Members jtr654 Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 I set my Fuchs ODS 100 at between 2-4 preamp and master at around 2 played through a 1969 Marshall 4x12 for a full but not real loud sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members caveman Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 I play unplugged a lot or with a 2.5 watt cigar box amp. I also use a Vintage 16 set on 5 watts at home and 16 for "small" gigs. Mostly I use either a BD or HRD set on 2.5 to 3 and driven by a GNX3000, as loud as needed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members noisebloom Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 When I was younger, I had a Marshall JCM800. I played stupid loud. A few years ago, I played through an Orange Tiny Terror. I played less loud than with the Marshall, but it was still pretty damn loud. Now I have a Blackstar HT-5. Now I can get about 80-90% of the loudness of the TT, or I can play as quietly as I like. Very versatile, and I still get a Marshall-like tone. In a few years, I'll be playing very, very quietly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Grantus Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 Shhh, your typing is drowning out my playing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kayd_mon Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 I agree here; I'm not trying to say you need to CRANK a tube amp to full volume to get the best tones out of it. As I mentioned, my AC15 really comes alive somewhere between 10 o'clock and noon. This is still too loud for anything other than band use. It is loud enough to upset the wife, dog, neighbors, etc etc. The sweet spot on a tube amp isn't usually at or below TV volumes. I have an AC15 also, and I have to put the master between 10 and 11 o'clock (preamp volume at 9 o'clock) for rehearsals. It sounds great, but I'm also quite pleased with the sound it gets with lower master volume. I'll also agree that different amps could very well have sweet spots, but the guys who insist you must dime every volume knob are nuts. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members naveed211 Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 With my old Goldtone, they let me crank it up in the store and it sounded incredible, unbelievable raw rock crunch. I was never able to crank it up like that at home and had to use pedals to get close to that tone, but it wasn't the same. I went back to a master volume amp that sounds good at low volumes and gets even better as the volume goes up. It's possible to find an amp that works for both. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Deadbeat Son Posted September 14, 2011 Author Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 With my old Goldtone, they let me crank it up in the store and it sounded incredible, unbelievable raw rock crunch. I was never able to crank it up like that at home and had to use pedals to get close to that tone, but it wasn't the same. I went back to a master volume amp that sounds good at low volumes and gets even better as the volume goes up. It's possible to find an amp that works for both. True, it is possible to find that amp that does both well. I guess the point I was trying to make is some people will immediately write off an amazing amp after trying it at low volumes despite the fact that it sounds stellar at stage volumes (where it was designed to be used). Had you never been able to try the Goldtone at the volume you did, you may have never fallen for that amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members soundcreation Posted September 14, 2011 Members Share Posted September 14, 2011 My Crate V15 sounds absolutely fantastic at TV volume levels. The power tubes are run at full all the time and it has a master volume. Yes it does sound slightly better opened up, but that is it....just slightly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Steadfastly Posted September 15, 2011 Members Share Posted September 15, 2011 Eh? What did you say? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members cybersecretary Posted September 15, 2011 Members Share Posted September 15, 2011 kinda loud over here.. we have the land and space.. ..'90's Fender Vibroverb RI ..home at 4. home with drummer 5 or 6. we are playing an out door party Saturday so we will see how it goes with the air and space..we intend to run our guitars in stereo? my extension cab on his side and his on mine. sounds great at home. IDK. i have done it before in the past but not with this band and material. today i just installed a a whole set of tubes...long time coming... got mesa boogie tubes.. they sound great in the Mesa so what the heck..so far so good. seems like my guitar has come alive..different PUP positions and coil tap sound better for some reason.. why? with the old tubes i was having an issue that the reverb didn't seem as pronounced as i wanted. also had an ocean in it ..sometimes it would make a whooshing /craclky sound. the amp seems to be louder, the break up right there , more distortion, (hope that i can get a clean sound when i want but that's what the other amps are for..) the vibrato and the reverb sound better i think..will have time to play more tomorrow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Faber Posted September 15, 2011 Members Share Posted September 15, 2011 As loud as I need to. One of my bands quite often take gigs where we aren't mic'ed except vocals/drums and in those cases you need the displacement to cut through the mix. I've never had to fully dime my Matchless C30 clone though Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members bluesnapper Posted September 15, 2011 Members Share Posted September 15, 2011 My 18W Cornford amp sounds good at bedroom levels with the