Need it louder. Guitar players super loud.

[Lobster11]

As @pcake said, volume wars are usually caused by everyone having their speakers pointed in a direction that they can't hear themselves. If you have your amp/cab on the floor blasting the backs of your legs, you'll be the only person in the room who can't hear you; likewise for everyone else. If everyone has their amps/cabs on stands (or something) pointing at their own ears, everyone will hear themselves much better and will not need feel the need to turn up. My band had this problem for awhile, and once we rearranged our gear we discovered we could play at much lower volumes -- and keep it there.

That said, I agree with those who say that even then a single 1x12 with any number of watts probably isn't going to be enough. If you already have another (8-ohm) cabinet, it would be silly not to try using them together -- which will be the same as a comparable 2x12, 4-ohm cab, per your previous question -- to see if that's enough before buying any new gear.

 

[Passinwind]

What amp is he using(and is it the same amp he’d use for gigs)? Is the drummer under control? Is the rehearsal space private and on-going? If so…Cheap answer: find a place(or CL)that sells used office furniture, get some office dividers/cubicle walls, and gobo the mf; less cheap answer: get a used beater 2x15 or 4x10 cheap and leave it at the space. What are you going to do at gigs?

Gobo the mf?

 

[Ostie]

IMO, it’s amazing how loud a guitarist can be, even when using a smaller combo amp. The guitarist that I posted about could slay with his 2-12” all tube combo. And he even used a 1-12” Fender Hot Rod Deluxe combo amp that could move beer mugs across a table.

A Fender Twin 212 combo can get very loud. A Marshall stack can get crazy loud. I won’t play in a band where the GP is ear-bleeding loud. I don’t need it. Any GP that says “I have to play that loud to get my tone” is lying.

 

[superheavyfunk]

I'm seeing awfully quick reacts suggesting the OP quit over a situation where a single 8 ohm 1 x 12" cab isn't moving enough air to keep up with the volume of the guitar player/s. That's not even close to utilizing the full capacity of the OP's amp head.

Maybe they're joking.

They’re not joking. People around here must not play out much, since (if they’re taking their own advice) they seem to be quitting every band at the slightest provocation and/or firing drummers and guitarists left and right.

 

[beans-on-toast]

Front or rear porting, no difference. But don’t position the rear port against a wall that impedes airflow. As others have said, you need more speakers. Try the guitar player’s speaker cab and blow them imposing speakers.

Note to guitar player: If you’re a good player, you don’t have to play loud. The audience will listen.

I’ve never heard of a band being asked to turn up. I have heard requests to turn down.

 

[jcidulka]

Get a neo 212 or neos 112s. Or two 2x10 neos. Super light, easy to move.

And run a high pass filter, to weed out frequencies below 40-60hz. Your amp will get louder w/o those low frequencies. Bam!

 

[Michedelic]

Gobo the mf?

These are gobos…

 

[seamonkey]

Get a simple IEM box and good isolating IEMs.
Plug it in and you'll "Play like you can hear yourself"
You'll use it live wherever you go from now on.

 

[Passinwind]

These are gobos…
View attachment 4979500 View attachment 4979501 View attachment 4979502

I know...and they do come in Plexi.

 

[iriegnome]

I run an Aguilar tone hammer 700 and a single 112 Aguilar 8ohm cab.
This band that I just joined practices at such a high volume but I can't hear the detail in my playing that I would prefer.
The Aguilar cab is rear ported.
I'm considering a new 4ohm cab so that I can get the full 700 Watts out of the amp.
I do own a second 112 8ohm cab but I hate to have to schlep two cabs and an amp to every rehearsal.
Will a single 4 ohm cab make a big difference? Would a front port vs rear Port make a big difference.
Suggestions welcome.

The answer is not to go to a 4Ohm cabinet, but to go with more speakers... That 112 is just fine, but any volume will come from another cabinet (115 I would suggest) under that 112. You will notice a huge difference. You will not get the same perceived volume from a 4Ohm as you will with an 8Ohm separate cabinet

 

[Zos Kia Cultus]

Honestly, having dealt with this issue 10 or more times over the last 20 years, tell the guitar players to turn their volume down. There's no reason to play that loud at practice. In my experience, it covers up mistakes and will ruin your hearing.

