Thanks bucephylus.So run down i am a foundation player just trying to hold down the low end hell you could take my D AND G strings i dont need them.LOL Anway for real now just hooked up jamming with some others in a strings only jam no drummer(Dont care for them anyway but thats just me).We jam mostly folk music some old outlaw country and a little classic rock.Group is mandolin doing rythem,banjo doing leads,and me holding down the foundation nothing fancy just deep low notes trying to even out all the twang!I like my sound real muddy and low no slapping and popping not my thing. My pratice amp wich i have outgrown does fine in the dinning room but we all have thoghts of one day it might be nice to give it a go at some small stuff(folk fest or something)
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Why so many watts?
- Thread starter root fifth
- Start date
I use a Markbass II amp 300 watts at 8 ohm 500 watts at 4 ohms and never ever felt I needed more power.
my 60w Peavey Max115 is more sound than i've ever needed. Loud enough for any small-mid size venue
And from what i know or think i know i am looking for a single 12 inch or 15 inch with at least a hundred watts 200 would probly be more what i need from what i gather.Dont know if i should go combo or head a cab.Like the Acoustic amps i have been playing at GC.And want to stay under 500 bucks.So there it is what say you!
And i dont see a odd folk trio like us being booked in any bars.Not really many places for a group like us but we have fun.Even if this dont work out I dont see my self doing gigs every weekend in bars just not for me.I like the folk bands!
This should be copied and pasted whenever this question comes up. Great answer from a person with LOTS of real gigging experience.
@ root fifth
You probably will be fine with a small combo. You'll need to try some out to see if it sounds good to you. Kind of a hard thing telling someone else what they should like. If a 100 watt combo does it for you, get it. If not, get something bigger.
I'll take a guess based on what you said about your current band members and say you will probably be fine with a small combo amp. 60-100 watts should be fine for rehersal or coffee house gigs.
If you said you where playing a five string and doing dropped tuning, you'd probably need more.
You probably will be fine with a small combo. You'll need to try some out to see if it sounds good to you. Kind of a hard thing telling someone else what they should like. If a 100 watt combo does it for you, get it. If not, get something bigger.
I'll take a guess based on what you said about your current band members and say you will probably be fine with a small combo amp. 60-100 watts should be fine for rehersal or coffee house gigs.
If you said you where playing a five string and doing dropped tuning, you'd probably need more.
I gig with 200 watts, I guess I'm doing it wrongIf it's loud enough to cut through at practice it's loud enough to gig with in my opinion. If you're at the point in your playing where you're concerned with your amp being adequate, you're probably newer and you won't be playing that big of venues anyway. Most any venue now days will have PA support.
Wow............where you you years ago - Been playing over 30 years, and apparently I never got the memo.
Funny thing though..............I play a B1500 head, and use large cabs. I play only large stage/festival work, and alot of times it is opening for touring national acts - so tell me, who has it wrong ?
Am i on the right track with the bigger woofer for the muddy tone vs a smaller woofer that should be more bright?Acoustic has a 200w head with either 1 15 inch or 4 10 inch in my price range.But combos only come in 15 for that kind of wattage.
- Feb 8, 2005
- 3,636
- 1,053
- Disclosures
- Endorsing Artist: Bag End - Dean Markley - Thunderfunk
Muaguana sorry if i said some thing wrong that was how it was explained to me guy down the road used half the wattage but claimed the reason he was so much loader with better tone than the guy with twice the system was the way his system was set up.I dont understand watts,ohms, and there effect on sound and if you know a good source please link it but this guy made sense.And his sound with a "lesser system" was proof enough for me.
Things have to be taken in context. Without knowing what both of the rigs are, any speculation is meaningless.
However, in general, half the watts gives you a decrease of 3db. If you were to play that lower wattage rig through a cabinet that is 3db or better more sensitive, then yes the lower wattage rig will be the same or louder in apparent volume.
In your quest to understand "wattage and loudness" issues, you need to understand that doubling your wattage alone does not double your apparent volume. To double your apparent volume, you need approximately 10X the wattage. The quicker way to get louder is to add more speakers.
That is why us guys with high wattage amps (mine is "capable" of 1900 watts) are not "blowing away" other rigs. My amp is NOT 10X "louder" than a 150-200 watt amp played through the same cabinets.
Good god, this thread is scary.
Please, listen to Kjung and any other posters providing useful, factual information. Also, check out this informative paper from Acoustic Image (.pdf): The purpose of power.
As for me, I'm just going to post my big, err...rig. 1500 watts, for stage monitoring only. No big stages, usually have PA support. Blues, jazz, pop...no hard rock or metal. I'm competing with 30 to 50 watt guitar combo amps and controlled drummers.
So why that much power? To tie it in with some of the replies already posted:
This rig is not that loud. I've played through Ampeg SVT + 8x10s that were louder, but did not have the capability of my rig.
Please, listen to Kjung and any other posters providing useful, factual information. Also, check out this informative paper from Acoustic Image (.pdf): The purpose of power.
As for me, I'm just going to post my big, err...rig. 1500 watts, for stage monitoring only. No big stages, usually have PA support. Blues, jazz, pop...no hard rock or metal. I'm competing with 30 to 50 watt guitar combo amps and controlled drummers.
So why that much power? To tie it in with some of the replies already posted:
- Inefficient cabs with low sensitivity, extended frequency response and high power handling - they need a lot of power to create significant SPL at extended (low) frequencies.
- Dynamic playing - subtle fingerstyle to thumping slap, headroom is required so as to not clip the power amp and maintain good tone.
- A dynamic instrument with a strong low B - basses vary tremendously with regards to their dynamic response to playing. My six string is one of the most responsive basses I've ever played, headroom within the amplifier is required to utilize that response.
This rig is not that loud. I've played through Ampeg SVT + 8x10s that were louder, but did not have the capability of my rig.
And I hate to say this but some of the guys who blast big cabs and amps only have small amps because anything bigger would not be allowed out of the garage by the boss of the house... I know because I have seen the pictures that they have posted... not that there's anything wrong with that 
patc thank you so much that cleared alot up for me.I dont understand alot of the tech stuff but feel i understand alittle more about the usage of wattage and tone.After reading this i feel stronger about the Acoustic B100 100W 1x15 Bass Combo, and Acoustic B200 200W 1x15 Bass Combo.Since you can add another cab to these later if more volume is needed.So is there any advantage to Acoustic B200H 200W Bass Head and B115 250W 1x15 Bass Cab It is 50 bucks more and i dont see anything it does the others dont.Also am i right about my thought on 15 inch woofers and 10 inch woofers?