master rolled all the way down and the gain turned up as required. But when you max the master volume and turn back the gain, put your earplugs in and shore up the windows it sounds like sex. Perfect for an average-sized pub gig. Anything else I either mic it up or borrow a bigger amp from another guitarist. When I'm practicing at home I almost never use a valve amp - either I don't plug in at all or I use an old SS Laney I picked up cheap in a pawnshop a few years ago - I like to keep it as quiet as possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Willyguitar Posted September 15, 2011 Members Share Posted September 15, 2011 [video=youtube;f5NxsEV0KO4]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=f5NxsEV0KO4 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members DavidMgT Posted September 15, 2011 Members Share Posted September 15, 2011 I usually practice with my 5 Watt Gibson GA-5 at about 2 -3 o'clock, enough to fill the room, but not shake the walls. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members MorganB Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 Until they clone ears, bellow what I would like a wall of sound. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members billythegoat Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I usually have the volume on my little Champion 600 at about half way. Plugged into the LOW input and running through a 2x12. Not overly loud, just enough to get lost in it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members csm Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 For home practice: I use either a MicroCube or a Champion 600, and set the volume so I can sing over them without straining my voice -- ie at a little over the volume of an acoustic guitar. For gigs: the (non-master-vol) Super Reverb starts out around 5+ for gigs, and 4+ at rehearsals. Which isn't to say that the volume won't creep up a little as we go ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I used a DB Meter to check my levels in my music room and it's right around 96 db. For whatever reason, my levels are amazingly consistent, no matter which amp/guitar I play. It always peaks out at 96-97 db. I think it's probably about the same with my band, but I mic my amp and the sound operator keeps track of db levels. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members docjeffrey Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 For home practice: I use either a MicroCube or a Champion 600, and set the volume so I can sing over them without straining my voice -- ie at a little over the volume of an acoustic guitar.For gigs: the (non-master-vol) Super Reverb starts out around 5+ for gigs, and 4+ at rehearsals. Which isn't to say that the volume won't creep up a little as we go ... I read somewhere that in England, a few pubs have installed noise killer systems that shut down the power when a certain level has been reached due to health and safety regulations. Was that the subject of one of your articles in Guitarist, or am I thinking of something else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members csm Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 ^^^ Yep, it was ... The joke was that often it was a CRACK! on the snare from our (unmic'ed) drummer which set off the Infernal Device ... And that the bar in question was on a VERY NOISY main road with huge trucks rumbling by ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members Mr Songwriter Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I think even some big amps can sound good at bedroom levels, moreso with cleans than OD sounds though, an OD pedal + the Drive channel set to 4 or 5 can sound OK at low volume. I've also got a couple of single-ended Class A amps that I built (4W and 5W) which sound great at sensible volume levels, though they're a lot better at cleans/crunch than anything heavy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members kit_strong Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'm strictly a hobbiest, so it's TV to kinda-loud-home-stereo volume, depending on time of day. 20 watts is WAY more firepower than I need, but my JC2112rc sounds good to me at low volume, so... Heh, im in the same situation but running through a 45/90 watt amp. The mast volume has never made it past 9' 0 clock and usually sits closer to 7:30. But it sounds absolutely great at these low volumes which is why I ultimately chose it over yet another low-watt combo. And if I ever do play outside of the house I have an amp that's more than ready for the task. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members theManfromAlabam Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I'm strictly a hobbyist as well now, home stereo loud is the norm, every now and then when no one is home I will fire up one of the old big amps and let'er rip. I love my VHT Special 6 and Marshall Class 5 combo's. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members imbuedblue Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 Depends on the room/situation. I rarely use an amp at home unless it's my Silvertone 1448. I rehearse with a homemade 15W amp at low volumes, and gig with either the homemade amp, a Deluxe Reverb or an AC30. I never crank my amps unless it's for a particular song, and prefer them set just before break up to get some clean sustain and compression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Members StevenJM Posted January 20, 2012 Members Share Posted January 20, 2012 I use a fender bassman that needs to be cranked to sound good, so at home I started using an irig. $40 and you can buy the fender package that has plenty of great amps to choose from. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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