How much of a difference is their between 50 and 100 watt amps? In what situations would you want a 50 watt and in what would you want the 100 watt?

thanks

50 watts would be fine for practicing alone or with a fellow guitarist. But if you want to jam with a drummer, you're going to need 100 watts (at least). The specific differences however between the two, however, would have to do, in some aspects, with the brands. But the bottom line is, if you're looking to kick it with a band, 50 won't cut it.

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it all depends, i had a 50 watt tube amp that was louder than my current 65 watt solid state. IMO, 50 is all you really need, but any mor ethan a hundred is overkill. i am gonna move down to a 40 watt because my 65 is too loud for me right now. for a normal size venue, all you need still is fifty, the PA should do all the work. a hundred watt would be suitable for a large venue.

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with all variables the same... the difference between 50w and 100w is 3db... +10db= twice the volume, and twice the wattage equals +3db, so basically you need about 500w to be twice as loud as a 50w head with all other variables(preamp section, tubes?, solid state?, speakers, impendance, guitar, ect...) kept the same.

also the volume taper trick, like on a dual recto, once the volume is past like 3-4 you're not really getting much more volume at all. so thats what tricks people into thinking some amps are louder.

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You don't NEED 100W amps to play with a drummer. A 60 W Fender held up more than fine with a drummer(they only time I've played with one), and I didn't even have to turn it up more than half way. The drums weren't mic'ed I believe. Sure 100W+ amps cut it better for live playing, but you don't absolutely need more than 100W for band practice, especially if you play indoors in not very large rooms, unless you have no qualms about being deaf in a few years.

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i kept up with a drummer with my 45 watt SS amp turned to about 75% volume.

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i have a 60 watt solid state and it kicks the shit out of my drummer

But my 120Watt all tube head just arrived so i cant wait to see my drummers face

it really depends on how loud the drummer plays. When I jam at my friends dad's studio, i play out a little fender 15-30 watt, maybe (with a dist pedal) and that is loud enough at like 75% volume. but at my other friends house, i have to turn my half stack up to like 5 to hear myself.

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im running a engl 620 through a marshall valvestate PA at the mo (my peavey classics broke) and I have to have that atleast 80% up to keep up with my drummer, his kit is loud as fuck though.

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Some drumsets might just be way louder than others. The room you play in has a lot to do too.

My 30W Tech 21 solidstate is ear-deafening beyond 40% volume unless I scoop mids, more than enough for a drummer jam(the speaker is actually 50W though).

I have a question, the so called "cranked tube sound" is only possible if you use a tube poweramp section right? You can't get that cranked sound with a tube preamp running into a SS poweramp? This summer I might be selling my amp and some other crap to upgrade to a rack setup, but I'm not sure if I should get a SS or tube poweramp. It would be solely for home use for the time being(into a Carvin or Avatar 2x12, 120W) so I don't think I need the massive headroom of a tube poweramp, what would u suggest? Do SS poweramps sound good and are they cheaper than tube poweramps? My preamp will definately be tube, because I certainly want a tube voicing, but having a SS poweramp won't make it sound like ass right?

If I were to get a tube poweramp I sure as fuck would need a THD hotplate, and I don't want to spend all that money. By the way, what exactly is a BBE Sonic Maximizer for? I see a bunch of people use them, is it some sort of noisegate or a poweramp of some sort? No fucking clue. Not that I'm interested, just curious.

In case you're wondering what preamp I have in mind it's either a Digitech 2101 or 2101 artist or whatever. Either that or I'm waiting a few more months to get an ENGL E530.

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as far as drums go,

some drummers hit harder

big cymbals = big sound = competition for high & midrange freqs. which happen to be the guitars freqs.

some woods/materials are louder, so of course some drums are louder depending on what they're made of.

the way people tune drums, 1 ply, 2 ply heads? tuned tight or loose? ect... gives different volumes.

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MWAHAHAHAHA I HAVE 800

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just buy a bass amp
more power, less money
and great tone

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No words of wisdom for my other questions, o mighty gear god?

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A friend of mine who plays Hair metal uses a 20 year old Marshall Bass amp that looks exactly like a DSL to play his guitar through. It fucking screams

300w+ for a big bass rig is pretty standard... because the frequencies a bass hang around dont project as well. so they need alot of volume to stick out. and especially on s.s. power sections in bass rigs, they go for super headroom.

for a guitar player though... it wont sound optimal... so great tone, only if you're a bass player. more power shouldnt be a huge deal, because if you're a guitarist and you can't be heard with 50w-100w pushing more than 2-4 12" speakers, the sound guy must have skipped you when he mic'd up the rest of the band...

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