When Is the Amp Being Pushed?

[danjl131]

I have a Hartke Kickback 1x12 120 watt combo amp. I boost the lows (100 Hz) a little and the mids (300 Hz) a little and cut the treble (5 KHz) a little. At what position of the volume knob is the amp being pushed (time like a clock, at 3 o clock, 4 o clock?) Also I use a Fender Jazz which has passive pickups.

[Gearhead43]

Originally Posted by danjl131

I have a Hartke Kickback 1x12 120 watt combo amp. I boost the lows (100 Hz) a little and the mids (300 Hz) a little and cut the treble (5 KHz) a little. At what position of the volume knob is the amp being pushed (time like a clock, at 3 o clock, 4 o clock?) Also I use a Fender Jazz which has passive pickups.

The knob positions can't tell you when the amp is being pushed too hard. Only your ears can, you should be able to hear distortion or speaker farting when it's being pushed too hard.

[biobass]

Originally Posted by Gearhead43

The knob positions can't tell you when the amp is being pushed too hard. Only your ears can, you should be able to hear distortion or speaker farting when it's being pushed too hard.

Gearhead43 is correct. Your ears are the best judge.

When I use my KB12 with more or less similar settings, and the shape control at ~250Hz, with my '65 jazz, I find that ~ 12:00 on the volume knob is about all the usable (clean) volume I can get out of it. It is a fine little combo for what it is, but it is only a 120 watt amp with a single 12" driver. It is a great tool for the right situation. I primarily use mine for relatively low volume musical theater applications. It works great for that. I am very lucky to generally play with top caliber professionals who can play with sensitivity and dynamics. I'm not sure that the KB12 will work as well in situations requiring sustained high volume. YMMV, of course.

Cheers,
Dennis

[B-string]

I'd say when you are loading in or out Seriously, only your ears can really give that answer.

[archer121]

What are you trying to achieve by cranking your amp to full volume? Instead of cranking the amp, turn the volume of the amp all the way down and the volume on your bass all the way up then strum a string while you turn the amps volume knob up to where it sounds best to you. You'll find that you really don't need the amp cranked very much at all and it'll help protect your gear. I'm not sure where I learned this little tip (I think it was Gary Willis' site, not sure though) but it's worked very well for me.

[danjl131]

i wanted to know this so i could see how loud i could put the volume at a gig. thanks for the answers guys, any more suggestions are welcome to of course.

[archer121]

Originally Posted by danjl131

i wanted to know this so i could see how loud i could put the volume at a gig. thanks for the answers guys, any more suggestions are welcome to of course.

That depends a lot on the venue and room dynamics and your gears limitations. Before your gig, see if they'll let your band run a soundcheck so you can adjust accordingly. What kind of gig are we talking about?

[LesS]

On many amps, full volume without distortion is somewhere between 10 o'clock and 1 o'clock.
If you need more volume at a gig, put your bass EQ on -3dB, or lower.

How big is the venue? Also do you have PA support? A single 12 inch driver might not be enough - unless the room is small and the drummer does not play too loud.