# 100w 2x12 any good for small shows?



## BlindingLight7 (Feb 1, 2009)

well i hope to be gigging by the end of the summer or even sooner...and im tight on cash....i have a peavey XXL combo amp at the moment and its good in my drummers garage but im worried that it won't cut thru in a slightly bigger setting. 


so should i get a Cab or should i see if i can mic it up and run it through the house?


just to give you an idea of how big a venue im talking about heres where i intend on doing some shows...


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## ZXIIIT (Feb 1, 2009)

I use a Basson 2x12 slant cab (150w) , it is ballsy and not heavy at all to lug around. We play weird venues (massage college, hallway at a bar) and regular sized venues (brick by brick, dreamstreet) and it sounds awesome at both (mic'd and unmic'd) so I think you will be fine, but definetly invest in a cab for live shows.


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## SnowfaLL (Feb 1, 2009)

I dont see any uses at all for anyone to own a 4x12, a 2x12 will do any small show, and if you need louder, you mic it. simple as that. I personally just use a 1x12 for anything, until im playing like huge halls or something.

Maybe if your playing black metal or something where you just want the guitar to basically be another bass.. but for most music, you dont need 4x12s.


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## BlindingLight7 (Feb 1, 2009)

cool. thanks dudes


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## eleven59 (Feb 1, 2009)

Nick, lighten up a bit.

The difference between a 4x12 and a 1x12 isn't just volume, it's about the tone and the feel. A box that size is going to resonate more and give a deeper tone, and you'll feel it more live. If you're not into "feeling" the music live, you should quit now, because music is all about feel. Standing in front of a 4x12 just helps get the adrenaline going. 

Also, it helps you hear yourself better when the guy running the PA sucks at his job (most of them). A 2x12 will work well, but you may want to tilt it back if you're having a hard time hearing yourself, or put it up on a riser of some sort.


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## BlindingLight7 (Feb 1, 2009)

eleven59 said:


> Nick, lighten up a bit.
> 
> The difference between a 4x12 and a 1x12 isn't just volume, it's about the tone and the feel. A box that size is going to resonate more and give a deeper tone, and you'll feel it more live. If you're not into "feeling" the music live, you should quit now, because music is all about feel. Standing in front of a 4x12 just helps get the adrenaline going.
> 
> Also, it helps you hear yourself better when the guy running the PA sucks at his job (most of them). A 2x12 will work well, but you may want to tilt it back if you're having a hard time hearing yourself, or put it up on a riser of some sort.


yeah when i have mine cranked to gig volume my pant legs will shake back n forth violently cuase the air is moving so much. coolest thing ever


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## Crucified (Feb 1, 2009)

also, if you are playing small shows, generally the p.a isn't going to be powerful enough to handle doing the drums,vocals and guitars at the same time. your other guitarist seems to have 2 4x12s, ask to borrow one(until you get a 2x12 or 4x12 of your own) as there is very few applications where you -need- 2 cabs.


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## BlindingLight7 (Feb 1, 2009)

Crucified said:


> also, if you are playing small shows, generally the p.a isn't going to be powerful enough to handle doing the drums,vocals and guitars at the same time. your other guitarist seems to have 2 4x12s, ask to borrow one(until you get a 2x12 or 4x12 of your own) as there is very few applications where you -need- 2 cabs.


nah tht wasnt my band, haha. my other guitarist has it off worse than i do. hes only got a crate 1x12 of somesort. fail


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## DaveCarter (Mar 1, 2009)

Ive always used 212 cabs, partly because I like the sound, plus they take up less room, and I have to carry all my gear to the top floor of my flat on my own!! So long as youre mic'd up through the FOH you'll be able to do small-medium venues and even small festivals with a 212 no problem


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## budda (Mar 1, 2009)

always angle combos at 45 degrees for maximum sound spread 

you should be able to gig with a 5W 112 so long as your band understands volume and the fact that nobody should be drowning anybody else out.


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## robotsatemygma (Mar 2, 2009)

Dude, if the venue mics you up, you could play through a 15w Crate if you really wanted to. 

A 2x12 will be plenty for any live situation, no matter the size off the place, unless you have to power yourself in a stadium, then the Slayer Wall of Marshalls will do. In one of the bands I played with I would use a 2x12 (V-30's) when I was to lazy to carry my 4x12. Some gigs I would use both, as it produced a great combined tone. But the venues would only mic my 4x12. Hell some venues put up 2 mics on your 4x12. 

