1 vs 2

[BigMESA]

My band is kind of in a delima right now, a few months back we fired the other guitarist. We have been looking for another guitarist in the local area with the talent we need to keep up with the rest of the band. No such luck so far. Since then I have been the only guitarist and we have been alot more productive and the sound has gotten alot tighter without having to deal with two guitars of two different tones battleing for airspace. This is probably due to the size of the practice space we use. The only downside I see with having one guitarist is that when I play a solo I have to use delay to sort of fill in the gaps that another guitarist would fill.

So from your experience what is better to have? One guitarist who can do it all, or two to split lead/rythm? Which has a better live sound?

[Inazone]

Two guitars sound better *if* the playing is tight. Most of the bands in my area have two guitarists, but rarely make any particular use of them. Two guys playing the same thing note for note doesn't really add much in a live scenario, at least not through a decent PA. On the other hand, having two guitarists each doing their own thing can turn into a disaster if they don't play well together.

We have always had two guitarists (my brother and I), but try to find a happy medium. We stick mostly to the traditional lead/rhythm roles, but I do the writing and always make room for both guitars to do something unique without getting too sloppy. If we had to, we could get by with one guitarist. If you're comfortable being "the one" and the songs sound OK that way, just keep moving ahead and maybe add another guitarist later if the opportunity arises.

If it feels like something is missing during solos, you could always have your bassist throw in some distortion, or you could pick up a pedal that lets you hold a chord indefinitely while you play leads over it. I know the Boss digital delays have a Hold mode that allows exactly that.

[mm2002]

You can also use a phrase sampler to solo over a rythm part. They take some practice, but really work well.

[sambencuda]

There are advantages to both. Dimebag pulled it off pretty well. Our band is a cover band. John quit a few months back so I've been the only guitarist. My lead singer can play pretty decent so he fills in under some solos and it works out pretty well. I always played well with John, but Having one guitarist definitely helps tighten things up. The disadvantage is that you now have nothing to hide behind when you fuck up. It's actually made me a better player in that sense.

I'd stick it out for while and see how it goes. Keep you eyes open and when the right player comes along, you're all set.

Good luck!