decision time... nevermind

[zhivago]

i just crank it all up (except for the presence knob), no matter what the soundguy says.

[blacktiger]

What's your budget?  70s Marshalls that aren't handwired can be had pretty cheaply sometimes and the build quality is still going to better than a modern PCB amp.  Look out for a '74 or later Superlead or Superbass.

[mezcalhead]

One thing that I think is pretty important is that Jonas is used to playing 100W amps and they get him the headroom and volume he likes so it makes sense to stick with that IMHO.

However: I've never dealt with Ceriatone but I think they're willing to do custom work .. it might be worth sending them an email to ask if they'll do you a 100W version of their Plexi?

i did find my old '65 bassman to be just a bit too quiet... but then again, that was mostly for bass

Yeah, I agree that's not fair comparison: 50W on bass is nothing these days.

[blacktiger]

However: I've never dealt with Ceriatone but I think they're willing to do custom work .. it might be worth sending them an email to ask if they'll do you a 100W version of their Plexi?

No need for anything custom; http://www.ceriatone.com/productSubPage ... mplete.htm

[painted wood]

definately 50 watts. 

100 watts is too much and you won't be able to really crank it up and get the tubes workin', unless you wear earplugs and also blow the eardrums of everyone in the audience not wearing ear protection, ala J Mascis. 

I owned a 100w JCM 800 head that was converted to EL34s and sold it b/c I couldn't turn it up past 3-4, and bought a 50w JMP and I  it. 

[mudhoney]

i'm faced with a tough decision. for a long time i've been looking at ordering a ceriatone 50W plexi clone (1987 model), and the past week i've been close to pulling the trigger a couple of times. at the same time there's a JCM900 for sale by a guy next door, for about the same price as the ceriatone would cost including shipping + customs. i've made a list of pros and cons:

ceriatone
pros:
-it has the ultimate overdrive sound as far as i'm concerned
-it looks killer
-it's point-to-point with good quality components
-it's simple and straight forward, no unnecessary features

cons:
-it's 50 watts, and i'm used to playing 100w amps, plus the other guitarist in my band plays a non-MV 100W JMP. i'm worried it'll be too quiet.
-i might need an attenuator to get the sound i want for smaller gigs, since i rely heavily on amp breakup.
-there's a certain waiting period before i get it

if I understood you your bandmate is useing bassman 100 right?

I have 59 LTD bassman and it is louder than bassman 75. actually i had to play it at 3-4, while the other one was crancked all the way => more watts does NOT mean louder!!! the speekers

it is great for all types of gigs, I would disagree with you on smaller gigs amps with less watts really shine. you dont need to mic them so the sound is natural. there is a trend in my area that everybody is selling ther 100 watt marshalls and going for 18 watts amps.

I would wait a bit and get a ceriatone, one of the best handwired takes on vintage marshall. 

if you don`t buy it tell who`s sellin`

[mezcalhead]

100 watts is too much and you won't be able to really crank it up and get the tubes workin', unless you wear earplugs and also blow the eardrums of everyone in the audience not wearing ear protection

If I understand correctly, Jonas' former band regularly gigged 100W Marshalls so obviously that's not a problem for their usual venues/audiences.

[painted wood]

If I understand correctly, Jonas' former band regularly gigged 100W Marshalls so obviously that's not a problem for their usual venues/audiences.

I understand. 100 watters are cool.  I guess I'm still a little ticked off at how loud the Mascis shows were.  I wore plugs for both shows and took them out halfway through the second one and had ringing for 5 days straight.

I should have used softer words.  I just wanted to point out that I like my 50 w and it can get really loud.

[mudhoney]

You have to remember that watts aren't linear, a 100 watt amp is only twice as loud as a 10 watt.

[idiotbear]

I voted for the 900. Again, it's a realism thing. Not being loud enough, and having no place to go in terms of volume - that sucks hard.

Y'know, I think the little cool amps' true place is in the studio. It's like someone was saying on the "Jaguar advice" thread - in a live context 99% of the people in the room won't be able to tell the difference in tone between these two amps anyway, so why not go with the louder one and keep the lovely tonal (and cosmetic) options for recording.

Obviously I'm not advocating taking the stage with piece-of-shit gear, but when you get into spending proper money, there's a law of diminishing returns. The higher the price, the less the perceptible (to the audience) difference.

Now, I'm just off to plug my Washburn Nuno Bettencourt model into a 5 watt solid-state Laney practice amp from the late 80s. 

[mezcalhead]

you are not always mic'ed up...there still are venues that the PA is only for vocals, or just not strong enough to carry the whole band - it's happened to me loads of times

[zhivago]

yep, it's happened loads of times to me.

I like being prepared for it all.

there have been times I don't get a soundcheck either etc

[mynameisjonas]

thanks for all you input guys, i really appreciate it


but... it seems i entered a sovtek MIG50 (which is basically a plexi knockoff) in my auctionsniper a week or two ago and completely forgot about it. but i won, and at a pretty fair price too, so... yeah, sorry for taking up your time

[chrisjedijane]

I dunno guys, my 40W Deluxe has stood me in good stead, even un-miked at gigs where there's only a vocal PA. It's probably too loud for a lot of shows where there's a full PA, actually, and I was constantly being told to turn it down back in Jedi Jane. Really if you're playing in a venue with a vocal PA, you're basically just trying to keep up with the drums (the loudest acoustic instrument on stage). If you're drowning out the drum kit, then there's no way that anyone is gonna be able to hear the vocals or anything else over your guitar...

If you can get enough volume in the rehearsal room with it, then it's more than loud enough.

[idiotbear]

Jonas, good score! I hear nothing but good things about Mig50s.