Saw Ricky Skaggs at Grand Ol Opry

[banjoboy]

While in Nashville, I got to see Ricky at the Grand Ol Opry. What a disappointment. The sound was horrible for his songs. I thought for sure the sound reinforcement crew would be top notch...boy was I disappointed. You couldn't hear any of the other instruments or Paul Brewster's back-up harmony singing. All you could hear was Ricky, his mandolin, and a dull roar of the other instruments. But all the other acts were dialed in.

[Willie Poole]

B-Boy...I have found that to also be true when most of the acts are using amplfiers, and then when a accoustic band comes on stage everything is different because they have to be concerned about feedback...I also noticed that when Ricky plays at a festival he usually has his own sound crew and they take about 30 minutes to set up and he does his set for about twice as long as other acts because of the time taken to set up properly....

Willie

[jim simpson]

That's too bad. I got to see Rick et al when Darin Vincent was still with him. The theater was small and the sound was great. I could see where having your own sound person(s) with you would be the best scenario.

[f5loar]

The Opry has had poor sound engineers for decades now and yet no one seems to care about fixing it. It is worse with acoustic acts.

[chip]

Sounded great at Wintergrass this year! Odd that the sound would be poor, especially in Music City USA.

[grassrootphilosopher]

The Opry has had poor sound engineers for decades now and yet no one seems to care about fixing it. It is worse with acoustic acts.

Is that the Opry or is that the Ryman too. I remember Bill Monroe and Ralph Stanley in 1994 and the sound was good (Brother Oswald, Porter Wagoner as guests).

[kmfrank]

Yes, the Opry is notorious for not knowing what to do with acoustic acts.

You should see when Ricky tries to join Marty Stuart (playing his B-Bender electric) on mandolin. Can't hear the thing at all, it's a joke.

[Charliewhite]

Sorry the sound was bad when you were there but dont be too hard on the opry staff sound crew. Thats a tough show to mix, between acoustic and electric acts and almost no time between acts. Last time i was there mike snyder's band sounded great.
During the 90's and early 2000's i played the opry maybe 20 times and the crew was always great to work with.

[f5loar]

No Loar could stand up against double Red Velvet Hammer pickups! Now if Sam Bush plugged in Hoss he could stand up against them. The old Ryman sounds fine without a PA set up.