Amp Size - When does it stop mattering?

[oldcatfish]

I've never played large gigs except in churches too...but I totally agree with this statement: "IME, a rock bassist that's playing good sized PAYING gigs *should* have a 300-500 watt head that's reliable, and a decent sized cab - either a 610, 810, or 215, or a pair of cabs that amount to the same amount of speakers - besides a good quality DI box... The reason I say this is, relying on monitors and FOH will eventually - if not consistantly - bite you right in the @ss!!!"

I've had in-ear systems die in the middle of a song--and no wedges, I've had sound guys accidentally kill the wedge monitors, etc.

If I was doing a larger paying gig, I'd much rather have a bit of onstage power if needed--you can always turn down. If you have to load/unload, I'd try to go the lightweight cab route though. Even though I love the SVT sound--there's no way I'd haul in multiple 8x10's night after night.

 

[JdoubleH]

You set your beer on your amp?
I don't know about your amp but mine would have that beer hot & skunked in one song (great for keeping a order of fry's warm though). I don't like the thought of it spilling on my amp ether.

+1 to the drum riser.

I find mine's typically empty when I set it down.

 

[PaulNYC]

Regarding 15s vs. 10s. Both are punchy enough if you got quality stuff. The 15s will be heard better laterally across stage while the 10s are a bit more directional and beamy.

This is not really true. Bass frequencies (I think < 100 hz) are omnidirectional and do not beam. If you have full range signal coming through the speaker, a 15 will beam more than a 10 for the non-bass frequencies.

Additionally, two speakers arranged horizontally in a row will have roughly half the horizontal dispersion of a single speaker.

 

[Ric5]

When does amp size not matter any more?

When you have enough chickens to feed the band and the roadies.

[Invalid or Expired Link Removed]