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How many watts are good enough for rehearsal?

It goes without saying that you don’t need a stage-loud rig to use for band practice…

…or do you?

Well, let’s list a few truths first.

Truth: It is better to have too much amplification than not enough

Playing through a weak rig at rehearsal is not fun at all, because everyone can hear themselves except you.

Truth: Your “enemy” is the drummer

The guitar player and singer aren’t the problem, but rather the drummer because more often than not the acoustic drum kit is the loudest thing in the room. Some drummers play real loud, and no matter how much you tell the guy to play quieter, that will last for, oh, about 10 minutes, and then you’re right back to where you were where you can’t hear yourself again.

Granted, some drummers are mature about it and know not to play crazy-loud in a rehearsal space, but unfortunately there are many, many stories from bass players about drummers that just couldn’t play quieter no matter what. (And if you have a story about that, please feel free to post a comment below and tell your tale.)

The thing to remember here is that your rig should be louder than your drummer. Specifically, your bass rig should be able to “punch over” a kick drum no matter how hard the drummer kicks it.

Truth: The practice space itself dictates what you actually need to be heard

Some practice spaces are great, while others are just plain awful.

For example, an easy “cheat” (should the room accommodate it) is to place your bass cabinet closer to the wall to use the wall’s vibration as a “helper” of sorts.

But then of course there are practice spaces where you’re surrounded by nothing but concrete, and that can be rough on a bass player trying to be heard because that’s an environment where you have to overpower “dead acoustics”. No wooden stage to vibrate, no wooden walls to vibrate, etc. You get the idea.

The “metal” bass player who practices in a mill is a pretty good guy to ask for advice on what’s needed to be heard

Love or hate metal music, that style of playing is a pretty good benchmark of what’s needed to be heard at the more extreme-loud levels.

Many metal bands don’t have a lot of choice when it comes to getting a rehearsal spot, so they take whatever they can get. More often than not, many metal bands will rent out a space in an old mill. And of course, the room they have will more than likely be nothing but concrete, steel and not much else.

Metal bass players deal with the worst sound environments you could possibly think of where it’s necessary to have a rig that can thunder away and be heard no matter where it’s placed.

This is, incidentally, why many metal bass players will say, “Yeah, I need 300 watts through an 8×10 at rehearsal just to be heard”, and say that without hesitation. That guy is dealing with a drummer who plays ridiculously loud, combined with an environment where noise is “pinging” and “slapping” off the walls constantly; he needs a rig that can boom like nobody’s business.

Of course, this is completely opposite to what a bass player would need in, say, a blues band. Blues bands usually play a lot quieter (even with a horn section); the bass player can totally use a 25-watt tube-type amp mated to a 1×15 at rehearsal, hear everything he’s doing and mix in with the surrounding instruments with usually no problem at all.

You tell us: How many watts are in your practice rig for rehearsal?

Be sure to mention if it’s solid-state, tube-type, etc. Also mention your cabinet configuration(s).

(Image credit: Sweet 16 Bass Cabinet @ Cigar Box Nation)

188 thoughts on “How many watts are good enough for rehearsal?”

  1. I’m running 350 Watts into a 215 cab and have plenty of room for more volume…. I play in a metal band with 3 lead guitarists ala Iron Maiden.

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    • I use my Fender Rumble 100 with 1-15. We have a relatively small rehearsal area. It is in a basement but has lots of overstuffed chairs and couches. The drummer uses an electric set. I’m never more than a third on amp volume and maybe 1/2 on the bass.

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  2. most practice rooms here in glasgow (scotland) have all your amps etc included with the room hire. bass rigs are usually 200/500 watt ashdowns or peavey running either 8×10, 4×10 and a 15 or just a 15″. plenty enough rumble in most cases but i prefer the higher watt amps through 10s due to playing a detuned 5

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  3. I use my Hartke Hydrive 112 combo. It has a 250w head, 1×12 hybrid speaker and an aluminum cone. And yes my drummer is rediculously loud. We play hard rock and pop and practice in a sheetrocked garage.

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  4. We use a simple in-ear setup live (we each get an aux send that goes to a small mixer into shure in-ears) and we have started using in rehearsal as well. it makes a huge difference for two reasons. 1. I don’t really need an amp for practice, although sometimes I use a Ampeg BA112 pointed at my chest to feel the sound bit better. 2. Man, no one fights about who’s too loud because we call turn each other down AND it really cuts down on ear fatigue in practice and live. Just my $.02….

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    • Yes. This is hopefully the way everyone will be doing it in the not too distant future. Bye bye heavy, bulky frickin’ amps and cabs.

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      • We use IEMs live and have a mizwizard with a 6 way mix that we use at rehearsals. Guitar uses a POD, bass and keys go direct and the drumme picked up a cheap e-kit. We rehearse in a spare room at home and don’t disturb anyone else in the house, and it’s cheaper and more comfy than renting some warehouse or storage unit.

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  5. I use my full rig at practice, but needless to say I don’t have to turn it all the way up!
    I use an EBS TD660 with a 2×15 Barefaced S15. So that’s 540 watts into an insanely sensitive cab:)

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  6. I play in a Ska band “Classy San Diego” and when we practice I use a Carvin pro bass 150 with a 1×15 (solid state). Its the perfect size for rehearsal in the house, even with a horn section. I will say my drummer is really good about controlling his stick height. (volume)

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  7. tricky question to answer. It depends on the style of music and drummer. If the music is quiet and drummer is playing with brushes 100 watts thru a 1×12 is more than enough. If its a loud drummer with blaring distorted guitars then you will need at the very least a 4×12 with a minimum of 250 watts.

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  8. I use a Genz Benz Shuttle 6.0 (600w) with a 2×10 Avatar bass cab which is 8ohms so the amp only pumps out 300W or so. This is also the setup I use at every gig and I never feel like its not enough, so its plenty for rehearsals (usually set at output volume to 1/3)

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  9. Depends on the band. My Irish and other vocal-centric bands a 15W practice amp is plenty. For my classic rock basement practice room, 200W acoustic head with a 215 cab is fine. But for the reggae band, 675W through a 215. I have different practice rigs I leave at my different practice spots, and use lightweight equipment at gigs; being a bassist needn’t be about hauling a ton of crap around anymore. The key is to match what’s going on around me, that’s what music should be about, especially for a bassist. I must add, though: any drummer able to play dynamically (ie, soft to loud), is a gift from God!

