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Is 100 watts enough to play out? ... mmmmmmnope.
- Thread starter Munjibunga
- Start date
heavy, but all that gear is so....
cold ?
The sound and warmth of a tube amp with a nice cabinet with a warm cloth..
thats what I like.
Seems to be silly, but if u realy think.
Do you want a sound thats pressed thru a steel grill ?
bad comments alowed, but for me all the sound is for the feeling and the character of the sound. 1200 sound like 1200 watts, but the character is just loud...
if u play soft its loud, if u play hard its loud.
Tube amps for the win =)
cold ?
The sound and warmth of a tube amp with a nice cabinet with a warm cloth..
thats what I like.
Seems to be silly, but if u realy think.
Do you want a sound thats pressed thru a steel grill ?
bad comments alowed, but for me all the sound is for the feeling and the character of the sound. 1200 sound like 1200 watts, but the character is just loud...
if u play soft its loud, if u play hard its loud.
Tube amps for the win =)
The problem with these kinds of threads is someone says something like "100 watts is enough" but does not give enough information about their band, the venue, etc. This is my thought, after educating myself quite a bit over the past few months. For a coffee shop gig or with a drummer who plays light, e.g. jazzy tapping, you could probably get away with as little as 20 watts. For a rock band without a PA, you need to be loud enough to sound balanced with the drummer. In that case, a 100-watt combo is probably the bare minimum, and probably not enough if you play loud music such as metal, punk or hardcore. If you have a PA, then you need sufficient stage volume, but tone might also be a factor. The size of the stage, and whether you are indoors or outdoors, are significant factors too. The "sweet spot" I have found is 300 watts -- a Backline 600 with two 8-ohm cabinets.
Bottom line answer: "It depends."
Bottom line answer: "It depends."
Rickett Customs
Commercial User
Old thread, Old thread, Munji...............
My last amp was an SWR 'Mo bass (Roughly 900 watts) I've had since 2000 or so, I used it bridged into an Ampeg 810.
My opinion would have been, 300 watts, not enough......
However almost 9 years later, after I picked up an SVT-VR, I realized 300 is enough, just pick your genre, any genre
.......
At least in my scenario, that is.
My last amp was an SWR 'Mo bass (Roughly 900 watts) I've had since 2000 or so, I used it bridged into an Ampeg 810.
My opinion would have been, 300 watts, not enough......
However almost 9 years later, after I picked up an SVT-VR, I realized 300 is enough, just pick your genre, any genre
.......At least in my scenario, that is.
As others have said, it depends on whether you're going into the PA or not.
I've played some gigs with a 12" Kickback, and it was fine because it was DI'd into the PA. The monitors were more than sufficent.
I have a Eden Metro but I've never had to dial more than a 3-4 tops. But again, I'm going through the PA.
If you're relying completely on stage volume, then I agree that a 100 watt amp will be working hard.
I've played some gigs with a 12" Kickback, and it was fine because it was DI'd into the PA. The monitors were more than sufficent.
I have a Eden Metro but I've never had to dial more than a 3-4 tops. But again, I'm going through the PA.
If you're relying completely on stage volume, then I agree that a 100 watt amp will be working hard.
I have played many coffee house and jazz clubs with a 50 watt acoustic B50 amp. I have also played a lot of large room rock gigs with my 50 watt Ampeg B25 head feeding a 12" aguilar cab. I usually get a DI and my cab is mic'd so I don't need be too loud. Sound guys like the volume it puts out, and it's never too loud on stage. I have louder amps, but I don't need them. This is with 2 guitarists, a percussionist, a drummer, 3 horns, and six vocalists.
LOL. Like you could really tell the difference in sound between a cloth grill and metal grill. Tube amps are a little mushy for me.
or heck let me put it this way. I used to blow amps and cabinets all the time until I stopped dicking around with 150 and 120 watt amps. Bass 400 with the GK folded horn 4x12 (similar to '69vette's picture) was enough for anything. I still have it but stick to my smaller 2x12 and 1x15 cabs mostly.
I am just a hobbyist at bass so take this comment in that light.
Over the years I have heard dozens of cover bands at bars. Some decent,some not that great.
In all those decades there has not been one time where I could say that I wished the band would have turned UP the volume.
A large majority were either too loud or waaaaay too loud. Some actually had it about right,but still could have backed off a bit.
Now I'll duck for cover
Over the years I have heard dozens of cover bands at bars. Some decent,some not that great.
In all those decades there has not been one time where I could say that I wished the band would have turned UP the volume.
A large majority were either too loud or waaaaay too loud. Some actually had it about right,but still could have backed off a bit.
Now I'll duck for cover
Man Cave Brewer, it's not about you (the listeners) experience, or even about making music. It's about the feeling of power of being able to drown out the rest of the band as a way to compensate for our own, um, inadequacies.
I am just a hobbyist at bass so take this comment in that light.
Over the years I have heard dozens of cover bands at bars. Some decent,some not that great.
In all those decades there has not been one time where I could say that I wished the band would have turned UP the volume.
A large majority were either too loud or waaaaay too loud. Some actually had it about right,but still could have backed off a bit.
Now I'll duck for cover
No need to duck for cover. I can't believe the amount of equipment that some cover bands carry around. A 200 seat bar does not = arena.
In regard to bass only...
One simple way to get more volume from your rig is a pre-amp or a bass with a pre-amp ("active electronics").
