:oilpit: Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 It's pretty frequently discussed how small of an amp someone can get away with and be able to gig... I don't mean arenas, just regular average joe bar gigs What do you think? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
myspace.com/jessenoah Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 more then 5 less then 50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ninety1vee Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 i use a hundred at half power, so i guess 50 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 It depends on the style of music you play, how hard your drummer hits and the venue itself. If you play heavy metal in metal club with a hard hitting drummer, you want around 50w to get a fat crunchy sound. These days, I think 50w is really the limit for bar gig no matter what style you play. It used to be that you could blow the doors off of a club and people loved it but that's not really the case anymore. For me, I play in a rock and roll band that plays at moderate volume (much to my distaste - CRANK IT UP!) and, while I'm using a 100w amp, it's total overkill. Ideally, I should be looking into something around 3-35 watts, maybe a Vox or something similar. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
The Custodian Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I use a Mesa F-30 at gigs, never been told it's too loud, never been told " we can't hear you ". 30 watts of tube power should do it, tone is as important, if not more so, as power. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MikeRom Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 15 - 30 watts should get you thru most anything. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
L5Larry Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 For the last 15 years or so I've been gigging with a 65 watt 2x10 combo, I don't think I've ever turned it up past "6". Before that it was a 130 watt 2x12 combo, I liked the sound of the 2- 12's, but NEVER needed that much power. In the seventies it was the Sunn Model T 150 watt stack, and of course I thought I needed MORE power. I agree with the general concensus above, a 30-50 watt amp is all you'll ever need. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ALIEN8 Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 18 :) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thundergod Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 I use 30 but never at the highes volume... I use the power amp at 100% and the preamp section at about 30% - 75% deppending on roomsize and if the drummer is using the electronic set or the acoustic set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GhrT Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 About 50 watts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GuitarJunkie Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 Until recently, I was using a 40 watt tube amp and on my dirty channel, I would have the gain at around 6 and the master at no more than 3. This was for rehearsal and gigging. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guitar slinger Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 It all depends on your cabinet.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted December 19, 2008 Share Posted December 19, 2008 50w either 2x12 0r 4x12 cabinet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
fingers galore Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 It depends on the style of music you play' date=' how hard your drummer hits and the venue itself.[/quote'] +1 30w - 50w should cover just about any gig. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
deepblue Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I know some of you guys have 100w+ monsters out there. Unless youre playing arenas its really like hunting rabbits with a bazooka. Drastic overkill. Ive stated this before, 100w is only marginally louder then 50w...not twice as loud. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ChanMan Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 0. I have gigged with nothing more than an acoustic 6 string. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dynadude Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Ever tried playing with people that don't have any idea how stage loud they are? Sometime that 100 watt monster comes in handy. Also, have you ever tried getting a loud clean tone from a low watt amp? Good luck with that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I know some of you guys have 100w+ monsters out there. Unless youre playing arenas its really like hunting rabbits with a bazooka. Drastic overkill. Ive stated this before' date=' 100w is only marginally louder then 50w...not twice as loud.[/quote'] Volume wise, it's total overkill for my situation. But, worth noting is that the amp I use with my band (Mesa Stiletto Deuce) has a switch to knock out two of the power tubes so that it's running at only 50w. While there isn't a huge difference in volume, there is a pretty drastic change in how the amp actually sounds and reacts/feels. With all four power tubes engaged and running at 100w, the amp has much more low end thump and growl to it and feels like it has a little more give to it (a bit ironic since I'm not running the tubes as hard). So, while both 50w and 100w is way more power than I need, I still run the amp at 100w just because I like the sound better. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RichCI Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Also' date=' have you ever tried getting a loud clean tone from a low watt amp? Good luck with that.[/quote'] That is an EXCELLENT point. I think most of us here, myself included, tend to assume that everyone wants a big, crunchy rock and roll tone and that's not always the case. For clean tones, there is no substitute for raw power to get the tubes working just hard enough to get some compression but without breaking up. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rmngretsch14 Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 Ever tried playing with people that don't have any idea how stage loud they are? That's why Ginger Baker quit Cream, apparently Jack Bruce was always drowning him out and killing his ears Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
surfpup Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 That's what the Fender Twin is for - loud and clean! If headroom is your thing the Twin is the rig you need. Something smaller - like a Deluxe will break up a bit at club volumes. All of this assumes we are talking non-master volume amps of course. Also the term "clean" is kinda like the term "tone" - a bit hard to nail down. If you really need super spanky clean tones (as opposed to sorta fuzzy, Hendrix like "clean" tones) you will need a lot more wattage than a player who wants some tube breakup and compression in his "clean" sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KSG_Standard Posted December 20, 2008 Share Posted December 20, 2008 I played rhythm in a 4 piece band with a lady singer and a drummer with size 14 feet, and I needed more than 30 watts to get in the mix. I used a Boogie running at 60w. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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