Schmidt loud enough for classic rock band???

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evh

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Hi everybody,
I've been the proud user of a Einstein for more than 2 years now. I used it extensively on stage and in the studio and I have absolutely no need for a new amp - but now the Schmidt arrived. Due to the fact I do play in a rockband (actually it's 2 bands - one classic rock cover band and one a bit more riff-oriented original rock band) I'm not quite sure what to think of the Schmidt. Basically I'm really in love with those classic tones, you know dynamics, volume pot i.e. really old school. I have no need for a real clean tone 'cause I like to use my guitar volume pot. Btw that's what I do with the Einstein too. I only use the texas mode! So here comes my question. We usually play clubs (4 piece band with loud drums). Would the Schmidt be able to make itself heared? Of course I do mike my cabs but on stage I'm used to listen to my amp-sound only. I'd really appreciate some honest replys as I fell in love with the sound of the Schmidt.
Keep it simple - and stupid!!!!
 
I have not had the honor to play the Schmidt yet, but have owned Class A amps before.
I had a Matchless Phoenix 30 Watt and it was louder than hell, so i would not underestimate
the Schmidt's 30 Watt power section.
 
I havent played Schmidt either, but keep in mind, that it is 30 W TUBE power =)
There are a lot of questions about how to make Herbert a little bit less loud and the answer was to make it half as loud, you need 1/10th of tube power, with means around 20 watts. And Herbert half as loud as normal would still be very loud :D
 
The schmidt is loud! Volume on 9 to 10 o'clock is a standard Volume when playing with my band (massive drummer and 2nd guitar) - so don't worry about that.
The cleanchannel starts driving with volume on 2 to 3 o'clock - it sound really nice when overdriven bit it's unbelievably loud.

Yes, it's beautiful for classic rocktones :rock:
 
I grow a big rubbery one when it comes to Class A amps...

They're SO trick!


V.
 
I play through an Einstein combo and just recently got a Schmidt with a 2x12 TT hemp loaded cab.
My band is 5 pieces, plays commercial dance music from the 50's through the present, and usually not mic'd for guitar. I have the volumes on my Schmidt running at 3 o'clock on every channel, with the gains on ch's 2 & 3 running at about 12-2 oclock. My tone settings are 12 oclock.

At first, I thought the amp was not getting through, but I am in the back of the stage. However, when we used a sound man, and I was still not mic'd, he told me the mix was perfect. Also, I have heard from my other band members that the volume levels are perfect and the amp sounds amazing, so that is all the feedback I needed on the volume issue.

What may seem as a weak volume level on stage is not what is actually happening off stage. I like the volume levels on stage, but in the back of my mind, I was thinking "Maybe I need just a touch more volume". I was wrong and am happy the amp cuts through with everything else going on on stage and through the PA. It turns out that the volume I am hearing is perfect for all my playing needs, and the volume out front cuts the entire room, even when full of people dancing, but the club owners have not complained about it being too loud yet. Even my band loves the volume levels on stage, so I am not offending anyone, and can turn the amp up to work as hard as I need. It sounds massive, and tight, and cuts without being the least bit offensive, harsh in the trebles, and from what I am told, is perfectly balanced tone-wise for the guitar.

I believe, after hearing other's feedback, who know sound levels and tone, that the amp has just the perfect loudness and tone to be able to work the tubes as hard as I like and still cut through a packed room. I don't even think about my volume not being loud enough any more.
With the Einstein, the volumes would always be just a bit too loud on stage, and I was being asked to turn it down a bit at times. While that was not a problem, it is my belief that having gotten used to hearing the Einstein's volume, that it made me think incorrectly, that the Schmidt was just not loud enough, but I was definitely wrong on that point.

We did an outdoor concert yesterday and the amps being used were 15 watts and up to maybe 30 at best, all being mic'd. In concert settings with a mic'd band, you will have the best wattage with the Schmidt to get your tone and sound levels without being too loud, or not being able to turn the amp up high enough to get your desired tone.

