• 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?

#41
williamk said:
so every 300watts amp has a different volume? Isn't this kinda stupid...
Click to expand...

Read my first post again. The power an amp has available is just electrons. It's what the speakers do with those electrons that determines how low and how loud you'll go. You can have a ten thousand watt amp with poor speakers and it won't go one dB louder than a one hundred watt amp with good ones. Inadequate speakers is the number one shortcoming with combos.
Very generally speaking, a 15" speaker should have more cone area than 2 10" speakers, and 15's are usually more efficient = louder.
Click to expand...
As often as not it's the other way around.
 
#43
You need to consider watts verses speakers carefully. I have a 600 watt head running into a 2x10 cab section (its really a combo with a removeable head). Playing with a band with a semi loud drummer and a cranked 100 watt guitarist send my 2x10 into fart territory. Believe me, it becomes frustrating and you don't want to go there. So I bought an 18 inch extension cab, but, because the 2x10 is 4 ohms and the 18 is 8 ohms I can't run both speakers bridge because the 2ohm load will put me in protect mode.

so I have to run biamped, which puts me into fart territory again because I am only pushing about 225 watts to the 2x10 and maybe less than that for the 18. So to get more volume I end up overdriveing the amps.

Moral of this story is I need more speaker area for the volume I want but I need comparable cabs rated to get the power out of the amp. Sounds like a catch 22!
 
#45
It sounds like your mind is made up - you can buy the Marshall, and get a 2x10 extension cab if it's not loud enough.

You could get a Peavey Nitro/Max450 head for around $250 used used retail (cheaper from craigslist or other private party deal) and an Avatar 2x12 for around $400 shipped. You'd be surprised how much louder 300 watts is into a typical 2x12 than a typical 2x10. If you're not sure about something that's new, why get burned on it's re-sale value? just my take. But if you love the Marshall, get the Marshall. After all, somebody has to get this stinky economy moving again....
 
#46
Lately, I have re-learned that if you are playing with limited or no PA support (100 seat club) that the cab is more important than the head after a couple hundred watts.
My SVT head kills with an EV 2x15 cabinet but not enough with a Berg 322.

Speaker cabinet effeciency is huge in the big picture IME, IMO.
 
#47
williamk said:
for the second time: I want to get THAT one because I love the sound and I can afford it.

Also, the reason why I don't really want to buy used is that I have a 200$ coupon at my local guitar store, meaning I could get this 650$ worth amp for 450$, which seems like a fair deal to me...
Click to expand...

I love it when people ask for advice, then cop an attitude when the advice given doesn't fit neatly into their already made up mind...

I've been gigging for around 30 years, as both a guitarist and bassist - and probably atleast 20 of them has been in fairly heavy bands... If you disregard advice given, and end up with a case of buyer's remorse - the only one left bumming is you...


- georgestrings
 
#48
georgestrings said:
I love it when people ask for advice, then cop an attitude when the advice given doesn't fit neatly into their already made up mind...

I've been gigging for around 30 years, as both a guitarist and bassist - and probably atleast 20 of them has been in fairly heavy bands... If you disregard advice given, and end up with a case of buyer's remorse - the only one left bumming is you...


- georgestrings
Click to expand...
hey hey just because I'm refusing one of the many options one of you guys proposed to me doesn't mean I have an attitude...geez! Oh and thanks for YOUR generous advice.
 
#49
I've played that amp at a local music store...you should be fine. IMO, a powerful combo with the option to add a extension cabinet is the way to go. Just practice with it as is and when you start doing gigs add a 410, 115, or 118, or whatever.
 
#50
williamk said:
hey hey just because I'm refusing one of the many options one of you guys proposed to me doesn't mean I have an attitude...geez! Oh and thanks for YOUR generous advice.
Click to expand...


"for the second time: I want to get THAT one because I love the sound and I can afford it."


I dunno - seems like attitude to me... Anyways, good luck with whatever you get...


- georgestrings
 
#51
billfitzmaurice said:
The added power of the Marshall without a larger cab and better driver to make use of it may mean it's no louder/lower than what you have now.
Click to expand...

Having heard both, I can tell you it's MUCH louder than what you've got now.

Also, I was recently looking at these myself and ended up getting the Marshall MB450h head and a separate 2x10 cab, basically creating the same machine. A lot of bass players give it a sideways glance, giving the old "marshalls are great for guitar, but for bass... " argument. But, how many of those people have actually heard one? There aren't many out there. So, trust your own ears, if you like the sound, get one. I was a former guitard too, so maybe they just appeal to guys like us... or motorhead fans.

Also, someone said that the cabinet wasn't deep enough. Not true, it looks to be the same depth as my avatar cabinet and no one has ever complained that an avatar wasn't deep enough.
 
#52
georgestrings said:
I love it when people ask for advice, then cop an attitude when the advice given doesn't fit neatly into their already made up mind...
Click to expand...
I love it when georgestrings get pissed when people don't take his advice as law, then he tells them "you'll be sorry!"
There are many people giving different opinions, he can't exactly follow them all at the same time now can he? Sorry dude, sometimes it isn't your advice that gets followed, deal with it.
 
#53
williamk said:
ah man I'm all mixed up...
Click to expand...

Well it's very easy to get all mixed up... Especially when discussing SS amplifiers. My opinion on them has been stuck up in the sticky section now. I recommend reading it.

The deal is SS amps have to have headroom BUILT INTO THEM, the maketing departments are selling the amps at this rating. They vary between 3X and 4X the power of a TOOB amp.

So your 300Watt SS amp is more comparable to a 100 watt TOOB amp, or an old 1970-1980 SS amps that were marketed using an equivellent to toob amp watt numbers.

The problem is this headroom number could also be upwards of 4:1 and then you've got a really lame amp rated way to high...

A 300 watt tube amplifier will blow the world apart, a 300 watt SS amp can't get out of its own way...

And like I said in the sticky, its really a 300 watt amp, but it cant be run like it is...

Buy some power. BOB
 
#55
Sharko said:
I love it when georgestrings get pissed when people don't take his advice as law, then he tells them "you'll be sorry!"
There are many people giving different opinions, he can't exactly follow them all at the same time now can he? Sorry dude, sometimes it isn't your advice that gets followed, deal with it.
Click to expand...


I wasn't only talking about my advice - if you were paying attention, you *might* have noticed that I wasn't the only one offering similar advice... Truthfully, I don't give a crap if people take my advice or not - I will, however laugh afterwards when I read about how his new combo isn't loud enough, or has blown a driver because he had to push it too hard to keep up in a band situation...

Lastly, I won't bother wasting any time on you, either - you obviously know too much to heed anything I have to say...



- georgestrings
 
#56
williamk said:
because I went and tried it and love the sound, but I didn't boost the volume all the way up in the musicstore to see how loud it could get.

and guys, it's really nice of you to help, but please stop trying to suggest a bigger and louder amp, believe me if I had the money I would buy a bigger one obviously...
Click to expand...
then you might want to rent for a while until you have a better idea what your needs will be,and have a chance to save up .....loud in a music store is not necessarily loud in a club or dance
 
#57
I can't believe anyone likes a Marshall Bass amp :hiding: Go easy folks, I know everyones ears are different. I just used to own one, it reminded me of a boat........Two best days are when I bought it and sold it.
Enjoy whatever you wind up with and rock on :bassist:
Remember speaker surface area and efficiency are worth more than watts.
 

Latest posts

Top Bottom
Back