Wattage question

[jade]

Hey, I'm looking into getting a new amp, but I'm wondering what wattage will meet my needs. Here's the deal I need something that can be played at bedroom volume and yet kick enough to be heard over a drummer.

In the solid-state range what wattage will give me that?

I'm think 65 watts. But I got my eye on this 120w with 2 12" speakers. Something just appeals to me with the 2 12" speakers... yum...

[buzzsaww]

Re: Wattage question

you might wanna check out the XXL series of Peavey amps. They come in 2x12 combos and have switchable wattage levels (25w, 50w, 100w).

[Dreamland_Rebel]

Re: Wattage question

if you go tube, then anything over 30 watts will be fine. if solid state, you will at least need about 60 watts.

a 30 - 50 watt tube combo would be about perfect for what your doing.

even a hybrid, pre tube, solid power, combo would do fine and fit your budget better. bearinger, marshall avt, fender rock pro, creat etc etc... you can get a desent sound out of all of those. - not anything i'd want to take to the studio, but amps like that are good on the budget and get the job done.

[jgcable]

Re: Wattage question

Also, you most likely will need 2 x 12's to be heard over a drummer. Especially a loud one.
I agree. 30w plus for tubes and at least 60w for SS. Line 6 makes a Flextone that is 60w SS with 1 x 12 and when you plug in an additional cabinet it activates an additional 60w power amp making the combo 120w true stereo!!! Cool stuff. So does Johnson.

[Gilbert]

Re: Wattage question

Agreed, but i must point if you plan to play metal 30 watts tube/60 watts s.s. might cut it pretty close. All depends on how loud yer drummer is, and if you ever plan on adding a bass or 2nd guitar into the mix.

[markD]

Re: Wattage question

I picked up a little hybrid 65 watt combo to drag to jams (didn't want to raid the rehearsal and move my tube beasts) and it couldn't hang. 65 watts of SS might be enough if you're doing jazz or something fairly subdued, but from my experience that's not enough wattage for the hard hitting drummers that you find in rock (I use that term to include metal as well) drummers. Definitely go for something with more power, like the Peavey XXL.

[jade]

Re: Wattage question

Okay. Thanks guys. I'm going to look into the Randall's. They've got a RG100SC, 100 watts 2X12 celestion speakers -- and I wanna check out the head and cab option. I'm thinking a 2X12 stack not a 4X12.

[The Enema]

Re: Wattage question

i play with a Marshall JCM2000 DSL401, a 40 watt tube 1x12 combo

and its more than enough to be heard over drummers, when i last played (a school thing where we only had stage volume no pa) i had it up about 5 on the master volume and coped fine, so i think that 40 watts tube is more than enough against a drummer, id probably go for 100watts ss though, just to be on the safe side (and cause they dont need turned up loud for tone)

David

[etaeniura]

Re: Wattage question

I wouldn't get too caught up in the wattage thing. Wattage is a strange measuremant and has very little to do with the actaul volume. say for instance you have two identical amps-except one is 10 watts and one is 20 watts-the 20 watter will only be noticeably louder. In order to double your actaul volume, you need to increase your wattage times ten. I have a 65 watt fender that when turned up to 2, could be heard half a mile away on my college campus. I will say however that higher wattage amps seem to sound better even at the same volume. Just check out a bunch, or consider investing in a P.A.