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Would this be enough to gig?

#41
hrodbert696 said:
Maybe late to the conversation, but just to share the newbie rule of thumb I heard, is that the volume you generate goes up about 10% every time you double the wattage of the amps (200 watts will give you 110% the volume of 100 watts) but goes up proportionate with the surface area of your speakers (e.g. a 2x12 cabinet will be twice as loud as a 1x12 with the same same amount of power driving it). Extra wattage doesn't get you loudness so much as headroom; if you're concerned about being loud enough, add more speakers.

In my experience, basically rock cover band bar gigs, I've done fine with 200 watts into either a 1x15 or 2x10. And if there's enough PA to do the heavy lifting, you don't even need that.
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Not late enough, my frined. ;) And thanks for the little rule you gave me there, that could end up being pretty useful.
 
#42
hrodbert696 said:
Maybe late to the conversation, but just to share the newbie rule of thumb I heard, is that the volume you generate goes up about 10% every time you double the wattage of the amps (200 watts will give you 110% the volume of 100 watts) but goes up proportionate with the surface area of your speakers (e.g. a 2x12 cabinet will be twice as loud as a 1x12 with the same same amount of power driving it). Extra wattage doesn't get you loudness so much as headroom; if you're concerned about being loud enough, add more speakers.

In my experience, basically rock cover band bar gigs, I've done fine with 200 watts into either a 1x15 or 2x10. And if there's enough PA to do the heavy lifting, you don't even need that.
Click to expand...

It's cool that your rule of thumb has guided you well, but there's some mistaken notions in its basis...

Loudness (the subjective perception of sound power, in decibels) doesn't scale proportionately with wattage or the surface area of your speakers. The relationship is logarithmic, not linear. While it's true that a power increase by a factor of 10 is necessary for the perception that sound is "twice as loud," it's not the case that (using a 100 watt base) every 100 watt increment between 100 and 1000 watts would represent a 10% increase in loudness (that would be a linear relationship).

Doubling of sound power is expressed as an increase of 3dB in loudness. This doubling of sound power would be realized as loudness the same way whether the doubling was in the wattage or the number of speakers...both are a 3dB increase.

As a practical matter, increasing the number of speakers generally represents an increase in power handling capability (and/or increased power output from the same amp from reduced impedance), so greater overall increases are more likely to come out of real world scenarios.

In your example above, 500 watts into 2 12" speakers would be "twice as loud" (+10dB) as 100 watts into 1 one of those 12" speakers. Going from 100 watts into one 12" speaker to 100 watts into two 12" speakers would be +3dB, or going to 200 watts into the one 12" speaker would be +3dB.
 
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#46
i used a hartke 100A combo for a year in vegas clubs and outdoor venues.
often there was no PA support, with a lot of open air and loud indoor gigs with quintets etc.
it's a loud powerful beast- punchy, loves the low B, handled everything i threw at it.
its 15" aluminum speaker sounded much bigger than a 100 watt combo, and it always got good comments.
maybe a cheap effective way to go?
 
#49
Thanks everyone for helping me out here. I think this is what I'm going to do:
I am going to buy the head and the cab from Markbass. I will see if I can find them used somewhere. If not, I'll stick to buying it in the store. I am going to look for an extension cab, though. And I have 2 questions about that. 1. It is safe to buy from another manufacturer, right? I just want this to be sure. 2. What 2nd cab would be good to get. The tone I'm after is a very bass-influenced tone, a little Duck Dunn-like. A nice and deep tone. I play fingerstyle and not with pick.
I am planning to maybe use some reverb, tried that out through the head with the cab connected and a E-nano Holy Grail in front. It creates a nice and ambient sound.
 
#50
800 euro is not that tight a budget actually:

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...85449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr#

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...84ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...84ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr

The NY121 lacks sub and low frequencies so my guess is to buy a front ported 15-inch second cab. Of course it is safe to buy from another manufacturer :)

That's what I would do but don't let that stop you.

- cheerio!
 
#51
cloclo said:
800 euro is not that tight a budget actually:

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...85449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr#

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...84ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...84ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr

The NY121 lacks sub and low frequencies so my guess is to buy a front ported 15-inch second cab. Of course it is safe to buy from another manufacturer :)

That's what I would do but don't let that stop you.

- cheerio!
Click to expand...
Thanks man! I'm just a little hesitant about buying from Marktplaats or eBay etc. Don't know why, but I never trust it too much.
 
#53
The louder your stage volume is, the less the soundperson will put you thru the mains, if you have anything less than a huge rig, Imo you are better off with something like that anyway.
I haven't tried the markbass 112, but I sure like the 151., and i think 250 is plenty of watts, especially since you really are getting 250 watts.

I think a tiny amp with maybe 2 6" speakers, or a 1 12 or something , maybe on a snare stand, that the drummer could control the volume of, used in conjunction with a 12 or 2 10, or (i like) a 15 for your reference would be a great solution. Getting the drummer to hear my pocket, without getting too loud in the stage volume has been a challenge to me.
 
#54
cloclo said:
800 euro is not that tight a budget actually:

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...85449651fa109c354bbabe740c1b&previousPage=lr#

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...84ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr

http://www.marktplaats.nl/a/muziek-...84ef0ece270f44503df9f8598c624&previousPage=lr

The NY121 lacks sub and low frequencies so my guess is to buy a front ported 15-inch second cab. Of course it is safe to buy from another manufacturer :)

That's what I would do but don't let that stop you.

- cheerio!
Click to expand...

I recently sold an older Markbass head as in your first link. I ran it into an SWR Basic 2-way, an early professional line can of SWR's. I gigged with a loud drummer for five years with that set up and never felt I needed anything bigger. Clubs here in Switzerland that have live music are not generally large. I used a second cab at a party where the English music community of Geneva got together. I didn't need it, but there was another player who had a Goliath and we stacked them for the fun of it.
 
#55
If you're playing on the lighter side of rock and in smaller venues, 250 solid state watts should be plenty of power for what you need. My concern is the single 12" cab which I don't feel will compete sonically with the size of your band unless its mic'd up to a house PA. Loudness and presence has a lot more to do with how many speakers you have pushing air than amp watts. I would personally opt for a 2x10 cab at the very least.
 
#56
TheGravyNator said:
...
I am going to buy the head and the cab from Markbass...I am going to look for an extension cab, though. And I have 2 questions about that. 1. It is safe to buy from another manufacturer, right? I just want this to be sure...
Click to expand...

I highly recommend that you buy two identical 112 8 ohm cabinets. Otherwise, the number of variables you introduce into your set up and its sound/performance will in the end reveal themselves as unacceptable, and you will soon be shopping again.

But, you could buy BOTH cabs from someone besides Markbass.
 
#57
Jim Carr said:
I highly recommend that you buy two identical 112 8 ohm cabinets. Otherwise, the number of variables you introduce into your set up and its sound/performance will in the end reveal themselves as unacceptable, and you will soon be shopping again.

But, you could buy BOTH cabs from someone besides Markbass.
Click to expand...
Okay, so 2x12" is a good idea to match. I'll see about buying which cabinets. I am going to ask a guy who knows alot about it tomorrow, so I'll see what he recommends.
 
#58
I'm not certain if people still watch this thread, but I am almost done getting my rig together. I bought the Markbass head and combined it with a Hartke XL 2x10 and I'm currently waiting on the 1x15. The gigs where I've played currently, small stages, the 2x10 already got through the mix without needing to crank it. But I've been in the PA most situations. So, considering I haven't even added the 1x15, I think my volume will be plenty. Thanks everyone for helping me out! Peace off! ;)
 
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