Any ways, a 2x12 will do just fine. If you have problems hearing yourself, just set it on top of a chair or something.


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## scottro202 (Mar 5, 2009)

in my experience, a 2x10 has done just fine, it can fill up my youth group's youth room (a 130 wat 210 combo) which is fairly large (200-300 capacity) at about 3 or 4, so you should be fine


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## xtrustisyoursx (Mar 6, 2009)

I have a 40w all tube fender that I run through a 2x12 cab and it's been PLENTY


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## TemjinStrife (Mar 6, 2009)

My 30W Budda Superdrive 30 1x12 will cut through just about any mix at any decent-sized club around here. Running it into a 2x12 changes its feel and response more than it changes the volume.


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## BurialWithin (Mar 18, 2009)

Yeah dude i think you'll be just fine i mean almost always will they mic you so it's cool. GOOD LUCK man have fun and rock out!!


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## TonyFlyingSquirrel (Mar 18, 2009)

I used an ADA 2x12 for the last year that I toured, I kept it on the side of the stage like a side fill and it gave me more room to perform in. Not to mention, I could hear it just about anywhere on stage that I went, where as having the stack of 4x12's behind me all those years spraying sound straight out front is pretty good only for the area of the stage that I occupied, and the first few rows in the crowd.


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## Inazone (Mar 31, 2009)

I started out gigging with a 2x12 combo, then added a 2x12 cab underneath until going to a normal half-stack. I bought a Mesa vertical 2x12 cab last year and sometimes bring that to gigs instead of a 4x12 if it's a smaller stage or we are tight on vehicle space.


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## Meldville (Apr 15, 2009)

NickCormier said:


> I dont see any uses at all for anyone to own a 4x12, a 2x12 will do any small show, and if you need louder, you mic it. simple as that. I personally just use a 1x12 for anything, until im playing like huge halls or something.
> 
> Maybe if your playing black metal or something where you just want the guitar to basically be another bass.. but for most music, you dont need 4x12s.



Someone else already responded to this, but it's worth emphasizing. Cabs and amps are NOT just about volume. The sound you get out of any given head and a 2x12 is not what you get out of a 4x12. The guitar will respond differently, the tone will be drastically different, and you will tell a difference when you're playing.



Crucified said:


> also, if you are playing small shows, generally the p.a isn't going to be powerful enough to handle doing the drums,vocals and guitars at the same time. your other guitarist seems to have 2 4x12s, ask to borrow one(until you get a 2x12 or 4x12 of your own) as there is very few applications where you -need- 2 cabs.



This. I can't count the number of shows we've played in dives around the country where the PA was barely enough for kick drum triggers and vocals. Being able to hear the guitar at all was completely reliant on us cranking our shit. I can't imagine what I would've done if I'd shown up to those tourdates with a combo and then not been able to be heard at all the whole time. 

And while you may not NEED 2 cabs, it sure does look fucking awesome 




robotsatemygma said:


> Dude, if the venue mics you up, you could play through a 15w Crate if you really wanted to.
> 
> A 2x12 will be plenty for any live situation, no matter the size off the place, unless you have to power yourself in a stadium, then the Slayer Wall of Marshalls will do. In one of the bands I played with I would use a 2x12 (V-30's) when I was to lazy to carry my 4x12. Some gigs I would use both, as it produced a great combined tone. But the venues would only mic my 4x12. Hell some venues put up 2 mics on your 4x12.
> 
> Any ways, a 2x12 will do just fine. If you have problems hearing yourself, just set it on top of a chair or something.



Again, the tone will be different. Not saying that's a bad thing, but it's something to take into consideration when making a cab choice. 




BurialWithin said:


> Yeah dude i think you'll be just fine i mean almost always will they mic you so it's cool. GOOD LUCK man have fun and rock out!!



At decent venues maybe, but there are PLENTY of dives/bars/small venues that simply don't have a PA capable of that. Also, when you're talking about places with <200 capacity, generally speaking you will be better heard (and more in control of the way your guitar sounds to the audience) if you don't try to mic your amp and run it through the 100W PA system run by some guy who has a hard enough time getting levels set, much less getting a good sound. This is especially true when touring as an unsigned band; better to be overprepared and show up to a show to find they have a great sound system and competent sound guy than to assume you'll find one only to show up at McLarry's Pub and see you'll be playing on the floor by the restrooms


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## conorreich (Apr 30, 2009)

i played a show with my old metalcore band using my gt120r and with no miking at all i was heard better than my other guitarist who had the halfstack version. So i think a 2x12 will be just dandy.


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