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What's your volume dial setting?

MrCash

MrCash

Guest
Jan 16, 2016
282
207
#1
This is not supposed to by scientific at all. I'm just asking out of pure curiousness, what amp you have and what is your CLEAN gigging volume dial position? And at what point does it run out of steam. Assuming the gain is set right (before clipping).
And this is not linked to any other questions I've asked before. Like I say not scientific just out of geeky curiosity.

I know some amps can sound loud soon as you touch the volume, then run out of steam getting past half way. I've had amps that there volume pot need to be cranked but the volume has been very linear.
But most amps volume pots seem to be loud from 10 o'clock - 2 o'clock before they run out of steam to me.
 
#3
tumblr_n6spruOFgd1sgnfa7o1_500.gif
 
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#8
For me it varies greatly with room size and whether the bass is in the PA. At the moment I just have a GK MB200 (until I get round to rebuilding my valve amp), and I can hear the limiter working if I go much past 1 o'clock on the volume, but for me that's usefully loud with a pair of 12"s and I can usually be heard OK running it a little lower.
That's with my particular bass and playing style - with different pickups or a lighter touch it may all happen at a different point on the dial.
 
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#12
I usually dime the master and adjust volume with the gain knob. That way when I need to mute/unmute for any reason (only one of my amps has a mute button), there's no problem getting back to the same setting.

The only time I would do otherwise would be when that would require setting the gain knob to almost off (i.e. playing at a very low volume).
 
#13
wherever I can hear myself clearly without overpowering the rest of the band. I've yet to run into a situation where my current rig runs out of steam. The volume of my drummer varies greatly from day to day so I have to change it frequently.

current rig:

Peavey Tour 700W + Peavey Headliner 410 + Peavey Headliner 410
 
#14
MB800 into 2 x 212 GK Neos
Passive MIM Jazz > Zoom MB60B > MB800
Indoor - Gain A = 10 o'clock Master = 9 o'clock
Outdoor - Gain A = 10 o'clock Master = 11 o'clock

Both with FOH support. Rig is mainly for onstage monitoring by me and other band members.

MB800%20Settings_zpsrm9beaoz.gif


I've had the Master at 2 o'clock for a couple of outdoor shows (2 loud guitarists) and it was painful being within 10' of it. Thank goodness for my EarErasers.

Haven't run out of steam with this rig (yet).

830b085c-2d83-4f05-a1aa-562a3df6b39e_zpssrgu1qdm.gif
 
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#16
flatfender said:
MB800 into 2 x 212 GK Neos
Passive MIM Jazz > Zoom MB60B > MB800
Indoor - Gain A = 10 o'clock Master = 9 o'clock
Outdoor - Gain A = 10 o'clock Master = 11 o'clock

Both with FOH support. Rig is mainly for onstage monitoring by me and other band members.

MB800%20Settings_zpsrm9beaoz.gif


I've had the Master at 2 o'clock for a couple of outdoor shows (2 loud guitarists) and it was painful being within 10' of it. Thank goodness for my EarErasers.

Haven't run out of steam with this rig (yet).

830b085c-2d83-4f05-a1aa-562a3df6b39e_zpssrgu1qdm.gif
Click to expand...
Tastey
 
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#17
MrCash said:
This is not supposed to by scientific at all. I'm just asking out of pure curiousness, what amp you have and what is your CLEAN gigging volume dial position? And at what point does it run out of steam. Assuming the gain is set right (before clipping).
And this is not linked to any other questions I've asked before. Like I say not scientific just out of geeky curiosity.

I know some amps can sound loud soon as you touch the volume, then run out of steam getting past half way. I've had amps that there volume pot need to be cranked but the volume has been very linear.
But most amps volume pots seem to be loud from 10 o'clock - 2 o'clock before they run out of steam to me.
Click to expand...

The two amps I have and use right now both get VERY loud around 9 o'clock. If I really need to crank it up I may go to 10 or 11 o'clock. At that point, its over the top and vibrating pictures off walls all over the house. Even at live gigs I don't normally go above 9 simply because there is almost always FOH support.
 
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#18
MrCash said:
I know some amps can sound loud soon as you touch the volume
Click to expand...

