Ok, I have two jcm 900's one a 50 watt and one 100 watt. I really don't hear that much difference in volume. Let me day that no enough anyway. When both are crankedthey bith sound great. The 50 breaks up a little sooner but otherwise they are not much different. Maybe if I was playing really large venues it would make sense but for club gig and even some outdoor gigs it has worked fine besides I an usually mic'd up when gigging. What do you guys think? 100 watters better?
The 100's have more clean headroom which I think reinforces the low end. They thump you in the chest a little harder. That being said I can tell a fairly noticeable volume difference between the two.
Ive had a few JCM900's. I liked the sound of the 50watt best. This is not the case with other Marshalls though.
Neither is better. Play the one that suits best for the situation. Or better yet play both at the same time. They both have volume controls.
I play as the only guitarist in a 3 piece with a heavy blues rock vibe and I don't use pedals. I have always preferred a 50 watt in my situation. I think that with it's earlier breakup and the slightly hotter tone, 50 watts suits what I do better. With no pedals I rely on the guitars volume pot to boost leads and clean up for rhythm which to me, the 50 watter does more to my liking. If I record I use a 100 watter for rhythm and a 50 watter for leads. And if I was the rhythm guitarist in a multiple guitar band I would probably use a 100 watter for girth.
Serious question. As others said, we can think in terms of the best amp for the situation. As Blueslicks said, "girth". I like the range, or "girth" from 100W and 4x 12: it's not about sheer volume. I suppose it's mainly because our band is large in number. What's your usual playing situation?
My 900's are both DR's one a 4100 and the other a 4105. I use both heads live but only run one and have one as a back up and use two 1960 A cabs with g12 75's in each cab. I use the 50 watt and a jet city 24s 2x12 for jamming. Plenty loud and the eminence speakers in the 2x12 cab have been growing on me.
Both loud as f--k Perhaps the better questions would be: How loud is 3 dbs louder? How loud is one db?
I agree on the whole the 100 watter will have more punch and girth, BUT It's not just about the watts though is it.. it's how the amp circuit is designed.... The 100 W JVM JS for example seems to have quite a compressed and sustained sound while my JMD 50W seems to have a lot more pick attack and clarity. (comparing them both in the same band)
All else being equal, a 100-watt amp will be 3 dB louder than a 50-watt amp. 3 dB louder is louder, but only just louder. 3 dB is usually considered the minimum detectable volume change by the average person who isn't intently paying attention to volume levels. (Many people can actually detect a 0.5 dB difference but it needs to be a controlled environment and they need to be paying close attention.) Another general rule is for it to be twice as loud, you need ten times the power. The way human hearing interprets volume and sound pressure level is not intuitive at all.
The only 50 watt amp I'd buy over a 100 would be a NMV amp; 800 series or older. Every other Marshall head I'd buy the 100. I bought my 50 because I loved the tone and was thinking "old school" which was an error on my part. But I got a great deal $500 so I jumped on it. The fact I have 100 dB speakers makes it as loud as a 100 watter going through G12T-75's anyway, so I'm never at the limit, but in general 100 watt amps have more thump. Ken
I was once of the opinion that there was no other amp than a 100 watter. Times have changed. I record, jam and woodshed way more than I gig. 50 Watt's does the trick for me. Yes I know you can do bedroom level volumes with 100 watts.
A cranked bluesbreaker at 30 watt is the perfect volume i think. It's loud but not at the level as a 50 w jmp/jcm. But i do struggle to keep up with the other guitarist(80WFender) and bassist(150wSS) with the bluesbreaker, so i usually bring my 2204 and things get loud It would have been a dream if the other guitarist had bought a simmilar 30 w amp, reasonable rehears level and everybody happy(especially the singer) To this day i haven't owned a 100w, as i know it will be to much fore my use
It all depends on the amp, I've had 50 watters that had as much low end thump as some 100 watters. In a band situation with a bassist, I'd think a good 50 watt would be more than adequate for most situations. Also lighter, and cheaper when replacing tubes. A good part of "low end thump" can be related to the cab/speakers. Having said that, if you listen to "guitar only" tracks of some of the most notable rock bands, there is very little bass in the guitar, mostly mids and treble. If you're in one of those 7 string thrash bands, you probably should've gone with a Mesa or Diezel.
i wouldn't compare them loudness wise but thumpness wise. the 100 watts has a little bigger tone. you feel it when playing.
