• From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Topic: Is 100 watts too much?

So here's the story.

I play bars and small clubs in Detroit. My amp is a Rivera R55 1x12 combo. It's a pretty high gain amp. I can't get a good clean out of it sometimes depending on the guitar I'm using. I used to own the Rivera Knucklehead 100 watt  which is pretty much the same thing, but I know it had more clean headroom.

I got rid of that knucklehead back in 2002 because I couldn't put the master past 1.5 in small bars around Green Bay. I traded down and got the R55 and have been really happy with it.

Now that I have a modded Fender Blues JR. I'll use that for small open jams instead of my R55. I saw a used knucklehead at a music go round and am tempted to go check it out. If I like like it, plexi shields could be the answer.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • Registered: 2006-04-22
  • Posts: 1,168

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

Hey Dude... Here is my experience.  If you are already using a 55 watt amp there isnt much of a difference between the 100 watt and the 55 in perceived volume.  You will be still told to turn down with equal vitriol from the house sound guys.  What you will gain is the clean headroom you want.  The guitar will clean up better.  I have a 50 park and it stays with my superleads and superbass amps..  Good Luck.. join the hundred watt club.  you thank yourself..  Its alot of fun..
Joe B

3 Reply by Rick49 (edited by Rick49 2011-01-17 01:33:43)

  • From: The Netherlands
  • Registered: 2010-02-14
  • Posts: 318

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

I was asking Nik (of Ceriatone) if 100 watts wasn't too loud (in compairing with a 50 watt) and his answer was:

"100 watts is only 2 times louder than 10 Watts"

From that point a didn't care anymore if it's 100 Watts or something. I've got a Marshall JCM900 100W in my bedroom of 4m x 3m so....

I don't charge for mistakes. - Joe Bonamassa
  • From: Edinburgh
  • Registered: 2010-01-04
  • Posts: 57

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

I'm considering downgrading my 100 Watt Marshall (JCM 900) to something around 30 Watts so I can drive it harder in band practice and gigs etc...

I feel that you can rarely crank a 100 watter and get it cooking...

you'll probably find me here moaning about the 30 Watt not doing the job sometime in the future..!!

"My Caravan...! Has gone and departed...!"
  • Registered: 2010-12-06
  • Posts: 122

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

I'm not a big Watt guy, my favorite amp was a '67 Ampeg Reverbarocket.  That being said, in the '70's I had a Bandmaster (40 watts), and then got a Twin (85 watts?).  Where I played the Bandmaster on 6, I played the Twin on 5.  Not much of a difference.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

Can you not run both A/b/y?  Its a lot of crap to haul around given but if your really wanting that tone in your head could you not just say "Screw it" just do it?  Why go away from the 100 watt club if you already own it?  I am purely speaking from a stand point of a guy that had a lot of crap that was already paid for decided to sell it and lost his Asss end on the sales just to buy more junk that he later decided wasn't as good as his old stuff.  Thats my perspective.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: York, PA
  • Registered: 2010-08-27
  • Posts: 1,749

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

If it's a good price, I'd buy 100 watter.  You'll find and excuse to use it.  I have been switching between a Vintage modern 50w and and small 15w head depending on the gig.  I play the VM with the master all the way up behind a shield.  It's a fairly clean amp on the low dynamic channel and I boost it with an OD and find I can get some decent headroom with it.  But if you're into more of the high gain thing, I think the only way to have both gain and headroom is with the larger amp or try maybe a higher gain OD pedal onto a cleaner amp.  -S

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

Have you tried swapping out a preamp tube say 12ax7 to a 12at7.  That should clean up that amp and you can always just krank it up with that plexi sheild.  Its a much cheaper alternative and you don't have to lug a half stack around.

AD3THREE's Website

  • Registered: 2010-05-06
  • Posts: 60

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

I play the same types of gigs with a Fender blues Junior with green jensen speaker and turn it around backwards.  Was JB saying that if I had the money to go to a 100W amp for better tone even at low volumes?  I hav been wanting to know the answer for quite some time and I woud love a plexi but thought it would be too loud for small gigs.  You know, not being able to reach its sweet spot

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

I have a blues jr too, and Cranked it's loud enough to cut through, but need to be mic'd. Rolling off the volume to get clean to where I can't hear myself is a problem.

A 100 watt amp is going to be cleaner at a louder volume without getting tubey-distortion. i.e. more clean headroom.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Ridgeland, MS
  • Registered: 2009-08-12
  • Posts: 1,248

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

Use the 100W amp with an attenuator if need be. There isn't much sound level difference between 100W and 50W but there is a difference in the head room and "balls" of the sound.

  • Registered: 2007-11-04
  • Posts: 404

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

I had a 100 watt fender twin and I almost never used it to its full potential.  I now only use a 15 watt AC15hw.  It is loud enough for any bar around and when Mic'd it doesnt matter anyway.  I would like a bit more clean head room so maybe a AC30 would be better but I am getting by just fine.

