To all of you who play: how loud is your amp?

[GodWentPUNK]

I play in a 80's party-rock cover band and use a JSX which is 100watts. Typically, I'm around 3-4 and all we mike are the vocals. The problem with this is that people sitting on the other side of the stage will not hear you at all. But, a sound guy is around $200 which is too expensive for us. It's nice when we play clubs with built-in systems.

joe...

[Grim]

I use a THD Hotplate even when playing live.

Reason being wattage on the amp doesn't matter, as I can get killer tone at whatever volume.

[catzodellamarina]

My band uses the Bose PAS system. They use 5 "sticks" live w/additional 18 subs and poweramp for powerful lows. They have no soundman, mixer board, large mains or stage wedges. Bose system is designed to deliver the same sound you hear on stage to the crowd as well. This makes dialing in your sound levels easier. Over the last 5+ years, this system has also contributed to more shows at small clubs. When the owner doesn't get noise complaints from sound wars, that means return business for the band. It has also helped with our backs too. Now for large outdoor shows they still need to rent a soundman and equipment. The Bose doesn't carry well outdoors in open air. In an event tent they do OK.

[metalone]

What I can't hear you over my amp! lol
I like to mess with the sound guys, when they tell you to turn down I go back to my amp and pretend to turn it down
Then they will say something like"yeah that good and give you the thumbs up" while I laugh inside.

[roodyrocker]

I'm involved in helping a friend of mine run sound/lights for other bands when my own band isn't playing. Between us we have two sound systems. The smaller system is one I use to set it and leave it when my band plays. The large system is the one we use when renting out to others. By being on both sides of the stage so to speak I've learned quite a bit. For all you guys who think you can just turn up as loud as you want regardless of what your soundman tells you, trust me when I say your whole band sounds like crap! Seriously, when the sound man is allowed to do his job you sound better, its that simple. The other thing I've noticed is many guitar players actually don't know how to dial in their amps. Tones that they think are awesome sound very thin too me. Also, the sound tends to get lost with running tons of gain. Sometimes less gain and more mids will keep you from having to keep turning up your amp cause you can't hear yourself. Lately I've been using my Marshall RR amp which can be very loud but I use an attenuator on it. Its cuts through the mix well. And finally, if you really can't hear yourself onstage then consider in ear monitors. You can then get any mix you want without annoying anyone else. My old band lineup used to turn up so loud that I could hear absolutely nothing on stage because the sound was so jumbled. Turning up is not always the answer.
Also remember the soundman controls the SUCK KNOB so you better listen to him

[Endrik]

Rock'n'roll will be extinct in North America within 20 years... quiet amps, seats in rock concerts, soon they'll serve tea and newspapers too for you.
There used to be a time when rock bands who turned the whole world upside down played with cranked Marshall stacks everywhere.

[roodyrocker]

Rock'n'roll will be extinct in North America within 20 years... quiet amps, seats in rock concerts, soon they'll serve tea and newspapers too for you.
There used to be a time when rock bands who turned the whole world upside down played with cranked Marshall stacks everywhere.

We're not talking about whisper quiet levels here. The amps are still pretty loud but there is always someone in the band that just has to be way louder than everyone else. Then someone else turns up because they can't hear themselves, then the singer complains he can't hear himself in the monitors and so on. With the modern PA sound systems we have it really does sound much better out front when you listen to your soundman! I'm doing both sides of the stage now and can really appreciate the audience's and soundman's points of view. BTW, I still play out using a non-master volume Marshall JMP so hold off on that tea please
I have to run, gotta go set up for tonight. We're running sound/lights again