Help me make a rough guess as to what my current little combo can do venue size wise

[PerlNinja]

For a few weeks now I've been hitting up a regular blues jam night and so far it's been fun. They have their own backline so no lugging amps around and such, but this jam night has apparently culminated in a band formation. Well, a trio of sorts. A buddy of mine on guitar, a guy we used to work with on drums, and me on bass. However... neither my guitar playing friend or me own any sort of "big rig".

Now we do both own 30W combos, so my real question is,at what point do you need more than that? So far most playing's just for fun so no real "big" venues or anything, but yeah, curious about this. And maybe I'm subconsciously GAS'ing for heads and cabs...

[pudgychef]

I say 30w isn't going on to cut it. I vote for at least 150w through a 1x15 or 2x10

[Bass_Pounder]

30 watts will barely cut it at a coffee house with spoken word poetry

[spectorbass83]

30W bass combos make great bedroom practice amps and nothing more. I realize its only for fun but if you are playing live shows you need a little more than that.

200W through a 1x15 or 2x10 should be plenty, especially if you have PA support.

[AMp'D.2play]

as you try to get your little trio project off the ground, your buddy's 30w guitar combo will be fine for him. your 30w bass combo, not so much.

[RickenBoogie]

Yup, if you get to jamming at all, and find yourself without a PA system, you'll want at least a couple hundred watts, and more importantly, enough speaker to be heard.

[Mattbass97]

I can safely say I did a gig with a Marshall 30 watt bass amp and got told by my guitarist to turn down at one point, we play rock foo fighters etc, 30 watts would be ok with blues 60 watts of good true power would work and I was playing against a about 15-20 watts.

[tangentmusic]

Originally Posted by pudgychef

I say 30w isn't going on to cut it. I vote for at least 150w through a 1x15 or 2x10

Agreed. It's always nice to have a little more power or "headroom" than not.
Some of the 150-200w combos out there should suffice. Sounds like a trip to local music store is in order.
Try as many out as possible.

[PerlNinja]

Looks like it yeah Just that I've never had the volume on it past 4, and at that point my neighbours two houses down can hear me so I figured that it would suffice considering that when it comes to bass guitars I know what I'm doing (well... most of the time), but for heads and cabs not so much (read: no clue whatsoever).

I saw a 'what amp for a beginner' thread so will dive in there for some tips on that, and cab wise I think I'll go hunt the stores next weekend, see what they've got.

We play blues mostly, but depending on moods and general "what are we feeling like today" it goes into rock, metal, all the way to guitar guy getting emo and busting out what seems to be russian death metal (not really a favorite of mine but hey, it's all for the lulz during practice jams)

Thanks for the advice so far guys

[Biggbass]

My "small" rig is 500 watts with a 2 x 10 cab. That's smallest in size...and it's perfect for small room gigs. I can add a 15 under the 2 x 10 to bump it up for bigger gigs.

My smallest wattage giggin amp is a 160 watt SWR Workingman's 15 combo. It does fine for most small venue gigs and even small outdoor stages but it's bulky and heavy compared to the 500 watt Markbass LM3. I used to think it was small and light weight!

[Jim Carr]

Originally Posted by Biggbass

My "small" rig is 500 watts with a 2 x 10 cab. That's smallest in size...and it's perfect for small room gigs...

+1

If you have PA support, the monitoring situation will determine your needs. Since I don't think you are dealing with PA support, I advise a good 8 ohm 210 or 212 and an amplifier capable of at least 500 watts @ 4 ohms.

If you get something smaller, you will eventually upgrade and the cost will be more in the long run. All IMHO.

My light small rig is a 210 Epifani cabinet and a GB Shuttle 6.0 (600 watts @ 4 ohms). I use it for electric or upright. Assuming no PA, or inadequate monitoring, I use a 4 ohm 410. If I still need more, I use the 410 and an M9 carbine (love the sound of that rig). If I need more, I add the 8 ohm 210 to the 4 ohm 410 and the M9. If I need more than 610 and 1000+ watts, I don't do it.

[Munjibunga]

Originally Posted by PerlNinja

... my real question is,at what point do you need more than that?

As soon as you take it out of the bedroom.

[will33]

You don't really "need" 500 watts for this stuff either. The 150-200 watts and a 15 or 210 suggestions will do ya fine for this. Just make it an 8ohm cab so you can add another one if you need to, or a combo amp that you can add an extension cab to. Adding another speaker if you need it will go a lot further toward getting louder than "more power, man". You probably won't need the second speaker unless you're playing in a big bar or outdoors.

[soulman969]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

As soon as you take it out of the bedroom.

+1. You're not gonna do much gigging against a guitar and a drum set with only 30w. You're neighbors may hear you playing alone but you'll have a hard time being heard over your drummer and guitarist. You need a lot more power to produce your bass frequencies than your guitarist does.

Look for something in the neighborhood of 200w with a 12" or 15" speaker if you've got $300 to $400 to spend on new. Used may buy you more bang for the buck but your bedroom combo won't make any more than a practice amp in the gigging world.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by will33

You don't really "need" 500 watts for this stuff either. The 150-200 watts and a 15 or 210 suggestions will do ya fine for this. Just make it an 8ohm cab so you can add another one if you need to, or a combo amp that you can add an extension cab to. Adding another speaker if you need it will go a lot further toward getting louder than "more power, man". You probably won't need the second speaker unless you're playing in a big bar or outdoors.

Right.

[PerlNinja]

Originally Posted by Munjibunga

As soon as you take it out of the bedroom.

See, I love answers like his

But it's not in the bedroom, strictly speaking... the only place in my house with a grounded power outlet is the kitchen

[bmc]

You will want to be in a position where you never have to crank up an amp. 30 watts limits you to very small rooms.

I have two set ups: one big, one small. My small is a 100 watt 1-12 combo. I gig on bass about 15-30 gigs per year, mostly in small pubs. I have not used my big rig in three years. The small combo cuts it and it's never being pushed. And this is playing with a drummer, guitarist, with only vocals going throw speakers on poles. Classic rock and old covers. Lots of reserve volume.

But...that said, I have 300 watts and a cab if I need it.

Better to have too much than not enough.