My lads just stomped off out of the house after an argument about the volume.. 100W amp and neighbors each side don't mix but he won't have it, 14 year olds huh.

I;ve said he can make shed loads of noise after school until the neighbors get home…..not good enough 👿
Use headphones…..they're rubbish 👿
Apparently all his mates can have it as loud as they want whenever they want 🙄

So what can I do to try and help him practice, I assumed that's what phones were for?

Lower output practice amp is a good compromise but will still go loud enough to p1ss off an awkward neighbour. Or maybe go old school and try and sound proof his room a bit. Egg boxes anyone 😆

book him a one-off go in a rehearsal room. They'll be on http://www.yell.com under "rehearsal rooms"

Then tell him if he wants to keep it cranked up, he can keep going to the rehearsal room – but that it comes out of his pocket money. At £7.50-£10 per hour he'll soon come round to the idea of headphones 😉

Of course, if he doesn't go off the idea, you might have the next Jimmy Page/Slash/Pete Doherty* on your hands…

*insert his favourite guitarist

Call his bluff. Tell him to go and practice at his mates house. Then you'll soon learn the truth about his mates being as loud as they want whenever they want.

Practise amp about 10W?

Acoustic guitar?

Wait a few months till he quits like 99% of them…

I'm happy to practise at low levels so I can make sure it sounds right before I go deaf.

Any of his mates have a garage?

I always just practised unplugged, never bothered me.

He has been at it a while, he and his mates are pretty good, but it's hard for them at their age to get together.
I'm trying to help, but if he wants to practice at volume in the house it's got to be within certain times or toned down.
They practice weekends in a garage and I can hear them from inside my car when I'm approaching the house.

Is there a community hall or something they can hire out? We had one in our village back in the day and they let us hire it mid week for a nominal fee. As long as we cleared our roaches away there was no problem!

Microcube

He can even plug his ipod into it and play along…

How about a Line 6 Pocket Pod? That way he can play it as loud as he likes through headphones and it will still sound like a miked up, cranked amp. I'm thining about getting a Pod XT when I set up my home studio. I've heard really good things about them. I've got a Line 6 Spider Valve… very nice when you crank it!

our singer uses a Boss FX panel on the floor with more buttons to stomp on than you can actually fit your feet between; he has a Vox AC30 valve amp and a Tech21 powered speaker.

The Tech21 does nothing at all to the sound except make it louder or quieter, all the sounds come from the pedal board. So you can have it as loud or as quiet as you like, and yet the quality of the sound is exactly the same. The Vox actually 'colours' the sound depending on the volume, which is not always ideal

t'other guitarist also has a pedal board thing, but his goes through a Fender deVille (sp?) combo and very nice it sounds too

sell his guitar on the classifie…. oh, beat me to it! 😆

100W amp is probably massive overkill for practising at home.

One of those 10W Marshalls is fine.

TBH 100W is overkill for most applications. If you really really do need to be really loud, chances are you'll be playing a gig where the amp will be miked it up through the PA anyway.

50-65W is usually plenty to cut through all the other noise (ie the drums) in a rehearsal or small venue situation. Bass is a different beast altogether…

Unless his bedroom is the size of a small venue then turning up load will just mean he can get away with more mistakes and result in his playing improving less quickly. A cheap old secondhand Pod will allow him to practice through headphones and still get good tone (better than a typical beginner's 100W amp) – unfortunately with electric guitar you need some kind of amp/cab simulation to get the tone happening throgh headphones.

Point out that if he wants to record any demos with his band then they'll be able to do them much better on a low budget if he is used to playing through a Pod with headphones because then he and the bassist can run DI'd with headphones and you can mike the drums without any bleed from the amps. All good pro guitarists are used to working with headphones on, it's an important skill.

Does he want to get good, or does he want to make lots of noise?

Yeah his Jackson is up for sale as he is working for a Gibson SG.

Correct me if I am wrong, but don't you just tell him that it doesn't matter what his mates can do in their houses, these are the rules you set in your house. I think you are being very fair suggesting he can have it loud until your neighbours get home anyway – you are already compromising. It is time for him to accept the compromise and get on with it surely?

Indeed, but logic + fourteen year old = *&^%$)(*%$?

Reason he is a little frustrated is that he sings/screamo for a band whilst playing, but want's to keep on top and improve in his own time.

Well that was how it always worked in our house as a kid – no doubt everyone is different but I do think he needs the law laying down a little harder.

Still, as has been said, he might one day be a star and you won't care then 🙂

100w amps have 3 benefits over headphones

1) They allow you to control and perfect feedback.
2) They let everybody within half a mile know that you're a real kule rebel
3) They piss off your parents.

That's about it, I think. And all equally valid in my book.

Hell, my old 65W Marshall was enough to (literally) make the walls shake… 8)

Ah, memories…

This will be the same 100 watt amp I advised you didn't need around Christmas?

Tech21 Trademark 30 – you and your son will thank me in the long run

Plum

Yes indeedy doody dah the very same one.

he will get the most out of his practice with some kind of headphone based solution that allows him to play along with something

I use a Line 6 POD, plugged into my Mac running garage band. I can then drag any track I like from itunes into Garage band and play along with it.

