trinityamps.com

ok, my sIII v6 is on its way and I am concerned that I might not have the correct amp for my needs. My main concern is will it be loud enough at full band levels. I read another post where someone had said that speaker choice is a big thing to consider, but will this be enough to either make or break the amp? Would I be better off going with a triatt or maybe even a solid state rec in the 18?
Or maybe I'm getting a little buyers remorse:)

Thanks

Tim

I had to run my Marshall 1974x18W combo clone through a minimass at around 50% to keep the band happy. I guess it also depends on the size of the gig as well as if you are mic'ing the speaker. But for small to medium sized gigs the 18-20 watter should be plenty of punch. As you mentioned, speaker rating makes a big difference, although sometimes the sensitivity ratings compared across manufacturers don't mean much as different manufacturers might use different algorithms to rate the speaker. Eminence has a good article on this at their website.

Not sure about the SS vs tube rectifier as far as overall output goes. My experience with a tube rectifier is that it affects the responsiveness of the amp, not so much the overall volume.

When I am concerned about whether I will have enough volume for a show, I bring my Triwatt with KT66 power tubes and a 2x12 cab loaded with a Celestion G12H and a Celestion Blue.No shortage of volume there!!! I bring out the 18watt sIII loaded with a single 25watt greenback for the really small clubs( or the places with a lot of stairs). It has the VRM module for a ton of control.

I am far from an expert on the topic, but a few years ago around the time Marshall brought back their hand-wired series, I was led to believe that the main power difference between their 18 watt 1974 model and their similar 20 watt model was simply the SS rectifier in the 20 watter. Can't recall what those were called. Lead/Bass or something along those lines. Too lazy to Google, but everyone has seen the little 20 watt Marshall that is very similar to the 1974.

My take from that is that a SS rectifier doesn't do that much, given the same tubes and transformers. Maybe they went SS for less sag, maybe it was a cost thing, who knows!


But no matter how you slice it, an 18 watt Marshall style amp is plenty loud for most modern applications (i.e. you have the option of mic'ing the cab for larger shows). If you're playing a big outdoor show with no PA for the guitar, then that's a different story.

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Go Buckeyes!

If you run the amp through a 2X12 or 4X12 cab with reasonably efficient speakers, your amp will be amazingly loud.

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Great tones come in small glass jars!

Thanks everyone for your replies. I am building the amp as a head and I am going to run it into a 2x12 so i should be fine. Thanks again

Tim