will a wall of bedroom amps work in a large hall?

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 23 Jul 2022 9:21 am

Bo all these years has seen those rockers on stage with a wall of Marshall amps.
So now Bo wants to go with a wall of 4 Blackstar ID Core 20 v3's.
But my question is will 4 2ow solid state stereo bedroom amps going at the same time be load enough for a large hall?
Or better yet how many of those amps do you think he would need going at the same time to carry a large hall? note: these amps are clean and loud for their size and he does not intend micing or going with direct boxes, just sound from the 4 amps on stage!

admin · Post by **b0b** » 23 Jul 2022 10:25 am

They are stereo amps with only 10 watts per channel. Do you really think that 80 watts of solid state could get a clean pedal steel sound in a large hall? I wouldn't expect that.

And they don't have a line out jack! If they did, I'd say get a pair of Altos powered speakers (2000 watts, $289). Maybe you could add a preamp output jack in one Blackstar to push some real power when you need it.

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 23 Jul 2022 4:42 pm

right now Bo is playing 2 of those 20w amps cranked preamp on 9 and power amp on 10 along with a C9 organ pedal with just a little of the organ sound about 10/90 to a peavey 112
on 4 pre and 5 power. It covers a mid size hall well.
He wants to drop the 112 and go with 4 Blackstars.
The question to you b0b is how many of those amps would he need for a large hall? Mind you not a large concert type venue.
After seeing your thread here he has decided to go with 2 Blackstar 20s and 1 Blackstar 40 and use the Peavey 112 with the C9 Organ pedal. That still gives him his little wall of 4 amps and the option If he needed a little more umph!! he could could cut back the C9 organ sound to 05/95 and crank the Peavey. I forgot to mention he is using a Peavey TubFex.
Right now the Rig map is: steel to wireless, to compressor to volume pedal to C9 pedal dry out to Tubefex stereo left to one Blackstar and right to the other and organ/mix out of the C9 to the Peavey 112. He will have to add to and/or change the map a little to add the Blackstar 40.
I really think the whole thing is his attempt at sarcastic humor as in a country version of a wall of amps

Bob Carlucci · Post by **Bob Carlucci** » 23 Jul 2022 6:57 pm

It all about how much air they would move.. I would think say 5 20 watt amps with say 12 inch speakers, would fill a hall a lot better than say a 100 watt amp with a single 12 or 15...Interesting thought..

I will say this. for a short time, I used a 40 watt Bassman head w/ single 15, alongside a Fender 75 all tube combo amp w/single 15.. Absolutely massive sound, that would fill any place and all the clean headroom I would ever need.. much bigger sound than say a 200 watt Peavey steel amp w single 15, and every bit as loud..As stated, a lot of the equation is air displacement.... bob

admin · Post by **b0b** » 23 Jul 2022 9:39 pm

Bob Carlucci wrote:It all about how much air they would move.. I would think say 5 20 watt amps with say 12 inch speakers, would fill a hall a lot better than say a 100 watt amp with a single 12 or 15...Interesting thought..

I will say this. for a short time, I used a 40 watt Bassman head w/ single 15, alongside a Fender 75 all tube combo amp w/single 15.. Absolutely massive sound, that would fill any place and all the clean headroom I would ever need.. much bigger sound than say a 200 watt Peavey steel amp w single 15, and every bit as loud..As stated, a lot of the equation is air displacement.... bob

Tube amps like a Fender Bassman don't clip the waveform like solid state amps do. They can get louder and still sound acceptable.

Donny Hinson · Post by **Donny Hinson** » 24 Jul 2022 4:57 am

It all depends on the tone you're looking for. For a guy playing rock guitar, or a steeler with a tone like early Tom Brumley or Mooney, it might work fine. But if it was a steeler looking for seriously clean and deep tones (think: Chalker or Murphy), you'd be very disappointed. This is what you have to remember - the "unwritten" rule for amps:

Full clean tones with solid bass takes lots o' watts!

Screaming loud treble and ear splitting distortion requires very little power.

(And now you know why bass players use amps with hundreds of watts, and most lead players are happy with fifty or less.)

Lee Baucum · Post by **Lee Baucum** » 24 Jul 2022 8:00 am

Way, way, way off topic...but, this reminds me of another discussion/debate.

Two 50hp outboard boat motors vs one 100hp boat motor?

Please, no responses to my ridiculous comparison.

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 25 Jul 2022 7:11 am

Bo loves the sound of the Blackstar ID Core 20 v2.
Sorry I can't find the one I have of Bo playing steel with this amp but here is one of him playing guitar with just one of these amps not miced or direct box (just on it's own) with the C9 Organ pedal sound only (No guitar added) with very little volume through the PA.
He only sings when he practices and after hearing this you'll understand why

Here is that sound he likes captured on a smartphone
CLICK HERE

admin · Post by **b0b** » 25 Jul 2022 9:33 am

It would be very hard to manage the sound from 4 of those amps. The easiest solution is to simply mic one amp and run the mics directly into a pair of small powered speakers like the Alto speakers I mentioned earlier. It would work well, get the sound he loves, and probably cost less.

But if he really wants the stage image of 4 Blackstar amps, I can't help you there.

Stuart Legg · Post by **Stuart Legg** » 25 Jul 2022 12:53 pm

b0b I think you have put a dent in the plan but my position has always been to place 4 of the Blackstars side by side as a wall (unpluged) and hide 2 pluged Peavey NV 1000s.

admin · Post by **b0b** » 25 Jul 2022 2:32 pm

Fred · Post by **Fred** » 27 Jul 2022 9:38 am

A little bit off topic. I saw Ted Nugent around 1980. He had a row of full Marshall stacks from one end of the stage to the other.

He was all over the stage. But every time he went in for the feedback that he used so much it was to the same cabinet. Every Time.

Jeffrey Shu · Post by **Jeffrey Shu** » 28 Jul 2022 7:07 am

Stage goofing at its finest. Or the rotisserie chicken....

Jack Hanson · Post by **Jack Hanson** » 28 Jul 2022 2:10 pm

Will a wall of bedroom amps work in a large hall?

Sure. As long as the hall is empty, and Bo's playing solo.

Jack Stanton · Post by **Jack Stanton** » 29 Jul 2022 7:01 am

At the Concert For Bangladesh George Harrison used 4- Fender Champ, miked, of course.

Jeremy Threlfall · Post by **Jeremy Threlfall** » 31 Jul 2022 8:33 pm

Jeff Beck uses two Pro-Juniors (15W 10" speaker) as a stadium rig

So I went and bought one. For when I need to do half a stadium

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will a wall of bedroom amps work in a large hall?

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will a wall of bedroom amps work in a large hall?