The observations on speaker/cabinet efficiency need to be tempered with the necessity of matching your speaker/cabinets to your amplifier's capacity. Yes, 105 bd is more efficient than 95db, but its not louder when the 105db speaker is underpowered and the 95 db speaker is well matched.
Someone also inserted a table of speaker cabinet dbs and said an Ampeg 4x10 db rating was lower than an Eden's . Duh, which Ampeg and which Eden; there are many models? I bet I can find an Ampeg with a rating higher than an Eden. Further, saying that 15" speakers in general are more efficient than four 10" speakers, and saying speakers regardless of size generally cost the same is plain irresponsible. There are efficient speakers and inefficient speakers of every size and you can find very inexpensive and very expensive speakers in almost any size.
I have played 10s, 12s, 15s and 18s in many combinations and many brands. 10s are clean, and responsive and in the right cabinet (like an extended low Ampeg) can produce a nice bottom - 12s are powerful and unless you're a major rock star, you should never need more than a double stack of 12s -I like a 15 for some bottom punch, but they get muddy if pushed too hard - I like an 18 for that classic flat wound smooth 60's bottom sound/feel, but they simply cannot be pushed hard. For sheer volume I like a double stack of 4x12s, but for most club work I like a 4x10 on a 1x15 pushed by about 600 watts.
I have played Ampeg primarily since 1964, but also play Fender, especially when I want lots of volume.
As far as guitar...
For electric guitar, I play an 30 watt tube amp with 2x12 blue celestions (an AC30 of course) for smaller venues, and I usually play a 120 watt tube amp with 4x12 blue celestions for bigger rooms. However, I usually have a Fender Super Reverb in reserve. For acoustic I play an Ultrasound 30 - what else is there?
One simple way to get more volume from your rig is a pre-amp or a bass with a pre-amp ("active electronics").
The observations on speaker/cabinet efficiency need to be tempered with the necessity of matching your speaker/cabinets to your amplifier's capacity. Yes, 105 bd is more efficient than 95db, but its not louder when the 105db speaker is underpowered and the 95 db speaker is well matched.
Someone also inserted a table of speaker cabinet dbs and said an Ampeg 4x10 db rating was lower than an Eden's . Duh, which Ampeg and which Eden; there are many models? I bet I can find an Ampeg with a rating higher than an Eden. Further, saying that 15" speakers in general are more efficient than four 10" speakers, and saying speakers regardless of size generally cost the same is plain irresponsible. There are efficient speakers and inefficient speakers of every size and you can find very inexpensive and very expensive speakers in almost any size.
I have played 10s, 12s, 15s and 18s in many combinations and many brands. 10s are clean, and responsive and in the right cabinet (like an extended low Ampeg) can produce a nice bottom - 12s are powerful and unless you're a major rock star, you should never need more than a double stack of 12s -I like a 15 for some bottom punch, but they get muddy if pushed too hard - I like an 18 for that classic flat wound smooth 60's bottom sound/feel, but they simply cannot be pushed hard. For sheer volume I like a double stack of 4x12s, but for most club work I like a 4x10 on a 1x15 pushed by about 600 watts.
I have played Ampeg primarily since 1964, but also play Fender, especially when I want lots of volume.
As far as guitar...
For electric guitar, I play an 30 watt tube amp with 2x12 blue celestions (an AC30 of course) for smaller venues, and I usually play a 120 watt tube amp with 4x12 blue celestions for bigger rooms. However, I usually have a Fender Super Reverb in reserve. For acoustic I play an Ultrasound 30 - what else is there?
"No need to duck for cover. I can't believe the amount of equipment that some cover bands carry around. A 200 seat bar does not = arena."
I agree some bands carry way to much stuff. However I know my band carries a ton of equitment with us but its not to play loud its for the tone of differant amps. We are OCD about our tone so the guitarist usually have 2 differant amp/cab combos (each), an amp for acoustic and a back up amp/cab. I generally just take my main rig Hartke lh-500 with Hartke 4x10 cab or a David Eden 4x10 (combo amp) plus a sans amp. We have alot of gear to take but it pays off people who come to the shows love our sound and we have been picking up pretty good shows for a band thats just starting out (less then a year together).
Back to the main subject.... 100 watts can be fine depending on the setup (speaker type ect...) the band, the place/building, ect. I have a Fender bassman 150 that I use for alot of things, practices, jamming, churches, and small shows (a pevious band). It can be done but like everything else there is a time and place for everything.
I agree some bands carry way to much stuff. However I know my band carries a ton of equitment with us but its not to play loud its for the tone of differant amps. We are OCD about our tone so the guitarist usually have 2 differant amp/cab combos (each), an amp for acoustic and a back up amp/cab. I generally just take my main rig Hartke lh-500 with Hartke 4x10 cab or a David Eden 4x10 (combo amp) plus a sans amp. We have alot of gear to take but it pays off people who come to the shows love our sound and we have been picking up pretty good shows for a band thats just starting out (less then a year together).
Back to the main subject.... 100 watts can be fine depending on the setup (speaker type ect...) the band, the place/building, ect. I have a Fender bassman 150 that I use for alot of things, practices, jamming, churches, and small shows (a pevious band). It can be done but like everything else there is a time and place for everything.
nah, but i can say the difference between an old vintage cabinet and a modern crap "make much/ don 't care cabs"
I play 100 watt carlsbro tru a 600watt marshall cab.
believe me, I did stand against an hartke 5500 (500 watt)
My amp wass wayyyy louder !
