What is a good watt guitar amplifier to go on stage?

Question

Me and my rock band. There's a drummer bassist lead guitar and rhythm guitar( me). I don't have thousands of dollars to spend and I mean like school auditorium venues and outside beach venues not like sold out stadiums. My price range is less then 400 dollars. Btw I'm play an epiphone les paul

Answer 1

Please listen to LucasMan here and not some kid who doesn't have the experience needed.



What most kids tend to think is that a 50 watt amp is so much more powerful than a 30 watt, and that a 100 watt is just insane, right? The truth is that a 100 watt amp is just marginally louder than a 50 watt amp - you will need something like 10 times the power to double the perceived loudness.



Like Lucas says, a 30 watt amp is usually more than enough to cover it in most settings, at least if the scene is not a huge one and/or you have really loud drums and bass and inferior monitoring. I have played large outdoor gigs with a 30 watt amp (a good Vox tube amp, and with great monitors, but still).



What you also need to realize is that many of these huge stacks you see on the large stages is just as much for visuals as for the sound. Many of these bands could do exactly the same with one or two small amps being miked and run through the PA.



Furthermore, when the stage volume goes up because you have an "overkill" guitar player, you being to create problems for the people doing the stage and public sound. Turn down or use a smaller amp and the people running the sound will thank you for it.



Let us not forget that a smaller tube amp turned up sounds way better than a huge stack turned down...



As long as you hear yourself properly and the other band members her you (this is very important for bass, drums and rhythm guitar), than the size of the amp doesn't matter. The out (public) volume is handled by the PA, and the stage is covered by monitors - side-fill, wedges and/or in-ear.

Answer 2

It's not only a question of how many watts you have; it's also what speakers you have. Basically, the greater the surface area of the speakers, the more air you move and therefore the more volume you generate. Different speakers also generate different frequencies better; deep bass notes work best out of a 15 or 18-inch speaker while you want 8 or 10 inch speakers for high notes. The point being that you'll get different results from putting 30 watts into a single 12-inch speaker than you will from putting the same watts into a big 8x10 cab.



A couple of people have mentioned PA. That's a very relevant issue, but it's not clear from your question whether you'll have the option of running into the PA or not, either directly or by micing your amp. If you can, problem solved - your amp is just for the band to hear on stage and the PA takes care of the heavy lifting. But since you're asking the question in the first place, maybe that won't be an option.



I'd go with the 30 watt minimum suggestion, probably through 2x10 or 2x12 speakers.



Some options:

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/peavey-vypyr-100-100w-2x12-guitar-combo-amp/482911000001000

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/vox-valvetronix-vt100-100w-2x12-guitar-combo-amp/424009002001000

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/guitars/fender-mustang-iv-150w-2x12-guitar-combo-amp



Most of these are modeling amps, which I wouldn't necessarily make first choice for gigging, but not seeing much else in your price range.

Answer 3

Joe must be doing outdoor venues or, just a shock factor. Much is lost out of doors if there is no staged (band shell), reflective backboard to reflect sound. That is the purpose of having mid-range horns in the cabs.



Others are assuming your own situation, mentioning an auditorium. Size matters. The environment you are playing, and the speakers that will be handing at least 30-50 watts of tube or combo (circuit frame pre-amp share and tube) amplification.



Have to determine during a rehearsal period of where you will be performing, to get a better sense of how it will pan out. Try out all the options available as being self contained, or area mixer PA, in which you and the rest believe will best present a performance over the rustling of an audience, and the acoustics of the space you are to play in.



Guitar is not an issue. Proper sound (tonal clarity) and (acoustic) resonance is. Price is optional.

Answer 4

You shouldn't need anything over 30W.



Pretty much every venue out there is going to mic your amp, which eliminates the need for anything super powerful. Pretty much everyone in the audience is going to hear you through the PA, not your actual amp. It makes more sense to turn your amp around and put it on the front of the stage so that the band can hear better.

Answer 5

That would be fine. You can easily run a guitar through a bass amp, but you cannot run a bass through a guitar amp. As a matter of fact, the old Fender Bassman amp was highly sought after by guitarists. It delivered great sound and even had a warm distortion if you cranked up loud!

Answer 6

Defect idly more than 30 watts!! If it's to small u wont have good tone or power... Go with a 200 watt. I got 1 for 300 from a local music shop!!!!