What Is Bluegrass 'Drive'? – Advanced Bluegrass Guitar Lesson

That’s a really tough question. I actually don’t think one is inherently better than the other because there are a lot of factors that go into the choice. If I’m playing a small local gig and the sound guy (if there is one) isn’t familiar with bluegrass. I’d honestly rather plugin and control my own sound through a pre-amp. If I’m playing a festival where the sound guy will be capable, I’m happy to mic up. Especially if everyone else is doing the same. If I’m playing in a more modern band where everyone has a boost pedal and is moving around, I’d rather plugin. If I’m playing with a band where no one has electronics and everyone is familiar with working a mic then lets start around one mic and do it the trad way.

I’ve done it all in the past and there’s some real pros and cons to every approach and I’m only talking about my own comfort right now. In terms of sound quality, that’s another can of worms. Bad processing through a mic can be just as bad as bad processing through a pick-up. At least with the pick up its MY job to buy the pre-amp and other accessories so its MY fault if it sounds bad! In mic land I’m hoping and praying the right sound guy, venue, etc. are going to be waiting for me when I show up at the gig.