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  10. Watts are half the discussion, The more speakers you have will move more air, Ex – a 300w going to a 4×10 cab will be much louder compare to 300w to a 1×15, 300w going to a 8×10 cab would be super loud. That said- I play a 600w 1×12″ markbass combo (121lite) and never had to turn it more then half way up 🙂

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  11. To me its more than just watts, but what volume I get from a setup. I use different rigs at different practice spaces…mesa boogie powerhouse 1000 with svt 350 (350@4ohms) at one, my full gig rig at another which consists of my acoustic 370 (200?@4ohms) and ampeg heritage 410 at another.. Also use a gk400rb (200@4ohms) with a single mesa 15 at another practice space (this ones rented though). All 3 are cut through well but my personal favorite is my gig rig.

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  12. For me it was always ~300W solid-state through 4×10. Small enough that low volume was toneful, just big enough to sit well with loud rock/metal drummers. Almost perfect live rig. Practiced in sheetrock bungalows, lounge rooms and garages. Now I think I have a better compromise, 380W (GK 700RB-II solid-state) through SWR Henry 8×8. Only experience with 1×15 or small cabs taught me that with my bands, couldn’t get the clarity and distinction.

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  13. I play a Peavey Tour 700 into a MarkBass 4×10 at rehearsal, and add an Electrovoice 1×18 sub for gigs. We play loud, aggressive rock.

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  14. i have a sun 1200s- 1200 wat bass head,,,half tube and half solid state with 2, 4-10 sun cabinets i use for giging then i have a ampeg 25 watt,,,1 -10 practice amp i use in my finished basement for rehersal time,,,,our drummer is pretty good keeping it tamed down at practice time,,lol

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  15. I DI through a 400w powered 15 inch wedge, along with keys and vocals for practice. Two guitarists play through separate valve amps. luckily we have a great drummer who always wants more bass in the mix, so no real problems there.

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  16. Now just to clarify im in a metal band and im a sound engineer so if this seems overkill its just because its what i had. Two JBL SP128s’ (2×18 cabs that handle 6400watts at 4ohms peak) , Two 2×12 cabs with 2″ exit horns, Three 3400watt Power Amps, a small mixer and a sans amp rack,

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  17. I have learned from all my years on this earth that the drummer is your problem. I have solved this by buying an electronic set for practice and in fact we all use pods for FX’s. In ears or headphones. It is they way to go.

    The story behind this is we had just rented a small rehearsal space and the drummer had to bring his entire set. It took up over 1/2 the room. He even brought his GONG saying he needed IT. (he never once used it). He was so loud and the spot was so small the rest of us had to wear earplugs so our ears would not bleed. Even turning up my bass rig and the guitarist turning up theirs the drums cut though like a hot knife through room temp butter. Found out the drummer was had lost his hearing and used hearing aids when he was not playing. Thanks A** Hole!

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  18. SWR Workingman’s 12 for rehearsals. Mesa Walkabout with custom 210 and 115cabs for indoor bar/club gigs. Eden WT 500 and two 410 cabs for outdoor shows. Play many styles but no metal.

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  19. I use a Markbass LMK 500 watt head. 300 watts into a Markbass 4×10 ported cabinet. Great for practice. We are a LOUD trio. My 6 and 7 strings boom nice and full with the Markbass. At gigs, I ad a Trace Elliot 4×10 bottom

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  20. As much as I hate electronic drums, and I DO hate the, they make sense for a small practice room, so you can hear not only bass, but also vocal harmonies.

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  21. Fender 1200 into ampeg 8×10, putting out 800watts. Our drummer is LOUD. Obviously it’s not at max but it’s there if needed to put him in his place. If that doesn’t work the G&L Assat comes out for some real trouser flapping waves.

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  22. For practice and live I play a Tecamp Puma 500 and a Thunderchild 1×12. Something like 38 pounds total and 500 watts at 4ohms. Gets the job done and then some!

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  23. we all run through the board using monitors side fills just like on stage so it sounds like live , i use a sans amp for a preamp. on bigger live stages we all have our rigs, mine is a swr 750x and goliath sr

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    • I used to play in band where we did the same. We mic’d everything except bass (I went DI), and the improvement in sound quality made rehearsal so much better. More bands should do this.

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  24. P-bass into 100w tube amp into 15PR400. Two things about this–a P’s tremendously focused sound cuts like nobody’s business, a tube amp puts out more volume before it begins to distort unobjectionably, and a top-of-the-line Faital or Eminence (in a box that’s big enough not to choke it) can be up to twice as loud as other speakers. If I had a J and a solid state amp, I’d want 200 watts into a 215.

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  25. Epiphone EBM custom IV connected to a Hartke HA-3500 with an EDEN 410XT. rehearsal volumen 5. Tube gain 4, Solid state gain 3.

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    • Actually changed to a Fender Precision into Ampeg SVT-3 with EBS multi comp, wha, DigiTech bass driver (no need to mention we play progressive metal) and the same Eden 4 10’s. Master volume set to 1 o’clock, valve drive to 3 o’clock, gain set to almost 1 o’clock. When slapping with the wha, no mesa boogie, nor Marshall all valve shades me. My drummer is really loud. Amp’s eq set all at 12 o’clock.

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  26. I’ve ran Peavey rigs in the 150 watt range and they always seem to run out of steam with the clip light glowing endlessly. I had a 200 watt Yorkville combo with a 15″ speaker that gets the job done adequately. I ran 2 4×10 rigs in the past both with >300 Watts (Eden 4×10 combo and Traynor Monoblock II with yorkie 4×10 cab) and they both had enough poop to deal with loud tube guitar amps and a Neanderthal drummer. In a bass players world more is better, If you want to jam with your buddies, under 200 watts is a waste of your time.

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  27. Precision with SPB-3 in a Mesa BB750, plugged in a 4×12″ cabinet for guitar and a 1×15″. But only the 1×15″ is enough.

