Power amp questions

[black mariah]

I know this isn't what's usually talked about here, but here goes anyway. My guitar amp sucks, so I'm upgrading to the big time. Soldano SP77 preamp, and a Carvin power amp (AKA: The Matt Pike Special ). I just don't know whether to go with the DCM1000 or DCM1015. They're both 1000 watts, but the 1015 has built-in EQ and is about $100 more. I already have a 31-band rackmount EQ, so I'm not really sure if the EQ on the poweramp would be all that useful. Anyone have experience with these things and know which would be best?

Before anyone mentions it, no I don't need that much power. That's the point. I'd rather shape my tone, then just have the power amp make it louder rather than rely on the power amp to be my final tone shaper. This might seem to answer my power amp question, but really it doesn't. If having an EQ on the power amp would help out, I want to know.

[beebe]

If the eq comes after the preamp I think it will usefull. I like to have one eq stage before the preamp and/or distorter and then another after. This way you can choose which frequencies you want to hear harmonics of and then what you want your overall sound to be like. I like to just send almost everything to the preamp (getting the most harmonics) and then taylor after... i think a lot preamps are probably deisgned like this, but they will also probably only give you three bands of post distortion control... so i would say go with the eq on the power amp.

[gravy boat]

Dude, why would anybody want 1000 watts for a guitar rig? I'm not hatin', I just dont understand the logic there. I play a lot of gigs with 15 watts! At most I run 60, and I am know as being "too loud". School me.

[black mariah]

Dude, why would anybody want 1000 watts for a guitar rig? I'm not hatin', I just dont understand the logic there. I play a lot of gigs with 15 watts! At most I run 60, and I am know as being "too loud". School me.

15 watts might be fine with a jangly alt-rock band or something, but with a melodic metal band you won't even be heard over the drummer. 50-100 watts is good for a head, but I'm not a fan of power tube distortion. I like to do my tone shaping then just have the power amp make it louder, not color the sound in any way. That's why 1000 watts. Clean headroom, and nothing more. No, I don't intend to be all that loud (unless we're playing a show without a real PA), but having that much power can always be useful. For example, I can use half the amp to power my guitar rig and the other to power our PA where we practice.

Plus there's always the "Mine's bigger" factor. It's just cool to say "Yeah, I'm running a Soldano preamp through a 1000 watt Carvin power amp." It makes me warm and fuzzy just thinking about it.

Did I say that out loud?

[black mariah]

If the eq comes after the preamp I think it will usefull. I like to have one eq stage before the preamp and/or distorter and then another after. This way you can choose which frequencies you want to hear harmonics of and then what you want your overall sound to be like. I like to just send almost everything to the preamp (getting the most harmonics) and then taylor after... i think a lot preamps are probably deisgned like this, but they will also probably only give you three bands of post distortion control... so i would say go with the eq on the power amp.

Sounds like we're of the same opinion. I like to slam my preamp with everything I have, then shape the tone. The only reason I'm unsure on the power amp EQ is because I have that 31 band rackmount EQ already.

I just thought of something. It really depends on where the EQ sits in the power amp. Does it come before or after the actual amp? Am I shaping the tone before or after it gets louder? Dammit, I need to email Carvin.

[gravy boat]

Hey, that's why I was asking. I aint ever jangled in my life. I've been using the 15 watter for a blues/punk thing. You could probably run 200-300 watts and achieve the same thing. I'd be worried about blowing speakers, but I guess you're using something like EVs or JBLS that can take some watts. If you don't like power tube distortion, you probably don't want any speaker breakup, either. More power to ya, sorry, I couldn't resist.

[ctmsound]

I seriously think 1000 watts is beyond overkill, but good luck!

[black mariah]

I seriously think 1000 watts is beyond overkill, but good luck!

You guys are aware that there's this new invention, just debuted at AES, called the VOLUME KNOB... right?

[MASSIVE Mastering]

I used to run 900 watts on my touring rig... I loved the headroom...

Volume knob in use.

But yeah, a whisker of DC would've liberated those cones in a hurry.

[black mariah]

I used to run 900 watts on my touring rig... I loved the headroom...

Volume knob in use.

But yeah, a whisker of DC would've liberated those cones in a hurry.

It's nice to see someone's on the same page as me on this. It's not the volume I want, it's the headroom. The volume is good when we're playing large places, but other than that it's all about the tone.

I'm guessing that a power conditioner is a must for something like this, right?

[nacho459]

I have an SP77 and I find it totally sucks with a solid state power amp, after all it isn't a Line6! But I am of the school where tube saturation is part of the tone. I like having a lot of gain stages in my sound. Not to get a lot of distortion, It just sounds huge when you run through a lot of tubes. I like pushing the iron and the speakers. To me lack of headroom is a big part of the tone.

[black mariah]

Ever heard High on Fire? Check them out sometime. The SP77/Carvin combo is what he's using, and his rig could take your head off with tone. I'm from the "Get a good sound, then make it louder" school. To me lack of headroom screws up all my hard work.

One of the main reasons I'm going with one of the Carvins is price. I do not want a shitty tube poweramp, and there aren't many (if any) good ones available in my price range (~$350-400) with 100 or more watts of power.

All this talk has helped me make my decision though. I'm going to go with the one sans EQ. It's cheaper plus I would hope I could get all my tone shaping done with the EQ I already have, if I really need any that is.