RX JR live report

[Mikenov]

So I went out and did a jam with the RX Jr. Wow, great tone. It really is fantastic. But it was coming up short in the volume department. It was great for Rythm but for solos I just couldn't get it to punch through even with double OD pedals.

3 things

- the other guitarist was WAY too loud. It was out of control.

- it's a pool hall and the room is very loud. It's like playing in a gym.

- Amp was set next to another guitar amp and on the ground.

 

I am going to be jamming tomorrow again and will be interested to hear how it sounds in a smaller room.

 

Question - is 18 watts loud enough?

[DetroitBlues]

So I went out and did a jam with the RX Jr. Wow, great tone. It really is fantastic. But it was coming up short in the volume department. It was great for Rythm but for solos I just couldn't get it to punch through even with double OD pedals.

3 things

- the other guitarist was WAY too loud. It was out of control.

- it's a pool hall and the room is very loud. It's like playing in a gym.

- Amp was set next to another guitar amp and on the ground.

 

I am going to be jamming tomorrow again and will be interested to hear how it sounds in a smaller room.

 

Question - is 18 watts loud enough?

 

It should be. It all depends on what you pushing with it. Use a 2x12 or 4x12 cab, and you'll know just how loud it is!

[Horace]

Getting it off the ground will give you your biggest bang for the buck.

 

Horace

[fxdx99]

Man, you guys musta been screamin'. 18W is usually very capable for me (18W Reinhardt, 15W 5e3, or 22W deluxe... all very similar in terms of db levels). But yeh, 18W combo's not gonna compete with a 100W multi speaker if everyone's cranking (remember trying to hear yourself sing at PSP3?...)

[tulk1]

If a Dr Z is being drowned out .... ouch!

[JeffB]

I tried an amp with about 18w at a gig on Saturday night. For the most part it worked fine until I took a lead. Too much compression rather than boost happened.

Also It sounded good for low gain but I didnt have the clean sounds I like. The sounds I did have were good. Just needed more headroom for cleans and lead.

[schundog]

If not, mic it, or tilt it up towards your head so YOU can hear it a bit. Were you standing right by it? It amazes me how much different an amp can sound to ME depending on where I'm standing in relation to the amp. If I'm right on top of it, it doesn't sound nearly as loud to me as when I step out 10-12 feet in front of it. I know, thanks Mr. Obvious....haha. But 18W can be REAL loud!

[koula901]

I have this same experience during band practice, Brian. When I'm in front of the HRD, I don't sound as loud to myself as I do to people across the room - they tell me I'm plenty loud. Another factor that I finally figured out, as it always seems to me that the other guitar is louder: she's playing a humbucker guitar - much punchier than my 137 w/noisless fralin P90s. not to hijack this thread or anything, but no matter what I do - use boost pedal, etc, that humbucker guitar will always sound ballsier.

And back to Mikenov's question - is 18 watts loud enough. I would have guessed that it is, but what do I know. Maybe you need a 30?

[DetroitBlues]

I tried an amp with about 18w at a gig on Saturday night. For the most part it worked fine until I took a lead. Too much compression rather than boost happened.

Also It sounded good for low gain but I didnt have the clean sounds I like. The sounds I did have were good. Just needed more headroom for cleans and lead.

 

Using an extension cab should help out there. My RD amp sounds so much fuller and louder when it was plugged into a 4x12.

[JeffB]

So I went out and did a jam with the RX Jr. Wow, great tone. It really is fantastic. But it was coming up short in the volume department. It was great for Rythm but for solos I just couldn't get it to punch through even with double OD pedals.

3 things

- the other guitarist was WAY too loud. It was out of control.

- it's a pool hall and the room is very loud. It's like playing in a gym.

- Amp was set next to another guitar amp and on the ground.

 

I am going to be jamming tomorrow again and will be interested to hear how it sounds in a smaller room.

 

Question - is 18 watts loud enough?

Be interested to hear how it went in a smaller room.

 

I had my 18w head going through a 212 cab on a stand, I had it aimed about 45* across the stage so the keyboard player could get a hit of it and it was pointed straight at my right ear and about 10 or so feet away.

I didnt really have a problem with volume, I had a problem with not getting the clarity Im used to from 60-100w amps. It just ran out of legs. It sounded good but only for one sort of sound. Using a stomp for either lead or more gain just compressed the sound and made things quite mushy.

I dont usually use the volume control too much on the guitar but I did spend time trying to control/manipulate the sound using it and had a small degree of success.

Think 18w is probably plenty loud enough but for me lacks the clarity and dynamics that Im use to using bigger watt amps. Its almost like bigger watt amps dont have to be as loud to get the same spread of sound and punch.

The amp I was using had volume, treble, bass, and presence and used el84's. Seemed quite big and open at home while I was testing it but didnt quite translate when the band kicked in. It was mic'd up but I didnt run any of it through my monitor because I hate having the sound of it in there when Im singing.

One thing that I did do after the second bracket was drop the hum bucker in the bridge away from the string a bit. It did clear up the compression a bit but I didnt like the over all effect it had on the feel and sound.

 

Sorry if this looks like a thread high jack but its kind of on topic

[JeffB]

@Detroit

No way am I lugging a 412 to a wedding gig to sit a little head on it. If Im going to move a 412 around its going to have a 100w head driving that back breaker to make the pain of lugging worth it.