macky7tyseven
Inspired
I played a pair of Blues Juniors for years in a stereo setup and I loved it. Definitively loud enough if crancked. The AC30ties were definitively too loud to cranck in a bandroom.
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I would like to nominate my Crate BV300H half stack. I would also put it forward as a candidate for heaviest tube head ever.what's the loudest amp ever?
Had the original 120W version full stack years ago. Was so much to lug around to gigs I just used a half stack config most of the time. Insanely loud and kind of a one trick pony - great for blowing out ear drums and windows. Eventually sold it and went to a Carvin MTS 100W "mini stack". Even that was stoopid loud. Got the 2XL in 2014 and sold all the tube amps except for a THD Univalve. At 15 watts, even the THD can peal paint. After getting the III, the Univalve sits unused in a closet.my 100w 5150 is just way to loud for my neighbors 4 houses down
Yes they are. IMO, the Mk IV has one of the best clean tones I ever heard. I loved the mid channel slightly dirty and could do a whole gig living on that channel. But, I could never use that amp at home. Just too friggin loudsure, but they’re just so damn tasty!
switching it on at night and trying to find the spot between 0 and 1 where you can actually hear something but don’t wake the whole house is Russian Roulette though...
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Maybe 2 years ago I was on Helix, and we put together an ad hoc local user group meetup. One guy showed up with a seriously huge rig, played so loud I couldn't stand it, and wouldn't take the hint that it was really unfair. He was so proud of how Awesome it sounded. I put plugs in and backed as far away as I could, almost left.Fractal guy since 2013 here.... Every time I go over a non-fractal guitarist's house and they turn an amp loud, I gotta cover my ears. It's so non-guitarist of me. That's why they're all deaf in their 40's
$750 for the amp, and $500 to re-tube it.Darn - sold - couldv used me a 400W tube head
https://davesguitar.com/products/fender/400-ps-head-early-70s/
+1 - protect your earsDude- protect your ears.
You need them more than just about anyone.
Severe tinnitus will bring you to a very dark place for the first two years.
If can you make it thru that psychologically intact then you might have a shot at being able to function and concentrate enough on a daily basis to still work-
but you will never have your life back.
Once that switch in your brain gets flicked and the ringing starts- there is no way to turn it off.
I really dont enjoy saying all this because it’s too easy to come across as a fearmonger-
but as a guitarist with permanent, severely intrusive tinnitus I think it’s the one thing I should do for people.
Whomever thinks it’s a good idea to play electric guitar through headphones is not being sensible.
Anyone who manufacturers a tube amp with a headphone jack should be physically hurt.
You WILL eventually turn it up louder than your ears can safely handle and you will eventually step on a boost that is not adjusted properly.
And it only takes one last straw to break the camels back.
I‘m not on this forum at 5am on a Sunday morning after working 54 hours this week - just because I adore the FM3.
Once I wake-up to piss and am greeted with 70+ decibels of screeching at 13kHZ in both ears- there’s no climbing back into bed.
Not for nothing - I still own a full-stack with an extremely well done master volume mod and friendly speakers and it’s not an issue if I sit off to the side a bit.
I believe it was the Peavy Combos in the bedroom and Thrash Metal club shows of the mid 80’s that mostly contributed to me getting the gift that keeps on giving- and then motorcycles, nail guns and broken-baffled air compressors, Ect - that sealed the deal.
King Diamond does not get any Christmas presents from me though.
Love the last pic on there (warning plate) says "This is a 435 Watt RMS tube amp. Do not block any ventillation screens" - lol!$750 for the amp, and $500 to re-tube it.
Those 200 watt West amps Grand Funk Railroad used had to be up there.what's the loudest amp ever?
Thanks for sharing your experience. I have been spooked by tinnitus in the past; seems to be more induced by inner ear pressure due to allergies. But etymotic ear plugs are a must for live shows; and some bands are simply too damn loud, esp post rock style bands. I have zero qualms walking out of a show if it is too loud. Excessive volume usually means the mix sounds like garbage, too, which really defeats the point of seeing a live show.Whomever thinks it’s a good idea to play electric guitar through headphones is not being sensible.
Anyone who manufacturers a tube amp with a headphone jack should be physically hurt.
Yes I saw The Who in 1968, the show that basically changed my life, at Majestic Hills Ski resort in Lake Geneva , Wi , and they were indeed way too loud, and at the very end of their stage smashing era. I will never forget Moon and Townshend swinging from the ceiling-suspended psychedelic styrofoam stage props and attempting to topple their HIWatts....Love the last pic on there (warning plate) says "This is a 435 Watt RMS tube amp. Do not block any ventillation screens" - lol!
I guess those are from back in the days without PA - needed full stacks with big heads to get yur sound back to the cheap seats (God help the front rows).
When I was a teenager, "The Who" were famous for playing loud - for the longest time they were in Guinees Book of records for loudest concert - pics of PT proudly standing beside multiple full stacks w Hiwatt heads.
I've read Pete Townshend has some pretty bad Tinnitus. A lot of these older headliner rockers have learned a hard lesson as many have major hearing damage. Saw Van Halen a half dozen times mostly in the early years with disappointing sound being too loud, but, interestingly, the last show I saw about 10 years ago (Different Kind of Truth Tour), the volume was balanced - good quality PA - great show. Rush figured this out early on as the Rush shows I saw even in the late 70s always had great sound / reasonable volume.Yes I saw The Who in 1968, the show that basically changed my life, at Majestic Hills Ski resort in Lake Geneva , Wi , and they were indeed way too loud, and at the very end of their stage smashing era. I will never forget Moon and Townshend swinging from the ceiling-suspended psychedelic styrofoam stage props and attempting to topple their HIWatts....
but they ultimately learned the hard way their lesson, and when I saw them few years ago doing the Symphonic Tommy tour, I was shocked at the reasonable volume levels .
Just need a few EVM12L loaded 4x12 cabs to go with it, and Magilla Gorilla as a roadie for the load out....Darn - sold - couldv used me a 400W tube head
https://davesguitar.com/products/fender/400-ps-head-early-70s/
You also need to use three cabs to get the full power on those, IIRC. 145W per cab....Love the last pic on there (warning plate) says "This is a 435 Watt RMS tube amp. Do not block any ventillation screens" - lol!
That was Eminence. The Patriot Maverick, and there was a RedCoat version too I think.Someone made an adjustable magnet strength speaker but it didn't take off. Power scaling is cheaper, but most everyone went the attenuator route.