I concur with Munji. Only way 100 watts will cut, is if the drummer is using brushes. 400 watts + 410 minimum for Rock, Blues, or Funk or anything where you want people to dance..IMO, IME.
edit: I hate distortion. So this is for a clean sound.
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How powerful a rig would I need?
- Thread starter yehongxiang
- Start date
I concur with Munji. Only way 100 watts will cut, is if the drummer is using brushes. 400 watts + 410 minimum for Rock, Blues, or Funk or anything where you want people to dance..IMO, IME.
edit: I hate distortion. So this is for a clean sound.
is there a polite way to say "bull hockey sticks"? with lots of respect and admiration?I concur with Munji. Only way 100 watts will cut, is if the drummer is using brushes. 400 watts + 410 minimum for Rock, Blues, or Funk or anything where you want people to dance..IMO, IME.
edit: I hate distortion. So this is for a clean sound.
i'm living proof that isn't true. i play clean except for kicking on an occasional pedal, and i've done arenas with a b-15 and drummers who hit pretty hard, and i've done as big as a 1000 seat theater with a b-15 using stage volume and actually had clean headroom. and i spent the 80's playing in metal and hard rock bands using a v4b/810, and maybe didn't have clean headroom a handful of times. so it not only can be done, i do it all the time.i don't recommend it to everyone...but it works for me, what can i tell ya?
is there a polite way to say "bull hockey sticks"? with lots of respect and admiration?
i don't recommend it to everyone...but it works for me, what can i tell ya?
Cool, but that's not my experience. Did you go through the monitors? I usually don't. Do you play fairly 'Toppy', I don't.
I like a fair amount of bottom end on stage...or maybe I'm deaf. An open air gig with 1 x 15" speaker? really?
obviously every situation is gonna be different... some guys can play with 100watts and a 115, other guys (myself included) need at least 500watts and a 610... one person's loud drummer is another persons practice volume and things like eq and how your guitarists play and eq etc also has a major effect on how you hear yourself.
3 guitarists is nothing to sneeze at when you are trying to hear yourself onstage. Fact is, if you play with 100watt practice amp and DI through the PA you will get through the gig, maybe not hearing yourself as well as you'd like but none the wiser. I would recommend at least 300watts and a 410 if you plan on playing bass for a long time this is not an unreasonable investment and should be enough for you to start concerning yourself about having a good tone and not just a sound that you can hear yourself
certainly you can get away without even having an amp onstage or using a tiny rig but that is a specialized situation and I wouldn't recommend experimenting with that kind of thing until you have some reasonable experience and know what you are doing and why
3 guitarists is nothing to sneeze at when you are trying to hear yourself onstage. Fact is, if you play with 100watt practice amp and DI through the PA you will get through the gig, maybe not hearing yourself as well as you'd like but none the wiser. I would recommend at least 300watts and a 410 if you plan on playing bass for a long time this is not an unreasonable investment and should be enough for you to start concerning yourself about having a good tone and not just a sound that you can hear yourself
certainly you can get away without even having an amp onstage or using a tiny rig but that is a specialized situation and I wouldn't recommend experimenting with that kind of thing until you have some reasonable experience and know what you are doing and why
really. i'd say my sound is more low middy then relatively flat on up the line. sometimes i have to back off the bass knob, too. like last night. open air. if you have a band that tries to match itself to each other and strives to hear a mix onstage instead of everyone trying to blast louder than the next guy, it's pretty easy. you get a band of volume freaks and volume war ensues.Cool, but that's not my experience. Did you go through the monitors? I usually don't. Do you play fairly 'Toppy', I don't.
I like a fair amount of bottom end on stage...or maybe I'm deaf. An open air gig with 1 x 15" speaker? really?
I played outside in front of a few hundred people with a 100w 1x12roland combo and afterwards sold the bass amp to another bassist who liked the "meaty" sound that night so na na nananana .
Personally though, I'd go with a 4x10 and about 500 watts.
Personally though, I'd go with a 4x10 and about 500 watts.
I agree with JimmyM
I've played many 300+ people gigs, even open air with a 150w solid state head through a 2x10 & a 1x15" cab and even competing with 4x18"(2000w total) bins. Never had to DI to the PA and that was with 2 metal guitarists and a very very loud miked metal drummer.
