Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

[sosomething]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

Somewhere at the bottom of this thread is a nib of steel on a wooden handle that used to be an axe...

 

[Kramer Guy]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I myself, love low wattage amps, especially when you can modifiy them with these babies in them. I bought this FM 25R a couple of weeks ago and got the Rajun Cajun the same day at GC. Right away, the results were noticeable. Major difference in both sound and especially the volume as well.

 

[gvis]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I've got to guess that most of the resistance to using smaller amps is coming from players like Metal Maniac who have have never gigged or rarely gig. Because once you start gigging in bars you'll quickly find out that the owner, the bartender, the waitresses and even other musicians are going to tell you to turn that dam guitar down.

This and the younger crowd who sees the rest of their friends bands using stacks and thinks it's not cool to use anything else. This is a fact, not some guess, because I've spent the last 4 years helping my son's bands with song writing and sound setup and it doesn't matter how times I tell them they don't need stacks for the venues they play. They have literally admitted they do care how it looks on stage, that they want fit in with the rest of the hard rock/metal acts (who also think like they do), and they refuse to admit it could sound better with smaller amps and cause less issues for the sound guys. They are actually very nice with me and do actually listen often to my other advice, but in this area, while polite about it, they look the other way.

So I spend most of my show assessing time with them going over whose stack overpowered the other....lol...because they were overpowering the PA, even at pretty decent sized venues. Many of these shows are competitions with 6 to 10 bands playing 30 minute slots with no option to work with the sound guys, who are just doing the best they can with each no setup forced on them. It takes them the first song to work out the adjustments, but they can only adjust so much to compensate for the less than idea gear and settings the bands are using.

But for where they are and the level they are at it's still just fun, and it still comes out sounding fair enough for the other kids they're playing for. For me though I could never be happy with the mix if it were my band....but it's not...lol.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

Somewhere at the bottom of this thread is a nib of steel on a wooden handle that used to be an axe...

We done ground that ax down to a nib, eh?

Rock on Adam. Get your tone anyway you need to. Make a joyful noise my friend.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

We done ground that ax down to a nib, eh?

Rock on Adam. Get your tone anyway you need to. Make a joyful noise my friend.

Thanks Lew. I shall indeed.

I don't have a problem with people using small amps, and I shouldn't get uppity about what anyone thinks of someone else's gear choices, but I can't help but rankle at the generalizations that get thrown around in threads like these... Especially when my own experience falls so squarely into what I tend to view as obvious and glaring exceptions.

To each their own, truly, and that is the crux of my point.

There is nothing about my amp rig that is the product of ego or naivete. The opposite, actually. If I could save my back and bring a low-wattage combo to gigs instead, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately that kind of thing is akin to bringing a knife to the proverbial gun fight.

 

[Frankly]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

Frank Lee finds it hard to get the Tr00 Kvlt Black Metal Sound (TKBMS) from anything small. Moving the big cabs and heads can smear one's corpse paint, but IFLHO it is worth it for the TKBMS and He can touch up the corpse paint (TUTCP) using his Official Darkthrone Commemorative Candelabra (ODCC). IFLHO, the arguments in favor of small amps are usually made by those who do not use corpse paint as an important part of their sound. You know who you are.

Thank you.

 

[nedcronin]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

It also should be pointed out that despite any advice and logic, there is nothing wrong with wanting a stack if you like to rock. But after you deal with it for a while, the small amps starts looking pretty good.

 

[ratherdashing]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

Thanks Lew. I shall indeed.

I don't have a problem with people using small amps, and I shouldn't get uppity about what anyone thinks of someone else's gear choices, but I can't help but rankle at the generalizations that get thrown around in threads like these... Especially when my own experience falls so squarely into what I tend to view as obvious and glaring exceptions.

To each their own, truly, and that is the crux of my point.

There is nothing about my amp rig that is the product of ego or naivete. The opposite, actually. If I could save my back and bring a low-wattage combo to gigs instead, I'd do it in a heartbeat. Unfortunately that kind of thing is akin to bringing a knife to the proverbial gun fight.

As a guy who gigs with a Mesa half stack, I 100% agree with every word of this post.

You'd better believe I'd gig with a small combo if it got me the results I want. What kind of an idiot would choose a larger, more expensive amp if a smaller, cheaper one would be better?

Someone in the comments of this blog article said it really well, and I paraphrase: there are lots of pros out there who gig all the time, play rooms large and small with top-of-the-line FOH and monitoring systems ... and they choose 100W heads. This includes guys playing every style from country and blues to death metal. They have PA's to pump out as much or as little volume as they need, and they can afford pretty much any amp (or get the manufacturer to endorse them). A player in that situation doesn't have to worry about anything except getting the tone they want. They choose those amps for that exact reason.

