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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | No, not another, "gee, what amp works best with my Ovation", newbie question -- i can search ;)
But i have decided on an amp, thanks to the archived wisdom of this forum. Here's the deal. I am new to electric sound so i have no idea on this issue. I will be playing strictly in my living quarters. So is there any reason to get a 60W amp over a 30W amp?
Thanks in advance.
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gh1 |
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August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | Not unless you want to annoy your neighbors. Now--if you ever DO decide to go out and play somewhere in public, you'd be wanting AT LEAST a 60 watt-er if you'd be playing small rooms and clubs, with the option of piggybacking through a PA with a direct line out of the amp in case you play a venue that's on the large size. For around the house, though, a 30 watt would be fine.. |
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April 2004
Posts: 13303
Location: Latitude 39.56819, Longitude -105.080066 | If you are just playing in your house a 10 WATT would be fine. There are some great little practice amps for under $100 new and plenty of used ones for around $50. |
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April 2006
Posts: 972
Location: PDX | Perfect! That's what i needed to know. I wasn't sure if the added power added any sound quality or just, well, more power. Now, i think i'll trade in my Hummer for a Prius.
Thanks guys!
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gh1 |
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August 2005
Posts: 616
Location: cincinnati, ohio | I heard that the Prius is pretty low maintenance; occasionally you need to replace the gerbil in the squirrel cage that powers the engine. |
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March 2005
Posts: 12759
Location: Boise, Idaho | I have a 30 watt Epiphone that I use in the basement. I've never had it above half way except to see how loud it would get. |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | What you have to remember is that to achieve a 3db increase in level, which effectively doubles the perceived volume, you need to square the power. Put simply, to be twice as loud as 10 watts you need a 100 watt amp. So other than the amount of clean headroom the actual difference in perceived loudness between a 30 watt amp and a 60 watt amp doesn't amount to much. The advantage with low powered tube amps (10 to 15 watts) is you can get your tone happening in the power stage rather than the preamp stage, without going deaf or pissing off the neighbours. For the last few years my main gigging amp has been a 22watt Fender Deluxe Reverb, which was plently loud enough, and my band was pretty damn LOUD. |
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May 2003
Posts: 4389
Location: Capital District, NY, USA Minor Outlying Islands | I have a yamaha 30 watt amp with a boost to 40 watts. I can blow down the f'n house with that thing. In a gig situation I can hold my own no problem.
Also while there's a "squaring" on doubling wattage vis-a-vis volume, but my back says that there's a doubling of weight as the wattage doubles. |
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March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Paul's Right. Low power is the Key to great tone at low volumes... The Vintage 16 is Killer at 5 watts!! and still plenty for anything you would would to do at home or even a small gig. I don't know much about This one , but I bet it sounds great at 1w. :D
If you want absolutely The Cats ASS in small amps, the Zvex rules!! People actually play this with a 4x12 cab!! A 1/2 watt is still pretty loud. go watch the demo video :D |
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February 2002
Posts: 5750
Location: Scotland | I've got a great little book by Jeff Beck's bass player Mo Foster called "17 Watts?" It's about the birth of British rock guitar in the 60's. The title comes from the introduction of a Brit tube amp called the WEM Dominator which had an output of 17 watts.
From Foster's website:
"Around 1960 my school band, The Tradewinds, upgraded its back line of little 5 watt amplifiers with the purchase of a wedge-shaped, blue and white, 17 watt, 4-input, Watkins Dominator amplifier which, at £38/10/-, we could just afford between us. But the band was divided by the prospect of such awesome power: did we really need 17 watts?".
Twenty years later Mo toured the United States with Jeff Beck and a bass rig which, alone, was rated at 1,500 watts!
It's a good read with some great muso quotes. Like the singer who says to a drummer "Could you make it more dynamic" To which the drummer replies "I'm hitting them as hard as I can!"
http://www.mofoster.com/books/index.html |
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November 2005
Posts: 4832
Location: Campbell River, British Columbia | For lead players I recomend the smallest amp possible.
It's fine for practise anytime, and when you play live and always want more of your guitar through the monitors.....until the rest of the band has to live with that high pitched ringing you always hear...
