• TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
    Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
    Join free Log in
    Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.

300 watts loud enough for band?

#21
I had a Fender bassman 400 combo - 350w 2 10" speakers - it was fine for pit band and jazzband when I was in highschool, however it was NOT loud enough for a rock band where I was playing with a loud guitarist and drummer. Im not talking about a guy with a marshall tube stack either, it'd be a guy with a solid state 100w 212 combo, or solid state 60w 112, and Id be cranking just to keep up, it was very frustrating. If the Marshall has a better voiced EQ section with more mids, it might be loud enough, but those 2 10's always left me craving more, and I always had the mids cranked. I even put completely different speakers (deltalite 2510) in it after the originals blew from me having to turn up too much all the time, I had to grind the frames down to make them fit. When I got a bigger box 212 and seperate 275w head with flatter EQ it was much more satisfying.
 
#22
williamk said:
what do you mean pricy for a marshall? All the other 300 watts combos were the same price or higher.
Click to expand...

Well, for $700 you can get a used cab & head that will be more versatile and likely push more air... And Marshall, while very well respected in the Guitar Amp world, isn't exactly the first choice for most bassists (of course, I have not heard this particular amp). Looking at a picture of this combo, it looks rather "Shallow" - as in from front to back, which concerns me - - Bass cabs are usually deep for a reason.

Another thought: Combo amps are, by their nature, limited. You may really dig the amp, but not the cab or vice versa... I've owned a few over the years and found that they just aren't my cup-o-Tea.

I have to think that if you kept your eyes open, you could get a used 4x10 SWR & a GK head for that $700. Of course, if you're buying on credit card, that won't do you much good...

But to answer your original question: 300 watts is plenty of "watts". I ran for *years* with a 120 watt into 4 ohm head just fine.
 
#24
jaywa said:
Actually, I would encourage you to go the other way. Smaller, if your situation allows.

Namely: 1) Do you have P.A. that can carry bass, or not? And 2) what size rooms does/will your band play?

My band has a P.A. with 2 18-inch subs per side, and with bass going direct through the P.A. I have rocked 300-capacity rooms with my LowDown 150 (watt) combo amp and had absolutely no problem hearing myself onstage or in the house. And no we are not a jug band, we are three electric guitars, bass and drums doing guitar oriented rock.
Click to expand...

No we don't have a PA. The band is one guitarist, one loud drummer, and myself (I also have keyboards to deal with, but obviously I don't play bass and keys in the same time). We practice in the basement which is a large room. I actually like the fact that the marshall is pretty small and seems light (if it's as small and light as my old 60 watts amp, that's perfect, as long as it's much louder!)
 
#25
williamk said:
No we don't have a PA. The band is one guitarist, one loud drummer, and myself (I also have keyboards to deal with, but obviously I don't play bass and keys in the same time). We practice in the basement which is a large room. I actually like the fact that the marshall is pretty small and seems light (if it's as small and light as my old 60 watts amp, that's perfect, as long as it's much louder!)
Click to expand...

OK, thanks for the background. In that case I think what you're considering should be fine. You only have one guitarist to "compete" with, so that should help.
 
#28
I also know Marshall aren't really popular with bassists, but I was looking at different 250-300 watts combo amps in the 600-700$ price range and I really dig the marshall sound. I'm also a guitarist, so maybe I'm "biased", I think it's really the sound for me. And I can't really afford a bigger Marshall or a marshall head+cab. And the fact that this amp can get "upgraded" with a cab extension makes it pretty much prefect IN APPEARANCE... but I have yet to actually play with the band using it.
 
#31
nicfargo said:
Depends, since watts doesn't always equal volume...and some companies are a little creative with their wattage ratings to boot.
Click to expand...

Definitely. I've owned a Hartke 3500 Transient Attack head (350w into 4 ohms) and an SWR WorkingPro 400 (400w into 4 ohms), and through equivalent 8x10 cabinet configurations the Hartke blew the SWR out of the water even though rated at 50 watts less. It wasn't even close.
 
#34
williamk said:
so every 300watts amp has a different volume? Isn't this kinda stupid...
Click to expand...

Comes down to how the EQ is voiced, if the mids are cut out, or scooped, it wont sound as loud. edit: Also depends how the wattage was measured.

I would add, again, not to bother with the 210. After I ditched my first fender combo I found a used peavey firebass (275w 8ohm, 450w 4ohm, 700w 2ohm) for $200 local, and an Avatar 410 neo 4ohm for $275 local. If I could do it all over I would've gotten a used 1x15" cab and 300w head (or a nice 115 combo) to start with before I got that 210 combo. Very generally speaking, a 15" speaker should have more cone area than 2 10" speakers, and 15's are usually more efficient = louder. Think about it
 
#36
+1 to buying used, and 300 watts through a small speaker is not the same as those very same 300 watts through a large speaker, or multiple small speakers. Volume comes from having enough speakers to project that power. A 2x10 combo is, imo, not enough. 2 2x10's is much better, or 210's and a 15, etc. That's where you get the volume from. Consider buying a used 300 watt head, and a used 4x10 speaker cab. Then you'll KNOW you have enough.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back