Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

[poweredbysoul]

Playing small to medium size gigs, as a second rig I would like to run a smaller head and 2x12 cab. Looking at the the Blackstar HT Venue series. The 20 watt head. What do you think? The band is mainly classic rock. I'm the only guitarist.

 

[karpathion]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Playing small to medium size gigs, as a second rig I would like to run a smaller head and 2x12 cab. Looking at the the Blackstar HT Venue series. The 20 watt head. What do you think? The band is mainly classic rock. I'm the only guitarist.

you'd be surprised at how loud 20 tube watts is.

 

[lpmarshall]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

My 12 watt 65 Amps Lil Elvis head into a 1x12 extension cab easily cuts it in small to medium club gigs. My old Mesa Subway Rocket used to work well too (I think it was 20 or 22 watts).

 

[jeremy]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

i havent gigged with anything more than 22w in a looong time. these days its a 12w custom amp with a g12m or a deluxe reverb with cannabis rex most of the time.

20w can be plenty loud with efficient speakers, even 20 ss watts can be loud with the right speakers.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

How'd it go the other night with the HT-5? If I remember correctly, it takes about 50 watts to go to twice the volume. Or a PA system...

 

[poweredbysoul]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Running the hT-5 tonight with the 2x12 cab. I'm finding a smaller watt amps more controlable, and easier to get my sound. The Blackstar sound is great for what I'm doing. I am probably gonnna step up to the HT 20 watt head as soon as they come out.

 

[Zerberus]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Depends 100% on the gig size, available infrastructure and style of music.

For loud, roaring cleans in front of 2000 people with a not so great PA? No way in hell.

For most club gigs of say 500 people absolute tops, it should suffice if you`re primarily using overdriven tones and can keep the drummer from going full-neanderthal.

 

[misterwhizzy]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Running the hT-5 tonight with the 2x12 cab.

You owe us a full report.

 

[jones]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Depends 100% on the gig size, available infrastructure and style of music.

For loud, roaring cleans in front of 2000 people with a not so great PA? No way in hell.

For most club gigs of say 500 people absolute tops, it should suffice if you`re primarily using overdriven tones and can keep the drummer from going full-neanderthal.

+1

I think Blackstar is ex Marshall guys at the helm, btw.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Yep.

I play clean, clean, clean, so I prefer more headroom, so I got a higher wattage amp, but if you're playing with a dirty tone, you'll be fine.

Read Jared Scharff's latest in Premier Guitar about rocking Madison Square Garden with his 8 watt amp. he didn't do it for novelty, he did it because it was the best amp for the job.

Overall, the gig was a huge success. The SNL band was prepared and professional, as always. We certainly had our fair share of roadblocks. With any large event where tons of people are involved you have problems. No matter how much you rehearse, soundcheck at the venue, etc., it won’t go as planned. With this kind of situation, adaptation is key. Arm yourself with the proper tools you might need and always have backups. I brought an extra guitar, extra cables and pedals (in case my pedalboard went down) and a spare amp. A funny side note: I rocked MSG with a small 8-watt 65Amps London head with the volume on 2! Pete Seeger’s 90th Birthday Celebration from Madison Square Garden – The Clearwater Concert aired on PBS’ Great Performances and I believe there is a DVD available. I’m lucky to have been a part of it, and I’ll remember those three days for the rest of my life.

 

[phil_104]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Yes you can. I run my Mesa Express 5:25 into a Mesa Rect 2x12 with V30s, which is very efficient, and it produces a ridiculous amount of sound.

 

[poweredbysoul]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Just got back from rehearsal, heres what I found.
I had the cab on a rubber maid stool, which raised everything about foot and a half. Had to set my mids at around 3 oclock to cut better. Kept up with the band with volume set to 3 oclock to max. Sounded good but lacked a little umph or girth.... I think the 20 watt versoin will absolutely ROCK!!!
just need that little extra to punch th cab!! I love this thing for practicing on my own but with a band just is a little short.
I could easly use it again but I prefer my DSL50 for a full band session and definetly to gig with....

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

totally. but check out the egnater rebel 20 before you buy.

 

[nalo1022]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

I second the rebel 20! I have had my eye on it since it came out. I go into my local Guitar Center where I used to work all the time and I always play around on the rebel 20. Most of the real players at GC love that amp. One Friday, after all the mall moms dropped off their kids, me and the guys wanted to see how well the rebel 20 could cut through the mix. Mind this is a bunch of teens wailing away on the the biggest amps they can plug into cranked as loud as they would go. We had the rebel 20 on 1-watt with the gain at about 5-6 and could easily cut through the kids with the volume around 2. It was plugged into an Egnater 212 cab. I plan to get one and I don't think I will have a keeping up with the players in my band.

 

[poweredbysoul]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Sounds interesting, any more info welcome..
I'll checked the sights out myself. Is the rebel versatile?

 

[Sanford]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

I've gigged with the Rebel 20 using a 1x12 and it works, but I think the amp is better sounding with a bigger cabinet.

The thing about the Rebel is that it's a one channel amp. So dial in the base tone then use pedals. I usually go for a loud clean sound then use a compressor and overdrive for the boost/more dirt switching. The amp doesn't have a ton of headroom, but you can make up for that with the guitar volume knob and lighter picking. Egnater has recently released the Rebel in a 30 watt model with dual channels and built in reverb, that one may be a little more versatile than the 20.

 

[nalo1022]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

IMHO its an extremely versatile amp without being overly complicated. It has both 6V6 and EL84s with a mix knob between the two. It also has a built in attenuator for going from 1-20 watts. The tone controls are nice and simple with Treble, Middle, Bass, Gain and Master Volume. There are also 2 switches That brighten and tighten up the sound. It has an effects lop and can except 4,8, or 16 ohm cabs. You can crank up the wattage and master volume and then use the gain knob to adjust your volume for crystal clean sounds, or do the opposite and get amazing overdrive. It is a single channel amp so if you switch from clean to dirty often it may not be for you. If you set the gain to just before its about to break up and roll back the volume on your guitar you can use a booster pedal (the SD pickup booster was great when I tested it) you can get a range of overdrive levels. The mix knob for the 6V6 and EL84 is great. My personal preference a 60/40 mix of 6V6/EL84 with the treble back off a bit and the mids and bass maxed. Nice fat overdrive and great dirty cleans at that setting. This id probably one of my favorite amps, and if you have a music store nearby that has one I really recommend you go try one out for yourself.

 

[poweredbysoul]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

Sounds very cool!!! Been doing some research. I would like something with reverb and channel switch, because a good clean sound to switch to is a must for the material we play.
I'm also looking at the Blackstar Series One. Both the S 100 watt and the 45 watt combo. I like the features especially the built in power ruduction dial to go down from 100 watts to 10 watts. Now that would fiit any situation.
The sound clips sound fanatastic!!!! Anyone have any trigger time with one of these???

 

[Ascension]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

I'm now using a 25 watt Zinky Blue Velvet combo 90% of the time. Now this little Dinky Zinky is a whole other level of rig from say a Black Star or NT.
Cuts through the mix like a knife even in a med size venue unmiced.
http://www.soundclick.com/bands/default.cfm?bandID=261430&content=songinfo&songID=8759362

 

[jones]

Re: Will a 20 watt tube head and cab, cut it for gigs?

totally. but check out the egnater rebel 20 before you buy.

These are cool, when i worked at GC i sold a guy two of them! One for clean, one for dirty.

The Blackstars are worth a look too.