Would you rather be overpowered, underpowered or juuussstt right?

[scottcw]

You are playing a large room with say 300-400 people. The instruments are acoustic, electric (you), bass, drums, violin, piano and three vocalists. You need to cover everything from pristine cleans to edge of break-up to leads. Your amp cannot overwhelm the room.

Do you...

- go with a higher powered amp with plenty of clean headroom set clean and use pedals for your other tones.

- go with a low powered amp with a mic.

- go with a mid powered amp set on the edge of break-up and use pedals for leads.

[cochese]

There are many factors to consider. How big is the stage. Is everyone miked.

To me your question underscores what I think is wrong with most amps in terms of sound and gain structure. Unless you are always playing in the same situation you never know what amp to bring. I use a Guytron which is a slaved amp head that allows the gain structures you require at just about any volume. Perhaps a modeling amp would work for you.

My guess is that since there is 3 vocalists, violin and acoustic guitar I would go with a small combo (miked) with some pedals so you can compartmentalize your sound and mix better with the vocals, violin and acoustic. As much as I love guitar unless it's a guitar type gig (Satriani, Vai, EJ etc.) I would keep in mind that in the end it's the songs and vocals that ultimately sell the band. Sometimes as a guitarist you have to do what's best for the situation and that may not be what's best for you.

[scottcw]

There are many factors to consider. How big is the stage. Is everyone miked.

The stage is quite large and everyone will be miked except maybe the drums.

[jimijazz]

If everyone else is mic'd, then I'll take the smaller amp be mic'd like everyone else. I'd use pedals for leads.
If you're playing anywhere above 100 people and you have the option of micing, just do it. It will sound so much better out front without a doubt.

[Peppy]

Overpowered.

[jspax7]

I prefer having a low to mid powered (22-35 watt) amp mic'd. I like to get my amp into the juicy power amp zone.

Having a higher powered amp, that can't be opened up enough to breathe is a drag.

I always mic the amp unless it's a small room.

YMMV

[GCDEF]

I go with a small amp and mic no matter what the venue size. As long as I can hear myself on stage, I'm happy.

[m@2]

mid size amp mic'd, with overdrive pedal would work for me. if I KNEW i would have a top notch monitor mix, i could even go small amp mic'd

[Flyin' Brian]

One of the reasons I bought a Victoria Regal II was so I could do some tube swapping to match the breakup characteristics to the room.
Since it can have between 2 and 35 watts in the output section, it has worked out perfectly for me. Anything that needs more than 35 watts gets miked anyway. I've found that I use fewer and fewer dirt pedals because of this amp.

[John Phillips]

High-powered channel switching amp.

With individual channel masters and overall level control... makes things so much easier.

'Just right' would be fine too, but since that's very hard to judge in advance often, and I hate having too little power, I'd much rather just use an amp that I know can more than do the job and turn it down. It sounds better too IMO.

[Tag]

2 out of the three. Overpowered, which is jussssst right for me. :p

And miced so I can have my amp firing across the stage, not into the audience. That way I can do all of my rock start posing and cliche facial expressions from every side of the stage and still hear myself.

:RoCkIn:RoCkIn:RoCkIn

[harryjmic]

Overpowered. Some places are big others small, some have lots of frequency killing stuff others none. I'd rather have an amp with a fair amount of controls and power rather then being handicapped by a poor eq and less then adequate clean head room.

[welcometoashley]

i used to be in the mid-powered camp and turn up to the point of light overdrive - but now i'm not so sure.

i've been playing both my rigs at shows lately with the amps set pretty clean and using pedals for OD sounds. IMO, i get better cleans doing that. a lot of people argue you can play overdriven and just turn down the guitar volume, but i find that some of the guitar's inherent brightness (which i like), gets lost. that's just my opinion. when i want "pristine" cleans, i like to have the brightness of my guitar factored in as well with not to much hair on the notes....

i never thought i'd say this, but i think i'd go w/ an overpowered amp set pretty clean with a couple of dirt pedals....

[mcgriff420]

mid powered + pedals for me.

I've been playing 30 watt amps for 5 out of my little 7yr. playing (out) career.

Like most people I started with big 100watt heads then got into power brakes, then found a happy medium with 30watt amps (conservatively rated).