Instead, the sound tech can tape your amp to the side of your head! :D |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | As a rythym player I would like to restrict the size of an amp that the lead player gets to use! :rolleyes: |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | My father in law just passed away (93 years), and he wanted me to have his gear. He had a '73 Vibro Champ and a regular Fender Champ amp about the same vintage. These are 30+ year old tube amps with 6 rms output watts, 12 watts peak. The amps sound great with only 6 watts of power, clean, quiet, and loud. It appears these amps were rarely used. The warrenty card and users manuals are still in the boxes. I used to gig with a Fender Deluxe Reverb amp. I believe it is only 20 watts. For most applications, you don't need a monster amp. If you are are playing the Cotton Bowl, more power will be required. Usually, the complaints are that the music is too loud. It probably is. I'm glad to be back in Tx., So.Cal is too busy for this old timer. Cheers, Buckaroo |
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December 2003
Posts: 13996
Location: Upper Left USA | Buckaroo,
Sorry for the loss of your Father inlaw. I can only hope to make it to 93 and figure out who gets to enjoy my toys when I go!
Enjoy them and his memory! |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Thanks for the kind thoughts. He was a very fine man, a cool guy, a spirited harmonica player, and the best in-law a fellow could have. We always had a good time and lots of laughs. He will be missed. When I go, they're gonna need a moving van to haul off my gear. |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | Originally posted by Buckaroo:
When I go, they're gonna need a moving van to haul off my gear. Are you not feeling well?? I'll be right over... :D :p
Seriously, Sorry about your Pop. I'm closer to my father-in-law then my own dad. very cool that he wanted you to have his gear. Isn't it amazimg what 5-6 watts really sounds like?? Not how loud it is, but that tone!!! |
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December 2005
Posts: 149
Location: New York, NY | I'm in the same boat (well... cramped Manhattan studio, but whatever). I got a Roland Micro Cube to use here and moved my Fender tube to storage (wow I would have killled the neighbors otherwise)! The Micro Cube is amazing - great tone, low price, and a bunch of built in effects. |
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October 2005
Posts: 400
Location: North Texas | Those little Fender amps do sound sweet. I noticed the 8" speakers are 3.2 ohms. That may be why the amps sound bigger than they are. The new DSP amps are nice, you can get great effects without a boatload of pedals. |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | Loudness To Volume Chart |
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June 2005
Posts: 14
| Decibels aren't a linear scale, meaning the difference between 3db and the original signal are pretty big. Also, gain settings has almost as much to do with loudness as power. |
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May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Small amps for a big tone...yes!
I mostly use a 4 watt '55 tweed Fender Princeton, from sweet to snarly, whatever you need. I just got a '62 brownface Princeton (20 watts) for bigger jobs but didn't really have to.
My beautiful '63 Bassman has never been to a gig cause you just don't need 40-50 watts of tube power these days...just put a mike in front of a small amp and save your back!
Wayne |
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January 2003
Posts: 1498
Location: San Bernardino, California | Has anyone tryed one of these yet?
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product?sku=482069 |
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Joined:
March 2005
Posts: 1421
Location: Orange County, California | No, not yet, but I'd like to. Yesterday I went to my local Carvin Factory store a hooked a Vintage 16 to a 4x12 Steve Vai Legacy cabinet. set in Triode mode, they say it makes 5w, but it sure sounded huge!! I would still say these are too much power for home use without a "hotplate" attenuator. I'd like to hear the little epihone. The idea I'm suggesting is to get the whole amp (pre & final stages) into saturation. That is where the "tone" comes form. I'm thinking 1w or less.... |
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Joined:
May 2002
Posts: 1445
Location: Nova Scotia, Canada | Here is a couple pics of the '62 Princeton. I just serviced it with new filter caps, three-prong cord, and nos tubes. Speaker is a vintage alnico Jensen P10Q.
The brown Fender amps are still one of the few bargains in the vintage world. I have about $800 in it.
At 18 watts, you can play it at home (carefully!) but also do some serious gigging with it. Wonderful sounding amp.
Wayne
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/wreid/\'62%20Princeton%20Small/DSCF1468...
http://www3.ns.sympatico.ca/wreid/\'62%20Princeton%20Small/DSCF1476... |
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Joined:
December 2001
Posts: 10583
Location: NJ | killer amp.
I have one that I had a celestian vox bulldog 12 reissue put in and it is one of my favorite amps |
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Amp advise -- please
