Topic: Amplifiers: how many watts?
How powerful does an amplifier need to be for gigging?
I've got a 5 watt Tube/Valve amp (Harley-Benton GA5) but I have a feeling you wouldn't be able to hear it with drums as well...
1 2008-05-16 19:11:00 (edited by Tibernius 2008-05-16 19:11:32)
- gnomefry
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Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
I use a 30 watt and it works for me.
:P:P:P:P
- gitaardocphil
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Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
Goodmorning TIBERNIUS.
What do you mean by gig: big concert palace, bars, playing for 100 or 1000 people?
My FENDER CYBERTWIN AMP is a 2x65W. I am privileged because I lice AND in the center of my village AND yet alone. There is a parking plot with 2 houses, and one is mine.
Example, you know the "auto scooters"standing in front of my house and making a lot of "boom boom" electronic music. On a day in 2006, they come twice a year, I played electric because the music was so loud and watching a movie? Forget it. So I opened my "guitar room" window, volume on 5, and the owner of that attraction, a friend, I still see his head through the window asking if I could play not that loud, since their music isn't as loud as before. I think if I should give a gig that my amp will heard quit good.
CONCLUSION: Go up at least to 100W, if you use 50W and the drummer plays louder, you can increase the volume but the sound is different.
[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color] AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
Thanks Doc. 
It would be small-medium gigs as I haven't started yet and don't have a band to play in...I'm just thinking about if I'll need to upgrade or not. I don't have the money for another amp yet but I'm seeing if it's worth saving up.
Is the Cybertwin Valve/Tube or Solid-State?
I've read that the volume of a Tube/Valve amp is around three times more than a Solid-State that has the same amount of watts.
What I'm thinking of is maybe getting the GA15 (the 15 watt version of the GA5) and running it through a 2x12 cab. which would increase the total volume by around 3db, which gives the same volume as a 30 watt. (I think.) 
The other would be to save and get a Peavey Windsor Head (100 watts) or Epiphone SoCal50 (50 watts) and a 2x12 or 4x12 cab.
- Russell_Harding
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Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
Fender hot rod delux deville two ten's or twelve inch speakers and 50 watts of butt kickin power you cant turn it up to past 6 or you will need an ear operation it has 6L6 tubes not digital and an overdive system not mention a fine reverb im not sure of the price today I paid around $650 new but its all the amp and then some if you want to play louder mic the amp throug the pa that is if you have a mixing board with a sound engineer somewhere in the room otherwise if the band is louder then this amp can put out I woulden't want to be in the room without ear protection as it would be very uncomfortable
"Growing old is not for sissies"
Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
You should be OK with anything bigger than 50 or 60 watts in a pub/small club sized venue. The biggest problem is the drums and getting over them.
One solution is to take a DI/line out of your amp and going into a channel on the mixing desk of the PA, or miking up the amp into the PA. This way you can use pretty much any size amp you want (even a little practice one).
One piece of practical advice to anyone thinking of gigging. Remember that having a Marshall full stack may look big and clever and you may fry the face of the audience and kill small animals in a 1 mile radius but at the end of the evening you have to get half a ton of gear home, up the stairs to your flat (without waking the neighbours), and into your home. When starting out, weight and bulk are just as bigger factors as volume.
Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
Russell_Harding wrote:
Fender hot rod delux deville two ten's or twelve inch speakers and 50 watts of butt kickin power you cant turn it up to past 6 or you will need an ear operation it has 6L6 tubes not digital and an overdive system not mention a fine reverb im not sure of the price today I paid around $650 new but its all the amp and then some if you want to play louder mic the amp throug the pa that is if you have a mixing board with a sound engineer somewhere in the room otherwise if the band is louder then this amp can put out I woulden't want to be in the room without ear protection as it would be very uncomfortable
Is this it Russ?
http://www.guitarampkeyboard.com/en/fen … le-212/343
shaunm wrote:
One piece of practical advice to anyone thinking of gigging. Remember that having a Marshall full stack may look big and clever and you may fry the face of the audience and kill small animals in a 1 mile radius but at the end of the evening you have to get half a ton of gear home, up the stairs to your flat (without waking the neighbours), and into your home. When starting out, weight and bulk are just as bigger factors as volume.
I was thinking about that...come to think of it I wouldn't even have anywhere to store a Stack.
- Russell_Harding
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Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
tibernius thats the mother im talking bout whooo daddy! aint she purrdy
"Growing old is not for sissies"
9 2008-05-17 20:35:16 (edited by Russell_Harding 2008-05-17 20:36:35)
- Russell_Harding
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Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
I think I just said that
shaunm wrote:
You should be OK with anything bigger than 50 or 60 watts in a pub/small club sized venue. The biggest problem is the drums and getting over them.
One solution is to take a DI/line out of your amp and going into a channel on the mixing desk of the PA, or miking up the amp into the PA. This way you can use pretty much any size amp you want (even a little practice one).One piece of practical advice to anyone thinking of gigging. Remember that having a Marshall full stack may look big and clever and you may fry the face of the audience and kill small animals in a 1 mile radius but at the end of the evening you have to get half a ton of gear home, up the stairs to your flat (without waking the neighbours), and into your home. When starting out, weight and bulk are just as bigger factors as volume.
"Growing old is not for sissies"
- gitaardocphil
- Honoured Member
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Re: Amplifiers: how many watts?
Tibernius, the fender amp is a FENDER CYBER AMP, and one of the pioneers, of a whole amp generation.
IT IS CALLED AN HYBRID AMP, both DIGITAL and TUBES. You are able to have the genuine tones of legendary tube amps, plus the effects and flexibility of digital amp technology.
And believe me the day I bought it I compared it with other amps, fender amps included. I played it there in an isolated room together with a man from the store. FOR all the PURISTS, I didn't hear the difference with the cyber in a Bassman position and the real bassman, later I compared this amp with some others from friends = RESULT no difference. It is an amazing amp, do you really need such an amp, probably not, but on the other hand there are so many possibilities.
It is a very strong amp, you will never be "over-played" by a drummer.
HERE IS A LINK FOR THE FENDER CYBERTWIN:
http://www.proaudioreview.com/musician_ … twin.shtml
[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color] AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]