Can you run 6v6's in an express 5:50...

[mtodd6]

I was laughing reading this thread. I've had the same problem, but I can never get my head around people thinking the drums are actually quieter, *and* have less dynamics, than a 5W or even a 22 W amp on vol= 0.5 (22-25W is typical power for 6V6 amp, i.e. Blackface Deluxe Reverb or Deluxe Tweed.) I think it's a perception thing -- distorted guitars are typically played loud so if you have any edge people think it's loud and if they are there to hear New Age ambient noise, you ain't cutting it. Also, any compression makes it seem louder. The 5W to me sounds louder & tighter to me than the 50W mode at the same volume levels. Well, that's why I like it because it's edgier when you need it.

I play in 5W mode & cannot hear my amp above a DW kit even when a light touch is used. The drums are on a riser which I think amplifies the volume. I tilt my amp back on a rack, which disperses the sound upward away from the front row & have a piece of carpet under the rack to isolate any resonance by the riser. I also angle the amp towards the most open part of the room, in addition to tilting, so the sound has more time to disperse before reaching the first listener.

And the sound guys are usually part of the problem. They never ask the drummer to play with some dynamics even for the most heavy handed ones. Amateur sound guys love DI, but it puts you at their mercy & I've heard the sound guy botch it too many times sitting on the other side, especially when EQ'ing & mixing in the keyboards. Cannot tell you how many times I heard a DI guitar or keyboard sound like music on hold via a cell phone.

Isolation & mic'ing works, but it's really a better form of DI for me, and without isolating in-ear monitors, the drums make it hard to hear the mix.

You can also try putting a little disc of duct tape over your speaker cone, on the speaker cloth. This will disperser your sound & lessen "beaming".

 

[brucesinger]

What speaker are you using? There are "louder" speakers like the Eminence Swamp Thang, maybe there are ones that would be "quieter".

 

[Rockerduck]

A more inefficient speaker will bring the volume down as well make your amp sound better. It is a studio trick that's been used for years. Next, a naturally quieter guitar. My Les Paul will make a 5 watt amp sound like 50 by itself. I get my American Standard telecaster out for quieter playing.