I've been wanting a Marshall type sound at manageable levels ( who hasn't )
I did have an 18 watt some time back but always felt it didn't sound "big" enough or, didn'T feel like enough "weight" behind the note if that makes any sense..
Would there be a way to make it sound "heayvier" not in the sense of more gain but in term of perceived wieight ?
Would a bigger OT acieve that ?
THanks !
BIG sounding 18 watt
Moderators: pompeiisneaks, Colossal
Re: BIG sounding 18 watt
What did you use for speakers ? I bought a Marshall 4x12 cabinet that had these speakers with small magnets. They had a tone similar to what I'm used to, but efficiency was low and they didn't have what I call low frequency Slam on power chords.
Re: BIG sounding 18 watt
Build the 36-watt. 4 power tubes instead of 2. I think, if I was considering the 36-watt, I'd build a JTM 45 circuit instead with a pair of EL34's. I really don't think either will address your wants here. I think the speaker change is a better idea.
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Stevem
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Re: BIG sounding 18 watt
You’re talking about an amp having punch or not.
To have punch you need to move air and a good amount of it.
To move air the best way to do that is with multiple speakers.
In terms of the way the Human ear work in regards to SPL here’s the way it works .
In general playing thru 2 speakers instead of one will double the SPL level your ear gets hit with.
If you wanted to get that same doubling of SPL by way of your amps wattage you would have to make your 18 watt amp into a 180 watt amp which would be quite expensive!
To have punch you need to move air and a good amount of it.
To move air the best way to do that is with multiple speakers.
In terms of the way the Human ear work in regards to SPL here’s the way it works .
In general playing thru 2 speakers instead of one will double the SPL level your ear gets hit with.
If you wanted to get that same doubling of SPL by way of your amps wattage you would have to make your 18 watt amp into a 180 watt amp which would be quite expensive!
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Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
Not screaming like the passengers in his car!
Cutting out a man's tongue does not mean he’s a liar, but it does show that you fear the truth he might speak about you!
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sluckey
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1 others liked this
Re: BIG sounding 18 watt
I put an Eminence BIG BEN 15" in my 18W amp mainly because the old Ampeg cab I'm using came loaded with a 15" CTS. No regrets. It has the big sound you may be looking for. Ain't gonna be any speaker breakup with an 18W amp though.
https://sluckeyamps.com/18w/18w.htm
https://sluckeyamps.com/18w/18w.htm
https://sluckeyamps.com/index.htm
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Littlewyan
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Re: BIG sounding 18 watt
If you just want to save volume I would really consider whether it's worth building an 18W. You'll only save roughly 3/4db and you're right, they just don't sound as big. I have a JTM50 with EL34s and a 50W Lead with 6V6s. The lead sounds good but the breakup is a bit different and I still have to use an attenuator with it. So maybe invest in a good attenuator, there's a good design on the Marshall forum for one.
Re: BIG sounding 18 watt
Can you provide a link or some suggestion of the thread title ?Littlewyan wrote: ↑Fri Sep 20, 2024 10:14 am So maybe invest in a good attenuator, there's a good design on the Marshall forum for one.