Local Music Gear Feature Story
Written By: Jac Harrison
Written By: Jac Harrison
Some of us gearheads are more sensible when it comes to the
amount of cold hard cash we are willing to part with when buying new gear. Some of us are even willing to deal with an amp that has less than desirable tone qualitys to save a buck (yuck). I get it, cash is king and our hobbies take the backseat to the essentials such as the mortgage/rent, bills and food. This is something that the larger musical equipment manufacturers take advantage of. Think about it... do you really think that a 100-watt 2x12 that retails for $330 USD is a quality amplifier? The answer is eff no! Some companies slap their badge on a solid state "amp" that probably costs them $50 USD to make (if that), and then they put it into a chassis that looks like one of their higher dollar products so the consumer (that's you) feels like they got a "hell-of-a-deal". First off, who really needs 100-watts of power? That's simple, not you and not me. As a gigging musician I can honestly say that I have never owned a 100-watt amp and I have played outdoor shows that had 3,500 + people attending while using an 18-watt amp. There is this new technology called "microphone". The way this "microphone" works, is a person known as a "sound guy" puts it in front of your amp's speaker so the sound of your amp goes through a PA system... to make it louder. A 100-watt amp will make your stage volume deafening, and you will not be able to get that sweet tube saturation that we all love at the a tolerable stage volume, causing your band to breakup and/or go deaf. Hell; I'm using a 50-watt amp now that I only turn up to (3), and my bass player needs to wear earplugs. For the hobbyist playing small venues, an all tube 5-watt to 18-watt amp (depending on the venue size) is all you really need. If the amp is voiced correctly -- you can achieve the tone of your dreams at any volume.