  • From: North Carolina
  • Registered: 2008-10-26
  • Posts: 2,926

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

http://accessories.musiciansfriend.com/ … sku=H63581
Throw a set of these in there with that 100 watt head.  This can cut the sound dB produced by the speaker 10dB.  Not really a lot of change but to the human ear 10dB is huge!  I read a lot of great reviews on it out of Premier gutiar mag.

AD3THREE's Website

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

Nice AD, but I'd need to buy 4 and then put them in a closed back cab hmm

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • macg1
  • BONAMETAL
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  • From: St. Petersburg, FL
  • Registered: 2010-01-21
  • Posts: 1,020

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

100 watts really is where it's at, and I would go for it if it was on my budget.  However, you are right that the master volume or volume will have to be ultra low on the dial, which sort of defeats the purpose of the extra head room and power tube juice factor.  I would say that for us small club gigging lads, that something like the Ultimate attenuator, coupled with a 100 watt head would be the way to go.

Amp: Firebird Musical Amplifiers
Guitars:62 LP SG , 02 FB VII, JB FB I, 76 Electra Omega, 64 Firebird V, 73 LPC, 61 Custom Tele, 59 and 60 Melody Maker
Effects: Mythos Chupacabra, Strymon Deco/Flint
  • Registered: 2008-10-27
  • Posts: 176

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

macg1 wrote:

I would say that for us small club gigging lads, that something like the Ultimate attenuator, coupled with a 100 watt head would be the way to go.

+1!
I have tried amps ranging from 15 watts up to my coming 100W Metroamp head. I had the JTM45 and plexi 50 in-between. The best sound I ever had was with the plexi 50: huge tone! I expect the 100W to be tremendous! With smaller watt amps you lose dynamics and headroom. A tiny amp sounds tiny, period, even with über-expensive boutique stuff... They may sound great when cranked and with your guitar volume knob full out but put your guitar on 5 and the sound just collapses, you end up with a thin sound...

Obviously you will need some stuff to keep your volume down such as turning your cab backwards, using a plexi shield, putting a blanket over the cab and so forth. To me although these tips are good they truly affect the tone in a disagreeable way: they muffle out the sound and you end up sounding loud but muddy. Most basses and mids still pas through but trebles suffer a lot from the shield or blanket. The only way to deal with a shield is to be miked, and then it's a whole other story, Joe knows that a plexi + mike is the best way around.

Personnaly I use an Alex's attenuator, it's awesome, on par with top-end stuff like the Aracom or the Faustine Phantom) and doesn't suck tone in the slightest. I'm able to crank my plexi with it and boy does it sound good! Make yourself a favor and buy one, it's 370US$!

Cheers!

  • From: Detroit
  • Registered: 2006-06-02
  • Posts: 5,807

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

Joe Bonamassa wrote:

Hey Dude... Here is my experience.  If you are already using a 55 watt amp there isnt much of a difference between the 100 watt and the 55 in perceived volume.  You will be still told to turn down with equal vitriol from the house sound guys.  What you will gain is the clean headroom you want.  The guitar will clean up better.  I have a 50 park and it stays with my superleads and superbass amps..  Good Luck.. join the hundred watt club.  you thank yourself..  Its alot of fun..
Joe B

I just went back to a mid 90's Rivera Knucklehead 100watt head... the same one I had back in college. I can't believe I was fooling myself with the 55 watt combo version. Lots of clean headroom and sparkle.... ahh! What a breath of fresh air!

Cant wait to run it through my vertical Forte 2x12 cab with EVM12L Black Label speakers. Might be another month or two before that can happen.

- Nic from Detroit... posting on JB's Forum since 6-2-2006
Ask me about my handwound Great Lakes Guitar Pickups
Since 2010, Bonamassa fans have taken advantage of my JB friend discount = my cost + shipping. cool
  • From: Burlington, Ont Canada
  • Registered: 2010-04-01
  • Posts: 365

Re: Is 100 watts too much?

That sounds like a killer rig!!

NPB_EST.1979 wrote:
Joe Bonamassa wrote:

Hey Dude... Here is my experience.  If you are already using a 55 watt amp there isnt much of a difference between the 100 watt and the 55 in perceived volume.  You will be still told to turn down with equal vitriol from the house sound guys.  What you will gain is the clean headroom you want.  The guitar will clean up better.  I have a 50 park and it stays with my superleads and superbass amps..  Good Luck.. join the hundred watt club.  you thank yourself..  Its alot of fun..
Joe B

I just went back to a mid 90's Rivera Knucklehead 100watt head... the same one I had back in college. I can't believe I was fooling myself with the 55 watt combo version. Lots of clean headroom and sparkle.... ahh! What a breath of fresh air!

Cant wait to run it through my vertical Forte 2x12 cab with EVM12L Black Label speakers. Might be another month or two before that can happen.

Gits: '03 Gibson Historic R7 Goldtop, '06 Gibson R8 Plaintop, MIJ '62 RI Strat,  and others...
Amps: '99 Marshall 1987x Plexi RI, 1969 Fender Super Reverb

My band: www.meanbones.com