Only when you are doing really, REALLY loud music on stage, with a significantly loud drummer and you are not being mic'd through a PA, is when you may find the Schmidt not quite loud enough. However, over the last few years, I have found that bands in my area who do play loud music have tamed it down, volume-wise, at the request of the club owners. There is really no reason that more then 30 watts should be needed any more, as people do not want to hear loud music all night killing their hearing, club owners don't want to hear it, and the bands will find it harder to play at those really intense volume levels all night without significant hearing damage. Even younger people are shying away from the excessive volume levels. Those that desire that kind of db assault are usually closer to the stage and right in front of the PA system anyway.
 
Thank you everybody and especially Plank Cranker Trainee for taking your time and posting a reply. Your answers really gave me an idea of what I have to do. So yesterday I called the music store where I purchased my Einstein and ordered the Schmidt. And I'm really looking forward to that.
Keep it simple - and stupid!!
 
evh":2gr8f7p7 said:
Thank you everybody and especially Plank Cranker Trainee for taking your time and posting a reply. Your answers really gave me an idea of what I have to do. So yesterday I called the music store where I purchased my Einstein and ordered the Schmidt. And I'm really looking forward to that.
Keep it simple - and stupid!!
Click to expand...

Congrats. Please post your impression!

ed
 
evh":37q34pag said:
Thank you everybody and especially Plank Cranker Trainee for taking your time and posting a reply. Your answers really gave me an idea of what I have to do. So yesterday I called the music store where I purchased my Einstein and ordered the Schmidt. And I'm really looking forward to that.
Keep it simple - and stupid!!
Click to expand...

Hehe :lol: :LOL:
I might be a Plank Cranker Trainee, but my name is Stephen (C-4). :thumbsup:
Not to be confused with Alizée in my avatar. :D
Or my wonderful mentors: Peter and Olaf. :thumbsup: :yes: :worship: :salute:
P.S. You should DEFINITELY order a Diezel 2x12 Tone Tubby Hempcone rear loaded cab with a 1/2 open back as well. It sets the amp on fire.
Also, when I find that I want just that little extra volume, instead of plugging one speaker cable into the 16 ohm jack on the back of the Schmidt, I use two speaker cables plugged into each 8 ohm input on the head and into the cab spearately to each speaker. The extra volume will bring you right over the top and add about 6 db of extra volume. :thumbsup:
 
I just ordered 2 TT Hemp 40 40's for my 2x12 cabinette. After ordering I heard a test of 15 speakers on youtube and honestly wasn't that impressed, the G12H30 seemed more to my liking...what is it you like so much about the TT speakers and how did you break them in? They're coming so I have to give them a try...Thanks much.
 
One more question, Stephen:
You mentioned, you use the 16 and the 8 Ohm sources.

How is your cab wired? If you plug it into the 16 Ohm output, is it serial with two 8 Ohm speakers?
But then, using two 8 Ohm speakers parallel, you usually plug it into the 4 Ohm source, not the 8 Ohm - am I wrong? :confused:
 
RG955TT":2bqcpprf said:
I just ordered 2 TT Hemp 40 40's for my 2x12 cabinette. After ordering I heard a test of 15 speakers on youtube and honestly wasn't that impressed, the G12H30 seemed more to my liking...what is it you like so much about the TT speakers and how did you break them in? They're coming so I have to give them a try...Thanks much.
Click to expand...

Dude, let me know you thoughts on them when you get them in...or wait to break them in.
PM me or whatever.
 
Rob, I see you have a 4x12 with the hemps....what do you think? I have another 2x12 which for now I plan on leaving the eminence drivers in that one. Both currently have those.... what are your thoughts on the 4x12 with the TT 40 40's?
 
RG955TT":9pk30hae said:
Rob, I see you have a 4x12 with the hemps....what do you think? I have another 2x12 which for now I plan on leaving the eminence drivers in that one. Both currently have those.... what are your thoughts on the 4x12 with the TT 40 40's?
Click to expand...

