Whats your preference 50 Watt or 100 Watt?

[Exidor]

I read that Michael Schenker uses 50 watt heads and that's good enough for me. now if only I could cop his tone. and his playing ability.

It’s true, but he used at least 2 of them, if not more. I have an ‘81 2203, EL34 tubes @100 watts, and an ‘82 2204, 6550 tubes @ 50 watts. Both are stock. The 2203 just sounds better to me for most of the reasons others listed here. Tighter, bigger low end and a bit more headroom. The 2204 is bright and needs the preamp run full up to bypass the bright cap, which effects dynamics if trying to run the amp with a pedal board for example. Not really the amps fault since it was designed to rock hard, which my ‘90s self did. Otherwise the 2204 is plenty loud for most club gigs today. If I had to choose my overkill, 2203 all day.

 

[BatmansMarshall]

I'd love to hear the 100W people explain how they get power tube distortion from their 100W Marshall amps without playing in a stadium, private open range plains, island, recording studio with a soundproof room exclusive for amp use. I'd also like to know why they aren't puking up everywhere when the volume goes above the 12 O'clock position. How they can hear anything with the earbuds in their ears. How they deal with the instrument vibrating and pickups resonating everything.

Look where this first guy has to stand to play the guitar.







Does it sound better? What's going on is a lot of fun for like the only time all of these fairly popular guitarists have done this in the entire careers as musicians.

This is for 1960s, 1970s, sound venues that don't have in-house sound systems. After the 1980s that simply stopped happening. Cabs got mics and the sound venues thousand Watt systems took over the venue.

We all go to gigs in pubs and small music halls. The 100W JCM800 comes out and sounds like a big fuzzy oversaturated mess. Mud. Always. They dial back the volume to levels they can manage which makes their tone clean up a bit but the reason for owning the 100W JCM800 is gone. The answer to this problem is 50W and below. Simple as that. Or you get a load box and it's not going to be all that different from the 50W.

I think it's great some 100W Marshall owners can do all that high volume stuff. It's amazing. However, those well-known guitar players obviously don't. Famous musicians on stage with stacks of those from the 70s and 80s probably did it but not today they don't.

 

[Marshall50w]

I have a 100watt 1959 SL from 1974. This is a beast and is deafening from about volume 1 and goes into overdrive straight away.Does anyone else's early '70's 100 Watters do this ?
My 50watt 1987 Tremolo Head from 1970 has headroom until around volume 5 onwards.

 

[CraigP]

I'd love to hear the 100W people explain how they get power tube distortion from their 100W Marshall amps without playing in a stadium, private open range plains, island, recording studio with a soundproof room exclusive for amp use. I'd also like to know why they aren't puking up everywhere when the volume goes above the 12 O'clock position. How they can hear anything with the earbuds in their ears. How they deal with the instrument vibrating and pickups resonating everything.

Look where this first guy has to stand to play the guitar.







Does it sound better? What's going on is a lot of fun for like the only time all of these fairly popular guitarists have done this in the entire careers as musicians.

This is for 1960s, 1970s, sound venues that don't have in-house sound systems. After the 1980s that simply stopped happening. Cabs got mics and the sound venues thousand Watt systems took over the venue.

We all go to gigs in pubs and small music halls. The 100W JCM800 comes out and sounds like a big fuzzy oversaturated mess. Mud. Always. They dial back the volume to levels they can manage which makes their tone clean up a bit but the reason for owning the 100W JCM800 is gone. The answer to this problem is 50W and below. Simple as that. Or you get a load box and it's not going to be all that different from the 50W.

I think it's great some 100W Marshall owners can do all that high volume stuff. It's amazing. However, those well-known guitar players obviously don't. Famous musicians on stage with stacks of those from the 70s and 80s probably did it but not today they don't.

Awe, bless your heart!!!!!!!!

That was good, thank you.



I bet it is not the first time Johan, Leon, Pete, et al have cranked a hunnert watter.