IMO you make far more progress doing this – learning how to play things by ear and playing along in time rather then just thrashing about by yourself on a super loud amp.

When I was his age and just learning none of this technology existed – and I certainly wasn't alowed to play at any kind of volume. I remember having everything very quiet – playing along with tapes on my ghetto blaster.

Ah, the electric guitar plugged in and loud is a very exciting thing, especially for a 14 year old boy. Headphones are dodgy if he plays loud through them, he could damage his ears a lot more easily.

100 watts is very loud, no need unless he's gigging and even then not really, thats what microphones and PA's are for.

What about through a PC with decent monitors? The Line 6 Toneport sounds great and gets some great sounds that way. I generally just practice unplugged though, but I get my volume fix at weekly band rehearsals in a rehearsal room.

Otherwise just tell him if he does not turn it down you'll take his amp off him and burn it, simple.

Seriously…

100 watts played loud is enough to damage his hearing permanently.

He's 14, and you'll be responsible.

SB

And a snare drum is loud enough to damage its owner's hearing after just 2 minutes…

So anyone who has kids that play drums, get your kids some earplugs

Seriously…

100 watts played loud is enough to damage his hearing permanently.

He's 14, and you'll be responsible.

SB
I assume you aren't ACTUALLY being serious?

I practice un amped, or acoustic. I probably play through an an amp only 10% of the time when im not going to piss people off.

Having been on the other side of the wall as a neighbour I can say that it is a massive pain in the arse. Our neighbour started at 14 – hes now 19 and quite good.

We put up with it for a bit, but as the missus works nights it was getting a bit of a problem. We did speak to his parents and they made sure he played it when we were out.

It all came to a head when they asked if they could have a band practice one friday night – we arranged to be out, but they were so loud that someone from another street came round and asked them to be quiet (think the police were called also!).

Since then they use a rehearsal room and the band have got quite good (gigs all over the place). He only plays his acoustic at home now and we hardly hear it. If he wants to get good – rehersal room for electric and band, acoustic for technique at home

I assume you aren't ACTUALLY being serious?

Why not?

I have tinnitus from too much loud music – not fun at all and there's no cure.

Keith Richards only has acoustics at home. Amps are only used when performing.

Why not?

I have tinnitus from too much loud music – not fun at all and there's no cure.
Do you honestly think he is playing it loud enough to possibly get noise-induced tinnitus? I doubt there will be many parents willing to put up with it at that sort of level. He is in a band and if he hasn't been to a gig yet, he soon will be going – the noise levels there will be much higher. Would you expect his dad to make him wear earmuffs?

Yes mastiles_fanylion, very serious. What would make you think I wasn't?

EDIT – Do some reading on noise levels and hearing damage. I think you'll be surprised.

SB

EDIT – Do some reading on noise levels and hearing damage. I think you'll be surprised.

Okay, back in the real world for a minute…

I have had guitars (lead and bass) and played them both very loudly during my youth. And I have been to more gigs than I can remember – the first one being Iron Maiden at St George's Hall, Bradford as a 14 year old. I (quite literally) had my head in the speakers because I thought that was what you did. I have been up at the front at countless more – probably something like 100+, including 2 or 3 a week in my prime.

I am now 42 and I don't have noise-induced tinnitus nor any other hearing problems. I appreciate there may be a risk being exposed to high levels of noise, but equally he could be fine.

What I am saying is that you cannot treat a 14 yr old like a baby – there will always be exposure to risk in things he does as he grows up and I repeat what I said above… Do you honestly think he is playing it loud enough to possibly get noise-induced tinnitus? I doubt there will be many parents willing to put up with it at that sort of level.

Do you honestly think he is playing it loud enough to possibly get noise-induced tinnitus?

Quite possibly, yes. Potential damage can occur at a surprisingly low level – young people's ears are more sensitive to it as well I think.

A lot of it relates to duration of exposure and rest breaks etc as well as just volume – if he plays for hours on end with a 100w amp cranked up loud he could easily be causing hearing damage/tinnitus.

http://www.dontlosethemusic.com/home/areyouatrisk/

I am now 42 and I don't have noise-induced tinnitus nor any other hearing problems.

Lucky you, no need to be smug about it.

Anyone who wants a long term career in music MUST wear earplugs. You aren't going to be able to play better if your hearing deteriorates or goes completely. One of my best friends is a professional sound engineer and guitarist and you will never see him working or playing without them. It was drilled into him from an early age by his dad who used to work for Quad (I think, was definately a high end British hi fi company) who also depended on his hearing.

Ask him to contact Pete Townsend or Phil Collins, who both have severe hearing difficulties. Phil Collins can't tour anymore as his hearing is so bad ( I know some may think that's a good thing :-))

If he's in a band and practicing regularly then yes, he could. But most likely from the drums 😉

I'm 45, been in bands since I was 15. My hearing is not as good as it could be, and that's from practicing once or twice a week
If I was a pro drummer practicing daily I would either be losing my hearing OR using earplugs

But robdob – mastiles_fanylion doesn't have hearing problems therefore it's all a myth and there's no point trying to protect your hearing.