Is there any way to make my low-watt practice amp much louder?

  • Thread starter Thread starter gene12586
  • Start date Start date
Gee, the last few times I played, I used a little Princeton 1164 clone, a whopping 12-15 watts, and it was set on about 4 or 5, not cranked to distort. I've got a Tubescreamer and a Soul Food for crunchy sounds. Even outside, it kept up with a drummer and two guitars and a bass. Loud enough that you could hear everything in the parking lot 100 yards away.

Even 40 watts of SS should be sufficient, and yeah, you might look at some more efficient speakers to gain 3 or 4 dB. I can't find any info on the stock Fender speaker. You might consider something like the Texas Heat 12" or if you want a little fatter sound, the Cannabis Rex. I don't really know the WGS speakers, but they also make a pretty wide range of speakers. Be aware that changing the speaker can drastically change the overall sound of an amp. Many are in the 99 to 101 dB/W efficiency range.
 
"As for tube amps vs solid state.......well......stats and tests are all fine.....but in the end it's how it sounds and what you like."

Of course, "loudness" for complex signals like guitar are very subjective. We also have no idea what the OP's amp ACTUALLY sounds like so we can only offer generalizations based on what WE know, always understanding that they are OUR subjective impressions.
But valves in fact ARE louder than transistors if you compare similarly rated amplifiers. A transistor '50' watt amp WILL be blown away by a 50W valve Marshall or similar in the limit.

I won't spam but a company I worked for some years ago developed a range of class D amplifiers. Their sales pitch was "Loud as Valve" and in fact they were tested against same rated valve amps and some they matched, some real brutes they didn't.
To achieve that performance the class D amp had to in fact be about 3 times the 'advertised' power. That power was however carefully controlled to simulate a valve in the dynamics and frequency range of the signal. Plus protecting the circuit as well.
The amplifiers have proved to be good sellers and extremely reliable.

So yes, by all means 'gig' the forty watter, it might be loud enough but that will depend heavily on the type of music and how pissed the drummer gets as the evening progresses!

Dave.
 
"As for tube amps vs solid state.......well......stats and tests are all fine.....but in the end it's how it sounds and what you like."

Of course, "loudness" for complex signals like guitar are very subjective. We also have no idea what the OP's amp ACTUALLY sounds like so we can only offer generalizations based on what WE know, always understanding that they are OUR subjective impressions.
But valves in fact ARE louder than transistors if you compare similarly rated amplifiers. A transistor '50' watt amp WILL be blown away by a 50W valve Marshall or similar in the limit.

I won't spam but a company I worked for some years ago developed a range of class D amplifiers. Their sales pitch was "Loud as Valve" and in fact they were tested against same rated valve amps and some they matched, some real brutes they didn't.
To achieve that performance the class D amp had to in fact be about 3 times the 'advertised' power. That power was however carefully controlled to simulate a valve in the dynamics and frequency range of the signal. Plus protecting the circuit as well.
The amplifiers have proved to be good sellers and extremely reliable.

So yes, by all means 'gig' the forty watter, it might be loud enough but that will depend heavily on the type of music and how pissed the drummer gets as the evening progresses!

Dave.
Hey Dave....I was not saying that valve amps and solid state amps are equal in "loudness" (or anything else for that matter). I was saying that stats and tests are what they are....as in....they are what they reveal. "Loudness" is not so terribly subjective as to be difficult to discuss though.

Your capitalized words seem like you're miffed. Don't take offense.

Mick


Mick
 
It doesn't matter how many Watts you have, and an 8 x 10" cab to squirt it through - this photo taken during the Formula 1 in Abu Dhabi shows that trying to play at the same time they are racing is pointless! Couldn't hear the thing at all!
1426188_10200133049807326_1476491874_n.webp
 
I have the fender Champion 40 and it's LOUD for sure. It holds it's own in every venue but fairly large ones. Our lead player has the same amp but with a different Celestion speaker (can't remember which one) and it is even louder....but it also has a slightly different tone than mine. Since you have your amp trone set the way you like it....try it out live before you do anything different. You might be very surprised.

As was previously said....micing it changes lots of things. The mic...the monitor...the height of the PA speakers...etc...etc...all affect the fianl tone/sound.

As for tube amps vs solid state.......well......stats and tests are all fine.....but in the end it's how it sounds and what you like. I have a small / cheap Vox VT20+ amp that can push up to 30 watts according to the specs. Brother...that thing is loud and clear and can crank....even though it has an 8" speaker. It's louder than my Champion 40....but....the tone is not my favorite.

Anyway...try the 40 live.

Just my 2 cents as always.