Some people need big amps. Some people don't. That should really be the end of the discussion.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I revise my commentz a lil', CAUSE NOW I GIG WITH TEH FULL STACKZ OF DOOOOOOM! CHECK OUT MY NEW CREAM DOOMSICLE RIG:



Just got these cabz played em at full blast yesterday for an hour. I NEEDZ BIG BIG AMPZ These weigh only 40 pounds and do not obstruct my rear view mirror viewing at all.


...I am finally joining the high rankings of fellow full stack TEXAS SIZED, like forumite metalmaniac,

for PURE SONIC MAYHEM DOMINATION!


yall small combo owners dont know what ur missing out on! j/k

 

[sosomething]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I revise my commentz a lil', CAUSE NOW I GIG WITH TEH FULL STACKZ OF DOOOOOOM! Adam (sosomething) convinced me in his thread/article. CHECK OUT MY NEW CREAM DOOMSICLE RIG:

View attachment 35928

Just got these cabz played em at full blast yesterday for an hour. I NEEDZ BIG BIG AMPZ These weigh only 40 pounds and do not obstruct my rear view mirror viewing at all.


...I am finally joining the high rankings of fellow full stack TEXAS SIZED forumite metalmaniac,

for PURE SONIC MAYHEM DOMINATION!


yall small combo owners dont know what ur missing out on! j/k

I'm beginning to wonder if you just can't help but be a dick.

 

[ItsaBass]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

You guys have got to see Driver 23/Atlas Moth.

 

[sosomething]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

You guys have got to see Driver 23/Atlas Moth.

DoB has actually played with the Atlas Moth a couple of times.

Oh you were talking about the movie.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I'm beginning to wonder if you just can't help but be a dick.

k

 

[MetalManiac]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I'm beginning to wonder if you just can't help but be a dick.

why did you say that man? I was surprised to hear you say that. Everdrone is basically paying you a comment, he's a cool gigging musicican.

Anyway..
I play a Marshall full stack greenback celestion NMV 72 Superlead rig. I do not play live, so take that into account.

I recently found out my 72 Superlead is 69 Plexi spec one , so I am,like, on the friggin moon about that. Basically, I have a Hendrix rig aside from the fact Hendrix used G1h30's and not the 25 watt greenbacks, but some say he only did that casue he was blowing the greenbacks cranked out to the max all the time, and that he prefereed 25 watt greenbacks.

Its not about blowing my eardrums with my NMV 100 watt Superlead fullstack... you dont have to stand dirctly in front of a full stack, and you can get some great breakup short of turning it up way way loud, although the poayoff off cranking it way way loud but short of maxxed out is amazing.

Most people with amps are volume shy for no good reason other than they are pussies IMO. The best tones from amps and speaker in Rock will always be about loudness, and some people who are said pussies want to change that fundamental..aint gonna happen.

Then there are arguments to swing the other way, and claim ear damage and other crap unrelated to a good loud rig sounding great. Anthing so these wusses can listen to quiet amps and think they are just as good as a cranked plexi.

Sure, anyone can get ear damage by being an idiot and overdoing it, but a 100 full stack used in the right way isnt one fo the things that will do it if common sense is excersised.

I can tell you that my Plexi Marshall Fullstack IS too loud to crank 100%. THATS BECASUE AT THAT POINT ITS TOO LOUD FOR THE HOUSE, NOT FOR ME.Also when you crank the amp maxxed out,your cabinets must be 100% tight and anything thats not, will rattle like hell, and I can garuntee you, not many peoples cabinets are so tight they can withstand 100 watts turned up way way loud, much less cranked to the max. Most cabinets need some work, cause thay start rattling real quick quick with high volume.

In summary, Im really comnfortable with a 100 watt NMV fullstack with inefficient sepakers turned up way way loudmaybe not 100% cranked ,as long as I dont stand right in front, and also cause all my cabinets have been fixed p;erfect, so thet don't rattle- MUCH easier said then done and something that involved ridiculoaus amount of dedication to get right.

(Can i spellcheck later?)

 

[everdrone]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

I can tell you that my Marshall Fullsatck IS too loud to cranl 100%. THATS BECASUE AT THAT POINT ITS TOO LOUD FOR THE HOUSE, NOT FOR ME.

sigg worthy legendary material there, cheers :beerchug: I wanna say metalmaniac that you have awesome enthusiasm, and great taste in amps and States

 

[AlexR]

Re: Blog: In Defense of Small, Low Wattage Amps

Sure, anyone can get ear damage by being an idiot and overdoing it, but a 100 full stack used in the right way isnt one fo the things that will do it if common sense is excersised.

There's another sig there
I think the 'commonsense' part of it is not having the amp plugged in while you're in the same room