Members poomwah Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 whats the smallest amp you could conceivably get away with for gigs. Is it true that when set up right, the only thing your amp is really for is for YOU to hear it, and everyone else hears what goes through the PA? or does it all depend on how you set up? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catphish Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 whats the smallest amp you could conceivably get away with for gigs. Is it true that when set up right, the only thing your amp is really for is for YOU to hear it, and everyone else hears what goes through the PA? or does it all depend on how you set up? the smallest possible depends on what type of gig. For my gig I wouldn't go less than 500 watts ever, and I currently use 800. As for your second question, with the right set up your on stage amp can be just a monitor. That's what I do. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Thumper Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 200 watts (or so) combo, preferably with a 15 inch driver. An Ashdown 180-15 is giggable for small venues. For bigger shows, you'd probably need to go through the PA. I have a Traynor 200 watt tube head and 1x15 and 2x10 cabs. It's plenty loud for most settings. I run through the PA only to get a monitor feed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Moderators ThudMaker Posted January 24, 2008 Moderators Share Posted January 24, 2008 Depends on the drummer and your guitards. I refuse to play in bands where my 300 watt WalkAbout Scout 12 isn't loud enough halfway up. Most of the places I play would kick us out if we were any louder and if it's a bigger place where that won't cut the mustard, there's a soundman and a sound system to push the bass where it needs to be. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members wades_keys Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 the smallest possible depends on what type of gig. For my gig I wouldn't go less than 500 watts ever, and I currently use 800. As for your second question, with the right set up your on stage amp can be just a monitor. That's what I do. Yup. I had a 200 watt amp and it did not have the headroom to cut through the band mix, without getting muddy and sloppy. I think a good general rule, is that if you have to turn the volume on the amp past halfway, then you need more wattage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members T. Alan Smith Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 whats the smallest amp you could conceivably get away with for gigs. Is it true that when set up right, the only thing your amp is really for is for YOU to hear it, and everyone else hears what goes through the PA? or does it all depend on how you set up? I would think it equally important for those your playing with to hear it as well. If I'm playing with rock type musicians the very least I would need would be a Peavey TNT. From there, an Ampeg B100R. These are only 100 watt amps pushing single 15" drivers. But there's something about their inherent design that allows them to really scream. That said, I'm currently using a 300W rig accompanying mostly acoustic players. The headroom is sweet. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Art_n_Music Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 You still haven't said what size gig are we talking about? A bar? A 350 count club? 1000+? You're playing what? Rock, Funk, Jazz? Guessing a rock band for a club with 250-400 people? 400w minimum. I can do that with good equipment. If your going from garage band to playing gigs, you don't want to outgrow your equipment any faster than possible. Get as powerful an amp as you can afford, and one cab (4x10?) then add another cab as shows warrant. If it's jazz or lower volume electric, a good 400w amp and a 212 cab is plenty. That's what I started with. Now I looking at a 600w Mesa. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Roguetitan Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 it depends on whether you are talking tube or SSa venuewhere you could get away with using a 100 watt tube amp and a couple of 1x15's you would need at least a 300 watt amp to match the output of the tube amp. for a small coffee house gig you could get away with a 100 watt amp with a 1x12. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Kelemvor Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 whats the smallest amp you could conceivably get away with for gigs. Is it true that when set up right, the only thing your amp is really for is for YOU to hear it, and everyone else hears what goes through the PA? or does it all depend on how you set up? Just mic one of these... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members REMUS Posted January 24, 2008 Members Share Posted January 24, 2008 Most of the questions you have asked have been answered, repeatedly, just check out the search function a little For me I know how loud my current rig is when it is cranked, that is 480w RMS so for me I guess 350w RMS is about right. That is for black metal and punk. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members gspointer Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 This is the smallest rig I can get away with using. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members sodacose Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I love my 500w 29lbs. Mark Bass combo. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I can't possibly get by with less... Well...unless it's this: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rikshaw Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 Most of the questions you have asked have been answered, repeatedly, just check out the search function a little go back to talkbass! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members REMUS Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 go back to talkbass! They won't have me! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members rikshaw Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 They won't have me! i don't blame them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members WynnD Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 There's obviously many answers. I've gigged with a 70 watt Sunn tube amp into an Acoustic 301 cabinet. (Single 18" speaker, front loaded folded horn configuration.) It was as loud as I ever wanted to play. I've also gigged with an Acoustic 136 bass combo amp. 100 watts, solid state with a single 15" rear loaded folded horn. (Small cabinet.) Currently I play throughHartke Kickback 12". 120 watts Hartke 3500 into a 4-10" Sunn cabinet or a Single 15" Hartke or both for large or outdoor gigs. (That's 240 watts into one cabinet or 350 watts into the pair.) If you play with sane musicians, 100-200 watts should be enough. If you need more, there had better be a LARGE PA and sound engineer there to feed though. Stay away from cheap speakers. (Someone is sure to ding me for having Hartkes.) I would buy another Acoustic 301 cabinet if I could find one. (Now that I have a vehicle large enough to easily haul it around in.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members REMUS Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 i don't blame them Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members catsandstrats Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I gotta say this. The question is impossible to answer. It is like asking what is the cheapest bass I can gig with......there is no way to answer it. I can tell you this. If you want to sound great, you need to play through something that will give you full frequency response even if you are going to mic the amp. With that said, I think you need to gig with at least a speaker 8 inches. If you want to sound pretty good. You can use a DI box or a SansAmp and go straight through the PA, so this is in reality the smallest rig you can gig with, and the cheapest. I hope this helps you understand why the answers are so different from person to person. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mikey Tightness Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 In the cover band I'm in, I gig with a Yorkville BM200 and it's loud enough. Also, we have a drummer that uses an electronic V-Kit, so his volume isn't ever over the top. If we had a loud drummer I think I'd have to play into the PA or get another cab At our biggest gig we put me direct into the PA from my line out and it did the trick I'm on a tight budget so it's fine with me Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members guitargod0dmw Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I can tell you this. If you want to sound great, you need to play through something that will give you full frequency response even if you are going to mic the amp. With that said, I think you need to gig with at least a speaker 8 inches. A single 8 inch speaker isn't going to give you a full frequency response. I also don't think you need a full frequency response to sound great. To have that, you need a tweeter...and I like a lot of guys here don't like tweeters. I use them occasionally for different types of work, but for my main gig in a metal band...no. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members burdizzos Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I rock a DI and IEMs. I sometimes throw a bass rig on stage for the band's benefit. With a quality PA, the bass rig matters little. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members tylytle Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 With a quality PA, the bass rig matters little. This is true, as long as the rig gives you what you want to hear on stage. I use a SansAmp RBI through a Crown XLS202 into an old Peavey 12" floor monitor (modified) And it kills in tone and throws very little sound off stage. This lets the PA do the work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members poomwah Posted January 25, 2008 Author Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 thanks everybody for all the info. I'm sorry I dont use the search function more, but I dont usually get the kind of info I want that way. And I'm sorry that its frustrating that my questions are sometimes vague and open ended, or too general. But I get the most and usually best info that way :] Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Bob O'Brian Posted January 25, 2008 Members Share Posted January 25, 2008 I love my 500w 29lbs. Mark Bass combo. So do I!I gig with one regularly and once I realised that I never turned the volume past about three (active bass) or at the most five (passive bass), I have decided not to bother with an extension cab. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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