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How many watts do u need

#2
Depends on what those 450W are going through, and who is making the 450W claim.

I had a 450W 2x10 Behringer combo that wasn't as loud nor as good as projecting as the 480W out of Crown Micro Tech 1200 into two GK 2x12 Neo cabs. Then again, you're talking over double the speaker area, plus the Behringer was firing at the back of my knees, while the GK cabs were firing at back (closer to eat level).
 
#3
How many watts depends on many factors, how loud you wanna play, how big a room, PA or no PA, etc...

some people play with just a 150w 12" combo in a barband. some feel they need 2000w and an 810 for a basement jam band.

for me about 100w is great for solo practice if I'm playing with the stereo, in case I wanna crank it a bit. I've had 1200w (into two 8ohm 12" cabs) but that was quite a bit more than my situation required, but the headroom was nice to have. Now I run about 550w into 4ohms (two 8 ohm 12" cabs) Now remember just because the amp can put out 550 DOESN'T mean that I USE 550w all the time. I've probably NEVER used that much while seriously playing with the band, but I can imagine for a few milliseconds when goofing around seeing how loud my rig will go, I may have hit it.
 
#9
it all depends on who your playing with, what they have, and how much you can get them to turn it down, lol. As a testament to low-wattage-amps, I played in a 3-peice-punk-band for 3 1/2 years on a 100 watt "beginner's" combo. I played through a direct box, but only to give me a wider tonal palate. When you play a show they usually mic your amp n e ways. But hey, if you feel like you need a 1200 watt monster to peel back the wallpaper with, go for it.:D
 
#10
Like someone else said, it depends on the style of music and how loud you play as a band. Also if you always have PA support you can get by with a 100-300 watt combo.
For me I use a 750 watt head through an 8x10 cab. I like to be covered in any situation. I have never had a problem hearing that rig.:D
 
#11
well i have a 180 watt 2x10 combo at the moment, if i add another 8ohm cab itl run at 280, i played at a gig marque that was about 150 ft by 50 ft without PA support and it handled it fine, i play rock music and people said they could easily hear me from outside aswell.

its a GK 400RB-IV/210 combo so its extremely good quality, it was louder than a behringer 300 watt head with a 1x15 so it also depends on what make you get as lots of behringer things are actually more than they seem, and some makes are just generally better.
 
#12
From what I understand more watts from head will give clearer tone when it doesn't have to work at close to max.

The bigger the gig the bigger chance of PA and line/mic which means your rig is only needed for monitoring.

I run 550W through 4x10 (all ashdown).
 
#14
My minimum requirements for most of the small to medium venues would be 100w/tubes 400w/ss. for anything larger I would say 300w/tubes 800w/ss. Yes, I know that watts are watts but I go by what I feel and hear, perceived or otherwise.


George
 
#15
I agree with the sentiment of "it depends on whose watts and through what". In general, a tube amp will sound louder than a solid-state amp at the same wattage through the same speakers. Also, speaker area is generally a bigger determinant of final volume than wattage. 50 watts per speaker will vibrate it quite nicely, and you get diminishing returns from increasing wattage per speaker (each additional watt provides less additional dB than the one before). That's not to say a 200-watt 2x10 is not going to sound louder than a 100-watt 2x10, but a 200-watt 4x10 will be louder than either 2x10.

The general rule of thumb, all other things being equal, is that you want twice the combined wattage of your guitarist's amps through as many speakers as it is feasible to buy, transport and fit on stage. If your guitarists both play through 100-watt half-stacks, you'll want a 400-watt half-stack. You might get away with less or need more depending on the enthusiasm of your drummer, additional amplified instruments like keyboards, how high your guitarists crank their amps, and whether you have reliable access to a PA that you can patch the amp into for more amplification.
 
#17
You know, while I agree with most of the sentiment here, I have came to the conclusion (after playing well over 30 years) that there is one, and only one conclusion to this dilema. Get more than you will ever need.

It has never failed me. I started out with 50 watts, not enough. Then it was 125 Watts, not enough. Then it was 250 watts, not enough. Get the general gist here??

After all these years, I go for the biggest head I can find (and like) and for me, it was the SVT4Pro. 1200 watts. Now, this begs the question...."do I really NEED this much power"? Of course not! However, I firmly believe that it is better to have it and not need it, rather than need it and not have it

Works for me!
 

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