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Topic: Tube amp watts |
Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 25 Apr 2011 1:36 pm |
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How many watts would you need on a Fender amp before you would start to distort? I use to squish a Twin when playing outside. I play inside and much quieter now days.
A 45 watt Super might be enough, a 135 watt unit might not be enough. Thoughs?
Our guitar player uses a Deluxe with a single 15 in a tall cabinet, sounds big and fat.
Larry Behm
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'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533
Last edited by Larry Behm on 27 Apr 2011 6:52 am; edited 1 time in total |
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Tim Marcus
From:
San Francisco, CA
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Posted 25 Apr 2011 2:09 pm
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there are a lot of factors besides output wattage to amp distortion. The preamp, tone amp, inverter stage and bias type are just a few examples.
All tube amps distort at some point if you push them hard enough. You can tweak them to not distort, but you'll never gain volume by doing that.
I think the real question is: how loud do you want to play before distortion? If you are using a Twin, you can easily get near the 100dB mark and remain somewhat clean. If you have a deluxe, you'll be saturated long before then.
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Milkmansound.com |
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John Turbeville
From:
Carlsbad, ca
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Posted 25 Apr 2011 2:33 pm
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| i find tubes are way more dynamic than SS, but if you want really loud and clean the SS with something like a JBL or knockoff should do it (weber has some good ones) |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2011 6:08 pm
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My 50 watt Little Walter is easily loud enough for most of the country gigs I play. There is a little 'hair' but I like it. IMHO preamp distortion isn't pleasant for the pedal steel, but a little power amp distortion isn't a bad thing at all.
The speaker makes a huge difference. A more efficient speaker helps, as does using multiple speakers. In terms of fenders, I'd play most gigs with a Super or Pro type amp, but there will be a little hair. |
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Olli Haavisto
From:
Jarvenpaa,Finland
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Posted 26 Apr 2011 9:02 pm
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Dan, what tubes in the power section of the Walter ?
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Olli Haavisto
Finland |
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Dan Tyack
From:
Olympia, WA USA
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Posted 26 Apr 2011 9:31 pm
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| 6L6 power tubes. The main thing about the Little Walter is the octal tube preamp. Super clean and dynamic. |
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 27 Apr 2011 6:56 am
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Tim you are correct about the volume issue. On my N112 I am on 1 on the channel and 3 on the master, that is pretty low. On my Stereo Steel it is a little more but not much. Critter clubs do not like much volume, some have low ceilings, some are caverness.
Larry Behm
_________________
'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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Dave Mudgett
From:
Central Pennsylvania and Gallatin, Tennessee
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Posted 27 Apr 2011 10:38 am
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| Quote: |
| A 45 watt Super might be enough, a 135 watt unit might not be enough. Thoughs? |
When you say 'enough', do you mean 'quiet enough' or 'loud enough'? I assume you mean 'quiet enough'?
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| On my N112 I am on 1 on the channel and 3 on the master, that is pretty low. |
If I could get away with my NV 112 at 1 on the pre-gain and 3 on the master, I could use my Princeton Reverb or Deluxe Reverb (each with JBL speakers) for such a gig and have no problems with distortion. I usually put a 5751 in the first preamp gain position, which generally cuts any problems with the preamp distorting.
Did you really mean 1 on the pre-gain? I don't really play in loud bands these days, but my NV 112 pre-gain is around 4, and I dime the master and control it with the volume pedal. On a real quiet gig, I really can use the PR or DR. A Super would be downright loud in such a situation.
My take - most tube amps are really quite nonlinear, and scaling the effective power of the amp to the volume needed is important. |
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Olie Eshleman
From:
Seattle, WA
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Posted 27 Apr 2011 1:16 pm
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| I have a Webb SS amp thats 225 watts and works great for most louder gigs, but I do play in a country group that's mostly acoustic instruments and a low stage volume(great drummer!). I have been using a Mesa Subway Blues that has 2 EL84's for output tubes through a single 10" speaker and a whopping 20 watts, but it seems to still have a little headroom left, it does break up just a little, but I like it. The Webb is just kind of thin at such a low volume. Been looking for something in between the two myself. |
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Larry Behm
From:
Mt Angel, Or 97362
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Posted 27 Apr 2011 9:00 pm
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I do not get a chance to "push" either of my amps we play so quiet. Thus they are not working up to their potential when you run them on 1. Olie you are right about sounding thin.
If I was not pushing a 22 watt amp hard enough to distort at low volume maybe I could get it to work a little and give me more body.
Larry Behm
_________________
'70 D10 Black fatback Emmons PP, Hilton VP, BJS bars, Boss GE-7 for Dobro effect, Zoom MS50G, Stereo Steel amp, Telonics 15” speaker.
Phone: 971-219-8533 |
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gary pierce
From:
Rossville TN
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Posted 28 Apr 2011 12:41 pm
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| On most of my small room gigs, I use a 1980's Fender 30 with a 12" speaker, and it sounds sweet. It all depends on how loud the dang drummer and guitar are. |
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Jeremy Craft
From:
Portland, Oregon
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Posted 6 May 2011 4:27 pm
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I've always been partial to the channel-switching Fenders myself, particularly the Hot Rod Deville, because those are pretty easy to get both a clean tone and distorted tone. I believe those run at about 45 watts.
Larry, what's the name of the place you're playing at these days? |
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