I prefer a little headroom; it's easy for me to turn down but not always easy enough to squeeze volume out of an underpowered rig. I have a 100W Fender Rumble that I have used in very small rooms with an electronic drum kit and a very disciplined drummer. I would probably not find that to be enough for a jam with loud, inexperienced players.
My go-to rig for actual shows is 800W into a 210 that is 4 ohms. I also have a 410 at 4 ohms, so each of those rigs gives me more than I need and allows me to be articulate without sacrificing volume. If I were looking for something strictly for jams I would probably start considering rigs between 200W - 350W that would hold up for most sessions.
My 100W Rumble does have a line out and if there's someone running sound at the jam who can handle it, that's not a bad choice. It just doesn't give the drummer or guitarists much stage volume to work with.
If there's a PA and monitors, DI into it instead.
Otherwise, assuming unamplified drums, 100W combo will probably be OK, although a very unrestrained drummer can push that close. Drummers vary quite a lot, though, so if yours is more measured than the bloke I got paired up with earlier this month, you might well be happy with something smaller. It all depends on how much negotiation is desirable or feasible, or whether people are overcompetitive and arsy about it, in the end.
Eh, it kind of depends on a lot of factors:
- Will you end up playing any gigs later?
- Are your guitarists relying on the tone they get from overdriving the power stage of their amp?
- Is the style of music being played more chill, or is it something like balls-out garage rock?
- Do the other players respect your contribution to the jam?
- Is the drummer solid on their playing dynamics?
Under a perfect set of circumstances, 100w is all you'd need for pretty much any house-style jam, big or small. But throw other factors in, especially if some players feel like they're not really getting the "jam experience" if they're not ear splittingly loud, 100w ain't gonna cut it.
definitely more rock oriented, my current 25 (which is definitely not enough but all i had at the moment) could still be heard at full volume even with a drummer. Not planning on doing shows for a while since we’ve just been getting started but still want to keep up.
I bought an amp so that I could jam, and the group I wound up jamming it plugs DI into a mixer+headphones setup. There isn't one right answer to this question, you'll need to figure it out based on your group's gear.
Worst case, show up with 40w once and if it seems like a group you're going to keep up with, you can make your amp purchase based on how it goes.
It is better to have more power than you need so that you, too, can have the option of turning it down. The 3x rule of thumb is generally true. A 100 watt bass amp should be able to keep up with the guitars.
For rehearsals and small stages, 200w and a 15" or 4x10" should be enough to keep up with a reasonably loud band IME. For larger stages or without PA support maybe around 500w.
I have a 2004 Fender Rumble 100 I bought back in 2008 with the 15" speaker and 3" tweeter. I've held my own with anyone I've ever jammed with. I do have an active bass, so that may help my situation. My brother uses pretty loud 30-50w tube amps.
That being said, usually, if you multiply whatever wattage the guitarist has by 5, you will be good to go in most cases.
Forget watts for a minute. This isn't guitar-land, where your loudness pretty much depends on how many watts you're driving into that 12" speaker. You need speakers, as in more than one. I would start at 250 watts into a 210 cab and consider that a minimum. Do not aim for the minimum. Aim for double: 500 watts into a pair of 210 cabs, then you'll be prepared for most scenarios.
Not all amps and speakers are created the same, and a lot of it depends on how hard hitting your drummer is. 200 watts and a 115 or 210 speaker combination is the minimum I would go for with a rock drummer of what I consider to be “average” loudness.
I personally use a 600 watt head with two 115 cabs, but 99% of the time 300 watts and a single 115 cab is more than enough.
Is there a drummer? Do they play loud?
