are 18 watts enough for my situation?

[herecomestreble17]

Hi, I know that watts can be very deceiving in terms of loudness, but I would like to know if in my situation a Hughes and Kettner Tubemeister 18 watt would be enough for me? I play in a Hardcore Punk band with aggressive vocals, distorted guitars (no clean channel) and loud drumming. A lot of the venues I play in may not have the guitar amps mic'ed, may be outdoor with capacities up to 300 people due to being DIY. Would my H&K be able to sound loud enough/cut through/not get lost/keep up with a Mesa Dual 100 watt, 8x10 bass rig, drums, and vocals? Would the H&K 36 watt be better? I am also looking into the EVH 5150 50 watt head, but I found a great deal on the H&K 18. Thanks in advance!

 

[jsp]

I don't think 18 watts will be enough, I'd go for at least 30-50, depending on the amp itself and the cab. I had a 30 watt Marshall (Artist 3203) before that I thought was the minimum I needed to play with a band unmic'd.

 

[Badronald]

Unmiced clubs and outdoor gigs? I assume the outdoor gigs would have a pa, if not, not a chance. No good for unmiced gigs either. No one will hear you.

 

[blackba]

I would go for 30 to 50 watts. I think the evh 50watt would be a good choice, though I am not that familiar with h&k amps....

 

[mbman]

Going up against a Dual Rec, 810 bass rig, loud, aggressive drumming and a vocalist.....I'm not sure a 30-50 watt amp is gonna be enough. I'd go for a 100 watt head and a 412 cab.

Martin

 

[RG955TT]

Nope, not from what you describe

 

[Spaceboy]

I also play mostly hardcore punk and would never have less than 50 watts. I tried some 30 watt amps and got buried.

 

[Rex Rocker]

Haven't played one of those H&K's, but my Krank Rev Jr. (20W) could keep up with a very loud drummer, keyboards, and a 50-watt Orange half-stack with my old alt-rock band. TONS of poweramp distortion. Not much of a tight, modern-sounding amp at those levels anymore, though. Way more of an apeshit rock vibe. Not sure if that is what you're going for yourself.

My Peavey XXX's poweramp is half-broken, so it's not really a fair comparison, but the Krank's "clean" channel (which overdives pretty easily) can easily get as loud through the same cab. Like I said, more of an on-the-edge-of-explosion kinda vibe and not very modern/polished at all, but still a cool vibe.

 

[bish0p34]

It all depends on your drummer. I have the 18 and 36, and so far 18 watts has been loud enough mic'd and unmic'd. I play in a few fairly loud rock bands with them. Nothing super loud though. I'd go with the 36 just be sure, and because of the options. I've never had trouble cutting through any other amps with the H&K's either.