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  28. I’m a metal bassist and I play an AMPEG svt classic 300 W tube head into a carvin 4 x 10 for both rehearsal and live use. My main bass is an Alembic spoiler which is a very clear and clean instrument so I NEVER have any trouble hearing myself!!!

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  29. I play in an 11-piece soul/funk/R&B band that includes three horns in addition to a guitarist (sometimes two guitarists), and a keyboard player. Our regular drummer is very good, and he does know how to cut back a bit on the kick drum volume. With this type of an instrumental lineup, I need a minimum of 250 to 300 solid-state watts for band rehearsals. I bought a TC Electronic BG250 with a single 15″speaker specifically for rehearsals and for at-home practice. However, I find that I often use my “gig rig”, which consists of a Genz-Benz Streamliner 900 (900 watts with a hybrid tube-solid state configuration) and an Epifani 2×12 cabinet for band rehearsals. I also play as a fill-in bassist with two other bands (one a blues band, and the other a classic rock quintet). The TC BG250 is plenty for rehearsals (and most gigs) with tghese bands, but NOT for the 11-piece “horn band”.

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  30. I use a Phil Jones Briecase, 100 watts, set at about 6, and run a line into an Allen and Heath board. Our low end, mostly me and our drummer, is separated out with a vintage Ashly crossover, and put through Cervin Vega subs with a power amp. The power amp is rated at 400w, however, it is no where near opened up. The mids and highs, vocals and 2 guitars, go through a separate 400watt power amp to Yorkville Sound cabs. The Phil Jones works fine in small venues, such as bar gigs. For larger ones, I use my Ampeg SVTpro-3 with a SVT 1450 cab.

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  31. Since changing to Shroeder bass cabinets my 600 watt amp (Mesa M-2000) is almost too much for the drummer to compete with, love the effientcy of the new speakers.

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  32. Same as on stage, set slighly lower, markbass 300 watt combo through 2×10″. 9 piece disco-soul band with 4 horns. Used a cheap SWR 100 watt through 15″ that was just not enough.

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  33. I run a 700W GK through an SVT 4×10 but it’s definitely overkill. Run it at about 1/4-1/3 volume most of the time. Can always hear myself but when I do have issues its because or one guitar player has way to thick of a tone and he turned his bass up making it boomy and muddy.

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  34. I’ve got my own rehersal space, with everything provided by me, except for the cymbals. (I’m not paying for cracked brass). We use the same gear for practice as rehersal. I’ve got a Bogner Uberschall with a full 8X12 stack for 1 guitar, a Carvin V-3 full stack for the other guitar, a 10 piece Ludwig kit, and for my bass rig I use a Carvin 1000 watt bi-amp head into a 2 1X18 and 2 4X10, (1 each side of the Drum Riser), with everything mic’d through the PA. I’ve found though, that I’m thinking about getting rid of my bi-amped setup, and just running through 4X12 bass cabinets, as the Prog-Metal we play doesn’t really need the extra lows from the 18’s. I’m trying to get closer to the sound that Steve Harris had during the mid-80’s, and the 18’s/10’s just don’t seem to give me quite what I want.

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  35. For our metal band and our space I use Svt 8×10 cab and Svt 4-pro in the mono setting so I’m going to say close to 1200 watts solid state , and most of the time I play it 3 to 5 for volume and gain on 6 . I had tried to use my Svt classic but it don’t translate very well in the space I find. but is very nice on stage if I wanna haul the heavy beast ! Live I use Svt 610 and Svt 4 pro which is a wicked set up

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  36. I believe the more watts the better. I use a Mesa M6 Carbine mated to a PH 4×10 & 2×12 cabs. It is a tad over kill for our room, but our drummer is LOUD. I don’t need to crank my amp at all, and my tone is KILLER.

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  37. I work in an environment where everything goes through the board, and we all have a personalized mixer and in-ear’s. Your levels are where you want to put them.

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  38. I’m using a pre/power amp set up, BBE BMAX and Crown XTi2002 on top of a fEARful 15/6/1 and 15sub and still have I crank it to 11 to be heard at practice r on stage! Help meeee!!

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    • Don’t know if you found your solution, and this thread is a year old so I am way late to the party.
      Without knowing your band setup, what speakers you have etc, this is a loose suggestion, but if you drop the sub, or set the 15″ ers up as a dual and use the 6″ with a crossover to cover a bit of the upper end snap, you can bridge the Crown and get up to 3,200 watts @4 ohms.

      This should give you lots of headroom and power, allowing you to keep the volume knob lower, your sound cleaner, and you can EQ things to get some bottom below the kick drum, scoop a hole for the kick and have some mids below the guitars and vocals to get low mid punch.
      Add a bit around 900-2.5k for some snap and a shelf around 4k-5k for air.

      Be careful with the high end because your tone can become strident and tiring on peoples ears very easily.

      Reply
  39. I play through Peavey TNT 600 watts 15″ + tweeter combo, with a 2 x 10″ existed cab. This gives me a well rounded sound that cuts through the mix. The 15 gives the boom while the 10″s keep the punch tight. Also it works great for small to mid gigs.

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  40. 400 watts into a 2X10 for practice, about halfway up. Practice space has a small bar and a shelf with shot glasses. People know to turn down when the bass starts knocking glasses off the shelf.

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  41. we dont practice just tear it up at the gigs. ( we gig every wkend) ” practice at home, play it on the wkend. 4 pc rock band. GK1001rb into peavey 410 & carvin 410 …. competing w a marshall half stack , blackstar half stack, accoustic drummer

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  42. I play through the same rig. I want to sound at rehearsal at least approximately the same as I will at a gig. Plus, using a smaller rig will change the QUALITY of the sound, and I don’t want that.

    I play through a Carvin BX1500 (yep 1500 watts) but the loudest I’ve ever had it was on 3 when I auditioned for a very loud band. Most of the time, it’s on 1 or 2. I like the clarity and tone control from the amp. The extra ridiculous headroom is just a bonus. I play through a stacked speaker setup with an 18″ for low end and 4x10s plus tweeter for the high end. Crystal clear. I also use a BBE sonic maximizer pedal.

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  43. I use a QSC PLX 1804 power amp, an Aguilar DB659 preamp through a Genz Benz Uber 410. More than enough power with a hard hitting drummer.

