Do we use the correct amps?

[randygt]

amen shawn,preach on brother....i agree, i love my stacks but i think too many people are caught up in this 1/2 milliwatt cranked up amp thingy.
It really irks me when someone with a limited budget asks for advice about which amp to buy and 400 people tell them to buy a valve jr stack or a blackheart or some other piece of crap and then the person is stuck with an amp they outgrew in a month.

 

[randygt]

...and just to add: I don't forsee Eric Johnson or Angus Young giving up there stacks anytime soon for a Tiny Terror or a Blackheart

 

[Jason]

amen shawn,preach on brother....i agree, i love my stacks but i think too many people are caught up in this 1/2 milliwatt cranked up amp thingy.
It really irks me when someone with a limited budget asks for advice about which amp to buy and 400 people tell them to buy a valve jr stack or a blackheart or some other piece of crap and then the person is stuck with an amp they outgrew in a month.

I'm not really sure how you can outgrow an amp... unless it sounds like ass, maybe? I guess in that way, I outgrew my first amp (20watt SS Crate) quite awhile back.

I've been playing for around 12 years and I've had my Valve Jr for about 2 weeks. Should I have outgrown it 12 years before I even got it? Good tone is good tone... and 5 watts of Class A tube can keep up with a drummer just fine. And the nice thing is since it's such low wattage, it can be combined with a OD pedal or attenuator and sound great at bedroom volumes.

The cab actually provides a lot more bottom end than I was expecting as well.. certainly tighter than my C30 combo. Which, by the way, is far too loud for any useful purpose I could think of. Without an attenuator, it's too loud for playing with drums. At home practice volumes it sounds terrible.

I've played on halfstacks before too and they're just ridiculous, imo. You're certainly pushing a greater volume of air with a 4x12, but it doesn't sound "right" at low volumes at all. Short of arenas or huge outdoor festivals, there is no practical environment for something of that nature. You just don't need it, and something smaller is going to sound better in smaller venues just because you can actually crank them and get proper power tube saturation. If you need a tighter bottom end, a closed back extension cab will get you there.

My "little" 5watt amp has amazing tone, good bottom end, and can get loud enough to damage my hearing. What do I need a bigger amp for again?

 

[LPV]

I've got a show coming up (about 300 people in a gymnasium) and I'm going to use my little giant thru a 412. Those little class A buggers hit right in the sweet spot in the mix and cut right thru. At sound check I may even decide to turn it sideways for side fill and mike it. I rarely had my jubilee louder than that when I was gigging regular.

Listen to this. Skip to about 5:00 in. Peter Stroud (Don Henley/ Sheryll Crow). Pro insight on stage volume. [ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8-eBlYwmaAA&feature=channel_page]YouTube - Boutique Tone /65 Amps Tone Party-Part 1 w/Peter Stroud[/ame]

 

[LPV]

...and just to add: I don't forsee Eric Johnson or Angus Young giving up there stacks anytime soon for a Tiny Terror or a Blackheart

I'm not selling my jubilee either, but I doubt many people here play where Angus Young plays...

 

[randygt]

....well, i've been playing for 25+ years and have covered about all the bases as a touring musician, sideman/hired gun, hobbyist, recording etc...speaking from experience a 5 watt amp isn't gonna cut it on stage. Give me one example of a pro-guitarist using a freakin valve jr as a gigging amp.
If anyone can give me an example of these toy amps keeping up with a drummer who has a quality drum set and knows how to tune them then i'll believe it.
I play in a 3 piece power trio, the drummer has a really nice set of DW drums and he has the 35+ years of experience tuning and playing drums. There is no way a toy amp could step above those drums. Now if you're just beating the hell out of an E chord that's one thing, but if you are a lead guitarist you will definitely need some headroom to let the lead lines breathe.

 

[jo07]

+1

 

[axepilot]

....well, i've been playing for 25+ years and have covered about all the bases as a touring musician, sideman/hired gun, hobbyist, recording etc...speaking from experience a 5 watt amp isn't gonna cut it on stage. Give me one example of a pro-guitarist using a freakin valve jr as a gigging amp.
If anyone can give me an example of these toy amps keeping up with a drummer who has a quality drum set and knows how to tune them then i'll believe it.
I play in a 3 piece power trio, the drummer has a really nice set of DW drums and he has the 35+ years of experience tuning and playing drums. There is no way a toy amp could step above those drums. Now if you're just beating the hell out of an E chord that's one thing, but if you are a lead guitarist you will definitely need some headroom to let the lead lines breathe.

Agreed.

Headroom is the issue that players seem to ignore at times. The cleans need to cut, the leads need to stand out when you roll up the volume. You don't need a 100 watt rig to do this, but don't be fooled into thinking a very low power amp will cut it live, mic'ed up.

The guitar needs to breathe................................

 

[Shawn Fate]

Agreed.

Headroom is the issue that players seem to ignore at times. The cleans need to cut, the leads need to stand out when you roll up the volume. You don't need a 100 watt rig to do this, but don't be fooled into thinking a very low power amp will cut it live, mic'ed up.

The guitar needs to breathe................................

there is not a whole of difference in volume between a 50 watt and 100 watt head....just headroom.

 

[HogmanA]

 

[Splattle101]

I also just want to add that an electric guitar relies on an amplifier to even be a musical instrument, and an amplifier changes how it works. If I spend a while practicing at house volumes, I play like shit when it comes to proper volume and I have to go through a period of adjusting when it comes to gigs. A guitar going through an amp where the volume is loud enough to get into trouble is definitely different to play than one through a quiet amp. And needs to be played differently

its like practicing guitar parts on a bass - you can learn where youre going to put your fingers, but its not the same as a guitar and your fingers wouldnt be used the guitar when it came to the gig. (though this simile is a bit of an exageration to make the point).

volume and practice is just an issue and probably always has been - same for drummers, trumpeters!, etc

Good point, and good post!

It's a different instrument when you've got it loud enough that it wants to play itself.

 

[Tuxedo Kaz]

you guys arnt cranking your 100 watt stacks?..damn, sometimes i run through two at once.

I'm with Shawn on this one.

I get enjoyment out of playing so loud I have to go into another room to avoid permanent hearing damage. Why? Cause it's rock and roll!

It's nifty to play small amps (I own a Tiny Terror) but it's definitely not as fun.