anyone can play guitar

[mycdplayerisbroke]

my mom is always complaining to turn my bass down
it's only a 100 watt amp and the dial is turned to 5 so technically its only 50 watts right? (i play with my stereo on full too)
well i was playing along with'take it or leave it' - les strokes and she came in and i wanted to know just how loud it was...
so i told her to put her finger on a fret and gave her my pick and i went outside and you could hear it...
behold the power of bass

[headbanger_bassist]

*is in awe*


yeah my mom complains about that too haha. ahhh the power. the whole reason i wanted to play in the first place :cool:

[busybeeburns]

practice practice practice :cool:

[Skinned Alive]

it's only a 100 watt amp and the dial is turned to 5 so technically its only 50 watts right? (i play with my stereo on full too)

:o That's fucking loud mate.

my guitar amp is 130 watts and I set it to just under 2 - even then, everyone complains about the volume.

the thing is, it sounds fucking loud outside my room, but when you're actually in the room listening to it through the amp, it's not as loud as everyone else seems to think. :confused:

[mycdplayerisbroke]

it's alright
with my band i set it to 7.. but i wear musician's ear plugs so i guess its just average.
i'm hoping that ill have enough money to like buy a half stack rig (is that even right) by the end of the summer... 100 watts for a band is not very much bass dont you think?

[Professor Peedston]

Guitar amps tend to get more with less wattage than bass amps for some reason. Also, I have a 160w combo amp but it's actually 160w split between the two speakers so it's really like having only 80w (which is still pretty damn loud, I rarely get above 2 on the volume dial even when I'm playing with a full band).

[mycdplayerisbroke]

your 160w combo amp only has one speaker then or what?
don't they play at the same time?

[Professor Peedston]

The 160w is split between the two speakers, so each gets 80w and they both play at the same time. Or something like that.

[mycdplayerisbroke]

so how come you only get 80 watts?
do you just mean that your dial thing is set to 5?

[Skinned Alive]

so how come you only get 80 watts?
do you just mean that your dial thing is set to 5?

because there are two speakers, the same amount of power needs to be distributed equally between the two speakers.

so 160 watts divided by 2 speakers = 80 watts.

[mycdplayerisbroke]

i've got 2 speakers on my amp too..
does that mean i only have 50 watts?
sorry i must sound pretty retarded

[Skinned Alive]

look in the manual, or on the back of the amp. look for "power output" or something along those lines (not "power input", as this is the amount of watts it needs from the wall socket, and will be much higher)

if it says "100 watts RMS", "2x50 watts", "50 watts per channel" or something similar, then you're absolutely right.

if anywhere it says "100w per channel", or "2x100w", then it's 100w for each speaker. (or 200w RMS; 2 x 100w = 200w RMS).

on the back of my 2 speaker guitar amp, it says "130 watts per channel". this means it's 130 watts for each speaker. (or 260w RMS; 2 x 130w = 260w RMS)

[mycdplayerisbroke]

i got mine used so no manual
i guess i'll take your word for it

and how come there are 2 inputs:
1) 0 dB
2) -15 dB

i stick my cord in 0 dB
what is the difference between the 2?

[Skinned Alive]

The "-15dB" input is low gain. It is has a lower input volume (by 15 decibels) than the "high gain" 0dB input.

This is because some guitars (a vast minority) have higher outputs than others. When these guitars use the high gain (0dB) input, the sound could clip or distort when it shouldn't, because it's too loud for the preamp to take.

If this is the case, use the low gain -15db input. Otherwise, stick with the usual 0dB input.

[mycdplayerisbroke]

all over my head
but its fine

i'm kinda worried about blowing my amp
if i left it on 7 would it eventually blow/hurt itself?

[Skinned Alive]

alright, I'll explain it simpler:

the -15dB input has a lower input level. if you're using the 0dB input, and you hear it distorting when it shouldn't, then use the -15dB input instead.


the speakers could blow if used consistently at high volume, but it entirely depends on their condition, how many watts they are taking and the overall manufacturing quality. if they're made by "Celestion" (look at the back of the speakers if you can) I wouldn't worry too much about it, since Celestion speakers are the best that money can buy.

the actual inner workings of the amp can't really get damaged from using it at a loud volume. but there is a chance it could overheat, so make sure you're using it in a well ventilated area.

i wouldn't worry about it too much, though.

[mycdplayerisbroke]

i'm not sure
but i have an Ampeg
ill try and do some research to see if they use celestion speakers

and i get the -15dB now thanks
it's not distorting so i'll keep it where it is