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  44. Believe it or not I use a 6.0 shuttle combo 112 by genz-benz, in a fairly nice size club with 2 loud guitar players but they play very tastefully 2gether,I thought their volume would totally kill me,,, but to my surprise the little combo was hanging very well!!!(was’nt in the house either!) but the 2nd set i did hook up to the house it was a little bit better,so that combo seems to be enough for most gigs I do!! Maybe a rock gig/ or metal i’ll add another 112@ 300watts!! that should handle any gig!! or rehearsal and still be very lite weight!!

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  45. I used to have a 500w ashdown valve stack
    If the drummer isn’t miced up
    Everyone needs to sit in line with his levels
    It depends if your into noise or wanna have it at a comfortable level
    We have the usual guitarist who always pushes it up and spoils it all, I could compete with a 500w but the singer prefers to sing and not shout
    I find my Roland cube 120 has enough punch running through the pa too
    I used to own a live music venue and have had so many bands who wanted as much stage volume as possible which if your using monitors just creates lots of problems
    If I was playing a stadium I would take my trusty cube
    No you don’t need a large rig
    You need a decent p.a

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  46. Rock, blues and raggae covers – Roland 20xl is loud enough for rehersals. Markbass F1 through a Schroeder 1210 for live performances, never gets turned up past half way

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  47. I might be the odd man here, but I’ve found that rehearsal is more demanding than shows for my amp.

    At rehearsal, my amp needs to supply my tone, and enough volume to hear myself.

    At shows, my amp just needs to get my tone out there; front of house and monitors make sure that I’m heard.

    Also, seems like the smaller the room, the harder it is for bass to punch through, so there’s another case where live is often easier.

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  48. I got tired of not hearing myself. If its too much rig, I can always turn it down.

    Drummers the enemy? So are drop tune guitarists that love feedback. Knock it off already.

    Practice and live I use at least my carvin bx1200 (thats the old 1200w ss), br210-8 and br115-8 with neo’s. Practice I also use a rebuilt franken peavey all tube 150w head and a 215 black widow cab … both rigs 90 degrees from each other.

    I know … too much. I dont care. I hate struggling to be heard. Might as well not play then; right?

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  49. I use a Genz Benz 12.0 shuttlemax with 1200 clean watts and drive 4 Hartke Hydrive cabs. Two 4-10 cabs on top and 2-15 inch cabs on the bottom. I can paste anyonne who dares to get to close to the rehersal walls!

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  50. So many relative variables here. Yes, non-dynamic drummers are a hugh problem; size of rehersal space; number of member playing; quality for musicianship. For that reason rehersal amplification can be tricky. Some sound and equipment tailoring may be nessesary for each space. However, no one is going to bleed my ears. I have walked out of rehersal, never to return. There have been gigs in a 500 seat auditorium where a 100 watt combo in a 4 pc band was more than adequate. I run a Yorkville Bassmaster hybrid/1000wts rms @ 4ohms. with 2×12 cab. If the venue calls for more than that, then it goes thru the front of the house. For gigs, one head, one cab. The days of carrying lots of amplification have long since past.

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  51. I play through a Promethean 500W head and a 2×15 cabinet. Brand-new Eminence CB15 speakers. Sounds great. My brother is on the drums and whacks them with everything he’s got. Never lets up. I have my rig turned ALL the way up just to keep in the mix with him. I watch the red “clip” light blink like it’s Christmas. I’m going deaf.

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  52. 600 watts = (just the tube channel of a 1200 watt) Genz Benz Shuttlemax 12.0 into a fEarful 212 with a tweeter. Plenty of volume for our 70s punk cover band with 100 watt Marshall and 100 Watt Randall playing guitarists. I have a GB Uber 410 to add in when playing larger venues if necessary.

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  53. Play my P through a 100 watt Lab Series L2 and a Peavey 300W 1×12 for rehearsal, and then change to a 200W L4 and throw on an additional Ampeg 2×10 live

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  54. My Stage Rig is An SWR SM-1500 amp and two SWR Megoliath 810 cabs. Some guys say I’m nuts for having this on stage and why would I need to be so loud. Well, this is where their IGNORANCE shines through!! It is NOT about being Loud on stage… it is all about being FULL sounding. Just because you have 16 speakers, doesn’t mean I’m going to blast everyone away. But some guys just don’t get it. Oh well, their loss for intelligence.

    In practice, I use one of my 810’s and my regular SWR amp and adjust volume accordingly. Our drummer is professional minded and knows that practice does not require sludge hammers to play. He uses thinner sticks for practice and sometimes those Stix (multiple thin sticks within a stick). I also want to add that I LOVE SWR gear and found out recently that Fender is considering closing down SWR to push their own crap. Good for them. I called to ask about this and they said they will know the final decision by the next NAMM show. Hopefully they get production back up and running!

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  55. Depends! Polytone minibrute (140W) OR GK 500W through 4×10 & 1×15 (also my regular rig!) I have to lug it around, so normally the polytone, sometimes with th 1×15 as an extension cab for more “punch”

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  56. Demeter 201 800D head, old Epifani 112T NYC and 212T NYC cabinets. Rock, blues and country music. BTW, if you can’t hear your singer you are not listening, turn down.

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  57. Bah, humbug. It’s not a matter of “watts,” it’s a matter of tailoring your volume to the room, and that goes for everyone in the band. If you leave rehearsal with your ears ringing for the next two days, it’s too damn loud. A real group consists of people who are thinking, “what can I contribute to make everyone else sound good?” NOT “look at me, look at me, I wanna be a rock star!” If you’re not in Shea Stadium, cut back the volume accordingly.

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  58. IME as a metal bass player it’s not necessarily a watts issue but you need a lot of volume for rehearsals— a lot more than is needed for gigs. The only heads I’ve had no complaints about are the DB750, the SVT classic and a 400+. I’m sure there are others but those all had headroom to spare.

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  59. I use my Fender 150 Bassman with a 12″ and that works just fine for me. I play alternative, classic rock and modern gospel groups

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  60. My practice rig depends on which band I play with. The smallest most polite Americana/Country band gets BBE Bmax pre/Crown 1500 XLS rack head(very lightweight) and 210 Genz Benz cab. The loudest practice rig is an Ampeg SVP Pro pre/crown xti 4002 (2400 watts) into an Ampeg 410 pn hlf. Both these rigs allow me tons of clean power to drive my cabs with no clipping from preamp or power amp and to allow dynamic range in my playing.

