Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
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.
How many watts do I really need?
- Thread starter Nolrak
- Start date
When I saw them in a club last winter he only had Murder 1 on stage and the stage volume was so loud I had to shove cigarette filters in my ears. It was loud.
I agree that the V4B was very anemic for a 100 watt head. It doesn't come close to a Marshall super bass (or 1992LEM) or the Fender Bassman 100T
I agree that the V4B was very anemic for a 100 watt head. It doesn't come close to a Marshall super bass (or 1992LEM) or the Fender Bassman 100T
speakers sure matter! I had an ampeg b3 combo, 150 watts, single 15" speaker. plugged into that, I frequently had to crank the master volume all the way up (preamp clip lighting from time to time.) We had EV eliminator PA speakers -- 2x15 plus a giant horn. Sometimes I'd plug the exact same amp into one of those -- 8 ohms instead of four I think, so the wattage I was getting was actually less.
WAAAAYYYY louder!
WAAAAYYYY louder!
sadly true, true true.
the drummer sets the volume, at least in non amplified venues...
Highlights? No, that's the Florida sun, thank you. Plus the other two guys had light colored hair.
Simply not true. I love bass as much as the next guy. I have always been very clear about the reasons to limit stage volume in less than than huge venues. Keeping up with the drummer frequently drowns out the singer, and/or frequently resuls in no bass in the FOH because it's impossible to add in PA support without turning it into mud.
Lots of loud bands use 100w tube heads. If it's not loud enough for you that's ok but don't write off everyone else as inexperienced or bass haters.
We did tons of old BOC, AC/DC, Sabbath, UFO, etc. Pretty good band, actually. Even had flashpots.
You're sooooooooooooooooooo sexy Jimmy!!!!!
Great scott! Am I the only guy who immediately thought he needed 1.21 gigawatts ala Back to the Future?
Lots of bands use 100watt tube heads? Sure they do... for guitar.
If a drummer cant keep his volume under control theres no reason to yell at the bass player that is just trying to cope
Im sure if Lemmy had much lowend in his sound those heads would run out of steam rather quick.
Sorry, we will always disagree on this - there is no valid reason for the bass not to be at equal level with the drums and guitar on stage... If that "drowns out" the vocals, then the monitoring is inadequate - given "reasonable" volumes from drums, bass, and guitars, that is...
Insisting that the bass be at a lower volume than the drums and guitars contradicts your claim to "love bass as much as the next guy", and comes off as typical soundman BS to me...
- georgestrings
Agreed 100% on both counts... If the soundman can't deal with balanced levels on the stage, that just shows he doesn't know what he's doing...
- georgestrings
Head in sand? V4B only used in recordings? What about new Fender 100T? Mesa do one too.
I'm not yelling. I'm not saying eveyone should dump their SVT but there is a revolution in band dynamics going on here, drummers being fired left and right. Guitards being told to find another band. Bassists are buying these new 100w amps and gigging with them.
Other bassists don't consider how hard it is to get a gig with 1.2 Gigawatts of stage volume these days and continue to insist more is better for all. Rock on.
As we seem to be straying so far off topic: IMO EVERYONE on stage is responsible for adding his contribution to the mix in an appropriate way. If the sound on stage is out of balance, very few sound guys would be able to make it so FOH.
The bassist for Queens Of The Stone Age doesn't have any problem coping with a V4B, and they ain't quiet either.
Balanced levels on stage could be blowing the room away, or just right for the room, but needing PA support here and there, depending on the overall volume and the size of the room and audience.
I think you live in a different world, where stages are big and audiences are 300+ all the time. Us bottom feeders have to deal with the stage being too loud nearly all the time. Now you tell me I don't know what I'm doing, again with the insult slap down.
A band that is cooking on stage can easily be bass mud out front and there's nothing anyone can do about that from the FOH except turn off the bass in the PA.
They also have a professional PA system almost every gig. If all he's using it for is stage volume then he'd be fine for sure. He definitely isn't filling out even a 300-500 person club with one though.
Again, this just comes down to experiences and everyone's own personal situation. If a V4 works for you then hats off, that's special. I used mine on one gig in a room filled with no more than 150 people and felt severely underpowered. We're a loud band, but we're not stupid, make-your-ears-bleed loud, either.
So I've been doing research for a few hours but have yet to get a definite answer with definite facts.
I play bass in a punk/pop rock band with a lead guitarist, a drummer and a keyboardist. Since most of our practices so far have been at my school, the keyboardist and I usually run our instruments through a PA system there.
But I'm now looking to buy an amp to practice and play SMALL/MEDIUM sized gigs with. So I have a few questions:
1. How many watts do I need to be heard on par with the other instruments?
(I've been getting mixed responses all over the internet, some people telling me I need about 60W to be heard over drums and two to three times the wattage of the guitarist [who has a 100W] If so why?)
2.If my plan is to run a line out to the main PA/speaker system at the venue, does the wattage of my amp really matter?
3. Is there a possibility that my bass may not be able to push the peak power in high wattage amps?
P.S. I use a Squier P-Bass w/ Dimarzio pickups (DP127)
In your genre it's almost impossible to find young guys wanting to let a PA do a great job of making you sound like you in a smaller club.
You will probably have keys and vocals in the PA and your rig will be carrying the room. I would go for a pair of 2x10 and 300W.
If you can get the guitar player and drummer to keep it under control you might get some gigs. I've managed to turn around the prospects of one local punk band by getting the singer to insist on being heard, that's fair right?
Great thread (no, really).
My perspective: I've played in some loud bands, and currently play with a very heavy-handed drummer. I need more power and cabinets when we practice than I do for a gig. When we play shows, the clubs have PA systems, good ones, and our stage volume is what I'd call 'reasonable', given that we tend toward heavy genres. For gigs, I use a single 212, powered with ~ 425 watts, and have no problems.
Rehearsals, though, I need every inch of the four 12s I use and every watt the amp can muster...
For the OP: Only you can decide what will work for you, and such decisions often come through combinations of trial and error. As you can see, asking other bassists yields a plethora of answers, but there isn't often any one right way to do these things. Enjoy the journey (and wear hearing protection)!
My perspective: I've played in some loud bands, and currently play with a very heavy-handed drummer. I need more power and cabinets when we practice than I do for a gig. When we play shows, the clubs have PA systems, good ones, and our stage volume is what I'd call 'reasonable', given that we tend toward heavy genres. For gigs, I use a single 212, powered with ~ 425 watts, and have no problems.
Rehearsals, though, I need every inch of the four 12s I use and every watt the amp can muster...
For the OP: Only you can decide what will work for you, and such decisions often come through combinations of trial and error. As you can see, asking other bassists yields a plethora of answers, but there isn't often any one right way to do these things. Enjoy the journey (and wear hearing protection)!
