How much is overkill these days?

[jthisdell]

To quote Bob Weir, "Too much of everything is just enough ..."
In my experience it's better to have the headroom than to have to turn up too much and get your tone squashed.

Lyrics by Bob Barlow

 

[DaveParker39]

I'd second trying the Rumble 800 just for the convenience factor alone. Every time I have to lift a Rumble it's a pleasant surprise because of how light they are. I remember moving around much less powerful combos that weighed 2-3x more.

Totally. It's so incredibly easy to maneuver and carry, it can move plenty of air for just about any gig you wouldn't need a full band PA for (and can probably hold it's own with some house sound systems), it is usable at low volumes, and has great tone shaping features. I have never turned the master volume higher than 9:00. Did I mention it's 29 lbs?

 

[HelpImaRock]

I just can't get with high power amps. If I get my Mesa D350 up past noon on the master volume, the walls start shaking. I mostly play into a 115, though I've been known to add a 112 depending on the venue. At home it's just the 112. And the master volume is around 9 o'clock.

 

[shoot-r]

I just can't get with high power amps.

There's many reasons some of us players prefer higher wattage/higher headroom amps, but putting it into just a few words, it's about tone and feel, not about shaking walls with sheer volume.

 

[HelpImaRock]

There's many reasons some of us players prefer higher wattage/higher headroom amps, but putting it into just a few words, it's about tone and feel, not about shaking walls with sheer volume.

Whatever gets you through the night.

 

[shoot-r]

Whatever gets you through the night.

Ok.....Glad it worked out!

 

[-Stingray]

I think a 700RB would suit you well. I run mine with the boost knob at 3:00 and I can't imagine needing more power (my volume knob is around 9:00 - 10:00 for most gigs). The 400RB can get very loud as well.

I'm also of the school that the amp matters FAR less than the cab.

 

[dreamadream99]

I think it depends on what your requirements are. Or maybe your goals.

• If you have to supply the bass sound to the whole house, you may need 1000 Watts
• If you have to supply your monitor and the stage sound, you may need 500 Watts
• If all you need is a personal monitor, you probably only need 150 Watts
• If your band is ampless with IEM’s, you don’t need an amp

 

[Jack]

I've had plenty of amps with higher power ratings than the 1001ii, but never anything as loud. I really feel that amp could destroy most cabinets if you let it.

It's certainly overkill, but that's the right amount of kill.

 

[SteveCS]

I'm in the process of putting a new rig together. It's been years since I've played with a band. In my last one, pre-COVID, I used an old Peavey TNT 150, and that was plenty - but the music was kinda pop-punk, and I typically play metal, with louder, harder-hitting drummers.

So, my criteria for the new rig is to keep everything under $1,000 and able to fit in my dinky Sentra. As I hunt around the usual spots for used amps, GK heads pop up quite a bit for very reasonable amounts. But is a 1001RB-11 700/50W just overkill if you're not actively gigging? I've always liked the GK sound but wonder if it's better to hunt down something with fewer watts. Curious what y'all think.

​

Compared to the dark ages, watts are relatively cheap these days, and advances in amp and speaker technology makes them much more portable and easier to convert to sound (as opposed to heat and stress). In the end it depends on what you need. If you need the tone of an amp running on the edge (pop-punk) then something smaller might be just the ticket. But for the most part, plenty of clean headroom is the order of the day - they all have volume controls and you can't cause damage by 'under-running' an amp or 'under-powering' a cab.

 

[j3ffr0]

A hundred watts or so and a 12" speaker would be okay for most of what I do. However, it is better to have it and not need it than to need it and not have it. So I have 800 watts a cab with a 12" and a second one with a 15". Considering the price and weight of modern gear, I have no reason not to have overkill for most of my needs. But we are each in our own boat and preferences when it comes to that stuff. But yeah.... too much is just enough for me. I have been in the game too long to downsize to whatever the current gig needs and think I'm never going to want or need more again.

 

[S-Bigbottom]

Speakers make your loud and make it sound good.
Get a cab or cabs that will let you keep up or over power your group.

 

[Al Kraft]

I like to have enough overkill (any amount is fine since I have a volume control) that I never touch the headroom that keeps my amp clean and crisp at the playing volume required for the gig. That said, volume wars on stage aren't musical to me and I suspect not for an audience either.

IME with today's higher powered amps and higher sensitivity speakers, it's easy to run out of cab capability long before running out of amplifier capability.

 

[groove pump]

I'm in the process of putting a new rig together. It's been years since I've played with a band. In my last one, pre-COVID, I used an old Peavey TNT 150, and that was plenty - but the music was kinda pop-punk, and I typically play metal, with louder, harder-hitting drummers.

So, my criteria for the new rig is to keep everything under $1,000 and able to fit in my dinky Sentra. As I hunt around the usual spots for used amps, GK heads pop up quite a bit for very reasonable amounts. But is a 1001RB-11 700/50W just overkill if you're not actively gigging? I've always liked the GK sound but wonder if it's better to hunt down something with fewer watts. Curious what y'all think.

​

I'll just offer that some years ago when I lost access to a van for hauling the band's gear, I needed to switch from a 4x10 cab to a pair of 2x10's so that I could fit them into my Corolla (also dinky). A few years later I got a better pair of 2x10's and also wanted to have a couple of little class D heads, both to give me sound options and also some redundancy.

The heads I'm using are a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 (bought used through GC) and a GK MB 500 that I bought new from my favorite nearby shop. Both heads are terrific and both give me plenty of sound when playing indoors without needing to push them at all hard. But I've also played several gigs outdoors without PA support for my sound and the easy choice there has been the MB 500. While I was initially worried about buying this head which is rated at "only" 500 watts into a min 4 ohm load, this amp gives me enormous sound set relatively flat on the eg, no "Boost", and the master volume no higher than perhaps the 11 o'clock position.

So if you're looking at GK, you may not need to go for enormous power as long as your amp has enough speaker to shake the air as you see fit. I also really like that I can do a small rig setup using only one cab for cozy settings and also for home practice. Once I switched into a pair of 2x10's, I didn't miss my 4x10 at all.

 

[JimiLL]

This is too much. And I love it.