Why do so many people have huge amps?

Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

Yeah I agree. I have a 2x12 Traynor YBA stack but I never gig with it... it's a hassle so I take my 1x12 Mesa Express Combo and with the contour up it has the low end thump of a 4x12 so I really lucked out with that amp but overall when being mic'd who cares ?

I see bar bands playing 4x12 half stacks and it just blows my mind why they need that to play it at 1....
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

I have (left to right) 8x12 600 watts, 4x12 100 watts, 4x10 200 watts and 4x12 300 watts in the basement. I have a 1x12 100/60 watt combo and a 1x15 13 watt combo in my office. Most of the time I play through the 13 watter but nothing beats the feel of my Les Paul going through 8x12 especially after a few beers. I live in a single family house on an acre and a half, I don't have to worry about the neighbors.

My attitude towards wattage is simular to my attitude about handguns. It is better to have it and not need it than need it and not have it.

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Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

I use my acoustic for bedroom levels, then she starts screaming and moaning when I whip it out.
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

I like my small amp. Served me well the past couple years.


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Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

Why do so many people NOT have huge amps?

I'm poor, I'm sensitive to loud noises, and I have a small house full of other people who are likewise noise sensitive.
Biggest I'd go is a 50 watt.

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Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

I have big amps cuz mostly cuz I grew up loving the tones of hearing them blasted by my fav bands (JCM800). My splawn cuz I LOVE the tone of the amp cuz I love modded JCM 800s. haha I LOVE the way they sound when I do get to open them up, and also, Ive always hoped Id be gigging one day. BUT... Now, as Im getting older and life has gotten in the way of my progressing, and venues have changed so much with using pa now instead of raw power, I figure Ive got just plain overkill. But, Ive yet to find a smaller amp that sounds as good. But, hopefully that day will come soon as the new trend is great sounding, small tube amps.
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

because

POOOOWWWWEEEERRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRRR!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

It's all about image... John Petrucci gigs hearing himself through a monitor only, the amp is in the back being mic'd. On stage he has a couple of empty cabs standing around with fake amps, just for image's sake...
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

whoa, i had a dream about this thread last night
i read this post yesterday evening, and then i had a dream that i was talking to somebody about why people use 100 watt 1/2 stacks instead of 20 watt combos
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

Biggest I'd go is a 50 watt.
100W isn't all that much louder than 50. In fact, depending on your speaker efficiency, the 100W might be less loud than the 50. In many cases, the difference is in headroom and dynamic response due to more power and bigger output transformers. At comparable volume, the 100W amp will be less compressed than the 50W amp. Sometimes that's desirable, sometimes it's not.

I've owned tube amps from 1W to 100W. IME, there's a Goldilocks issue where low wattage amps don't offer the cleans I'm looking for and high wattage amps often need to be too loud to give up the goods. That's a big reason why I've gone digital: I can get comparable results through headphones and at ear-bleeding levels with the same rig.
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

Cuz I sold my Epi Valve Jr (crappy at modern gain, too dark/boomy/bassy with strong pups) and Valvestate 65 @ $125/ea, and scored the Bugera 6262 for just $200... Cant really get many decent 15-30-watters for 200 bucks.

If I hadnt found the 6262, I would have continued looking for one of the JCM-type Laney 50s...some of which actually have builtin attenuation on the back panel. But theyre kinda hard to find
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

If I were ever going to get a high wattage head it would have to have some type of built in power reduction or attenuation.

Like the Blackstar Series One models those have a D.P.R (Dynamic Power Reduction) knob which scales down the wattage from 200 down to 20 or 100 down to 10 and anywhere in between.

 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

Cuz I sold my Epi Valve Jr (crappy at modern gain, too dark/boomy/bassy with strong pups) and Valvestate 65 @ $125/ea, and scored the Bugera 6262 for just $200... Cant really get many decent 15-30-watters for 200 bucks.

If I hadnt found the 6262, I would have continued looking for one of the JCM-type Laney 50s...some of which actually have builtin attenuation on the back panel. But theyre kinda hard to find

I had the Bugera 6262 for a short period.. took pedals terrible IMO but the gain on it was killer when EQ'd right. Just was not my cup of tea as I use pedals for fuzz and dirt. 120 watts and it sounded like it jeez it was very loud
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

Simple. Because I can't get the tones I want from small amps & modellers.
 
Re: Why do so many people have huge amps?

A lot of companies put out 50w and 100w amps with approximately the same features, only one of them is easier to cork with an attentuator or a power scaler mod. That's why I'll usually vie for the smaller of the two. If it comes down to it, I'd try and find a higher db speaker if I need a little more umph.
As it stands, I find the Valvetronix tones as acceptable as smaller or medium wattage amps I've played. I need to try out the VTs as opposed to the AD-V I'm borrowing though, to see if they made the tone better or worse.
 
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