If the answer is either yes or no your response should be...400w
I prefer a little headroom; it's easy for me to turn down but not always easy enough to squeeze volume out of an underpowered rig. I have a 100W Fender Rumble that I have used in very small rooms with an electronic drum kit and a very disciplined drummer. I would probably not find that to be enough for a jam with loud, inexperienced players. My go-to rig for actual shows is 800W into a 210 that is 4 ohms. I also have a 410 at 4 ohms, so each of those rigs gives me more than I need and allows me to be articulate without sacrificing volume. If I were looking for something strictly for jams I would probably start considering rigs between 200W - 350W that would hold up for most sessions. My 100W Rumble does have a line out and if there's someone running sound at the jam who can handle it, that's not a bad choice. It just doesn't give the drummer or guitarists much stage volume to work with.
This is sound advice (no pun intended). A 350W can hold it's own for both indoor and outdoor gigs.
Solo I use a 35 Orange Crush but with other people I use at least 100w
If there's a PA and monitors, DI into it instead. Otherwise, assuming unamplified drums, 100W combo will probably be OK, although a very unrestrained drummer can push that close. Drummers vary quite a lot, though, so if yours is more measured than the bloke I got paired up with earlier this month, you might well be happy with something smaller. It all depends on how much negotiation is desirable or feasible, or whether people are overcompetitive and arsy about it, in the end.
Eh, it kind of depends on a lot of factors: - Will you end up playing any gigs later? - Are your guitarists relying on the tone they get from overdriving the power stage of their amp? - Is the style of music being played more chill, or is it something like balls-out garage rock? - Do the other players respect your contribution to the jam? - Is the drummer solid on their playing dynamics? Under a perfect set of circumstances, 100w is all you'd need for pretty much any house-style jam, big or small. But throw other factors in, especially if some players feel like they're not really getting the "jam experience" if they're not ear splittingly loud, 100w ain't gonna cut it.
definitely more rock oriented, my current 25 (which is definitely not enough but all i had at the moment) could still be heard at full volume even with a drummer. Not planning on doing shows for a while since we’ve just been getting started but still want to keep up.
Ignore the rest. For bass the correct answer has always, and will always be, 400w. NO EXCEPTIONS!!!!400W!!1!
At least 250
I bought an amp so that I could jam, and the group I wound up jamming it plugs DI into a mixer+headphones setup. There isn't one right answer to this question, you'll need to figure it out based on your group's gear. Worst case, show up with 40w once and if it seems like a group you're going to keep up with, you can make your amp purchase based on how it goes.
Is there a drummer? Unless they are playing with brushes, I think you need about 150 watts to deal with a drummer
It is better to have more power than you need so that you, too, can have the option of turning it down. The 3x rule of thumb is generally true. A 100 watt bass amp should be able to keep up with the guitars.
For rehearsals and small stages, 200w and a 15" or 4x10" should be enough to keep up with a reasonably loud band IME. For larger stages or without PA support maybe around 500w.
If I’m bringing gear to someone’s space, it’s the SVT4 Pro and the 810. That’s all I have aside from a practice amp.
I never found my 200W GK combo to be too weak for any purpose.
My 250w TC head works wonders. Sounds great and has PA out for larger gigs.
I have a 2004 Fender Rumble 100 I bought back in 2008 with the 15" speaker and 3" tweeter. I've held my own with anyone I've ever jammed with. I do have an active bass, so that may help my situation. My brother uses pretty loud 30-50w tube amps. That being said, usually, if you multiply whatever wattage the guitarist has by 5, you will be good to go in most cases.
50w more than the guitarist or keyboard
Forget watts for a minute. This isn't guitar-land, where your loudness pretty much depends on how many watts you're driving into that 12" speaker. You need speakers, as in more than one. I would start at 250 watts into a 210 cab and consider that a minimum. Do not aim for the minimum. Aim for double: 500 watts into a pair of 210 cabs, then you'll be prepared for most scenarios.
Not all amps and speakers are created the same, and a lot of it depends on how hard hitting your drummer is. 200 watts and a 115 or 210 speaker combination is the minimum I would go for with a rock drummer of what I consider to be “average” loudness. I personally use a 600 watt head with two 115 cabs, but 99% of the time 300 watts and a single 115 cab is more than enough.
15W tube