I found a princeton didn't quite have the headroom I needed. But after using Top-Hats, Matchless, BadCat, Dr.Z's and finally Star Amps I'm a bonafide 30 watt man.

FWIW, I can only remember once not mic'ing my amp -even the 100 watters, we had to shut off the FOH and turn our monitors around facing the crowd..last time we ever played that room.



:JAM my .02

[BluesForDan]

2 or 3 Marshall Majors with two 4x12s each, plus one more stack for backup. If the Majors are too hard to find, go with Superleads with 6CA7s.

Yep. That'll do. :JAM

[rockon1]

Overpowered channel switcher.

[scottcw]

So what would you say is the right power to play unmic'ed with a drummer who has control over dynamics?

[Deaj]

Overpowered.

Ditto. You can add dirt to any amp but you can't add clean headroom.

[riffmeister]

Not sure your situation is the same as mine (three piece band, guitar, e-drums, e-keyboards) but I like the 20 watt amp edge of breakup and pedals, mic'd.

eyes closed during soundcheck:
http://i121.photobucket.com/albums/o209/riffmeister_photos/CDavisQ2.jpg

[itstooloudMike]

Super Reverb with a Deluxe Reverb setting on top, and an A/B switch.

Mike
:D

[908SSP]

With a Richter attenuator you're always just right. ;)

[ToneGrail]

I prefer overpowered since the Motown music I play demands 100% pristine clean tones. However, I don't turn up any louder than I need to be. I set my volume to sit behind the drums and the vocals in the mix.

[meterman]

I always like to gig with a 35-50 watt amp and use some pedals for dirt, the louder I can play the fewer pedals I'll use...35w 2x12 usually gives me enough clean headroom to hang with a loud drummer

[Mapleneck]

With an ideal PA, which includes adequate monitoring, the guitar amp needn't be any louder than the acoustic guitar, or the vocalists voice. Clean or dirty, doesn't matter. Loud enough for the mic to hear it is all you need. I play a tweed Deluxe everywhere these days and I keep an attenuator handy. I dig lower stage volumes, and the mix they can generate. I get a nice dirty grind and back off the guitar volume as needed. A ge fuzzface, a ge treble booster, and a Blackstone OD in various combinations gives me everything I need at useable volumes.

All this goes out the window if you don't have the luxury of a good PA.

[Dave L]

In my opinion the basic concept of a 50W MV amp with two channels (clean, overdrive) and a boost pedal of some sort works for most applications... maybe not for a trubadour gig down at the pub, but for anything from a small club stage and upward. IMHO, of course.

I guess 50W is pretty powerful these days, so I suppose I go with the "overpowered" gang on this!

[somedude]

Just right would obviously be just right...

...but if I had to choose between being over powered or under powered, I'd choose over. Overpowered can always turn my volume down, underpowered can't turn the volume up.

[papa taco]

That way I can do all of my rock start posing and cliche facial expressions from every side of the stage and still hear myself.

:RoCkIn:RoCkIn:RoCkIn

I'd pay big bucks to see that. :AOK

[slipslick]

Overpowered. It is so frustrating to need just "a little more" clean headroom and not get it.

[teXum]

After trying to use only a SFDR for years, I gave up, and got a 35w Victoria Victorilux (6L6 version). There just were too many times when I couldn't hear myself properly. And that can happen both on small and large stages, IME, depending on room acoustics, drums and so on. I just don't find it practical to use a small amp anymore, even though most (if not all) tube amps definitively have their sweet spot on the second half of the dial.

Enough clean headroom even for large outdoor stages/festivals, and by using pedals I'm able to get the right amount of dirt even doing bar gigs. I find that my tones are more consistent that way.

[dewman]

overpowered with a nice OD pedal ...fatter tone that route.

[Tag]

I'd pay big bucks to see that. :AOK


How much do I get?? :) (Me with BC Rich Mockingbird, through 100 watt Marshall plexi.)
:dude :RoCkIn:AOK

http://pic50.picturetrail.com/VOL438/648157/1045889/291756597.jpg

[Fifthstone]

Well, definitely wouldn't want to be underpowered. I'd want to have enough clean headroom to be able to be completely clean but heard without a mic. I'd prefer to drive the amp (non-MV) to grit and go beyond with a good OD or fuzz.