120watts or 200 watts guitar amp

ROWDYBEER · October 29, 2011, 04:36:39 PM

If you already had a 100 watt amp would you go with a 120 watt or 200 watt amp?

bitter · October 29, 2011, 04:43:23 PM

I have considered a 200 watt amp to supplement my 100 watter. Although, that's mainly because I'm currently w/out a bass rig, and would like something to do double duty. It would have to have a 100/200 watt power switch to keep it reasonable.

dunwichamps · October 29, 2011, 05:10:12 PM

100-120W, less than 3db difference in total perceived power. Maybe u squeeze a few more watts of clean power before clipping but not soo much.

Better to get more efficient speakers if your looking for more push

At_Giza · October 29, 2011, 05:29:02 PM

I'll stick to my 18 watts, it's got the volume, and the gain. Nice, fat, dirty clean too.

Lumpy · October 29, 2011, 06:27:25 PM

Or get a 2nd cabinet.

Chovie D · October 29, 2011, 06:43:51 PM

200 then you can use it for bass

Id actually go for a lower wattage amp, like a 40-50, differnt sound, still loud

Hemisaurus · October 30, 2011, 12:35:46 AM

Quote from: dunwichamps on October 29, 2011, 05:10:12 PM
100-120W, less than 3db difference in total perceived power. Maybe u squeeze a few more watts of clean power before clipping but not soo much.

Better to get more efficient speakers if your looking for more push

Quote from: Lumpy on October 29, 2011, 06:27:25 PM
Or get a 2nd cabinet.

Score one for Lumpy, more speakers is almost always a better answer than more watts

spookstrickland · October 30, 2011, 04:58:10 AM

This is what you do. If you use your amp for dirt and not pedals you use the 100 watter for your dirt signal cranked and then the 200 watter for the clean stuff. I've always wanted to have the money to buy two complete marshall stacks one would be a 50 watt the other would be a 100 watt then have an a/b/y box to split the signal.

Chovie D · October 30, 2011, 11:23:21 AM

dudes less is more...

my 120 watter will pulverize cinder blocks into dust at 200 yards.I dont think ive turned it up past 1 except maybe once to test it...and a black hole opened up in my studio when I did ... no sound or light could escape.

different amps? sure...for different tones or a different functionality.
constantly craving more wattage? why?

Hemisaurus · October 30, 2011, 01:16:14 PM

Quote from: Chovie D on October 30, 2011, 11:23:21 AM
constantly craving more wattage? why?

So you can power more speakers

neighbor664 · October 30, 2011, 01:17:35 PM

200 Watt guitar amp = tiny penis.

clockwork green · October 30, 2011, 01:44:03 PM

Depends if you want more headroom or not but it should be strictly a tone thing. If the designs are similar the 200 won't be much louder...just tighter and cleaner.

Mr. Foxen · October 30, 2011, 02:04:40 PM

Won't get any power amp drive from a 200w guitar head. Preamp drive is for pussies. If you want a clean power amp and preamp drive, get a Blackstar pedal and swap in a nicer valve. If you want tighter and cleaner, might do well to uprate the power filtering in a 100w head, especially if it has old caps, the sag from there might be the early breakup you are getting.

peyotepeddler · October 30, 2011, 10:46:43 PM

To much talk about low wattage in this thread, get the 200 watt amp, it will make you smile and feel warm and fuzzy inside! Tuning low and playing slow screams high wattage, gotta push those tones somehow!

ROWDYBEER · October 31, 2011, 08:57:10 AM

I guess the better question would be get a 120 watt high(er) gain amp use Amps dirt not going to clean up very well or 200 watt headroom for days better cleans use pedals for dirt amp? It's a tone deal not a question of how ginormous my dick is. It's not like the 200 watt is going to be massive overall in size compared to a 100 +/- watt amp.

Probably going to go with the 200 watt. I was told if I don't like it I can trade it for the 120 watter.

I'm also looking for some real life experience playing 100 watts and 200 watts and what the noticeable differences were/are.

Beers

Hemisaurus · October 31, 2011, 09:07:46 AM

So the 200W is to take the tone of the amp out of the equation?