It definitally can be done.
I've played many 300+ people gigs, even open air with a 150w solid state head through a 2x10 & a 1x15" cab and even competing with 4x18"(2000w total) bins. Never had to DI to the PA and that was with 2 metal guitarists and a very very loud miked metal drummer.
It definitally can be done.
It's about the tone you desire. More watts equals clean and full and responsive to the dynamics of your playing.
Desire distortion and drive than less watts will do and is preferred.
Desire distortion and drive than less watts will do and is preferred.
I'm going for the clean and full tone.
This thread is chokeful of information, and I'll try and find out if I'll get any help from the PA.
Btw, I've only been playing for three months so I don't think I'll be able to use a rig with smaller wattage and all. That said, I'm considering going down the 'middle' path of the two sides to this discussion, perhaps a 500w with a 4x10.
This thread is chokeful of information, and I'll try and find out if I'll get any help from the PA.
Btw, I've only been playing for three months so I don't think I'll be able to use a rig with smaller wattage and all. That said, I'm considering going down the 'middle' path of the two sides to this discussion, perhaps a 500w with a 4x10.
I'm playing Killing Me Softly as The Fugees did it, much simpler.
Yeah, that occurred to me last night, after I'd logged off. Duh. I had been listing to Roberta's version on the iPod yesterday afternoon, which has a terrific, fretless bass line on it. As I said, pulling *that* one off well after three months' playing -- particularly with the fretless, double-stops etc. -- would be pretty awesome.
... but I'm just dating myself... Good luck with the gig!
-jb
It doesn't matter if it's open air or not. If all you have to do is hear yourself within a ten or fifteen feet of the amp, it doesn't take much to get the job done, unless your drummer is an insane-o-flex.
If you're in the PA mains, you'll get a bass boost from the subs anyway.
Figure out your PA situation, and start building a modular rig. My suggestion would be to get a nice quality 1x15 or 2x10 combo and possibly an extension cabinet. GK's MB series is great bet.
If you're in the PA mains, you'll get a bass boost from the subs anyway.
Figure out your PA situation, and start building a modular rig. My suggestion would be to get a nice quality 1x15 or 2x10 combo and possibly an extension cabinet. GK's MB series is great bet.
Actually I agree with Jimmy, I really don't think you need as much power as you think for 300 people. I regularly play with my LMII and single 1x12 cab running at 300w and it's more than ample for a gig that the OP is playing (although if all 3 guitarists at his gig are using 4x12s and haven't rolled off their low end, it may struggle to move air to compete). However, the only times I've really, really needed PA support is an outdoor gig to 10,000 kids, and a couple of huge marquees that soaked up all the sound.
Another thing that is often overlooked is how much of the room do you actually need to fill? Many people think they need a 1000w to fill a ballroom and reach all 300 people. If you are the focus of the whole event and there's no PA support, then great, more power the better, but if you're not the main event, you only need to fill the dance floor. People like to sit and talk at the sides of the room. They can't do that if you're filling the whole room with noise!
Another thing that is often overlooked is how much of the room do you actually need to fill? Many people think they need a 1000w to fill a ballroom and reach all 300 people. If you are the focus of the whole event and there's no PA support, then great, more power the better, but if you're not the main event, you only need to fill the dance floor. People like to sit and talk at the sides of the room. They can't do that if you're filling the whole room with noise!
How many threads a month do we see here from guys with 50 - 100w and a 1x15 wondering why they can't here themselves? A lot.
Another proponent here of doubling or tripling the wattage of what the guitarists are using, and 4 speakers.
500w and a 410 would be a great starting point to decide if he could deal with less or more.
Rather than the number of people, I'd be more concerned about the size of the ballroom eating up what's coming off stage if there's not a decent P.A. helping out.
Another proponent here of doubling or tripling the wattage of what the guitarists are using, and 4 speakers.
500w and a 410 would be a great starting point to decide if he could deal with less or more.
Rather than the number of people, I'd be more concerned about the size of the ballroom eating up what's coming off stage if there's not a decent P.A. helping out.