Mick
Thank you, very helpful!! Will do.
 
Here's another suggestion, buy another one and use both for when you need the extra power. A few years ago I bought a 15 watt Fender amp that I really liked so I bought a second one so that I could play in stereo and I found that using both together is a lot louder.

Having two amps has other benefits:

1. I can play in stereo
2. I can use one amp for practice at home
3. I can opt to take one amp to a practice (and leave one there if I want)
4. I can aim or place the two amps in different positions
5. If one amp fails I have a backup
Excellent idea, thank you!!
 
Speaker size has the largest effect over speaker loudness. They limit themselves , ..

A 40 watt amp of the same model 20 watt power amp .. The 40 will always be louder, all other things equal. The amplitude s measured in wattage, or watt usage per hr.

You can pull output tubes to drop the volume...to get more volume...use a lower ohm larger speaker.
 
I used a 30 watt peavey classic thirty on stage for years. Nine out of ten times volume was never a problem. If it was, we threw a mic
in front of it and went through the P.A. problem solved.
 
I used a 30 watt peavey classic thirty on stage for years. Nine out of ten times volume was never a problem. If it was, we threw a mic
in front of it and went through the P.A. problem solved.
Way to go. Looking at the OP's post again he says "make the amp MUCH louder" Slaving an amp of the same type will only give him another 6dB at best, not my idea of "much" louder!

Dave
 
Dave.....the OP also admitted that he had never really tried to crank up the amp. Most replies pretty much told him to turn it up and see. Assuming he finally did that....he probably found out that the amp is really "much louder" than he thinks. Many who replied told him that the 40 watt should be ok for most venues short of very large ones. Using a mic and PA will certainly add more than 6db to his overall volume.

I have the very same amp he has....as I posted previously. I have also used it live cranked up and miced. Trust me....it's more than a 6 db gain.

The OP also admitted he was hung up on the "practice amp" label he thought his amp had.

Mick
 
  • Like
Reactions: RFR
You could always find an old Ampeg VT22, volume will never be a problem again but you may wind up with hernias and a broken back.
 
Dave.....the OP also admitted that he had never really tried to crank up the amp. Most replies pretty much told him to turn it up and see. Assuming he finally did that....he probably found out that the amp is really "much louder" than he thinks. Many who replied told him that the 40 watt should be ok for most venues short of very large ones. Using a mic and PA will certainly add more than 6db to his overall volume.

I have the very same amp he has....as I posted previously. I have also used it live cranked up and miced. Trust me....it's more than a 6 db gain.

The OP also admitted he was hung up on the "practice amp" label he thought his amp had.

Mick
Not quite what I meant Mike. I said "adding another amp of the same type will only give a 6dB SPL increase" I should probably have added "ultimate SPL gain".

I bow to your personal experience of the 40 watter but It is often peep's experience that a 'practice' amp they have at home that seems 'KING LOUD! cringes when faced with other instruments especially drums in a larger venue.

But yes, give it a do! Might be fine.

Dave.
 
Sorry, late to this conversation. The first thing I noticed is that the OP has seemed to confuse the loudness difference between 40 watts output and 100 watts output. Some folks might think that 100 watts will be more than twice as loud as 40 watts (by comparing 40 to 100). That is not how audio wattage works. All things being equal (the design/build of the amplifiers, the design/build of the speaker*s, the space played and much more) it would take 10x the power of your 40 watts amp to get your guitar signal twice as loud (or 400 watts). Also, it has been mentioned that 40 watts does not really describe the loudness of the amp. Some 40 watts amps might make your ears bleed while others might have you questioning whether the amp is even on. And although tube amps tend to be louder than solid state amps at the same wattage, there are exceptions (I've seen a Yamaha G100-112 blow a Marshall 100 watt tube stack out of the water, really). So unless your 40 watts amp is poorly designed and is running those watts through a 2 inch driver, it will probably handle a 80 seat venue just fine. And you can do things that will help the amp be louder if needed, like purchasing/installing a more efficient speaker driver, but keep in mind that a different speaker will give a different sound to your amp. YMMV.
 
Here we are babbling away and into page two of this thread.

Has the OP ever come back and said..... I cranked it up and you guys are right, it’s plenty loud!

Nope.

So we’re all just babbling for no apparent reason. ;)
 
What i saw was a lot of improper set ups.

Lots of +4 going to a tube power amp. It would be switched to +4 from -10 at the effects box.. The +4 is too much for the tube amp. LOUD at low knob levels, then wonky and hollow at hi knob levels. Now get that -10 signal in there with that tube amp.
 
Back
Top