How many watts do you really need?

[strat_master]

Ok we all know 100 watts is way too much but how much watts should a person really have? In my case i do not play in a band but would only jam with friends or practice alone. I was considering the dsl401 this summer but then after reconsidering it, would i be able to do what i mentioned with a dsl201 20 watt combo? I do not plan on gigging right now and just want a good sounding tube amp. Also i may only play with say a drummer just for fun. I wnat the volume managable ad be able to push the tubes and get a good sound. So would the dsl201 be a good choice or should i pay thee xtra cash and get the dsl401? As far as i know but i may be wrong the dls401 can be hooked up to cabs while the dsl201 can not be hooked up to any cabinets.

Also just wondering how much do the two amps differ in cost? I live in canada in toronto ontario so im not sure how the prices would translate.

 

[That90'sGuy]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

While I don't know what the difference is in tone between those DSL models, I will tell you that it doesn't hurt to grab something with a lot of watts. I'm not advocating that you should run out and get that Crate Blue Voodoo 300w monstrosity, but you'd be surprised just how reasonable a 40-50w amp is.

It's all up to you. Keep in mind that the 20w will only work wonders in a bedroom type setup, anything else it won't be able to handle (so essentially, it's an expensive practice amp). 40w will be versatile enough to get you through clubs well.

 

[Mincer]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

I use a Mesa Blue Angel, which is selectable from 18-25-38 watts...I use it in the 18 watt setting all the time, and it is loud enough to be heard over a drummer. I think wattage in itself is not enough to determine the loudness. Go for an amp you like the tone of- you can always add cabs or slave it later.

 

[kmcguitars]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

The watts is just a number. It doesn't always represent the actural RMS
power the Amp puts out. Kinda like a 200HP car can be as fast/or faster
than a car rated at 300HP. For what ever reason My 12 watt Princeton Reverb was louder than my 30 watt Peavey ?? ( Go figure?) That said
IMHO amps in the 50 watt range (or 2 power tubes opposed to 4) should be
plenty loud for most situations. I used to gig with a 135 watt Twin :saeek:
IT WAS INSANE !! common logic would dictate Just turn it down But as
guitarist that logic just don't seem to work for us. :laugh2: :laugh2:

 

[BornToShred]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

20-30w is enough for bedroom and rehearsals.
For gigs, a 50 watt will do nicely.

100w is overkill.

 

[PUCKBOY99]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

How many watts do you really need?


..........JUST 1 MORE!!! :headbang:

 

[Mr Wolf]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

what is 'RMS'?

 

[Chi3f]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

rms = root mean square... it's the effective voltage of ac compared to dc.

what you do is take the peak ac voltage and multiply it by .707 to get the rms value...

yay my Associates degree in electronics technology finally paid off :wink:

 

[Bludave]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

The difference in wattage does not necessarily relate to more volume. A 100watt amp may be only slightly louder than a 50 watt Amp is. IMO the primarary reason to use a higher wattage Amp is to give you more headroom. For example: if you play through a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb Amp the Amp will begin to sound really crunchy at about 3 to 4. At a higher volume it will get muddy. If you use a 80 watt Twin Amp, it will stay clean up to about 5 to 6, and then only break up a little. AS the volume goes up the amount of gain will go up with it. So the type of Tone you are looking for should guide you in the choice of Amps and its wattage. The other thing to consider is your situation may change, and you will then need to buy a larger amp. I would go with a minimum of 40 watts. If the Amp has a master volume you have total control over the volume in almost all situations. If you do start playing with a band, generally all the Amps will be miked anyway so 40 to 50 watts should pretty much cover all your bases.

 

[garublador]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

I'd say to not focus on the number they give for wattage. Listen to the amps and see what tones they give at what volumes and choose your amp that way.

 

[Lewguitar]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

20-30w is enough for bedroom and rehearsals.
For gigs, a 50 watt will do nicely.

100w is overkill.

Yep...I agree. 20 watts at home is plenty. Don't really need more until you're playing with adrummer and a band. Then you need a second 20 watt amp or one 40 or 50 watt amp. 100 watts is to much for the gigs most play...I can't turn 100 watts up loud enough to get the overdrive I like.
Maybe once in a blue moon, but 95% of the time 100 watts is to loud.

