Gen Alpha “no one uses big amps any more!”

[MarcB]

The Grateful Dead invented the “sound wall”..

 

[jb_abides]

The Grateful Dead invented the “sound wall”..

The Wall Of Sound!

Bonjour.

 

[ElChivo]

I keep hearing about "clean stages"; meaning using pedals direct or amp sims in conjunction with in-ear monitors.

I am to blame for my church going completely amp-less. I auditioned with and have only played through my Helix onstage. Everyone else has followed suit, either with Line 6, Iridium, or Kemper. Granted, they were using really cheap Vox solid state amps before me.

 

[gary buff]

There's just something about that wall or jumble of amps across the backline that says "rock." My first big concert was Jim Croce, the Doobie Brothers, and Loggins and Messina on April 5th, 1973. There were two lines of amps across the stage. After Croce and before the Doobies they had the amps on standby and right in front of me was an Ampeg B-15 with its lighted plexi logo and I was enchanted. Those black boxes meant something.

A clean stage looks... empty.. boring... give me the jumble any day. Now, I've been doing modelers and silent stage (when asked) since the early 2000s so I'm not a luddite, but darn. i also can't irradiate my (professional) ears with high SPLs anymore, either. But then there is the smell of a well-seasoned tube amp: Glue, fabric, push back wire, caps, cigarette smoke,. Each brand of amp has its own bouquet.

I truly live in two worlds.

Bob

Nothing like the smell of a hot Marshall 50-watt head (model 1987). Sounds weird but it's true, at least for me.

 

[Midnight Blues]

Nothing like the smell of a hot Marshall 50-watt head (model 1987). Sounds weird but it's true, at least for me.

When I had it back then, my early 70s Marshall Super Lead smelled delicious and my YJM100 that I have now smells just as good as.

 

[ToneHenge]

I had no idea Sunn Amplifiers were making a return. I remember being able to buy Sunns for cheap in the 80s and 90s.

 

[MarcB]

I had no idea Sunn Amplifiers were making a return. I remember being able to buy Sunns for cheap in the 80s and 90s.

Sunn o)) made a welcome return to market a few years ago.. and given they were predominantly used by the metal heads during the 80s and 90s have concentrated on this market.. which tbh only Hi-watt was (kinda) pushing..

 

[brandtkronholm]

Sunn o)) amps “hold my beer”

Sunn Amplification — DoomBox

Sunn o)) Amplifiers: Home of the legendary brand

sunnamps.com

A 1000 watt 4x12!
There is hope.
My motto: "Better musicianship through louder amplification!"

 

[jb_abides]

aka

It Might Get LOUD!

 

[Xpensive Wino]

A 1000 watt 4x12!
There is hope.
My motto: "Better musicianship through louder amplification!"

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Gen X'er here who would loudly argue against that claim.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

A 1000 watt 4x12!
There is hope.
My motto: "Better musicianship through louder amplification!"

My highest so far was a couple of 400 watt 4x12 loaded cabs. One was a Lopoline Sig 4x12 with two Fane AXA12's, and two EVM12L's. The other an Electric Amps Green 4x12 with two Celestion G12H-100's, and two EVM12L's, but I just recently sold the EVM12L's because I love alnico SRO12's way more.

Right now it's a 260 watt tie between an Avatar Vintage 4x12 with two alnico Coffee Can SRO's and two Fane Medusa 30's, and the Electric Amps 4x12 with the two G12H-100's and two of my alnico SRO's.

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Now that I think of it my two JCM800 cabs are both 260 watts as well.

 

[brandtkronholm]

I saw this and wen on the interweb and bought the t-shirt.
Awesome.

 

[William Payne]

Sometimes... things get out of hand
View attachment 27935

That man and that power setup is the reason for the now famous M&M's clause. Roth is a lot of things but dumb isn't one of them.

 

[MarcB]

That man and that power setup is the reason for the now famous M&M's clause. Roth is a lot of things but dumb isn't one of them.

 

[MattD1960]

The idea of going smaller is great,I am 34 i LOVE carrying around a deluxe reverb and a klone and playing anything anywhere anytime. it fits comfortably in any car and its easy to carry in and out, no head and cab set ups and getting yelled at all night about volume take a deluxe turn it to 5 put a od pedal infront and away we go. as for a silent stage i couldnt get along with that i need to feel something happening when playing

 

[spidey]

There's just something about that wall or jumble of amps across the backline that says "rock." My first big concert was Jim Croce, the Doobie Brothers, and Loggins and Messina on April 5th, 1973. There were two lines of amps across the stage. After Croce and before the Doobies they had the amps on standby and right in front of me was an Ampeg B-15 with its lighted plexi logo and I was enchanted. Those black boxes meant something.

A clean stage looks... empty.. boring... give me the jumble any day. Now, I've been doing modelers and silent stage (when asked) since the early 2000s so I'm not a luddite, but darn. i also can't irradiate my (professional) ears with high SPLs anymore, either. But then there is the smell of a well-seasoned tube amp: Glue, fabric, push back wire, caps, cigarette smoke,. Each brand of amp has its own bouquet.

I truly live in two worlds.

Bob

Agreed!!! A few years ago (maybe 2017) I went to see Richie Blackmore's Rainbow. They did a handful of dates. I was too young to have seen Rainbow in the 70s. The lights came on and he had an Engle combo on stage. It looked a bit silly but sounded great. It would have looked far cooler to have a wall of stacks.... but I suspect I'm showing my age and influences in thinking this. The wall of stacks is part of the rock'n'roll theatre of the event IMO.

 

[fender69]

"Big tone is heavy and hard to carry. Always will be."
- T. Bukovac

 

[MarcB]

“There’s nothing like leaning back into the sound on stage” - David Gilmour

View this content on Instagram

View this content on Instagram