 

[1956tvmodel]

My question is certainly not about volume its about a fuller wider tone especially when it refers to the low end sound. So does more headroom equate to a fuller bottom and fullness of tone. I understand the breakup points are different between the two. I loved those semi cleans you can get with a Strat and a Marshall. Like Trowers song Dayream or the tones on alot of the Hendrix clean chimey stuff that he played through Marshalls. When your running full out crunch I doubt you would here any difference between 50 and 100 then.

 

[anitoli]

Man you anti 100 watters are missing the point.
I don't know anyone that dimes a 100w amp every time they use it nor do i know anyone that dimes a 20-30w amp every time they use it either, so the too loud argument is pointless as they can all be too loud.

I do not subscribe to the power tube distortion is king philosophy. IMO it sounds like total dog shit. If all these famous recordings from the past were all power tube distortion then i must be doing something wrong because when i try it it's awful. More likely it's the PI that is clipping that alludes to that hallowed tone. That said since most modern amps use some form of preamp design to produce the desired distortion effect wouldn't it make more sense to have a power amp that has enough headroom ( clean amplification power) to not color the sound from the preamp unless driven to extreme levels?

 

[Maggot Brain]

I vote for 50watts maximum, as mentioned before the 100 waters were designed in an era where PAs were in their infancy and the instruments used solely the amps to be heard.

I personally prefer lower watt amps, 5 watts to 20watts but to me lower the better. It is fun to push a little 5 watt into that sweet magic spot and jam than to push a 50watt to the sweet spot and start having ear fatigue instead of enjoying the tone and time playing.

I had one of those first gen Bugera 1960s and lived in my own house at the time. That thing was so stupid loud that I didn't even enjoy it, it was pristine clean at any reasonable volume and if you wanted to crunch and grind your ears were bleeding and the house about to fall over... completely impractical 99% of the time.

Granted my 2205 had a fullness and thump that I have yet to experience. My 2266 is "50watts" and is no where near as loud or full as the 2205 was.

 

[eigentone]

I like both but 50W is my preference.

 

[masher_uk]

Not sure if it's because my JVM410H has four channels v the JVM205H's two but it just sounds better, even at low volumes (ie MV on '2')...

 

[Mrmadd]

If I could find and afford either of any of these great marshall heads discussed here, I would buy. 50 or 100 would not matter.
Had a 50 but sold to get a Gibson 12 LP.

 

[Exidor]

If I could find and afford either of any of these great marshall heads discussed here, I would buy. 50 or 100 would not matter.
Had a 50 but sold to get a Gibson 12 LP.

I have a stock and clean, ‘82 JCM 800 2204 for sale.

 

[Neptical]

I can haz fun with my cranked 100 watt head with a volume control in the loop.

 

[Rorer714]

It’s true, but he used at least 2 of them, if not more. I have an ‘81 2203, EL34 tubes @100 watts, and an ‘82 2204, 6550 tubes @ 50 watts. Both are stock. The 2203 just sounds better to me for most of the reasons others listed here. Tighter, bigger low end and a bit more headroom. The 2204 is bright and needs the preamp run full up to bypass the bright cap, which effects dynamics if trying to run the amp with a pedal board for example. Not really the amps fault since it was designed to rock hard, which my ‘90s self did. Otherwise the 2204 is plenty loud for most club gigs today. If I had to choose my overkill, 2203 all day.

what's your spin on using bass heads for guitar and is there much difference? I read that Duane Allman did this. Leslie West (RIP) used Sunn PA amps and got that awesome tone.

