Question: Is a 30-watt amp head going into a 2x12 cab good enough for medium-sized gigs?

therevivalsband

therevivalsband

The Revivals
I'm a singer/guitarist and I have a Friedman mini 30-watt amp head, I'm looking to buy a 2x12 for punk gigs, and want to know if that would be loud enough for a ~350-person venue. I'll be keeping up with a drummer and a bassist. I have a 1x12 for garage rehearsals but I'm looking for some volume. It's going into a humbucker-equipped Squier Stratocaster and no pedals. Idk if that changes anything but just in case.
 
rob aylestone said:
What sort of PA? If the bass and drums go through the PA, then just mic up your cab. If the PA is only doing vocals, then it might be a bit lacking.
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lmaooo now i feel stupid i completely forgot about the PA. i'm relatively new to gigging i was a bedroom guitarist until recently
 
I got talked into doing an Earth Day gig at some college in VT. 11 acts, a combination of high school and college age musicians. One really young band gets their stuff on stage to set up and the guitarist has this little Fender Champ with an acoustic with a soundhole magnetic pickup. I set up a mic on the amp and this kid just has everything on the amp cranked. He starts playing and it sounds as bad as you can imagine. Ever the diplomat, I ask, "is this the sound you're going for?" I get this dumb stare for a bit and he says, I need to make sure I'm heard. I explain, he'll hear himself just fine though the monitors and I assured him I had enough power in the PA so no one would miss his performance and so he doesn't have to assault his kneecaps with a maxed out amp. My two favorites on stage, the consummate professional and the total noob.

We've all been there.
 
RFR said:
30 watts is more power than most realize. Should be fine.
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That's what I'm thinking.

I'm not a guitar player in real life, but I have a 50 watt amp and if that thing goes passed 2, the neighbors are calling the cops.
I figure a 30 watt amp would be that loud at 4 or 5 at most.

But what do I know. I primarily just hit shit.
 
I guess when I read “punk gigs” I do not immediately assume there is gonna be enough PA even for the vocals or anybody with a clue running it. Maybe y’all have a different definition?

Anyhoo, it’s kind of tough to say how loud a thing will be just by wattage and speaker size. Watts mean different things to different companies and different speakers have different sensitivities and…

If you’re wondering if having two speakers instead of one will make it louder we still can’t answer very well.

If the two speakers are wired in such a way that they have the same impedance as the first, then they will each get half the power of the single, but it’s the same altogether and if they also have the same sensitivity, we’d expect the same SPL output.

If the total impedance is lower than the single, they get more power, and given the same sensitivity, it will be a bit louder. Higher total impedance would actually be quieter.

But even if we knew exactly all the specs for all the speakers it’s still kind of tough to really translate the numbers to how it will actually sound and feel IRL without being there.

I tend to think that if everybody in the band can hear you well in rehearsal, it’s probably at least close to loud enough. IMNSHO though, for a punk band, if anybody can hear the drums, the guitars are probably not loud enough. ;)
 
That is a solid state amplifier and will therefore equate to about 15, maybe only 10 watts from a good valve amp. Vox AC30s are extremely loud! Maybe if the 2X12 contains some really sensitive speakers such as the Celestion V30s it might cope but I doubt it. The main problem is that sstate amps do not sound nice if you push them into distortion.

As others have said, go through the local PA. You could still use the amp as a personal monitor and then have the cab micc'ed up or run a line to the desk from the FX send, probably need a passive DI box for that but the sound "person" should have a few of those. Mention was also made about the impedance of the cab? Check that the amp is happy with whatever it is. Very few 2X12s are as low as 4 Ohms but some sstate amps are only safe down to eight. Check it.

Dave.
 
ecc83 said:
That is a solid state amplifier and will therefore equate to about 15, maybe only 10 watts from a good valve amp. Vox AC30s are extremely loud! Maybe if the 2X12 contains some really sensitive speakers such as the Celestion V30s it might cope but I doubt it. The main problem is that sstate amps do not sound nice if you push them into distortion.

As others have said, go through the local PA. You could still use the amp as a personal monitor and then have the cab micc'ed up or run a line to the desk from the FX send, probably need a passive DI box for that but the sound "person" should have a few of those. Mention was also made about the impedance of the cab? Check that the amp is happy with whatever it is. Very few 2X12s are as low as 4 Ohms but some sstate amps are only safe down to eight. Check it.

Dave.
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This.

30 watts solid state is a bedroom practice amp. 30 watts tube is a gigging amp.
 
VomitHatSteve said:
This.

30 watts solid state is a bedroom practice amp. 30 watts tube is a gigging amp.
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Yup, always been my rule of thumb...30W good valve amp and speaker(s) all you need for s decent sized pub for rock guitar. If you want very loud super cleans you will struggle. 50W valves +2by or 4 by 12 will do everything but Wembley.

Mind YOU! There IS a range of transistor class D guitar amps that compare very well, watt for watt with a lot (but not all) valve amplifiers for volume. "Spam" forbids but they are also extremely reliable.

Dave.
 
I used a Peavey Classic thirty on stage for twenty years, if it needed to be louder, as stated, mic it. I have used 50 and hundred watters but they are not necessary with good FX
 
ecc83 said:
Mind YOU! There IS a range of transistor class D guitar amps that compare very well, watt for watt with a lot (but not all) valve amplifiers for volume. "Spam" forbids but they are also extremely reliable.
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Careful dave. The Class of circuit determines the amount of the sound wave to be reproduced..Always Class A AB or B for instruments. Class D is for subwoofers and car stereos. I don't care what they say...class D is so far down.

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Where HAVE you been hiding Mr L? I agree that the Sinclair class D amp was a pile of **** but I can assure you the products I refer to are easily good enough for guitars!

At the top, professional end of the amplifier market some very famous makers of high grade studio monitors now use class D amplifiers and not just for the woofer. These guys have all the technical resources in the world and would not use that technology if it was not of the very greatest fidelity.

Dave.
 
Your Friedman will be fine - it might not be loud enough but it will sound punk - if need be move it forward of the Bass Amp and Drums - of course for a truly punk ethos you could but a cheap 50 or 100 watt amp - like a Crate or Peavey or whatever is $50 and combine it - the Friedman would carry the heavy load - the cheap amp just amplifying the volume a bit.
 
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