The loudest guitar player I ever had to deal with, the guy that made me want to buy bigger and bigger amps, played a 50W Mesa combo with a single 12", and it was just ridiculously loud, he did clean and dirty, the only pedal he had was a tuner.

Mr. Foxen · October 31, 2011, 09:44:18 AM

If you have dirt from a 200w amp, benched and scoped, you probably don't have a 200w amp.

clockwork green · October 31, 2011, 10:46:35 AM

Quote from: Mr. Foxen on October 31, 2011, 09:44:18 AM
If you have dirt from a 200w amp, benched and scoped, you probably don't have a 200w amp.

A 200 watt on 10 with still get plenty dirty all by itself. If my Matamp was 200-watts I'd probably still play with it on 10.
To me it's about the quality of the volume. I've heard a cranked 25-watt solid state amp that fucked my ears up way more than walls of cranked, warm sounding tube amps.

dunwichamps · October 31, 2011, 10:47:37 AM

Quote from: Mr. Foxen on October 31, 2011, 09:44:18 AM
If you have dirt from a 200w amp, benched and scoped, you probably don't have a 200w amp.

that depends on your preamp, so it could be clean or it could be dirty but it all could still be 200W RMS

Mr. Foxen · October 31, 2011, 11:09:40 AM

Quote from: dunwichamps on October 31, 2011, 10:47:37 AM
Quote from: Mr. Foxen on October 31, 2011, 09:44:18 AM
If you have dirt from a 200w amp, benched and scoped, you probably don't have a 200w amp.

that depends on your preamp, so it could be clean or it could be dirty but it all could still be 200W RMS

I was meaning the 200w part, as in dirt from the power amp. And assuming the 200w rating is at some fairly low/inaudible THD. Mostly, I'm thinking of the Orange 200watters that barely make 160w before breaking up.

dunwichamps · October 31, 2011, 11:29:16 AM

Quote from: Mr. Foxen on October 31, 2011, 11:09:40 AM
Quote from: dunwichamps on October 31, 2011, 10:47:37 AM
Quote from: Mr. Foxen on October 31, 2011, 09:44:18 AM
If you have dirt from a 200w amp, benched and scoped, you probably don't have a 200w amp.

that depends on your preamp, so it could be clean or it could be dirty but it all could still be 200W RMS

I was meaning the 200w part, as in dirt from the power amp. And assuming the 200w rating is at some fairly low/inaudible THD. Mostly, I'm thinking of the Orange 200watters that barely make 160w before breaking up.

that would be more of a function of the B+, # of tubes in //, tube type, phase inverter

Mr. Foxen · October 31, 2011, 11:40:35 AM

The mechanics of it don't matter, it is the difference between the claimed output and the actual output when tested. Pretty much is the reason watts are such a shitty way to rate amplifiers. If my 100w amp is putting out 100w at 1% thd I'd want a 200w amp to put out 200w at 1% thd as comparison. If the 200w is with the amp distorting to fuck, it might still be putting out 200w RMS, but so might the 100w amp if it is distorting to fuck. Power ratings without a thd figure and other shit really don't mean much. Its made worse by the fact a 100w output distorting sounds louder than 100w clean into equivalent speakers.

Hemisaurus · October 31, 2011, 11:46:47 AM

Wow it's like when they feed one chatbot into another

Y'all are forgetting Mr Fletcher and Mr Munson

dunwichamps · October 31, 2011, 11:49:09 AM

Quote from: Hemisaurus on October 31, 2011, 11:46:47 AM
Wow it's like when they feed one chatbot into another

Y'all are forgetting Mr Fletcher and Mr Munson

thd is a nice figure of merit for engineering but musicians in the end of the day probably only care about percieved volume and frequency response.

Mr. Foxen · October 31, 2011, 12:27:14 PM

Quote from: dunwichamps on October 31, 2011, 11:49:09 AM
musicians in the end of the day probably only care about percieved volume and frequency response.

That's the thing, watts don't really relate to either, which is the bit that makes the number about a big dick competition. Lower frequency response sucks watts so brings down perceived volume at the same power. Its hard to put numbers on tone, for that purpose, brand name is probably more meaningful than watts.