the loudest amp you or a friend has

[zzach]

amp can get loud really loud so what one you had/see.

[daddymack]

Loud is not the arbiter of what makes a good amp...that said, I had a Marshall Super Lead 100W [modded and biased hot] head with the 1960A slant top cab that was the loudest amp I ever owned. I could not stand in front of it indoors over 3.5, which is why I used it mainly for outdoor gigs. Finally just decided it was 5 times more amp than I needed, plus I had my first kid on the way, so I let that beast go [for a lot more than I got it for, too!].

I would guess though, that the Marshall Major, at 200W, would have been a little louder....but I have only read about them, never seen one or heard one, to my knowledge.

[Ancient Mariner]

It's as much about the speakers as the amp - an AC30 with blues will be as loud or louder than a 100 watt stack with inefficient speakers. I still have an AC30, although it's been retired for 20 years.

Presently gigging with a 5W single ended home-built amp through a Ragin Cajun, and that's more than loud enough if you don't mind a little breakup.

[Hoot Owl]

On 11/19/2023 at 12:58 PM, daddymack said:

Loud is not the arbiter of what makes a good amp...that said, I had a Marshall Super Lead 100W [modded and biased hot] head with the 1960A slant top cab that was the loudest amp I ever owned. I could not stand in front of it indoors over 3.5, which is why I used it mainly for outdoor gigs. Finally just decided it was 5 times more amp than I needed, plus I had my first kid on the way, so I let that beast go [for a lot more than I got it for, too!].

I would guess though, that the Marshall Major, at 200W, would have been a little louder....but I have only read about them, never seen one or heard one, to my knowledge.

I just bought a 1986 JCM 800 2203. Yeah, it's loud alright. I'm working on acquiring a 4x12. When I do, I'll post a 'new amp' thread.

I also ordered a 50-watt Fryette Power Station, to make playing it survivable.

[Hoot Owl]

On 11/29/2023 at 1:01 AM, Ancient Mariner said:

It's as much about the speakers as the amp - an AC30 with blues will be as loud or louder than a 100 watt stack with inefficient speakers. I still have an AC30, although it's been retired for 20 years.

Presently gigging with a 5W single ended home-built amp through a Ragin Cajun, and that's more than loud enough if you don't mind a little breakup.

Ragin' Cajun? Isn't that Eminence?

I have a Reignmaker, from Eminence. They don't make them anymore, but they can be very useful. On the magnet there is a dial. Turn it one way and it's at full efficiency. Turn it the other way to reduce efficiency. (edit) I found my notes: Reignmaker sensitivity ranges from 92.5-98.7 dB. The speaker sounds good too, so I don't understand why they apparently didn't sell.

Edited December 14, 2023 by Hoot Owl

[ksl]

an olde, long gone Fender PS400,,  it had a pair of 6550, & a par of 6L6's & tons of other tubes,,,, it weighed just shy of a ton.... left my house once or twice then dumped it.... No regrets but it was certainly unique🥵🥵

[daddymack]

7 hours ago, ksl said:

an olde, long gone Fender PS400,,  it had a pair of 6550, & a par of 6L6's & tons of other tubes,,,, it weighed just shy of a ton.... left my house once or twice then dumped it.... No regrets but it was certainly unique🥵🥵

You actually played through that? You are a brave man!

I have seen one, never heard it working.; around 450W, class AB, the head weighed about 90 lbs, IIRC; one thing I remember from the guy who was rebuilding it, it has to run 6550A tubes...anything else dies a swift and painful death. I don't know if he ever actually used it, but the tube complement cost more than he paid for the head when he got it. Definitely a monster...those, were, I believe, originally designed for bass [as was the Marshall Major 200W]. 

[Ancient Mariner]

On 12/3/2023 at 5:02 PM, Hoot Owl said:

Ragin' Cajun? Isn't that Eminence?

Yup, that's the one. IIRC it's a 101dB/1W/1M - so quite efficient. For me it's a nicely balanced and rounded speaker at lower volumes with no flub and also no icepick. Smaller so it goes in a tiny cab that makes transport easier.

[denitronik]

I have a Peavey MACE combo with 160 watts RMS output (6 6L6s). A nightmare for any FOH sound guy.

[badpenguin]

I thought we had something along the same lines a few weeks ago.... Ah well.

