Gigging with small wattage but big speaker?

[alfaBAT9]

Hiya TB. Looking gooood as always.

So I just acquired my first bass amp in a while (had gear before, long story). Scored it and a MIJ '51 Precision reissue on a trade. The amp I got is like new, but I think it's quite old, possibly from the early 90s. It's a Yorkville 100B which is a 100w, SS, single 15" combo (essentially an older version of the current Yorkville XM100C but without the XLR out).

I know this'll work for rehearsals, but part of me even thinks this'll be loud enough to gig with if sound guys do their part (DI box and/or mic, etc). Especially since I sometimes use an OD pedal for extra bite/volume boost. What do you guys think?

I'm attracted to the idea of keeping the gear I own to a minimum as I don't drive and will need to take public transportation or taxis, and I've always loved the idea of combo amps for schlep-ability. Did I mention that the amp weighs less than 45 lbs? That's pretty spot on for what I can carry, and the bass I'd throw over my shoulder in a soft case with cables.

[Gearhead17]

It depends on a lot of factors in a live environment. Do your band mates need to hear it? Is it just for you? An easy way to make it work for a live show is to reduce the bass heavily and crank the volume. It will sound awful like that, BUT you will hear yourself and will probably hear the low end from the PA system anyway. You could also get the combo on a stand of some sort or tilt the combo up with a 2x4. Anything to get it pointing at your ears.

If it is a loud metal band, you are screwed.

[scottfeldstein]

Other online sources indicate that the 100B does have an XLR out. Yours doesn't?

LA Guitar Sales

I think it could work. It probably doesn't matter that it's only 100w. Even if it had 300w, a single 15 isn't going to handle that anyway.

I say it all depends on stage volume. If you play in a relatively quiet ensemble and the PA support is good you'll could be fine. Might want to watch the EQ, make sure you're not throwing too much really low end at it.

[alfaBAT9]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

Other online sources indicate that the 100B does have an XLR out. Yours doesn't?

Well, it does have a jack labelled "line out" on the front (you can see it on one of the photos from the link you provided) but it's a 1/4", not the 3-pin XLR type. To my understanding that means it's unbalanced, and therefore… noisy?

[nicoli]

Originally Posted by alfaBAT9

Well, it does have a jack labelled "line out" on the front (you can see it on one of the photos from the link you provided) but it's a 1/4", not the 3-pin XLR type. To my understanding that means it's unbalanced, and therefore… noisy?

Not necessarily... but you might as well just run bass -> DI -> amp if it's 1/4" line out.

I used to have the 200B way back in my first band. My tastes weren't too refined at that point, however from what I remember it kept up alright volume wise but didn't sound all that great while doing so. I upgraded to my first stack pretty quickly.

[will33]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

Other online sources indicate that the 100B does have an XLR out. Yours doesn't?

LA Guitar Sales

I think it could work. It probably doesn't matter that it's only 100w. Even if it had 300w, a single 15 isn't going to handle that anyway.

I say it all depends on stage volume. If you play in a relatively quiet ensemble and the PA support is good you'll could be fine. Might want to watch the EQ, make sure you're not throwing too much really low end at it.

Wierd, the writeup in that ad mentions xlr DI and rca jack ins but I don't see any on the amp pictured. That and they didn't bother to brush the grass off it or staple the carpet back down before taking their sale photos.

[bongomania]

It's not that unbalanced per se is noisy, but rather that the long cable you would run from the amp to the PA would pick up a lot of noise along the way. Balanced lines reject that noise, which is a big part of why to use a proper DI.

[Russell L]

Originally Posted by scottfeldstein

Other online sources indicate that the 100B does have an XLR out. Yours doesn't?

LA Guitar Sales

I think it could work. It probably doesn't matter that it's only 100w. Even if it had 300w, a single 15 isn't going to handle that anyway.

I say it all depends on stage volume. If you play in a relatively quiet ensemble and the PA support is good you'll could be fine. Might want to watch the EQ, make sure you're not throwing too much really low end at it.

What do you mean? My single 15 handles my 300w just fine, even without PA support.

[Edward G.]

Depending on the volume level that is required, your problem is most likely to be headroom, not not being heard. As long as the volume level is moderate, 100 watts is enough to be heard anywhere.

Power is a major tone shaping feature, so the louder you have to get, the less dynamic headroom you will have with your tone. If you're OK with a big amorphous fundamental, which IS a legitimate bass tone, you'll be fine.

There are other things at play, too, such as the quality and efficiency of the speaker, but ultimately they figure heavily in the volume level as well. Naturally, the better and more efficient the speaker box is, the less power you need anyway.

I say, use it until you don't like it anymore, if that day ever comes.

[zillo]

That's some good advice. It's easy to blow through a lot of cake on "what-if" scenarios as you think about gigging. This I know from personal experience!

Go and gig the heck out of your rig. When it's time to upgrade, you'll know it, and with any luck you'll have figured out the sound you want. When buying amps, going slow and not worrying about getting a good bargain is key....just save your pesos and get the right thing for yourself.

[scottfeldstein]

Originally Posted by Russell L

What do you mean? My single 15 handles my 300w just fine, even without PA support.

Yeah? Turn the volume up all the way.