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  61. We play in my basement. Carpeted floor, drop ceiling. My drummer is not super loud. I’ve played with louder. The guitarist uses a 100 Watt Marshall combo with 2x12s. He plays at about ‘3’ on the master. I found that my GK 400RB with a Hartke 410 was not enough at all. It was always cranked. I switched to an 800RB and that was better.

    Then I discovered the secret of midrange. Although I prefer the sound I had before better, being able to find that sweet spot in between the guitar frequencies is the magic for being heard.

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  62. I run a 350 watt Markbass 1×15 combo at rehearsal and live and I have sufficient headroom and dynamic range for both applications. We’re playing old R&B, soul, and rock & roll so our volume bin rehearsal and on stage is pretty tame.

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  63. 700W Hartke HA7000 through a 4.5XL (4X10+horn) @400W and a 1X15 @400W. I play in a thrash metal band, so it goes loud, but not deafening overall.

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  64. We play in my basement. Carpeted floor, drop ceiling. My drummer is not super loud. I’ve played with louder. The guitarist uses a 100 Watt Marshall combo with 2x12s. He plays at about ‘3’ on the master. I found that my GK 400RB with a Hartke 410 was not enough at all. It was always cranked. I switched to an 800RB and that was better.

    Then I discovered the secret of midrange. Although I prefer the sound I had before better, being able to find that sweet spot in between the guitar frequencies is the magic for being heard.

    I find that on stage my rig is really just a monitor for me to hear what I’m playing so the volume doesn’t change a whole lot.

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  65. We practice in a small room. 2 guitars with Marshall half-stacks and a drummer who is not overly loud. I have 600 watts into a 4×10 & 15 and turn up about half way. I’m pretty sure we play louder at practice than we do at most clubs.

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  66. Drummer uses an electronic kit for rehearsal so easy to adjust the mix through the PA. I use the same rig as I do live, a Genz Benz Streamliner 900 with a Bergantino 4×10, the cab takes anything I through at it. I am the loudest in the room, last time I looked there were two guitarists struggling to keep up. Seriously though, everyone loves the fat bottom end sound, sometimes (not very often) they say nice things about bass players in the pub after…

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  67. I totally agree that I’d rather have too much then too little. I’m in different bands from metal to funk to blues rock, I always use my standard rig, which is a Mesa Boogie M6 pumped into a Mesa 4×10, I leave my second cab at home. I can always lower my volume when I need to, but I can have my sound all the time, instead of playing around with 2 amps trying to replicate it. The only problem of having 600 Mesa Boogie watts is that I can make everyone disappear, so I have to be very careful.

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  68. We practice in a big room so we set up just like a gig. Full tilt everything miked just like a show. I use 2 Hartke 7000 heads and a Carvin 1-18, a SWR 2-10, A 1-15 JBL and a Peavy 4-12. Love the way all the different size spkrs cover the entire bass spectrum.

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  69. In our practice studio, I run a Genz Benz Shuttle 3.0 8T (8 Inch spkr) with an Aguilar GB-12 cabinet (loaded with a Beyma 12″) Small rig, capable of 300 watts, and an absolute smoking sound. We do Rock N Roll, R&B, and Blues, along with some vintage Rock. Great little rig that works well in a very small setting.

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  70. Demeter VTBP201S into two Markbass Little Mark tube 800 on 2×10 ATS + 4×10 Mesa Powerhouse or (for little clubs) 1×12 Markbass and..no problem with the headroom, volume, definition and lots of volume reserve!

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  71. Metal band, crazy drummers in horrible practice spots. Yeah.

    Right now. Carvin BX1200 amp into Carvin neo 210 and a Carvin neo 115. That’s 1200 ss watts … and I have still had problems hearing myself.

    Next rig will be Mesa Big Block 750 with 2, 410 cabs. Theres just no substitute.

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  72. I play classic rock and Country and have a 70’s era SUNN Beta Bass combo , 100 watts with an EV 15B speaker. The thing is a monster and I rarely have to put it above 2 or 3 to get plenty of volume. I could use one of my Trace Elliot rigs but that would be overkill….. I want to hear everyone, not just myself !!!

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    • Nice, man! My first real bass amp in the early ’80’s was a SUNN Beta Bass combo with a15…..great amps. How come the old bass amps like the old SUNN and the old Peavey’s only had 100 watts and were loud as snot?

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  73. My band uses IEMs live and we do the same for rehearsals. We have a mixwizard with 6-way mix that we use for rehearsals. The guitar player uses a POD, bass and keys are direct and the drummer picked up a cheap e-kit. We are able to rehearse in a spare room at home and not disturb anyone else in the house, plus it is more cheaper and more comfy than rehearsing in a cold (or hot) storage space or warehouse.

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  74. Eden WT800 bridged (1200 W?) into Fearful 15/6 I don’t use all of the power but it sounds good having extra headroom.
    I am in a band with 3 drummers- 1 loud djembe, 2 loud congas, and drumkit.

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  75. I played in a 3-piece band that was compared to Blue Cheer, and I have the hearing loss to prove it. We rehearsed in an acoustically-damped 12′ x 20′ space. My Peavey Mark IV pumped 200 watts into a 4 ohm Ampeg 215 (I added another 215 and got 300 watts into 2 ohms for live gigs), which competed quite nicely with the guitarist’s Music Man 130 into a 412 cab. Also the drum kit was miked as well as the vocals. I had no trouble hearing everything.

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  76. Markbass CMD121P – generally plenty loud for rehearsal and even for smaller gigs. Add the New York 121 extension cabinet under it and it’s plenty for just about any gig I play.

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  77. Used to play with a jam band. First time I showed up I had a 200W 1X15 combo. The lead guitar and drummer were so loud, I had to play by feeling the vibration in my pants leg, which I had an inch from the cab. Showed up next time with a 400W head going into a GK 2X10. I could hear myself play, but the beer bottles kept walking off the table. That’s my standard rehearsal rig now, although with the current band I don’t need to crank it.