 

[iriegnome]

The answer is not to go to a 4Ohm cabinet, but to go with more speakers... That 112 is just fine, but any volume will come from another cabinet (115 I would suggest) under that 112. You will notice a huge difference. You will not get the same perceived volume from a 4Ohm as you will with an 8Ohm separate cabinet

Keeps up with the loudest of guitars and drums

 

[Michedelic]

I know...and they do come in Plexi.

And if the guitarist doesn’t want to turn down, he is a bit of a Malfeasant Fretjockey. Among other things.

 

[bholder]

????

I stand by what I wrote. At 63, I'm half deaf, can't hear women's voices, only guys, and it's all due to guitarist a-holes who "needed" excessive volume to "find their tone". Well and some loud drummers too.

 

[jimmydean]

First thing to do is to tell/explain to these people that they need to turn down . If you can't tell what your playing , the volume is too loud and you playing louder is not going to make things better . I had gone to an audition once where the volume was so loud that at one point I just stopped playing and nobody noticed and I was still asked to join the band........I didn't .

 

[SAlcott]

There exists a phenomenon called "Temporary Threshold Shift". This means that to have the same sonic impact as he had at the beginning of rehearsal, the guitar player has to turn up, starting a never-ending cycle of volume increase. Every guitar player I know has a 20W amp for rehearsing and uses it for most gigs. There are also some pretty amazing modeling amps out there as well, and not a few of my tubular colleagues use them for everything but recording. If your guy can't get "his sound" from a Fender Deluxe and some pedals and insists on his Marshall Wankstack or a cranked Fender Twin in rehearsal, then along with you, the band will have issues down the road when you start playing out.

That said, if his amp/speaker cab is on the floor, the first thing to do is raise it up and/or tilt it back so it's firing at his head instead of his knees. This can be a real eye/ear opening experience.

Get and use professional-quality hearing protection. Tinnitus is no joke. If you don't have it already and want to see what it's like, find an online tone generator, and play around with it. Mine is around 3100Hz straight tone with underlying hiss, and is always audible unless the ambient sound level exceeds 100db or so.

BTW, my pic shows acoustic bass, but I've done my time in front of two SVT 810s and a couple of Twin Reverbs, so I do know what I'm talking about.

Good luck!

 

[Michael Stanley 2112]

First thing to do is to tell/explain to these people that they need to turn down . If you can't tell what your playing , the volume is too loud and you playing louder is not going to make things better . I had gone to an audition once where the volume was so loud that at one point I just stopped playing and nobody noticed and I was still asked to join the band........I didn't .

I starred in that same movie!

I will add a bit of "caution".

I think the OP should sit down with the drummer and see if he can hear his playing over the drums. This may be a case of a rig that's just not able to do the job? I don't know. I'm not familiar with the components, but it needs to be explored.

 

[Grinderman]

I stand by what I wrote. At 63, I'm half deaf, can't hear women's voices, only guys, and it's all due to guitarist a-holes who "needed" excessive volume to "find their tone". Well and some loud drummers too.

You're confirming what 55 year old me suspected. Your response was more about you than what the OP is asking for.

 

[chadds]

I stand by what I wrote as well. If the guitarist gets loud or starts loud what difference is there. He isn't in control of his volume and he's a good person.
Yes I play with people who burn hard at talk over volume and loud in other settings.
Putting up with this is a lot of effort for what? Fame? Use your new rig? Pick up partners?
If your act can't play with the same enthusiasm at low volume there is no tech fix. It means you have to learn to do it. Gear doesn't give this. If you don't solve it the market will. You won't get asked back to gigs. There are raucous bars that will tolerate only so much volume. If you can't tell how loud is appropriate someone else gets the gig.
What is the argument here? "We have the right to play as loud as we want." You do. You are leaving your hearing, fan base who want to hear you and dance to you but find you just too loud, reputation with club owners and promoters in the hands of one desire you think is a right.
People tell each other, "that was a great band." Not, "lets see them next week they are a loud band."

Meanwhile: I use 1000w frequently. I've used 160w on large stages of course DI'd. You know sometimes you are responsible for how loud the band is. You set the volume. If your mates aren't listening then some other issues are beyond you.

 

[bholder]

You're confirming what 55 year old me suspected. Your response was more about you than what the OP is asking for.

The OP ought to be asking how to save his hearing, or he won't.