OldGit Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 [quote name='Shaggy' post='295267' date='Sep 30 2008, 11:31 AM']Didn't the Beatles play Shea Stadium with only Vox AC30's?[/quote] Nah they had the bigger Vox amps and they were miced up [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mUXwnEWEnE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mUXwnEWEnE[/url] However it didn't really matter as the audience was screaming at them through a million watts of throat Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer of the Bass Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 I started gigging and rehearsing with a selmer treble n'bass 50 watt amp. In case this makes me sound like an old git, this was mid 1990's. It was loud enough to keep up with a fairly hard-hitting unmiked drummer, albeit with that "early Jack Bruce" style overdrive. If I'd actually wanted that sound at the time, it would have been great! As it was, I traded it in for an unexciting Peavey MK3 after a few gigs. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
warwickhunt Posted September 30, 2008 Share Posted September 30, 2008 (edited) Lowest rated amp used with a drummer on stage would probably be 150w Laney ProBass 20 years or so ago. Though I've used lower rated amps for other musical performances I'd not want to go back to using much less than 250-300watts... Just used to the headroom and less worry I suppose. IMHO the greatest change in quantity of watts being used is probably more to do with higher wattage amps being cheaper to produce. Hence we can get access to more watts per £, so why the heck not use em. <edit> I tell a lie... I started off gigging with a Marshall 100w Superbass but that spent more time being repaired than it did being gigged Edited September 30, 2008 by warwickhunt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
charic Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 30w ashdown perfect 10. Coped great =D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alexclaber Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 My first amp was one of these: 25W of valves into a sealed 15". I didn't gig it but I leant it to a punk band at Uni that did. It made a very gnarly sound at gigging volumes! I replaced it with a Peavey Sessionbass / 112MB which was 130W into a whizzer 12" which I gigged for a few years, occasionally with a 15" extension cab that made a huge difference in bottom and loudness. And then I went to a 1000W rig, and then 2000W. Now usually running fine on 550W. Alex Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Protium Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 [quote name='OldGit' post='295746' date='Sep 30 2008, 06:48 PM']Nah they had the bigger Vox amps and they were miced up [url="http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mUXwnEWEnE"]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_mUXwnEWEnE[/url] However it didn't really matter as the audience was screaming at them through a million watts of throat[/quote] And it's well known that a throat watt is at least 3 times as loud as a watt Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jensenmann Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Ampeg B15 or Echolette BN40 tubeamps with 30-40W were the smallest thing I giged with. Usually I prefer 10x the power of these old suckers. But for small pubs I still love my B15 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kiwi Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I went to the trouble of loading my entire rig and basses onto a ferry, in the rain, to get across to an near derilict venue on an island near Kingston on Thames. This was in anticipation of breaking in my still boxed Genz Benz Shuttle only to discover the speakon cable I'd paid for hadn't been included. Had to play through a 30w Roland keyboard combo and only JUST managed to hear myself under the vocal monitors. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
budget bassist Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 [quote name='benwhiteuk' post='294957' date='Sep 29 2008, 10:35 PM']Realistically I wouldn’t gig with anything less than 300W – It’s not all about the volume, it’s also about the headroom.[/quote] My 180W ashdown stack keeps up pretty well if i'm honest, but i am looking at getting something a bit better sounding/more powerful soon. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lemmywinks Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 Hartke A70, ended up gigging with it 4 times, always through the PA but was loud enough to keep up with the 2 drummers i used it with. Wouldn't stand a chance with our current tub-thumping ogre though! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
OldGit Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 [quote name='Protium' post='296789' date='Oct 1 2008, 04:04 PM']And it's well known that a throat watt is at least 3 times as loud as a watt [/quote] or even more in some cases Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ardi100 Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 The gig that made me get my own rig was a borrowed 50W Crate combo. It was SO underpowered! The gig also suffered as it was a party (for someone I didn't know) and most people were content to hang out in the toilet and do charlie all night. Then night bus home! I also played a gig in Brixton through a 25W FENDER (guitar) amp slaved through some other small guitar amp. Fun? Not really! Can't wait to gig my new Roland DB500 (150W) to see if it's the lowest I can gig with happily. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MoonBassAlpha Posted October 1, 2008 Share Posted October 1, 2008 I played at an acoustic night using my fretless through a "Smokie" fag box amp, with a failing battery. Someone had promised to bring an acoustic bass but it never materialized. It sounded like an angry wasp in a coke tin and got quieter as the set wore on. The most embarrasing thing I've done (musically!) And it was a 90 mile round trip for no money. Still, could have been worse - only eight people in the audience instead of nine... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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