ok this is a dumb question that needs answering.

[voxac30dude]

will a class A 18 watt amp have a loud enough clean sound for shows of 50-100 people? please reply. i need help. literally. haha.

[screamingdaisy]

Yes, provided you're mic'd.

If unmic'd it might also have a loud enough clean sound if you have a drummer that can maintain control of himself.... but they won't be prestine cleans by any means.

Also, not all 18w amps are equal. Some have alot of headroom (can stay cleaner, louder), and some have low headroom and break up pretty early. The volume has alot to do with how efficiant the speaker is too.....

[voxac30dude]

i just dont want to buy a 100 watt stck because the way to get good tube sound is to crank the amp. i want a nice cranked clean sound. i think i might go for a crate v33 because it's 33 watts class A and has 2x12s

[Jason]

Believe it or not, a dimed 30/33 watt class A tube amp might be too loud for you. My 30 watt Peavey can completely drown out the drums. Though you could get an attenuator to lower the volume and still keep most of the tone. A 30 watter would be a good investment though.. you absolutely don't need a 100 watt class A tube amp anymore... any concert hall is going to have speakers, so even if you get to that stage you're miking anyway. I'd recommend a 30 watter, but be aware that you'll need an attenuator for playing bars and other small gigs.

[voxac30dude]

Originally Posted by JasonC

Believe it or not, a dimed 30/33 watt class A tube amp might be too loud for you. My 30 watt Peavey can completely drown out the drums. Though you could get an attenuator to lower the volume and still keep most of the tone. A 30 watter would be a good investment though.. you absolutely don't need a 100 watt class A tube amp anymore... any concert hall is going to have speakers, so even if you get to that stage you're miking anyway. I'd recommend a 30 watter, but be aware that you'll need an attenuator for playing bars and other small gigs.

thanks soo much. that really helped me more then you know.

[screamingdaisy]

Originally Posted by voxac30dude

i just dont want to buy a 100 watt stck because the way to get good tube sound is to crank the amp. i want a nice cranked clean sound. i think i might go for a crate v33 because it's 33 watts class A and has 2x12s

If you're after a cranked clean sound you'll probably be happier with 30w than 18w. 18w is great if you're after lower volume overdriven sounds, but that's not what you're after, so....

Plus, if you get the 30w and it's too loud for a given venue you can always turn it down. And for those gigs where you're not mic'd, I find 30w is about the minimum I can run and still balance with a moderatly loud drummer.

Lastly, if cleans are your primary concern a 30w amp will give you a fuller sound than an 18w.

[glp]

To answer your question In a word - NO!

I build 18 watt amps. The point to low power amps is acheiving a CRANKED amp tone without visible blood from your ears.

Headroom is a term for how far you can go without distortion. 18 watt amps typically don't have alot of headroom - particularly those running on EL84's.

Also you need to remember that DOUBLING your power (say from 18 watts to 36 watts) only gives you a 3 db gain in loudness. 3 db isn't alot......

How many of you have used a 40 watt vintage Super Reverb? If you have you know most of them start breaking up just past 3 on the volume knob.
Starts to sound really good...... but it isn't clean!

In my circles there are just 2 choices for Clean headroom - a Twin Reverb or a Showman Amp.



Greg Perrines Recycled Sound Page

[996ttcab]

18 can get loud, but you qualified that with clean loud. Not enough head room probably, maybe depending on amp though. Something like a Hiwatt, Matamp, H & K Puretone may have a lot of head room and stay clean. Seemed like I played through a Hiwatt a long time ago and that thing seemed like it would not break up.

[HIPPY]

I like the Marshall jcm900 4500 high gain/duel reverb. I have 2 half stacks. the head can be switched from 50 watts to 25 watts. It sounds great at 25 watts for bedroom practice and at 50 watts is totally gigable. If the 4x12 1960 cabs are to much to handle , use a 2x12 bottom as long as the speakers are Celestions. My second choice is a Laney AOR series II 50 watt. I have one of these also. You can also use the head in your bedroom and is also very gig worthy. You can get a very close Plexi sound from these . the clean channel with a TS-9 tube screamer sounds great. These are alot less money than Marshall.The laney AOR cabs also have celestion speakers but are not as tight as the Marshall cabs. I know what you mean about the 100 watt stack. I have a 100 watt Laney Pro tube 20th anniversery and it is a over the top animal. Good Luck!!

[nsureit]

VOX AC-15 can crank with the best of 'em. Plenty of power and volume for a small/medium venue.