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  78. I’ve used everything from a 30w Univox (my 1st amp) to an SVT/8-10. I’ve a SVT Pro IV that I haven’t even used yet (1600-1800w bridged) & a 2-15 Mesa Boogie. But I’ve been using amps in the 200w range at less than half volume at reheasals AND gigs with a 1-15 cab. I’m playing classic rock originals & blues. I feed a DI into the sound system at really large venues with my amp serving as a fill monitor.

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  79. 2100 watts into a 2×10 and 1×2 rig for everything. It’s very nice gear, so it plays well loud and quiet.

    One thing everyone needs to understand before upgrading amps is that there is really no difference in output from a 350w amp and a 500w amp. It’s a log scale. To double your output power, you need 10x the watts. 1000w is double the output of a 100w amp.

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  80. In our metal band, I wrestle to be heard with a single guitarist who uses a poweramp and extremely bass-heavy distortion in B tuning, and a drummer with a 1970s Sonor kit with a piccolo snare. Loud. To be heard, I use a 1988 Warwick Streamer Stage II through an Ampeg SVT 450W solid state amp (at volume 6/7) )with two Hartke XL series cabinets: a 4×10 and a 1×15, which helps with getting clarity from the BEAD tuning. Getting the frequencies spot on is the key to be heard, as sometimes you cannot break through with sheer volume! In my case, it’s the growl and the mids/highs that are best heard!

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  81. With a relatively quiet drummer in a really crappy upstairs/attic rehearsal space, in a country/classic rock band, I used a 30 year old 60W Roland Cube. It did great.

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  82. Markbass 800 with (2) 4X10 cabs. Yes it is over kill for almost any situation I never turn up past “11 o’clock”. I do not play metal, but I we do play rock n roll! Need the head room for clarity and solid definition. The head is 8lbs and the cabs are 50lbs each and depending on the venue, sometimes only one can is needed which then means my head runs at 500w instead of the full 800w. Band is Adam Pitts and the Pseudo Cowboys out of Raleigh, NC! Rock on!

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  83. Yeh Frickin’ kick drum alright! I’m kind of lucky though as our drummer uses a TDK electronic kit which is pretty controlable as far as overall drum sound goes. However, just in case, I use a Fender Pro rig:- TB600 head into a 1x15cab at rehearsals. But live I use a 6×10 fender Pro Cab with the same head. Awesome tone & sound…:)

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  84. Save the power for the gig. Either IEMs with an electronic drum practice set or very low volume…yea, we don’t hear overtones and effects, but its rehearsal for timing and accuracy. I use a GK MB 115 or a smaller Marshall MB30 (30 watts, 10″) at about 25%…. Guitarist via 12 watt Orange that he’s also used for bar gigs and filled the room.

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  85. SansAmp and a Carvin PA amp (have 3 1000-2000 Watts to choose from) 15″ Black widows and 2×10’s. Just up the PA amps and number of speakers as needed.

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  86. This article is SO true! I’ve played for years in a metal band. Our jam space was in a warehouse, concrete floors, walls, metal roof. The space was about 30 feet wide by 100 feet long, with a 30 foot ceiling. All I had was an Svt-3 running into a 410hlf. I now know why the hell I couldn’t hear a thing!

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  87. TC electronic RH450 and a SWR golight 1×12 cab. More than enough volume for practice, and I add an extra 1×12 when needed for gigs.

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  88. Believe it or not, use a Sovtek Midget 50 for bass, both rehearsal and live….Plenty of volume and headroom…sounds toothy and full…

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  89. TC Electronics RH450 with a SWR 2-12 Bigfoot, reloaded with Carvin neo speakers 400 RMS each. Amp is light, about 9 lbs, cabinet probably weighs less than 50 lbs. Sounds great for practice and gigs, amp also has a built-in tuner and great sounding DI. Using fretted and fretless MusicMans and Carvin basses, classic and hard rock, so far never have a problem being heard.

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  90. I have a peavey Databass combo for practice; 450 watts RMS into a 15″. The solution was a lot simpler, though…we stuck the drummer in an iso-cube!

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  91. Rehearse through:
    MarkBass SD800 into 8ohm LDS 2×8 3 way and a Hartke HyDrive 112 (set to 8ohm)
    Gig same unless large hall/outdoors GK -MB800 head driving a 4 ohm Epifani UL410

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  92. I use an old Sound City 200 Bass (tube) head through an (equally old) Sunn 215 folded bass cab. Not sure I could play through anything else….the old gear just rocks!!

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  93. I play allsorts, though mainly alternative/punk/grunge. My old Peavey Mrk VI head has no trouble being heard, even whilst running at (I believe) 150 @ 8ohm (max 400w @ 2ohm). I got an accompanying 1820 with altogether for £135. Best buy I’ve ever had. Always get told to turn the f***er down.

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  94. I have used a Carvin PB200 combo (160 watts inot the onboard 8-ohm speaker) with a couple of reasonably polite bands. Had to get a 220W Crate BH220 for the next band, but haven’t heeded anything as loud since.

    The one story that comes to mind about loud drummers: we lost a drummer, and in the ensuing auditions, one knucklehead shows up with the big fat drum & bugle corps sticks… and a KEVLAR snare head. He tells us he was tired of breaking heads and finally bit the bullet and got this one. Then he tells us, “Yeah, I’ve been in so many bands that tell me I have to play quieter, but that’s just how I play, you know.” Dead silence from us band members… and needless to say he did NOT get the nod.

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  95. Vintage (circa 1992, yes, pre case fan) SWR SM400 (tube pre/ss pwr) into SWR Goliath 4×10. It’s done everything I’ve ever needed it to. I once had a 1×15 that I bi-amped with it but sold it when I got tired of lugging it around. One thing I DID get good at was adjusting my EQ to cut through the mix rather than just turning it up.

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  96. Maybe a good idea for live audience as well. InEar for everyone and you can play an OpenAir in the middle of the city till midnight 🙂

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  97. I use an SWR la15 (100rms) for small gigs and a SUNN concert (180 rms) running through a hardke 4×10 for big gigs. We do country, classic rock, jazz w hatever the situation calls for. Im also using a direct box through the pa. For practice, the la15 does fine.

