Is a watt is a watt is a watt?

[bassdude]

While we are looking for the 100,000 watt bass amp Hi-fi purist are running 5 watt class A tube amps into 4" speakers and would have no trouble hearing a low B string. we have far out classed the ability of our hearing and more power will not bring it back. I would rather hear my 25 watt amp than listen to any 2000 dollar amp if I have to hear it through ear plugs. In the US Navy they won't let you on deck when they fire guns that arn't as loud as some concerts.

 

[throbbinnut]

Originally posted by bassdude
While we are looking for the 100,000 watt bass amp Hi-fi purist are running 5 watt class A tube amps into 4" speakers and would have no trouble hearing a low B string. we have far out classed the ability of our hearing and more power will not bring it back. I would rather hear my 25 watt amp than listen to any 2000 dollar amp if I have to hear it through ear plugs. In the US Navy they won't let you on deck when they fire guns that arn't as loud as some concerts.

If you love music, you will be kind to your ears. Ask Pete Townsend. If he hears you ask, he'll probably tell you to turn it down before it's too late.

Chris

 

[ServiceSWR]

Hi, I am the service department manager at SWR. I would like to give this general advice....If you want more volume get more speakers, if you require more low end get a high wattage amp and a sub cabinet.

As for our amps wattage ratings, sure it would be silly to call our amp a SM576at140MV/100hz! Your SM 500s is indeed at 4 ohms/mono-bridged more than 500 watts.

Also consider this...Your ten inch speakers-most any brand- will not reproduce 41 hz efficiently(due to roll off), but 4 ten inch speakers in the right size cabinet that is tuned to resonate down to 40hz will. Certainly your low E string vibrates at 41 hz, but most electric bass pickups are located closer to the bridge(not the 12th fret), so your guitar is not sending out the fundemental 41hz efficiently anyways. Your bridge pickup sounds brighter than your neck pickup because it is hearing upper harmonics. Your neck pickup isn't much closer to hearing the fundemental either.

Good speaker cabinets help RE-produce(read:re-enforce) those lower frequencies.

 

[MikeyD]

Originally posted by ServiceSWR
Certainly your low E string vibrates at 41 hz, but most electric bass pickups are located closer to the bridge(not the 12th fret), so your guitar is not sending out the fundemental 41hz efficiently anyways. Your bridge pickup sounds brighter than your neck pickup because it is hearing upper harmonics. Your neck pickup isn't much closer to hearing the fundemental either.

I guess I prefer to think of it as: the relative amplitudes of the fundamental and the harmonics change as one moves from the center of the free string length to the bridge. The fundamental has the biggest displacement amplitude at the center of this "free span". As one goes higher in the harmonic series, the maximum displacement amplitude (at anti-nodes) occurs at more points along the string - so the pickup nearest the bridge "hears" some of the harmonics' amplitudes in bigger proportions relative to the fundamental.

Note for the thread's readers: one can see this effect by inducing "false" harmonics - lightly touching the string at various points between the neck and the bridge, while plucking the string between the two constrained points. Only points which correspond to nodes (natural dead spots) will yield a pitch.

I agree with ServiceSWR that typical pickup placement misses the strongest fundamental signal (at least for notes very low on the fretboard).

- Mike