Guitar amp question

darrensurrey
darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
in Chit-Chat
I've got this old Fender Frontman 25R ( http://amzn.to/1fHkqGz ) and was wondering how big a room I can use it in before it's out of its depth.

If I were to use it as a speaker for an ipod in a hall/gym the size of a tennis court with, say, 50 people in, would it be loud enough to make people have to raise their voices to talk? Or would it be crackling before I even get that far?

Thanks in advance. :)

Replies

  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Nobody? :)
  • Where_Is_Herb
    Where_Is_Herb Posts: 31 Member
    Depends on how much clean headroom you want. Headroom is the volume in which the amp starts to overdrive [distort] the signal from your guitar. A high-end Fender model, like the Twin series, is very difficult to overdrive.

    That said, the signal from your iPod will contain bass, which is a huge distorting agent for an amplifier. In theory, you could play a guitar on a bass amplifier with little-to-no lasting damage...the treble wouldn't be clear at all, but the amplifier could handle it. That said, playing a bass guitar through a guitar amplifier is a one-way ticket to a blown speaker.

    As long as you aren't turning it 'all the way to eleven,' I don't think you will encounter a big problem. A 25-watt amplifier with no overdrive can get to about 102dB, if my mathematics are correct. That's right around the sound pressure of a chainsaw.
  • logicman69
    logicman69 Posts: 1,034 Member
    I think one of the big problems with using a guitar amp for an Ipod in that situation is the quality of sound. In a large room like that, the guitar amp cannot reproduce the fullness of sound that a regular PA speaker can. It will sound thin and boxy.
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  • eric_sg61
    eric_sg61 Posts: 2,925 Member
    I think one of the big problems with using a guitar amp for an Ipod in that situation is the quality of sound. In a large room like that, the guitar amp cannot reproduce the fullness of sound that a regular PA speaker can. It will sound thin and boxy.
    .........and if you turn it too loud the speaker will distort
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Thanks for the replies. It sounds acceptable in my living room at "2" but I guess I'll have to try it in a hall some time!

    I'm quite sensitive to distortion so will notice it quite quickly!
  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    Searching for "portable PA systems", I get this: http://amzn.to/1mIYdNv

    Is the above much better than what I have?
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  • darrensurrey
    darrensurrey Posts: 3,942 Member
    So if I turn it up, I'll damage it basically?
  • Timshel_
    Timshel_ Posts: 22,834 Member
    You should be able to turn it up without damaging the speaker. That is by design for clean and overdriven. However, you can always connect to another cabinet if it has an external plug which will allow you to cover more area.

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