How quiet can this get?

[ZilchWoolham]

I've been eyeing some old Acoustic amps for quite some time (specifically the 370, 450 and 220/320) as they have that certain tone that I'm looking for and can't find in any newly produced amp, and certainly not in any lightweight amps. The prices for these, and their matching cabs, are usually very reasonable and something I can in fact afford. The reason I still haven't got one is that as far as I know they are big, heavy, and loud.The weight isn't that much of an issue, apart from transporting it upon purchase, as I'm not gigging at the moment. The size is a bit more troublesome since I am involuntarily practising the art of compact living.

What I'm most concerned about, though, is the volume. Out of respect for my neighbours I usually don't crank my 20 watt valve guitar amp (a Laney Lionheart) far past the 1 (out of 10) marker on the clean channel, or on the dirty channel with the pre-amp gain turned up to about 6-7. I'm assuming that either one of the amps listed above will be [b]considerably[/b] louder than my guitar amp. My questions are aimed mainly towards owners, past and present, of the listed Acoustic amps, but if you have experience operating other solid state rigs from the 70's or 80's, feel free to present your educated guesses!

So, what I'm wondering is: How quiet could I be with one of these amps? How sensitive are the knobs in the lower range of the volume spectrum? Will I blow out the eardrums of my neighbours by accidentally turning the knob from .25 to .50? Will the tone be enjoyable/usable at these volume levels? It doesn't have any valves that need pushing, but I could imagine a high-powered amp of any kind (especially one designed for bass guitar) would sound better when they're actually working they way they were meant to.

Thanks.

Edited January 18, 2017 by ZilchWoolham

[Twincam]

If it doesn't get the required volume on the amp then set the volume at whatever you like and use the volume pot on the bass to make any more adjustmemt if needed.
To be honest I think you need a bit of volume to really sound as you should. Apparently you can here me play outside while sat in a car. But I'm not even that loud!
Maybe you can work put a time your neighbours won't mind if you turn it up for half an hour or so.

[Phil Starr]

To be honest I'm not sure they will be that much louder than your guitar amp.

So much of the output of the guitar is concentrated in the frequencies of the human voice. That's where your hearing and that of your neighbours, is at it's most sensitive. Guitar speakers are more efficient at converting watts into sound anyway so that the overall effect is that a 20W guitar may well subjectively be the same volume as a bass amp of 200W. The only negative thing is that bass will pass through walls doors and windows better than high frequencies.

Just limit your loudest practice to the sociable bits of the day and talk to your neighbours about when it won't matter so much to them. Then do the rest of your practice with headphones, which once you get used to it is better than playing through an amp.

Playing at low volumes shouldn't affect your tone too much, use the volume on the bass to trim down as well as the amp. In any case you are probably practicing notes and timing not tone so it shouldn't restrict your bass playing, just the fun of making a loud noise

[ZilchWoolham]

I'm not very well versed in the discipline of psychoacoustics, but that seems to make sense, Phil! I suppose there's a reason why you don't see a lot of low-wattage bass amps. (I suppose headroom is another reason.) Maybe I could find some sort of isolation mat to place the cab on to stop those fundamentals shaking the building too much.

[Phil Starr]

It'll help anyone below but won't make too much difference otherwise.

[ZilchWoolham]

Yes, right, of course. Might still be worth doing.