Be sure to get your speakers near ear level whatever you end up with.
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is that enough to keep up with a drummer? full band? are you getting clean sounds?....what kind of places are you playing with that rig?I use an Ampeg PF-50T with 2 x 210AV cabs all the time and I don't even have it cranked. But those are "magic tube watts"and out of your budget. Get a used GK or Peavey 200 watts min.
Well that's an unqualified statement at best.Watt ratings are suspect, try an amp and see for yourself what the available volume is. There are all kinds of amps that list 400 to 900 watts that an old 100 watt tube head can beat.
NOT PHYSICS. Physiology.Find used Peavey combo/BAM or such. 250-300W 1X 15". Spot on minimum requirement. aforementioned TNT ( 100w) will work but you;ll be pushing it with a loud drummer.
I'm no pro but viciously gigged for years, You need a decent stage monitor, and maybe your drummer needs its metronomic quality as well....! ( I ran an ext cab right behind one of our drummers that needed to hear my timings, it made him much tighter. In fact, even the singer used the basslines are her cues ( as they were always precisely correct!) So, at least in amamteru-ville over here, having a strong bass pulse on stage glued the band up. Dont know how you pros go "direct" only unless the stage has monitors doing the 20-1000Hz thing for the band.
Always bear in mind it takes WAY more wattage to send those long low frequency waves out. Physics. That aint a guitar son!![]()
It's all about the speakers, not the wattage. The more speakers, the louder it will seem.
I'd much rather push 200 watts into 412's than 500 watts into a single one.
My rule of comfort is 200 watts minimum into a 212 cabinet.
Even better would be 500 watts into a 410 cab for the added headroom.
Unless, of course you are using a Class T amp. Which we all know, the T stands for transistor, just like the D in Class D stands for digital.... NOT.You should never gig with anything less than 20w.
There's a minute amount of power developed in the earpiece of your IEM.How about zero? I use IEMs and often I leave my cabs at home entirely.
20 KW droolI usually play through 5 to 20 kilowatts, and 4 or more 18's - decent PA's - I go direct.
The one gig I do bring an amp, I just have to keep up with an acoustic piano. 100 watts through a 110 (a rather inefficient one at that) is more than enough, but it's the smallest head I have. I someone made a good sounding 10 watt amp, I'm sure it'd do.
There's no one answer -it all depends.
If you are running through a PA then you just need stage volume. However, it still depends on your drummer. I would look for a used Ampeg PF800 and a 4X10 or 2X15 cabinet. You are going through the PA for this gig, but what about the next gig and every gig after that?I forgot to mention that I will most likely be running through the PA system. Would 100 be enough through a PA?