are guitar centers and all that crap everywhere here in the US. Im sure its not hard for them to stop by one from time to time.

 

[Land Of Grey And Pink]

Well.. im sure they dont just hide in their tour bus between gigs while they are in other countries... there are guitar centers and all that crap everywhere here in the US. Im sure its not hard for them to stop by one from time to time.

True...about the location, but youre forgetting a very important factor.

Opeth are from sweden...most their money is swedish currency i imagine. For them to exchange enough swedish currency to american dollars to buy an expensive instrument like that here would be pretty brutal id say.

 

[alphacorvus]

piezo pickups arent the same as a normal one, they dont go in the bridge or neck position. I honestly dont know exactly where they go, but i have seen them fit between the bridge pu and the bridge.

That is correct.

Some bridges also have transducers in the saddles.

 

[suislidE]

Well they need cash for food.. im sure they dont pack two months worth of food from sweden, ship it to the US, and then put it on their bus when they get there. It cant be that bad of a conversion rate... anyone care to explore this?

 

[Bereaved]

Well.. im sure they dont just hide in their tour bus between gigs while they are in other countries... there are guitar centers and all that crap everywhere here in the US. Im sure its not hard for them to stop by one from time to time.

Interesting note, I was wearing my Opeth shirt when I was at a guitar center one day and one of the guys working said, "Oh you like Opeth, did you see their show." And I said yes then he said, "The morning of the show the tour bus pulled up into the parking lot" So I guess they actually do stop off at guitar centers while on tour. That was in houston by the way.

 

[suislidE]

what i thought

 

[Leper_/-\ffinity]

Yeah, just like suislide said, the piezo deal would work too, I know that Pain of Salvation use piezo pickups on their guitars, and it sounds great, so I think Opeth should definitely look into doing one or the other to enhance the clean guitars when they play live. Let's face it, when an electric guitar amp is cranked, it doesnt always have great, tight clean tone, worthy of imitating or replacing an acoustic guitar, so these small steps I think would add much to their sound.