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SHocked and befuddled!!

I'd love to see someone try to play one of those with my band. Oh man :P

No doubt...

Because your band's stage volume is out of control maybe?

Not necessarily - it depends on the band setting and genre... For example, my band is a loud 2 guitar rock/modern rock/metal band - we tend to play fairly large clubs with a full PA, but are always going to be loud on stage... With as much as we play out - with pro sound companies, btw - if our volume was "out of control", I would imagine that the sound companies and venues would've said something by now - not to mention the fans right up to the edge of the stage...

Just out of curiousity - what kind of music does your band play???


- georgestrings
 
Well, he's said on more than one occasion that his band leader doesn't want to hear any bass on stage - so I'd say his situation is far from typical, and some "context" is warranted when Jimmy talks about volume...
Ya, with Bowzer that's true, but since we added horns and a singer who does a lot more 60's and 70's soul and R&B than we used to do, our stage volumes have come creeping up a bit during our own gigs. There were actually a couple gigs where the B-15 stack almost wasn't enough.
 
Ya, with Bowzer that's true, but since we added horns and a singer who does a lot more 60's and 70's soul and R&B than we used to do, our stage volumes have come creeping up a bit during our own gigs. There were actually a couple gigs where the B-15 stack almost wasn't enough.

All good natured ribbing aside, those sound like really fun gigs...


- georgestrings
 
My band would best be classified as 80s/90s covers- alternative rock to some heavier stuff- Even in a metal band you should have a reasonable stage volume, that's what separates the pros...

"Reasonable", yes - although a metal band *probably* has a different definition of reasonable volume than an oldies band, for example... I've played several thousand paid gigs as a bassist, and I've yet to play in a rock band that a single 15 would be enough for any of them, let alone that particular combo...


- georgestrings
 
The Marshall stack has a lot to answer for. Guitards think they're doing everyone a favour using a half stack.

When I'm doing sound for other bands I give them "the volume talk". The ones that play ball sound good and loud. The others make me want to leave them to it. The worst offenders have some of the best musicianship and stage presence, tragic.
 
If you are playing in a venue that is large enough to use a PA, your amp is basically there as a stage monitor for you and the band. Some of your stage sound will project to the audience but most of what they hear is the PA. This is most likely what you were experiencing.
 
There's loud (and full) and then there's deafening. I'm not playing in any situations where stage volume or club volume could be classified by the latter and I'm using 200w and 250w 1x12 and 1x15 combos every gig.

The 250w 1x15 can handle most anything by itself and the 200w 1x12 makes a nice small stage monitor when I have good FOH support. It can also handle about 80% of the rest by itself too. These smaller combos are pretty efficient for most gigs if you're not expecting for fill a concert hall with one all by itself.

There's usually a lot more heard 20-50 feet out into the room than is heard standing just a few feet in front of it especially if it's on the floor.
 
How high? I just put my lawnmower on the garage shelf that's close to 6' from the floor. OTOH, I'm a horse and I work out, so.....

Well I'm 50 and have 2 bad disks in my back and a metal right shoulder that barely goes to 90 degs, strength probably less than 50%.
Bad disks the result of lugging heavy bass/PA gear, working large aircraft in the USAF for years, and motorcycle wreck(s). Metal shoulder the result of one particular motorcycle wreck.

Just sayin that casters or a dolly don't do much good going up stairs or lifting something up into a vehicle. 50-ish lbs is about the limit that I can lift safely to waist height.

Back in the day I had a Peavey Mark IV with a 215 cab, then later used a GK 400RB with a Peavey 1810. I'd never lug something that big around again. I can't imagine ever needing anything louder than my Harke 1155 combo (3500 head with 115+5 speakers). I took the head out of the cab to split the weight up (head 25 lbs, cab 55 lbs).
I also have a GK MB 200 (2 lbs) and a Genz Benz Focus 115(46 lbs). Those two get surprisingly loud. I'm thinking about getting another Focus 115. Would use either the MB200 or the Hartke 3500 with the pair. I would only need that setup very rarely though.
 
Now maybe some of you will finally understand why I use a B-15 on most of my gigs ;)

I'm about the same, only mine is a Markbass Little Mark III head with a Traveler 151P cab. Sometimes I use two 151P cabs, when needed (or just for fun).

One night at the blues jam a guy brought in a Hartke combo with one twelve-inch driver. I dunno what the watts were, but the thing sounded just fine for everyone who played that night, including me. I could even hear it onstage. And this was with the loudest keyboard player I've ever played with, plus usually two loud guitars, and horns. Amazing.

I've also heard others play my Markbass CMD 121H combo, and was amazed how well it carried the room.

On the other hand, one night I was playing the Ampeg V4 + 810 and the guitar player told me I needed to turn up. Duh.

Ya just never know.