How much watts do I need?

[BurningSkies]

+1
Also, I can't find a place in this thread where these 3000 watt amp users have directed the op to using their rig..

You know the story. Joe isn't interested in the thread, he's just interested in trolling me. You'll note that no one has suggested boutique cabs either, but somehow that became part of his reply too, although he's wrong about 'expensive'. My cabs were built for less than most production cabs these days.

 

[Eminor3rd]

While BurningSkies' 3000w rig may be a bit overkill, I think there's a LOT to be said about the benefits of having plenty of headroom.

IME, it seems like nearly every commercially available amp setup has a range of volume in which is sounds pretty good, even if its characteristics don't quite match your taste. The stuff is designed/tuned to sound good when it isn't being pushed to its limits. So I think there's a lot of wisdom in striving to get an amp that has more power than you need it to have -- not so you can blow everyone away, but so your amp can operate well below its maximum threshold.

 

[BurningSkies]

While BurningSkies' 3000w rig may be a bit overkill, I think there's a LOT to be said about the benefits of having plenty of headroom.

IME, it seems like nearly every commercially available amp setup has a range of volume in which is sounds pretty good, even if its characteristics don't quite match your taste. The stuff is designed/tuned to sound good when it isn't being pushed to its limits. So I think there's a lot of wisdom in striving to get an amp that has more power than you need it to have -- not so you can blow everyone away, but so your amp can operate well below its maximum threshold.

This is good advice. Also, back to where we started...wattage doesn't mean much more than being a single variable in a complex equation. My old Hartke 3500 was around 200w at 8ohms and I happily gigged that with a 410 for over a decade, and it was LOUD. The Markbass LMII was 500w at 4ohms and roughly the same volume as the Hartke, and the Mesa 400+ was really a 280w amp that was louder than both. I've also played any number of other amps over the years (either for short stints or as provided backline). These days, I have all the wattage that you can pretty much have from US wall current and I'm only limited by what my cab's can do mechanically or thermally. My rig's wattage is effectively out of the equation altogether. To me, that's one less thing to worry about on the gig.

It still gets down to the point that wattage is only good if you've got displacement, if you've got cabs that make fairly efficient use of the power you're providing. So, its not a single number answer to the OP's question...You can stack the decks with wattage, lots of speakers (or a few speakers that can move a lot of air), and speakers that make the most use out of the volts you're providing them with.

 

[Joe Louvar]

Hey Harris2016, are you still here, or did you leave?

 

[Mosfed]

I am not sure about that "double the watts of everyone else in the band" formula.

Our guitarist has been playing through a Marshall SL-5 5 watt amp with a single 12" celestion greenback recently that comes pretty damn close to blowing my 300 watt SVT out of the water. Seriously. On the Gain Channel, I can't believe how damn loud the thing is! And by that formula, I should be rippin and roaring with a 10 watt amp.

I have found that in general with a decently loud drummer, 100 tube watts are enough to keep up. Solid state sounds so crappy when it clips that you probably need more like 300watts.

A few recommendations for smaller amps:

Although I had the pleasure of playing an Ampeg Micro-VR at practice last week through a 4x10 SWR Goliath and LOVED the sound of it. It had lots of the character of my SVT.

There are some great deals around now on Genz Benz. The Shuttle 6.2 is what I have and it should be more than enough for most applications.