Loudest I've had was a Duncan Convertible 100. Had the 4 or 5 tube plug ins. Fantastic sounding beast that was just too loud for human ears. That and it was just WAY too heavy to lug around town. Something around the 90 pound mark. Too stupid for a combo amp.

[Hoot Owl]

Not the most watts, but 'up there'. And expensive!

PRICE:

Starting at 9,999.99

Bludotone Amp Works - Hi - Plains Drifter

[zzach]

Quote

On 12/11/2023 at 8:57 AM, Hoot Owl said:

Not the most watts, but 'up there'. And expensive!

PRICE:

Starting at 9,999.99

Bludotone Amp Works - Hi - Plains Drifter

 

                

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

(JK)

[Hoot Owl]

On 12/3/2023 at 10:29 PM, ksl said:

an olde, long gone Fender PS400,,  it had a pair of 6550, & a par of 6L6's & tons of other tubes,,,, it weighed just shy of a ton.... left my house once or twice then dumped it.... No regrets but it was certainly unique🥵🥵

Oh, right, those. When Radiohead started using them they became collectable. I saw one go for four grand a while back on Reverb.

 

 

 

😁🤣

(JK)

[Hoot Owl]

I'm into porn...deep and loud. Amp porn😁. So, having a morning hard-on, post pics, anything over 100-watts...or 100-watts if yours is small😒.😉

Out of the blue, off the top of my head, 120-watts.

Leviathan – RedSeven Amplification | Boutique Amplifiers and Devices (redseven-amplification.com)

They made ONE, just one, in this format (special order). I'll bet this goes for a lot of money someday (you know, some crazy-rich Asian (like the movie) into The Joker).

 

Edited December 14, 2023 by Hoot Owl

[Hoot Owl]

Engl Savage 120

 

[Hoot Owl]

Old school. These became hot when sludge metal doods started using them. 150-watts. And according to the article, there is a reissue coming.

“Every meeting we have, we talk about the Model T”: Sunn confirms a reissue of its most iconic amp is in the works – and it might be more affordable than you think | Guitar World

 

[Hoot Owl]

Bogner has a 150-watt version of the Uber-Ultra - KT88's.

 

[1001gear]

Like the Red Seven demo the clean sounds and the bouncy ballsy riffs.

[Mr.Grumpy]

I still own a Music Man HD-212 combo amp, basically a Fender Twin style amp on steroids. This is the oddest type of "hybrid" amp, solid state (op-amp) preamp section with a robust tube power amp section. It runs four 6L6GCs at 700+ volts to put out a very clean one hundred and fifty watts. Luckily, it has a "hi-lo power" switch that runs the power amp with a lower B+ plate voltage which helps both tube life and ears. 

When my Music Man crapped out I replaced it with a used SS Marshall 1x12 combo and that met my needs for a fairly loud two-guitar band. I'm a pedal guy, so I just need a good loud clean tone and maybe some decent spring reverb. 

Loud, heavy amps have pretty much become "white elephants" for most musicians and music genres, except OF COURSE high-gain head/cabinet stacks preferred and metal players. But a clean 100 watt combo amp like a Fender Twin or my Music Man? Worth less used than a smaller lighter amp like a Fender Deluxe or Princeton. "Too heavy, too loud!" 

[daddymack]

On 12/17/2023 at 12:33 PM, Mr.Grumpy said:

I still own a Music Man HD-212 combo amp, basically a Fender Twin style amp on steroids. This is the oddest type of "hybrid" amp, solid state (op-amp) preamp section with a robust tube power amp section. It runs four 6L6GCs at 700+ volts to put out a very clean one hundred and fifty watts. Luckily, it has a "hi-lo power" switch that runs the power amp with a lower B+ plate voltage which helps both tube life and ears. 

When my Music Man crapped out I replaced it with a used SS Marshall 1x12 combo and that met my needs for a fairly loud two-guitar band. I'm a pedal guy, so I just need a good loud clean tone and maybe some decent spring reverb. 

Loud, heavy amps have pretty much become "white elephants" for most musicians and music genres, except OF COURSE high-gain head/cabinet stacks preferred and metal players. But a clean 100 watt combo amp like a Fender Twin or my Music Man? Worth less used than a smaller lighter amp like a Fender Deluxe or Princeton. "Too heavy, too loud!" 

They are the dinosaurs of the gigging world. Once PAs could handle mic-ing amps, the days of the stacks and excessive wattage were numbered.