nazgulas

Hi everyone,

So What do you think? Will 20 watt guitar amp sound loud enough in a small pub along with other instruments (bass, drums)?

Also, could you tell me if drums would be ok on it's own or do I need a bunch of microphones around the drum kit (considering the poor gear that I have)?

Thanks for any help

GaryBillington

A 20 watt tube amp would probably be OK.

A 20 watt solid state amp....not so much.

If you're just doing small pub gigs, the drums will be fine on their own. They only need mic'ing up when you progress onto much larger venues.

__________________

sg4ever

Yes, everything he said. What amp are you playing, also?

__________________
Fender MiM Tele
Fender MiM Strat
Vox AC15C1
various pedals

nazgulas

I use Orange CR20LDX. But I am thinkinking of buying another guitar cube at about the same price range. Any suggestions what I should look for?

Thanks Guys!

Quintex

In my experience in a small venue we have had to go to extraordinary effort to make the drums quieter.

__________________

GaryBillington

What you have is an acceptable practice amp - if you're starting to gig you've outgrown it. A quick search shows that as £130ish - is that your total budget or can you stretch it at all? You won't get much of a gigging amp for that sort of money.

Tell us these so we can provide some useful advice:
Budget
Location
Style/Genre
Other kit
Used or new

__________________

PluckingGood

I read a lot of reviews before getting my Orange micro-terror 20W with PPC108 cab, total price £150. From what I read it would be good enough for practice, studio and small venues. Only issue would be whether or not you could hear yourself over the sound of the drums behind you as it's closed back.

Offworld92

In my experience, no. But it depends a lot on how hard your drummer hits and what style you're playing.

__________________
In your mind, you can fly.

HUMANIZER

This isn't 1968. Use the volume knob.

Main Rig
Ibanez | S420 |
LTD | EC-1000 |
Peavey | 6505 | MS412 |
Boss | TU-3 | CS-3 | GT-10 | SD-1 | NS-2 |

Ian_the_fox

What kind of music are you playing? That makes every world of difference.

__________________

nazgulas

I play brit pop/punk rock.
I could afford to spend £200-£250 for an amp.

I found some 120w guitar cubes for this price. Do you think this would be enough?

Despite the price, could you tell me what gear should I have to get me going? And which is better:powerful combo amp or amp head with a big speaker?
I am really confused now because I want to make good investment. I just want to have a good starting gear for gigging so I won't be frustrated with the quality of the sound during the show.

As I told earlier, I am aiming for small venues like pubs.

Please share your opinion.

Thanks

Ian_the_fox

What do you mean by "120w guitar cube"? As in the Roland Cube? Do they even have a 120w guitar model? Even so, 120w solid state won't seem as powerful as even a 30w tube amp.


40-50w tube will be enough. Within your budget you should find a used Marshall DSL401. That's the ideal amp for pop punk playing.

Generally a head and separate cab will be more flexible and more projecting than a combo (if you get a 4x12), but they often cost more and are far out of your budget, at least decent ones. A combo will be the most you'll need if you're just playing bars/pubs.

__________________

nazgulas

I mean Behringer V-Tone GMX212 for example. Also there is Fender Frontman 212R Amplifier of 100watts for about the same price. So I am looking at these kind of things.

Eppicurt

Yeah, because they don't feel the same. Also, explain how it won't seem as powerful, you do understand how wattage works, don't you?

TS, if you're playing with distortion and cleans aren't terribly important, 20-30 watts should be okay. Realistically you should be letting FOH mic you up so they can include you in the mix anyway. But you I'd aim for a combo with a 12" speaker rather than the Micro Terror's matching 8" inch cab. Have a look for a used DSL401 combo or a Peavey Classic 30, however you may have to raise your budget a tad to find one, but it'll be worth it nonetheless.

__________________

Eppicurt

Nope. Don't waste your time on either of those. Horrible amplifiers.



qft.

__________________

nazgulas

I also forgot to mention that I am in a band that use 2 guitars so would it be better to have two seperate and cheaper amps or more expensive single amp that I could share with my bandmate?

Eppicurt

Make him buy his own amp.

__________________

nazgulas

Yes, I understand how wattage works, I was pretty good at physics I understand that it's not only the power that makes it sound great. There are a lot of other factors aswell. But by saying 'power' I mean the loudness of the tune without any crap sound in addition

nazgulas

The problem is that 'he' is my brother who is struggling with the money at the moment

Eppicurt

That wasn't directed at you dude.

But take what I posted with some consideration, you're better off saving a tad more and buying something better suited for what you want. The Behringer and Fender amps you listed are garbage and are not worth your time.


Guitar amps aren't designed to be able to run 2 guitars at once, buying two cheap amps is going to bite you on the ass in the long run. I can appreciate and respect you want to help your brother out, but I just don't want you to waste your money.

__________________