Minumum Amount of Watts You Would Use For.... - Page 2

Tractorr · #21 02-20-2013, 12:10 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Basshappi

You say you have a Carvin amp as your big rig. If you like Carvin they make the 250 watt Micro Bass combos that would serve you quite well and still have the power to do larger rooms if necessary.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/bassamps/microbass.php

Beat me to it.

Mojo-Man · #22 02-20-2013, 12:13 PM

You need a at least 50-60 watts.
100 would be better. It depends on what cab you use.
Any of these will work.
Ampeg 100BR
Ampeg V4BH
Fender Bassman
I've used all the above at coffee house gigs.
You don't need to be to picky, about low volume gigs.
There are plenty to choose from.

JimmyM · #23 02-20-2013, 05:09 PM

SVT/810e.

I have used an Ampeg BA108 and BA110 on gigs like that (25w into an 8", 35w into a 10"). I prefer the BA110 but the BA108 is no slouch for tone. However, the BA108 IS a slouch for volume and could possibly run out of gas on you. You'd have considerably less lack of volume problem with a BA110. You can get bigger amps with more power but I see no reason why a BA110 wouldn't work awesome on a coffeehouse gig.

Downunderwonder · #24 02-20-2013, 05:13 PM

No mics, ie singers with no mics?

Accoustic guitars not plugged in?

Accoustic cajon drum.

You need a practice amp or a double bass.

JimmyM · #25 02-20-2013, 05:28 PM

BTW, I really want a cajon. Fred Norris bought Howard Stern one for his birthday, and even though Howard plays it really crappy, it sounds cool as hell!

Downunderwonder · #26 02-20-2013, 05:34 PM

Your local construction site skip has all you need.

RyanJD · #27 02-20-2013, 06:02 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downunderwonder

No mics, ie singers with no mics?

Accoustic guitars not plugged in?

Accoustic cajon drum.

You need a practice amp or a double bass.

Yeah I was thinking I could get away with a practice sized amp, like 30 watts.

Maybe I'll check out those Ampegs, Jimmy.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Downunderwonder

Your local construction site skip has all you need.

Yeah, our drummer built three of them and they sound amazing.

RyanJD · #28 02-20-2013, 06:03 PM

Thanks for all the replies by the way!

lowphatbass · #29 02-20-2013, 07:00 PM

Your Carvin R1000 and 4x10 would be just fine, you just have to turn it down for the softer gig. A very well regarded and experienced player I know used to turn his cab around backwards when playing small venues at lower volumes in "acoustic" settings and the results were quite good. I know it sounds silly but it was pure money.

Bitterdale · #30 02-20-2013, 07:32 PM

I used to play small gigs like that with a Fender B-DEC, 30 watts through a 10" speaker. I never had to push it hard.

RyanJD · #31 02-20-2013, 07:40 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by lowphatbass

Your Carvin R1000 and 4x10 would be just fine, you just have to turn it down for the softer gig. A very well regarded and experienced player I know used to turn his cab around backwards when playing small venues at lower volumes in "acoustic" settings and the results were quite good. I know it sounds silly but it was pure money.

See, transportation and size are issues though.
This is a weekly thing.
Fairly short in length, have to walk a ways, unpaid, small area, etc.

I just want like a single thing to move and my bass.
That Carvin head alone is like 35lbs or something crazy. Lol.

Bongolation · #32 02-20-2013, 08:15 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by jumblemind

I would venture to say 50watts would be minimum. There's a 100w Ampeg B100r combo in the TB classifieds right now that would be perfect. Fantastic tone out of that amp, and they don't make them anymore.

I got a B-100R specifically for this purpose, but never wound up using it. A nice Yellville build, too, before everything went sour with Ampeg. Got it for $265 -- 100% mint -- at GC because a guy bought it and traded up a couple of months later for something bigger. Skin still on the panel.

My take on this stuff is to always have more speaker and watts than you need without it becoming a portability problem. You can always turn it down. I think an efficient 1x15" combo would be nice or a 1x15 cab + micro head.

Yes, and it's a good point that you really want a bass to sound like a bass in that situation -- not loud, but full.

You also want an amp with a low noise floor and a bass to match.

two fingers · #33 02-20-2013, 08:39 PM

If your budget is tight, just get a really nice lightweight cab and run your head you use with the huge Carvin stack. The volume knob turns to the left, you know. Seriously, why go buy another head? The one you have will work really well if it handles club gigs. But if you take your entire budget and spend it on the cab, your options are wide open. The list of great neo cabs out there is too long for this forum. Maybe stick with what you know and look at a Carvin 2-10 neo?

bmc · #34 02-20-2013, 11:47 PM

My Monday night gig is with one or two acoustic guitars. I use a Roland CB100 and I have more than enough power for the gig. It is portable, lightweight and works for slightly larger gigs.

I could easily get by with a 50-60 watt amp. Easily.

agent77 · #35 02-21-2013, 12:04 AM

I've played a few coffeehouse gigs with a SWR Workingman's 300 and a 1x15 cab. It was way more than I needed. I felt a bit silly because it was such overkill.

RyanJD · #36 02-21-2013, 12:16 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by two fingers

If your budget is tight, just get a really nice lightweight cab and run your head you use with the huge Carvin stack. The volume knob turns to the left, you know. Seriously, why go buy another head? The one you have will work really well if it handles club gigs. But if you take your entire budget and spend it on the cab, your options are wide open. The list of great neo cabs out there is too long for this forum. Maybe stick with what you know and look at a Carvin 2-10 neo?

Because the head is 35 lbs and rated at 1000 watts under a 2 ohm load. (I think.)
Talk about overkill...

No, maybe I'm stubborn but I think I need some new gear for this new situation.

shirojiro · #37 02-21-2013, 12:18 AM

I've played several small gigs with a Fender Bassman 25 combo. No problem at all and great tone. It's 25 watts into a single 10" speaker and tilts back.

I used to have an SWR WM10, but I actually prefer the tone of the little Fender.

I also have an Ampeg B100r as someone suggested above. I think that with no mics and no real drums, it'd be more than you need, but it's a really nice amplifier.

two fingers · #38 02-21-2013, 12:21 AM

http://www.amazon.com/Magna-Cart-Per.../dp/B000HVVSDU

walterw · #39 02-21-2013, 12:24 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RyanJD

See, transportation and size are issues though.
This is a weekly thing.
Fairly short in length, have to walk a ways, unpaid, small area, etc.

all i read was, "blah blah blah unpaid blah blah".

use your regular head and one cab, and make them carry it if they're not paying you

IronLung1986 · #40 02-21-2013, 12:58 AM

i played a coffeehouse jam with my markbass micromark 801. that's 50w with an 8 inch speaker and i didn't have the volume up too high. other instruments included 3 acoustic guitars, 3 singers, keyboard (all going through a modest PA setup) and acoustic drumset. ideally i would have preferred my sound to be a bit bigger, but for the size and power of that combo (compared to the size of the band and room) i was very pleased. to me it's less about volume and more about the "size" of the sound, if that makes sense. i like to fill in the right amount of space rather than just be loud enough for people to hear me. to that end, i'd say my combo did the job, but anything less would have been inadequate.