Lew

 

[McLaughysSN]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

The difference in wattage does not necessarily relate to more volume. A 100watt amp may be only slightly louder than a 50 watt Amp is. IMO the primarary reason to use a higher wattage Amp is to give you more headroom. For example: if you play through a 22 watt Deluxe Reverb Amp the Amp will begin to sound really crunchy at about 3 to 4. At a higher volume it will get muddy. If you use a 80 watt Twin Amp, it will stay clean up to about 5 to 6, and then only break up a little. AS the volume goes up the amount of gain will go up with it. So the type of Tone you are looking for should guide you in the choice of Amps and its wattage. The other thing to consider is your situation may change, and you will then need to buy a larger amp. I would go with a minimum of 40 watts. If the Amp has a master volume you have total control over the volume in almost all situations. If you do start playing with a band, generally all the Amps will be miked anyway so 40 to 50 watts should pretty much cover all your bases.

thumbs up on the master volume.

a very nifty tool in the control of your amp volume.

my amp is 60 watts tube and i play in a band. i can compete with the rythmn guitarsts 160 watt fender and the bass players 220 watt ampeg. then i took it home, i brought the master volume down and kept the same tone i had when i was cranking the volume before. but i wasn't blowing the house down at all

 

[Duncan]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

20-30w is enough for bedroom and rehearsals.
For gigs, a 50 watt will do nicely.

100w is overkill.

Yep - I'd agree. 50watt tube job will do pretty much anything you want...

Alternatively, with the really good attenuators on the market now (Hot Plate, Weber Mass, Airbrake, Powerbrake) you can still get a 100watter and crank it a bit more...makes life easier these days...

 

[southadc]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

rms = root mean square... it's the effective voltage of ac compared to dc.

what you do is take the peak ac voltage and multiply it by .707 to get the rms value...

yay my Associates degree in electronics technology finally paid off :wink:

And here was me thinking you divided by the square root of 2 :laugh2: I've watched people's eyes glaze over before when I've carefully explained that the 240v quoted as the UK power supply is the RMS, and the peak is more like 340. Most people are snoring about now :smack:

Isn't the wattage of an amp logarithmic in terms of how much the 'loudness' changes? (My electronics isn't that good). I mean, a 100 watt amp isn't twice as loud as a 50 watt amp, which isn't twice as loud as a 25 watt amp and so on. Is it coincidence that the Richter scale is logarithmic? :laugh2:

 

[Charvel]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

DUDE YOU DEFFINANTLY NEED 300W~!!!! It sounds cooler haha jk, but yah, it would still be nice to own a Crate blue voodoo

 

[Mincer]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

thumbs up on the master volume.

a very nifty tool in the control of your amp volume.

my amp is 60 watts tube and i play in a band. i can compete with the rythmn guitarsts 160 watt fender and the bass players 220 watt ampeg. then i took it home, i brought the master volume down and kept the same tone i had when i was cranking the volume before. but i wasn't blowing the house down at all

Master volumes are ok on a practice amp. But you can't distort power tubes on a master volume amp. Oh, the amp may have yubes but you are distorting the preamp tubes which sounds fuzzy and thin. If you have some $$ to buy a small tube amp, do it.

 

[Artie]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

Generally, it takes 10x the power, for 2x the loudness. So, it takes 10 watts to go twice as loud as a 1 watt, and 100 watts to go twice as loud as a 10 watt. (Assuming equivalent speaker efficiency's.)

Also, the RMS = continuous power is a bit of a misnomer. RMS has nothing to do with continuous output power. Used in this context, its a marketing term left over from the 70's and 80's audio specs. Manufacturers used it, mistakenly, to refer to the continuous power output of their amps.

RMS does, in fact, stand for "root/mean/squared", but its a technique for calculating the average power of a AC signal, made up of combination of different frequencies. But it doesn't mean "continuous power". FYI

 

[Humphrey Bear]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

DUDE YOU DEFFINANTLY NEED 300W~!!!! It sounds cooler haha jk, but yah, it would still be nice to own a Crate blue voodoo

You got ahead of me. I wanted to suggest the 300watt Blue Voodoo amp.
http://www.crateamps.com/html/product.cfm?pid=1

The Crate BV300HB is definitely the perfect amp for home use and playing in the bedroom.

 

[TheProphet]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

Point in case I used to gig with a 60w back breaker and I was satisfied with the sound I was getting (a few complaints)

Next time for some odd reason I took my 15w amp with the 8 inch speaker and not only did it sound better ... but it was more than loud enough for everyone else

 

[kaknight]

Re: How many watts do you really need?

I prefer lower wattage amps. Hey look at BB King and a bunch of those guys use small amps cranked for wonderful tone. Just mic the amp if you are playing in a band or gigging. It sounds better that way. I have a 100w twin amp that I have modded to only produce 15w. It's still so dang loud that I can't get it up to breakup volume (4-5 on the volume dial) in my house without causing a major neighborhood disturbance. If you decide to go tube amp, look into a model that you can remove some of the power tubes from (this is a pretty common thing actually). My twin has a 1/4 power switch too. Between removing two tubes and that switch I can have a 100, 60, 25, or 15 watt amp. that's pretty versatile!