Re: Can small amps sound big?
I've been touring with a Fender Super Champ for the past 6 years. 18w, 2x6V6's, 1 x 10" speaker. Once it has an SM57 in its face and lets the PA do the work, it sounds huge. In 2003, we toured Australia supporting Joe Cocker, playing large theatres and concert venues. Joe's guitar player had a Bogner head, a 100w Marshall head and two quad boxes. We did 20 shows with them, and at the soundcheck for the final show, Joe's FOH engineer came up to the stage and walked around my amp a couple of times, shaking his head. He said "What the hell is this thing? There's no way in the world that I can get the sound you're getting from (Joe's guitarist's) rig. Too much volume off stage, too many speakers, too much spill."
Yep, small amps can sound huge. Depending on the music style, the bottom end that large amps and 4x12's produce are exactly the frequencies that an experienced sound engineer will be REMOVING at the console so that they don't conflict with the body of the bass and the kick drum. The 4x12 design was created for conditions that date back to 1966, when PA systems were inefficient and underpowered. In smaller rooms, the long throw and extraneous low end that 4 x 12's produce is an engineer's nightmare. Their direct offstage sound is often painful and nothing like what you are perceiving standing close to the amp. Multiple speaker setups for recording only serve to confuse the diaphragm of condenser mics. The focus of a single speaker, in an amp that is driving its power stage nicely but not blasting out the windows, is a thing of great beauty.
Cheers.........................wahwah