 

[gytpyker]

I do anywhere from 50, to 90 gigs ( from classic rock, country, originals) per year, right now. I only use my 50 Watt JMP Master lead (1968 slant cab) maybe 3 times during the year, with another Marshall ( Valvestate 8280, or one of my 20 watt JCM 800 studio amps) in a stereo
Setup. I run them clean, with a little edge, and beak them up with a first edition Fulltone Fulldrive, a first edition Boss Bluesdriver, and a Voodoo Lab Sparkledrive. Soundmen love this setup, as I get a non-offensive stage volume they can make HUGE when needed. It doesn't obliterate the monitor mix, and I put that tone in my in-ears, along with my vocal mix. When I travel, I take Two JCM 20 watt amps..one through a 79 JCM 800 1-12 cab, and one Studio Combo. Run stereo, slightly chorused, through a (sending on the venue) 10 to 30 thousand Watt PA...FREAKIN' HUGE. and anywhere in the house you run, It sounds exactly the same as it does a foot away from my rig. Too much fun! Rock on, Dudes..

 

[LPMarshall hack]

I have a stock and clean, ‘82 JCM 800 2204 for sale.

Where you live and how much?

 

[Exidor]

what's your spin on using bass heads for guitar and is there much difference? I read that Duane Allman did this. Leslie West used Sunn PA amps and got that awesome tone.

My good friend and old band mate has a ‘74 Marshall JMP Super Bass 100 that he and many folks love for guitar. Just a few component differences from a Super Lead really, with one being the signal caps coupling the phase inverter plates of the Super Bass to its power tubes. They’re different values which allows for more low frequencies. Sounds great but that said, his amp is non-master volume and for natural break up, he did run it painfully loud until investing in a Weber Mass attenuator. I think the discrepancy of master volume vs. without should be considered in the op’s question of 50 vs.100 watts. Back to your question, I think certain tube bass amps can be great used for guitar, and would have higher headroom for use as a pedal platform. Ampeg V-4B comes to mind. Conversely, I have a rare Burman Lead Pro 2000 guitar head with massive transformers and (4) KT-77 tubes. A bass into a proper cab sounds killer through it as well as guitar. Always room to experiment and certainly different horses for different courses.

 

[Exidor]

Where you live and how much?

Tried to PM you but doesn’t seem to go through.

 

[groovenev]

When playing a large gig big stage and you're doing a single amp thing, (eg: no twin or other amp for the clean), a 100w Lead is killer! I have not owned one for a long time, but have in the past owned 3 jmp100s one after the other from 1971-75 of those 3 amps one was solid and gave me no trouble, the other two smoked power diods regularly and spent more time in the shop than on the stage. I went to a jmp50w ld mkII in late 1975 a mic'd half-stack setup when #3 flamed at a show ...I must have had bad luck with them.... the mkII has 6550s and is loud! still rocks same as when I bought it new... it has held up thru years of gigging and never visited a shop.
In the daze before massive PA systems the 100w tops were king, definitely more clean power head room and put in front of it, a fuzzface! Damm ... LOL. These days my 50w mkII and jcm900 50, are my preference.

 

[Rorer714]

My good friend and old band mate has a ‘74 Marshall JMP Super Bass 100 that he and many folks love for guitar. Just a few component differences from a Super Lead really, with one being the signal caps coupling the phase inverter plates of the Super Bass to its power tubes. They’re different values which allows for more low frequencies. Sounds great but that said, his amp is non-master volume and for natural break up, he did run it painfully loud until investing in a Weber Mass attenuator. I think the discrepancy of master volume vs. without should be considered in the op’s question of 50 vs.100 watts. Back to your question, I think certain tube bass amps can be great used for guitar, and would have higher headroom for use as a pedal platform. Ampeg V-4B comes to mind. Conversely, I have a rare Burman Lead Pro 2000 guitar head with massive transformers and (4) KT-77 tubes. A bass into a proper cab sounds killer through it as well as guitar. Always room to experiment and certainly different horses for different courses.

good stuff-thanks!

 

[Bonedaddio]

This is like ice cream, or politics or religion; every body's got a favorite flavor.
I'm using and loving an SV20H (with two Origin212A speakers) like no other amp I've ever had. I practice with a loud band using a Weber Mini-mass Attenuator to cut it down a little. These things are way loud, even at 5 watts... There's always the 20 Watt setting, and I think I'm going to get another SV20H for symmetry's sake, and as a spare for live. AND it's not tearing my 70-year old arms off!