Why do people use big amps?

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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    lukedlb said:
    I’ve never tried this: turning the cab to face the stage wall, turning up the amp and gigging on the reflected sound, which should be a little more dispersed and the highs cut. 
    Anyone ever tried such foolishness?
    I’ve seen several people gig with their amps at the side of the stage facing across it. Presumably so they can hear themselves without blasting the front of the audience. There’s also the Springsteen method of having your Marshall cabs lying almost flat on the floor ( Bruce must play larger pubs than I do). 
    Some sound men will request this as the player gets their volume with much less sound projecting forward and contaminating the mic'd sound from PA.  Also can create all sorts of phase and cancelling issues if sound from cab is too loud as wave isn't aligned with pa one.
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  • p90foolp90fool Frets: 31367
    slacker said:
    Oh I forgot every situation that sounded great had one common theme, there were no knobhead in the band.
    This is the crux of the matter. 
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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3352
    So guys, what if the type of music you play requires a perticular amp which just happens to be loud as hell, if its played quietly it wont sound right at all, what do you do then?
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • shaunmshaunm Frets: 1591
    This weekend I’m gigging my JTM45 with a 2x12 cab for the first time. I don’t know if it’s going to be too loud or it’s going to be a good fit. 

    The last time I played this venue I used a Fender Supersonic 60 and it was way way too loud.

    The time before I used an 18 watt amps and I didn’t cut through the band at all. 

    On paper it looks like a good fit.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    robgilmo said:
    So guys, what if the type of music you play requires a perticular amp which just happens to be loud as hell, if its played quietly it wont sound right at all, what do you do then?
    Get an attenuator.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • mr-macmr-mac Frets: 200
    ICBM said:
    robgilmo said:
    So guys, what if the type of music you play requires a perticular amp which just happens to be loud as hell, if its played quietly it wont sound right at all, what do you do then?
    Get an attenuator.
    Yep or sound crap to the audience :)
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    robgilmo said:
    So guys, what if the type of music you play requires a perticular amp which just happens to be loud as hell, if its played quietly it wont sound right at all, what do you do then?
    Take up the accordion? 

    This is why people have Kempers,et al. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3352
    Attenuator? Something I know very little about, can you guys recommend one?
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • vizviz Frets: 10643
    edited May 2018
    lukedlb said:
    I’ve never tried this: turning the cab to face the stage wall, turning up the amp and gigging on the reflected sound, which should be a little more dispersed and the highs cut. 
    Anyone ever tried such foolishness?
    Yes I do, with 100W through a 4x12 for the deep roar, but I don’t have it that loud and I mic it through the PA so it’s not directional. And I have a wedge monitor 1x12 at the same ohm rating so I can hear myself really clearly. 
    Roland said: Scales are primarily a tool for categorising knowledge, not a rule for what can or cannot be played.
    Supportact said: [my style is] probably more an accumulation of limitations and bad habits than a 'style'.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    robgilmo said:
    Attenuator? Something I know very little about, can you guys recommend one?
    For the Peavey?

    THD Hotplate, 4 ohm model.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3352
    ICBM said:
    robgilmo said:
    Attenuator? Something I know very little about, can you guys recommend one?
    For the Peavey?

    THD Hotplate, 4 ohm model.

    Wow, that's not cheap is it? Will that sound exactly like the amp at full tilt but at a decent, usable volume?
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    robgilmo said:

    Wow, that's not cheap is it? Will that sound exactly like the amp at full tilt but at a decent, usable volume?
    No, not exactly. There’s no way of doing that since some of it is from the speaker compression - but it will be closer than any other method.

    No attenuator capable of handling a 100W+ amp is going to be cheap, unfortunately...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3352
    Cool , Ill still get that gritty , barking distortion? They seem to go for around 150 second hand so its not a massive spend if it gets me close to where I want to be.
    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • pintspillerpintspiller Frets: 994
    I like big amps coz it gives me the horn and a load of groupies
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  • robgilmorobgilmo Frets: 3352
    edited May 2018
    I like big amps coz it gives me the horn and a load of groupies
    You get an erection and it attracts women? Do you wear Sex Panther?


    https://i.pinimg.com/736x/8b/21/e9/8b21e9af45297a54818f8a687ba26e2d--little-kitty-the-panthers.jpg

    A Deuce , a Tele and a cup of tea.
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  • sweepysweepy Frets: 4158
    Big Amps = Big Transformers = decent bottom end and dynamics, that’s all there is to it imho
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  • ToneControlToneControl Frets: 11788
    if you're not using a PA for the guitar, then a 100W clean amp is perfectly sensible
    But for heavy power-stage distortion, 20W or 30W tops I think.
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  • zepp76zepp76 Frets: 2534
    shaunm said:
    This weekend I’m gigging my JTM45 with a 2x12 cab for the first time. I don’t know if it’s going to be too loud or it’s going to be a good fit. 

    The last time I played this venue I used a Fender Supersonic 60 and it was way way too loud.

    The time before I used an 18 watt amps and I didn’t cut through the band at all. 

    On paper it looks like a good fit.
    @shaunm ;I look forward to hearing how you get on. Have you considered having a PPIMV fitted? I have one on mine and it helps keep things sane without losing tonal quality.
    Tomorrow will be a good day.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    robgilmo said:
    Cool , Ill still get that gritty , barking distortion? They seem to go for around 150 second hand so its not a massive spend if it gets me close to where I want to be.
    Yes - although it still won’t give you the sound and feeling of the speakers working hard, you’ll still get the power amp distortion which you otherwise can’t get with the amp’s controls alone.

    There are other attenuators, some of them cheaper, but I know the Hotplate works well with high-powered 6L6-based amps like this. (Attenuators can be a bit amp-specific.)

    Be aware that it does put a fair amount of strain on the valves and other power amp components, no matter what the makers say...

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • lukedlb said:
    I’ve never tried this: turning the cab to face the stage wall, turning up the amp and gigging on the reflected sound, which should be a little more dispersed and the highs cut. 
    Anyone ever tried such foolishness?
    I watched Dan Patlansky a few weeks back at a club venue. He had his 50w Dr Z head going into a 4x12 cab turned backwards. No idea how much was then going through the PA, but he sounded great.

    Talks about it at about 2:15 in this vid...




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