What's the point of 100 watt amps?

[NWBasser]

Is this similar, in a sense, to why deep bass woodwind instruments tend to be huge; such as in huge bass or baritone saxiphones? And in the case of drums, the need for a large bass drum instead of just tuning down a smaller tom for instance?

Further examples would include jumbo acoustic guitars and of course the double bass!

One aspect that hasn't really been addressed though is how a thumpy and bassy guitar sound affects the whole band mix. In my experience, some awesome tones that sound great on their own can be disastrous in a band setting with other instruments. For example, a mid-scooped bass tone sounds sweet on its own but is a cloak of sonic invisibilty when put into a band context.

[Eric***]

One aspect that hasn't really been addressed though is how a thumpy and bassy guitar sound affects the whole band mix. In my experience, some awesome tones that sound great on their own can be disastrous in a band setting with other instruments. For example, a mid-scooped bass tone sounds sweet on its own but is a cloak of sonic invisibilty when put into a band context.

I was also wondering about why bass can be muddy, which might be part of that same discussion. I used to own a 50w Crate amp where it was bass all over the place unless you turned the EQ knob off completely, but it was wild and boomy bass -- not something I'd want in a band or even on my own.

[NWBasser]

I was also wondering about why bass can be muddy, which might be part of that same discussion. I used to own a 50w Crate amp where it was bass all over the place unless you turned the EQ knob off completely, but it was wild and boomy bass -- not something I'd want in a band or even on my own.

My experience with Crate bass amps is that they're not very well voiced (being polite here).

However, the boomines that you describe may well be the result of boundary effects in the room.

Bass can be a female dog to EQ and amplify correctly due to standing waves, reflections, phase cancellations....

[Katastrophe]

Further examples would include jumbo acoustic guitars and of course the double bass!

One aspect that hasn't really been addressed though is how a thumpy and bassy guitar sound affects the whole band mix. In my experience, some awesome tones that sound great on their own can be disastrous in a band setting with other instruments. For example, a mid-scooped bass tone sounds sweet on its own but is a cloak of sonic invisibilty when put into a band context.

Man, lot of good info in this thread! IMO, it's mids that provide the punch to cut through for bass or guitar. Lose mid frequencies on both (like a lot of metal bands do), and it can become a woofy, mushy mess. Then, a band will compensate by turning up the volume on the 100 watt (or more for the bass) stack, creating a loud, woofy, mushy mess that becomes a roar of nothing but noise.

[Eric***]

Man, lot of good info in this thread! IMO, it's mids that provide the punch to cut through for bass or guitar. Lose mid frequencies on both (like a lot of metal bands do), and it can become a woofy, mushy mess. Then, a band will compensate by turning up the volume on the 100 watt (or more for the bass) stack, creating a loud, woofy, mushy mess that becomes a roar of nothing but noise.

It's funny, 'cause at times I like big giant messes of sound, like in some...well, I'm not sure what they're considered (Black Angels, Darker My Love)...bands. I love the sound of the Big Muff on Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins, but that's the whole point of that pedal.

Anyway, I don't know if I have a point. I guess it's just that if you're actually going for a big fizzy mess a la fuzz tones, I think it can be pretty sweet if done right. But I know that wasn't really your point.

[Katastrophe]

It's funny, 'cause at times I like big giant messes of sound, like in some...well, I'm not sure what they're considered (Black Angels, Darker My Love)...bands. I love the sound of the Big Muff on Siamese Dream by Smashing Pumpkins, but that's the whole point of that pedal.

Anyway, I don't know if I have a point. I guess it's just that if you're actually going for a big fizzy mess a la fuzz tones, I think it can be pretty sweet if done right. But I know that wasn't really your point.

You're right, in the right context, that "amp is about to explode fuzz sound" can be pretty cool. There are a few Smashing Pumpkins tunes that I dig for that very reason... Here's a "wall of sound" recording that I think they used some half stacks to good effect:



Note that the bass plays simply, but there would definitely would be something missing if he wasn't there.

[Eric***]

You're right, in the right context, that "amp is about to explode fuzz sound" can be pretty cool. There are a few Smashing Pumpkins tunes that I dig for that very reason... Here's a "wall of sound" recording that I think they used some half stacks to good effect:

Note that the bass plays simply, but there would definitely would be something missing if he wasn't there.

That was pretty neat. Thanks for the link.