How many watts should you have when playing with a drummer?

  • Thread starter Thread starter marshall.amps
  • Start date Start date
M

marshall.amps

New member
how many watts is enough to be heard over a drum kit?
 
dgatwood said:
Depends on the efficiency of the driver.
And the amp too. 30 watts from a class A tube amp is enough but if it were a solid state amp then it wouldn't probably.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NL5
i find my 40 watt tube to be plenty.

i have use 150w solid state.

25 watt tube should also be fine..
 
I think 75w should be the minimum for a solid state amp, you don't want to crack it above it's 75% capacity level or you'll notice a change in sound quality.
 
i think people should avoid solid state period, if $$$ allows.

well, solid state does have a good clean sound. but thats it!

gotta go tube.. but most people don't so ok. whatever you like.
 
marshall.amps said:
how many watts is enough to be heard over a drum kit?
That depends on the amp,type of speaker,position of the speaker,proximity to the drum kit,type of drums,and how hard the drummer hits. Other factors would include,the size of the stage,carpet or bare floor,and the reflectivity of the walls. How many watts that you need is relative to your specific situation. There is no magic wattage calculator. Also if you are playing loud enough to be heard "OVER" a drum kit then you are playing too loud.
 
  • Like
Reactions: NL5
I have used a lot of diffrent amps over the years, I played for years in bar bands and used just a 15w princeton silverface and it was plenty loud.
al lot of folks believe(wrongly) that a 100w amp is twice as loud as a 50w amp. in reality to get twice as loud you need to multipy the power output by 10 so basicly a 100w tube amp is only twice as loud as a 10w tube amp. I have used everything over the years from a rockman plugged into the mains to a full Marshall stack and even an ampeg svt through 8X10 cab. but I find i can get a better sound from a smaller tube amp (because to get THE TONE from a big amp it has to be so loud its painful) and in the rare case its not loud enough like an outdoor gig I would just mic it.
Currently I have a carvin legacy all tube full stack and a carvin v-16 all tube 16w combo, and its the little 16 w combo i take to gigs 9 out of 10 times. and i have never had to mic it. when a band starts understanding dynamics instead of sheer volume the band will sound better and more polished and the ears of the customer and you will thank you 20 years down the road when you can still hear.
 
gremlin said:
I find i can get a better sound from a smaller tube amp (because to get THE TONE from a big amp it has to be so loud its painful)


Exactly! :D
 
You only need to be heard "over a drummer" if the drummer sucks! Balanced volume is what you need to strive for, not who can be the loudest. If the drummer plays hard and loud you will naturally need more power to match his (her) volume, if you have a soft (they are rare) drummer then you will need less. I've played lots of gigs using only 15-25 watt amps, as mentioned small amps can easily be miced through the PA if more volume is needed. To me, volume is not as important as tone. A really good (clear) PA with power to spare is a lot more important than a stage full of massive power amps.
 
Lt. Bob said:
And the amp too. 30 watts from a class A tube amp is enough but if it were a solid state amp then it wouldn't probably.
I think this is true. I play with a four pice group (drums, bass, keys and guitar) and my 25 watt tube amp is almost too loud. My solid state amp (100 watts) definately is up to the task but at about the same volume setting on both amps.
 
probably 50 wt minimum solid state......

I had a 35 wt Peavey solid state that I had to push to the max to compete with a hard hitting drummer....and i only blew one speaker......
 
I've played with a load of bands over the years and a load of different drummers. I've only recently switched over to tube but when I was playing solid state I always found a 100 watt amp was necessary. Mostly because I played a lot of techinical metal with a drummer who used to beat the be-Jesus out of his kit. I used a 65 watt but blew it a few times by driving the volume too high (damn Peavey). My Marshall 100 wat is plenty loud to play with a drummer without having to crank it up all the way - benefit is that you can preserve the tone. Nothing worse than having an amp that can't cut the mustard when it comes to volume without damaging the cone. That said, I did play with another chill out band and got by with a 30 watt amp... more easy going drummer and vibe... depends on the drummer and place you jam/gig I suppose
 
Farview said:
Do you want to electrocute him, or just administer 'behavioral reminders'?
You need at least enough watts to get his eyes to twitch and roll back in their sockets. That will teach him not to speed up the tempo.:D
 
ocnor said:
You need at least enough watts to get his eyes to twitch and roll back in their sockets. That will teach him not to speed up the tempo.:D


just let the metronome jolt him. he'll stay with the tempo.
 
Back
Top