Rules of thumb (no, not slap)

[pseudo7]

I was wondering after recieving gold nuggets of info from users what rules people live by when considering an amp.

For example:

"Bassists need 4x the power (in watts) that the guitarist has."

And

"Stay away from B series Ampeg amps"


I am curious as this seems to be the best way to not make really stupid mistakes. So i ask you what rules do you live by (for bass amps)?

[eedre]

Both of those sound like good rules if you're a serious player.

[Mcrelly]

some say your amp should be 2x what your speakers can handle...

like 1200w into 4ohms plugged into two 300w cabs.

that may be ideal, but I would say your amp should be AT LEAST, or close to, as much as your speakers can handle.

My situations: 550w into 4ohms plugged into two 300w cabs.

as MY RULE OF THUMB I'd never play with LESS than 212's and 550w unless its a small acoustic gig, then I would use a 112 or 210.

[fdeck]

"Putting sheet music in front of the guitarist is cheaper than buying a bigger amp."

[bassteban]

My drummer tells me the term 'rule of thumb' refers to a time when the law said that a man was legally entitled to beat his wife w/a stick no bigger in diameter than his thumb.
Back on topic, my(all-tube)rig is twice my guitarist's, w/good results. Another unwritten one I try to abide by is to listen to others comments, particularly non-musicians. They rarely try to tell you what you want to hear.

[RWP]

Originally Posted by bassteban

My drummer tells me the term 'rule of thumb' refers to a time when the law said that a man was legally entitled to beat his wife w/a stick no bigger in diameter than his thumb.

Those were the days.

[bassteban]

Originally Posted by RWP

Those were the days.

Aw, man- if I hit my wife w/a stick that small it would just really tick her off. We got physical one time about 20 years ago & it was a draw, but having 3 kids has toughened her up considerably; I don't mess w/her.

[RWP]

Originally Posted by bassteban

Aw, man- if I hit my wife w/a stick that small it would just really tick her off. We got physical one time about 20 years ago & it was a draw, but having 3 kids has toughened her up considerably; I don't mess w/her.

Yeah, 10-4 on that! I am pretty sure my wife could at least do the same.

[Kael]

You guys are completely missing the point of the thread with this wife beating stuff. It reads "no, not slap".

[Stanley Design]

Aim for at least a kilowatt of power idealy.
You can always turn down.
Be prepared for every gig, even if there will be a backline, bring what you'll "need" in case it's unsuitable.
Do whatever you can to get a soundcheck long before the show starts.
10's and 12's aren't necessarily punchier.
18's and 15's aren't necessarily deeper.
DON'T SKIMP ON CABLES.

Don't let others use it, or if they do, tell them they aren't allowed to change anything on the face. That way, there's no chance of them pushing it too hard, or clipping it, or anything else.

[Deacon_Blues]

The total speaker area is more important than the power rating of the amp.

Two amps with the same speaker sizes and power rating aren't necessarily equally loud.

I had a 400 watt Hughes & Kettner Quantum combo with 2 x 10" speakers. It was never loud enough for me. My current amp (Yamaha BBT500H) pumps out 250 watts with one 4 ohm cabinet and 500 watts with two cabinets (2 ohms). Even the configuration amp + a 210 speaker is louder than the H&K combo and if I use the 410 instead it's already much louder. But the loudest configuration is of course to use both cabs and all 500 watts available. I always use this config on rock gigs.

The difference in loudness between the two amps is that the Yamaha system don't waste power on the lowest frequencies (<50-60 Hz), at least not with the 10" speakers I own, like the H&K did. I can get those lowest frequencies from the PA subwoofers instead.