Controlling Guitar Stage Volume

There’s just no way around it for many guitar players: you have to crank it to get the tone. The problem is that the stage volume coming from the amp or speaker makes things miserable for the FOH engineer, who’s trying to create a balanced sound. Here’s one solution: use a closed-back speaker cabinet with the amp and turn it around so it faces the back of the stage. Then mic it and pump some signal through the house and monitor systems. The result is less beamy guitar out front, better coverage on stage, better balance, and happier listeners.