Dude its so hard to tell because the speakers arent broken in, and ive only played it once.
I wrote about it in the thread "Does anyone have the new RL cabinet with hempcones"..
But, it sounds Amazing for Clean, blues, and heavy ripping rythym tone. BUT, im not used to it for my smooth DARK lead tones that i had coming out of my old RL with the custom eminence speakers. I love my tone sounding Dark though..
ONLY my Eric Johnson'ish sounding leads though :aww: I really may need to get a little used to them.
Overall though.. Its more articulate, present, but not spikey like v30's, and definitely gives the gain more snarl (like Brads old rig). My only complaint is that it's a little grainy sounding.. if that makes any sense. I really do recommend it, even though id like to try a FL GK100... But apparently the new GK's are more Bright. Im not a fan at all of "bright", or "crisp".
I like Warm, Tight, and Dark tone.
The tone im going for is Eric Johnson/Timmons meets Marco Sfolgi... :rock:
 
Thanks man, appreciate the feedback. I bought em so I might as well give em a try, but I'm like you like it smooth and present as opposed to bright and cutting....we'll see.
 
Helmut,
First, the cab is wired stock from the company at 16 ohms for one speaker cable input to the back of the cab, but each speaker in the 2x12 is an 8 ohm speaker.
So, if I choose to just use the one input, I go with the 16 ohm jack on the Schmidt head, and the 16 ohm input on the speaker cab. If I choose to run each of the two speakers separately, I go with the two 8 ohm inputs on the back of the head and run each cable into one of the two speaker input jacks on the back of the cab.

What I like about the TT hemps is the tone. They seem to be sweeter sounding then paper to me, with smoother highs that do not get shrill at all no matter how high I turn up the treble. The bottom is very tight, but not stiff, and the mids come through evenly and balanced with the treble and bass. (I don't use radical tone settings).

As for breaking them in, I just took them out to the first job I had after receiving them and started playing. By the third job, I noticed that the speakers were sounding even smoother. This seems to continue as they are used more. I do not have the special gear to break them in at home, nor the time. I have been told that after about 40 hours of use, they will be broken in 95% and should be fine after that. This is all I've ever done to break in speakers.

I also have a Diezel 2x12 with G12H-30's and yes, it has a different tone, but it sounds a tad darker to my ears and just different from the hemps. The hemps sound more natural when listening to them compared to paper speakers. Of course you would not notice this unless you had played through both types first. In 54 years of playing, I only just tried the hemps upon receiving my new Diezel hemp cab. Hemps may not be for everyone, so it becomes a matter of trying each speaker out and then going with what your ear tells you it likes the best.

I listened to various speakers on line as well, but to be honest, it still is a crap shoot as you are not playing through them with your own gear. I went through this and finally just asked Peter and Olaf which speakers they liked. I have used Classic Lead 80's and loved the balanced tones, but Peter had reccomended the G12H-30's in the first 2x12 so I went with his advice and was happy. He and Olaf both said that the Schmidt sounded the best with the ceramic TT hemps, so I went again with their advice and am totally happy.

While other speakers "may" sound better to someone's ears, I feel that the experience both Peter and Olaf have, has helped me get the best sounding speakers I will ever need. They have tried various speakers. I know Peter does not like alnico speakers, and while I am curious to try an alnico hemp, or maybe even a Celestion Gold with maybe one of my G12H-30's or even with a ceramic hemp, I am not going to invest in one now, as the difference will not make me play any better at this time.
Yes, it might sound slightly different, but I'm too busy enjoying what I already have and being grateful to Peter D., Peter S., and Olaf for presenting me with their knowledge and gear suggestions. I totally trust their ears.
 
Thanks C-4 - you really make me wanting the TT-Cab if it's such an improvement to the G12H30 (which I like pretty much paired with a greenie in a semi open back cab...).

Peter Stapfer lives 40 km away from my place - looks like I should go there and visit him soon :rock:
 
Thanx Steven for your advice. Might be something to ponder about in the near future. But right now the amp will have to work with my 4x12 loaded with both a couple of Greenbacks and a couple of G12T75. I perfectly know that everybody hates those T75s but imho in combination with the Greenbacks they offer just the right amount of extra edge and that's what I'm looking for. Anyway a new cab as described might always be something of interest. But you know - it always comes down the bucks.
Keep it simple - and stupid!!
 
@Gutmann:
Wenn du die Box testest gib mir bitte einen kleinen Bericht. Ich bin ja auch sehr interessiert!!

Gruß

Uwe
 
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