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  98. I’m using a PF-500 / PF 115 for practice 350 Watts is more than enough, bigger venues or large stage I have a SVT-CL 810e

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  99. I use a first run SWR SM900 bi amping into a first run SWR Goliath SR. 6 x 10 sitting on top of an old Mesa Boggie 2 x 15 for weekend gigs and an old SWR SM400 through a Berg 3×12 for practice. No problem with being heard or definition only loose bowels after a couple of sets at almost half volume! LOL! Not too portable but all in shock mounted road cases and roadies for load in/out.

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  100. Back line 600 130w@8 ohms thru a cheap radio shack 115 cab (35 lbs). More than enough to beat down a drummer only turned up to 5.

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  101. we are in the process of converting a single car brick garage into a soundproof recording and rehearsing environment. at the moment I am using a trace Elliot 715 gp7 combo. transistor amp with a single 15″ speaker, I think this will be more than adequate for the job. but time will tell….

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  102. For shows and rehearsals I use a fender bassman 400 (350 w rms @4ohms) running into a carvin (600w 4ohm) pa speaker 2 15’s and a large horn . The is louder then any other 350 watt bass amp I’ve compared it to. Ss power. Through the pa speaker it’s fat clear…sexy. I play a esp ltd 4 string and a 6 string fretless with flatwounds on it. The low end is so incredible. Just wall shaking enough to piss off the neighbors. The bands I play in play all genres. Most ly blues, jazz fusion, 90s rock and metal .I love my pa speakerit’s such a full range . 45hz-20khz shrinks to 50-18 when maxed out.

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  103. I have a one for all amp with different speaker combinations to suit the rehearsal or gig. I graduated up to this “Little Mark 800” while doing Blues and Rock gigs (what a great little amp) but to save my ears at age 67 I’m returning to doing Jazz and for rehearsals and gigs alike I am getting all I need out of a box I built quarter the volume of my original Trace 4×10 enclosure with a port 100mm radius and 150mm deep and loaded it with an Eminence Legend, 200 watt, 8 ohm driver.
    Yes I’m really skinny and not the build of a furniture removalist so with my 6.31 lbs amp with its purpose built back pack, my speaker box in one hand (31 lbs) and home made long scale fretless in the other I’m set. Bigger gigs and rowdier rehearsals – Just add or use another cab.
    Using what may seem over kill on wattage is not really a bad thing if your sensible and use your ears, as with driving a smaller amp into distortion trying to get your volume is giving bursts of DC that can burn out your voice coil.
    Rehearsals we do in my home studio are now way down in volume because we record everything and to improve separation we listen on cans.
    (By the way, thanks BBG for advice on PU to suit my 5 string fretless. The Bartolini 72M45C-T has settled in very nicely for me replacing the EMG I was using.)

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  104. I use a SWR Baby Blue. Realize that I’m 61 years old/young and play country and classic rock. Funny how the top 40 rock songs I played in my first band are now considered classic oldies. When did Steppenwolf become old?

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  105. I use a Boogie 400+ into a pair of 1×15 cabs for the bottom and a pair of Boogie B2000’s run in stereo through a pair of 4×10’s for the highs. I always run this rig whether practice or stadium and adjust the power accordingly.

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  106. As a bass player i like 2 play on the quiter side. I dont like bringing my whole rig. I try 2 get away with jus a 2×10. I have a 4 Pro running thru my BXT 2×10 400 watts rms. I’m loud enough. If i was jus using a 1×15 i would b better off in the lows. Personally, I would say 400 watts for prac. You need the headroom and you would b surprised on how close to that power you would get too. Ur typical 200 watt bass amp isn’t gonna cut it.

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    • I have a 4 pro with a Bxt 2×10 for prac. 400 watts is ideal for prac. If i’m playin in a bigg stage. I use another 2×10 bxt with a 1×15 Mesa on low pass and the 2×10 on top for high pass. Id say 1115 watts rms is enough. Go Ampeg!!!

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  107. I use a SWR readhead with a Bagend 2×10 cab
    At rehearsels i stand in front of our drummer,he plays very loud,so my rig isnt sufficient,looking for power amp and 18″ cab that will teach him

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  108. I rehearse with 20 piece big band. TC Electronic RH 750 with 2×10. Wasn’t gonna chance it. Rather have to turn down than not be able to turn up. Considering getting another 2×12.

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  109. I wish someone would bring up the arguement of “tubes vrs. solid state?” In 60’s had a Fender Bassman w/ (4) 10’s and tubes. On certain low notes you could hear the amp tubes rattle. Sold it and got a Sunn Beta w/ (1) 15″ and solid state electonics and sounds great.

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  110. 1200 watt pa, 500watt bass rig, both solid state. 15 and 30 watt tube guitar amps. Vocals, synth,electronic drums through pa. We rock the fuck out and its real fun too.

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  111. Fender Frontman 15B< I play light Jazz with a guitarist, and practice on the basement of my home. DOnlt need all that much to be heard. A lot of time, the 15B is fine for smaller venues like wineries

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  112. I have a Ibanez soundwave 65 (60)watts lined in to mixer playing classic and southern rock with a heavey metal drummer. Bass is balanced in the monitors and foh mix . Good sound with four vocal mics uncompressed.and one kick mic uncompressed. Guitar players are using a jcm900 and 100 valvestate marshall amps raw.

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  113. I tried out for a spot in a band once, where I stood or sat next to the drummer. The first time I was across from the drummer but the second time someone else stole that spot. Oh, the pain! I couldn’t hear myself play so I started screwing up and being unable to improvise, and I had that lovely high pitch BEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEEE in my ears for the next 2-4 hours. And this is a full drum kit in a room about the size of an apartment living room.