OK, this is !opinion!, not so much based on personal experience. I only have experience with one bass amp, as mentioned above, the Carvin BX1600. This is two 800 watt channels operated with or without biamp @ 2 ohm per channel on up. I have not run it with a higher load than 4 ohm, by that I mean I've only run it at 4 ohm/channel on up in Z.

So the opinion is, if someone can't easily adjust their rig to lower volumes, they most likely either have a setup problem or operator error, with the system as a whole. Or least likely, poor amplifier design. Setup and operator error could range from too much cab, too many cabs, too low of Z (for the desired lower volumes) with a high powered amp, active bass cranked up all the way, knobology on the amp, and the list goes on...

I usually like to play pretty loud, but try not to extend the time periods of playing so loud it scares the dogs too much. They are learning. Last night I mic'd myself to test a new mixer, and the only thing I do worst than play bass is sing, so I toned it down a bit. After 8 bottles of liquid courage, I muted and shut everything down. This morning I find the following settings:

Amp - drive 8/10 (3:00), compression half (noon), eq. all flat (Parametrics at noon and freq settings noon, graphic eq sliders centered), Master 5/10 (noon), using one channel, rocksmith through the effects loop
Cab 1 4ohm 15" (essentially detunes the amp to about 500 W)
Bass - One PUP half, other PUP off, bass boost half, tone full CCW
Rocksmith also piped to the stereo via mixer, 100 W/ch, volume less than half (amp -5db, mixer gain full CW/+20db with channel fader just under mid way), bass reduced at the amp, mixer high/mid/low eq 12:00.

Volume is very smooth and easily controlled down to 0. I can easily dial it in where I can hear the strings themselves on the bass, up to jail time levels. This is just from reading up a bit and some experimentation with speaker setup and adjusting the controls. The Carvin does have a hell of a lot of control, and I haven't tried others, so I wouldn't venture to say other amps would or would not be as easily controlled for volume.

Edit: added clock references, all times EST unless noted otherwise. After initial post I noticed computer output was about 1/2, which I didn't check last night (Rocksmith normally cranks it full go when the program is launched).

MrCash said:
your CLEAN gigging volume dial position
Click to expand...

I missed the keyword gigging... I don't gig. I am my own audience :D

As you were, smoke if you got 'em.
 
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#19
MrCash said:
This is not supposed to by scientific at all. I'm just asking out of pure curiousness, what amp you have and what is your CLEAN gigging volume dial position? And at what point does it run out of steam. Assuming the gain is set right (before clipping).
And this is not linked to any other questions I've asked before. Like I say not scientific just out of geeky curiosity.

I know some amps can sound loud soon as you touch the volume, then run out of steam getting past half way. I've had amps that there volume pot need to be cranked but the volume has been very linear.
But most amps volume pots seem to be loud from 10 o'clock - 2 o'clock before they run out of steam to me.
Click to expand...
I tend to use small amps and the foh so generally, volume at "11" and the gain turned up till I get the "sound" - if I'm somewhere where my amp is actually loud enough or too loud - then I turn it down.
I would say anyone who has a favourite "volume" (as opposed to gain) setting - other than all the way up to encourage power tube compression and al lthe good stuff that comes with the power amp working its hardest - is a little loopy because ay otgher volume setting is about, well volume and not "sound" and would depend heavily on the room and band, etc.
Ask people their favourite gain settings and that would be a very different answer - assuming we're talking about the same bass every time - I could set my old SWR for my PBass in the dark with the bass unplugged because I knew where it sounded best (to my ear), my ampeg is a little more finicky - thought that's probably because I use my "other" basses more and they have extremely different outputs - from the Danelectros (extremely low output) to the G&L and Hofner (at the extreme high end of output).
 
#20
Remarkably not very high. 300 watts into an Ampeg 610- volume at 12-1 o'clock, bass and treble at 11. Drive anywhere from 1-4 depending on the overdrive i need. This is the first time in 15 years my 2 guitarists have half-stacks at sensible volumes. They've actually turned DOWN! They're also considering moving from 412's to 212's! I'm living in the Twilight Zone every practice.
For the longest time I thought guitar amp volume knobs were 1-directional, and could only be reset by powering down.
 
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