How many more watts would a bass amp need to not be drowned out by a guitar amp?

[BassPlayer900]

I don't play bass with guitarists or anything, but:

How many more watts would a bass amp need to not be drowned out by a guitar amp? I have read that a bass amp needs to have more watts than a guitar amp so that the guitar won't drown it out.

[dukeorock]

I suppose one thing is how many watts you're actually using...But my guitarist plays a 60 watt amp, I play a 1,200 watt amp and he has no trouble with me at all

[hdracer]

I have read 3:1
If he has 100 watt tube head you better have a 300 watt bass tube head, and enough speakers.

[will33]

It's about how much air the speakers can displace. But yeah, you need enough power to make the speakers move.

[username1]

I find i need 10 times the power of the guitar amps if they are playing loud. That is with most typical newer heads. A 300 watt all tubed ampeg svt with 810 cab is a different story though, it can keep up with anything.

[Rick Auricchio]

There are too many variables to give you a proper answer. The efficiency of the cabinet (converting watts to decibels). The effect of the room acoustics. The beaming of the guitar speakers. The tone of the bass/amp/cab combination, which affects how you hear it.

[Rob Martinez]

This may be heresy to some, but bass is not necessarily supposed to be as loud as guitar. They have different frequencies, and are actually supposed to compliment each other. Now, I know. Try telling that to a lot of guitarists. Guitar just cuts through a lot easier. If a guitar player plays a 10 watt amp, I am good with a 50 watt bass amp being "heard." But the bass provides a foundation, and a rhythm aspect to music. It is not supposed to do what the guitar does, sonically. But that's just me!

[Biggbass]

I play rhythm guitar in a classic rock band. My amp is a 30 watt tube amp...Dr Z.
Our bass player uses a 1200 watt SS bass amp with two Acme Low B 2 x 10 cabs. We have no problem hearing him, even when the night has gotten wild and crazy and loud.

[BassPlayer900]

Thanks everyone!

[ksandvik]

500W upwards, at least 3 speaker cones. If more needed you just need to avoid the rat trap and plug the rest of the bass signal to the PA.

[BurningSkies]

Three thousand.

[BassmanPaul]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

Three thousand.

Listen my brother, just 'cos your amp has a dedicated power line from the generator doesn't mean we all do!!!

I err on the side of caution and use between five and ten times.

the secret is: never be in a band where volume wars happen. If they do, escape as fast as you can. Any player who puts him/herself obove the band is not someone you need to be around. Your ears will thank you.

[T-Bird]

Hi.

1:3 is the "scientific" answer, just based on the 1 octave difference, but 1:10 is closer to reality based on the fact that guitars rarely play just one octave above us.

Like others have said, it's not just the watts, it's also the speakers and if the guitarist wants, they'll be able to do a lot of harm with, say, 30W tube amp .

Since the PA systems are pretty cheap nowadays, most of us can do with smaller amps anyway.

Regards
Sam

[nobodysfool]

Originally Posted by Rob Martinez

This may be heresy to some, but bass is not necessarily supposed to be as loud as guitar. They have different frequencies, and are actually supposed to compliment each other. Now, I know. Try telling that to a lot of guitarists. Guitar just cuts through a lot easier. If a guitar player plays a 10 watt amp, I am good with a 50 watt bass amp being "heard." But the bass provides a foundation, and a rhythm aspect to music. It is not supposed to do what the guitar does, sonically. But that's just me!

It has to do with the old Fletcher-Munson curve, which indicates that sounds in the midrange are heard more easily than sounds at either end of the sound spectrum. Guitars put out lots of sound in the midrange area, which means they don't need a lot of watts to achieve comparable volume, nor do they need to move as much air. Bass frequencies need more power to be heard, because they have to move more air, and the fundamental sound waves are quite long. A 41 Hz fundamental waveform is, If I remember correctly, about 11 feet from peak to peak. What is most often heard in the bass frequencies is the 2nd and third order harmonics, one and two and maybe even three octaves above the fundamental.

[nobodysfool]

Originally Posted by BurningSkies

Three thousand.

+1 !!!

Actually, it's impossible for the bass to be too loud....no matter what the volume of the band....

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by nobodysfool

+1 !!!

Actually, it's impossible for the bass to be too loud....no matter what the volume of the band....

You've never played with Bowzer from Sha Na Na.

[nobodysfool]

Originally Posted by JimmyM

You've never played with Bowzer from Sha Na Na.

You're quite right about that! I've never even met Bowzer....so what's his thing about bass?

[icecycle66]

Over 9000.

[JimmyM]

Originally Posted by nobodysfool

You're quite right about that! I've never even met Bowzer....so what's his thing about bass?

He doesn't want to hear anything else onstage except him and just a tiny little bit of everyone else so he can stay in tune. But he especially doesn't want to hear bass. I had to move all the way over to stage left to be able to play where I could hear it standing 2 feet in front of my amp.

[BurningSkies]

Originally Posted by BassmanPaul

Listen my brother, just 'cos your amp has a dedicated power line from the generator doesn't mean we all do!!!

I err on the side of caution and use between five and ten times.

the secret is: never be in a band where volume wars happen. If they do, escape as fast as you can. Any player who puts him/herself obove the band is not someone you need to be around. Your ears will thank you.

I just figured I'd up the ante.