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  114. I say sorry first, as nobody likes a smartass, but…
    Yikes! Nice try to explain a complex thing for an audience which I guess most often does not know too much about room acoustics as mixing / mastering engineers often (should) do… Nut partly really toe totally wrong choice of words (dead space = concrete).
    Also, the guitarist may very well be our enemy. I was, so I can tell :‘( If you play in a band where the guitarist is not already mentally grown up and uses a Mesa rig, even worse an old one (90s half ˋn half 412 and any Mark amp) you are literally fuxxed. He can easily push so much bass that you won’t hear any bass of yourself or the Bassdrum and your only Chance is „inside the V“ – meaning around 750Hz where the biggest cut of a V-shape EQ lies.
    There already is a clue: you don’t necessarily need Watts to be heard (also a ridiculous argument as volume is not watts), it’s watts properly multiplied with the sensivity of your speaker at 1Watt, often around and well over 90, rarely even over 99. And again, this is not the real rule, as still we didn’t speak about the frequency response aka sound of your speaker, which is massively affected by the room (this one was of course very right).
    Regarding frequency in rough measures: we hear very good in the midrange and not somgood in the bass range. So cranking up the bass won’t help with hearing yourself very much 🙂 Some very clever Metal Players push the upper mids and suddenly they cut better through the mix. Also, you need not so much power to produce mids and sorts of. The power is mainly needed for the low end, which is cool to feel, but not so helpful to hear yourself.
    And another one, while the bass tends to float out of the box as if it was an untight bathtub (in all directions, metaphorically speaking), the mids and stuff are very directional – means strongest strong in line with the often big speaker (say 15”) producing them. Place that one on the floor and you have the mids to make yourself heard all well on your knees 😉 Multi-way speakers are better at this (not big speakers plus tweeter, as the tweeter mostly starts at a less interesting higher range, but helps a lot to hear yourself).
    If you could angle up smaller boxes you can check if you hear yourself better standing in the right area (where the mids are “projected” like a flashlight would). Metal guys with an 810 have the luxury of having the speaker in ear night anyways – besides the massive volume an 810 can put out (by calculation they reach up to 128dB in 1m distance, rendering you deaf quite fast but very good hearable in 10m distance on a giant stadium stage).
    The last but most complex hint I would love to give (took me centuries to get that:
    Select a sound for the band, not for your ego 🙂 Meaning don’t dial in a sound which sounds cool when you play alone. Select a sound which helpfully adds to the sound of the band by giving a nice (not overwhelming) bottom and filling the frequency holes others leave (or others open for you if you ask kindly). Think like a mixing engineer to build the best possible sound of the band, then the I can’t hear myself can even be fixed without massive overpowering (yeah, says the guy owing an 800W mini Combo, but still…)

    I didn’t mean to appear arrogant and I hope it’s not received like that. I just struggled many years with sound in a band and caused problems for others by not doing as just written. I like to help others to not fall or stay in that pit 🙂

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  115. A 25 watt tube amp won’t work for blues bass! You loose bottom end when it clips. You need head room for bass. 50 watt Bassman’s only used one side of one preamp tube for less gain to prevent clipping. If you use pedals. When solid state amps cip sometimes there is a limiter switch and it turns the sound off to keep you from breaking your amp. Also solid state amps are know to drop off high end when the volume knob is more than half way. So if you have a 200 watt amp there are only 100 useable watts.

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  116. I play in a 90’s alt-rock cover band. We had a loud drummer… but he did not work on the material. Our current drummer is much quieter and his practice set is tiny. My rig is an old Ampeg B2r, a Hartke 4-10 XL and an Eminence 15, 350 watts at 4 ohms. We practice in a former boarding kennel with all of the cages removed, a little over 1000 square feet, wood walls and ceiling and a concrete floor. We have added some dampening around the band space to tighten up the sound. We also have the drummer behind a set of those plexiglass walls.

    With the old drummer, I had to turn that Ampeg up to three-quarters volume and master. We had problems with feedback for the vocalist and the PA. With the new drummer, I have been able to run at one-quarter or less on the dials. Additionally, we run a monitor system with the voc, guitar, bass, bass drum and snare in the mix. With the old drummer, this was not possible due. With the new drummer, I could take the option of practicing with just a direct input to the PA but I do like having my rig warming up the space behind me.

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  117. With today’s equipment it’s easy and relatively inexpensive to bring the exclusive dedicated rehearsal mix to the drummer. A dedicated area with acoustic barriers-baffles and the rehearsal mix executed through dedicated speakers or headphones. You should rehearse with as close to the performance stage “monitor mix” as possible. Not “front of house mix or volumes”. Grow up and educate yourselves as to the engineering aspects of music production, not just acting/performing. “The Mix makes the music”. Today’s music genres trend is very upfront vocal and choreographic oriented. Alot of audiences couldn’t care less about the actual backline musicians. It’s not about the size/wattage of your amp, it’s all about the acoustical environment and application.

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  118. I use SVT 3 Pro with home made 4 x 10 600W speaker with Eminence Legend drivers on 4 Ohm, so I can get max from the head. Both drummer and guitarist are pretty loud, I can easily play along with volume up to 3/4 max. And lots of bottom without any distortion.

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  119. Ok, here is a completely different look…. I play mostly at church now and rarely play “out”. At church, we have a full band but we use in-ears and no cabinets on stage. I play thru only my top half: [ Line6 BassPodPro with floorboard and G90 wireless ]. we rehearse the same. the avion is the bomb as everybody has individual control of what they hear. when Im “out” the practice hall is usually junk and I use the same rack (that has a PV900) to bi-amp a 4-12 (aluminum cone) cab on top of an old EMC 18″ cab on its side. pretty awesome sound and definitely cuts thru the mix :)…..

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  120. Small room practise I use my Sunn 200S and my Eden D210xst. Larger room I put my Eden Vt-300b on top of My Eden D210xst. THUMP

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  121. I have two rehearsal situations, neither of which involves a drummer. The first is an amplified vocalist and a group of about 20 electric guitarists, many of whom think they are Hendrix or Clapton, and set their 100W Fenders and Marshalls accordingly. The other is with an amplified vocalist and 3 electric guitars. In both situations, I use a MicroMark combo (50W, 8″ speaker), I’ve had no problem with it, and I’ve even sometimes been asked to turn down a bit……….

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  122. I don’t have a amp I can’t afford one to be honest. The one I had was a GK 800w combo it was stolen from a place I was working in about 4 years ago i wish I could afford one but I will say my dream rig is the markbass Marcus Miller rig to go with my bass. But I will agree more watts is better than not enough I think 800w is plenty for any rig.

    Reply

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