leslies and 5 watt amps

[dontpanic]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone is gigging (or has gigged) with a 5 watt amp? Small clubs/bars size-wise. Reason I ask is that I have been wanting (despite the awful weight) to begin bringing my leslie out for gigs and jams. I already run a stereo setup, always have, but at home I split my signal a second time to a highly modified champ 600 that powers a stand alone leslie model 114. By stand alone, I mean this model has no internal power amp, so its just plug and chug with a good amp of your choosing. Pretty cool flexibility really. This amp sounds AMAZING through the les, and I wouldn't want to incorporate another large amp into the rig. Has anyone been out with a 5 watt amp and had success with a house mix, micing, etc.?

[Heady Jam Fan]

If your micing that should work fine. Especially at a smaller venue, lower stage volume gives the FOH better control and the people in the front of the show don't get blasted. As long as the Leslie provides enough clarity (not too wet), I wouldn't worry. However, mixing in some dry signal might not be bad. For example... I'm not familiar with the Champ 600, but assuming it has two speaker outputs... running both the Leslie and the internal speaker.

[Buffered]

Hey guys,

Just wondering if anyone is gigging (or has gigged) with a 5 watt amp? Small clubs/bars size-wise. Reason I ask is that I have been wanting (despite the awful weight) to begin bringing my leslie out for gigs and jams. I already run a stereo setup, always have, but at home I split my signal a second time to a highly modified champ 600 that powers a stand alone leslie model 114. By stand alone, I mean this model has no internal power amp, so its just plug and chug with a good amp of your choosing. Pretty cool flexibility really. This amp sounds AMAZING through the les, and I wouldn't want to incorporate another large amp into the rig. Has anyone been out with a 5 watt amp and had success with a house mix, micing, etc.?

I always referred to watts as a measure of headroom, bass response, and the overall fatness of the notes. I've used my Express 5:25+ for a bar gig in 5 watt and truth be told it sounds really good for cranked tones at jam sessions. Do you not like overdriving your leslie? Why not just invest in a solid state amp?

[dontpanic]

Only one speaker output. Mixing could be accomplished with my other amps on stage though, could it not? Just use the champ as the dedicated leslie amp and mix with the other "dry" amps (some other effects). Miking is definitely something that I lack experience in, but am looking forward to grabbing a couple more and playing around with it.

On the other hand, I do love the overdriven sound in the leslie. You get great crunch from 5 watts at not too loud, but definitely not soft, volumes. I guess I just wanted to see if others ever gigged with super small amps, especially with a drummer.

I'm also curious about the way Trey mixes his leslie. I know his amp is still receiving signal when he splits it to the Trek II -> Leslie, but I wonder if that Les is seeing signal all night long; just spinning in super slow, stand-by chorale mode. It actually sounds really good just playing through a leslie cab in this fashion.

Thanks for the input

[Heady Jam Fan]

Yeah, you can use two amps and split the signal - Lehle makes good splitters.

As far as using a mic in a live situation, an SM57 on the grill cloth where the dust cap meets the speaker cone is usually the way to go. A 5w amp is plenty if your using a mic.

There are some Phish shows that sound like the Leslie is mixed in the whole time. IIRC, the motor is always running on Trey's Leslie, but he's not always sending signal to it...

My concern about only putting a mic on the Leslie and not on a 'dry' speaker - and this concern may be unfounded - is that you might loose some clarity. The nature of the Leslie is that your not only going to get the doppler effect, but also a change in volume when the rotating speaker is further from the mic. If your downbeat or attack of a note falls at the same point in time, you will loose some definition I think, especially live running through a decent-at-best, mono FOH PA. Too much wet effect is your enemy at a bar gig, in my experience, so really consider mixing in a dry amp with the Leslie if your not coming through clearly.