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Post subject: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 3:39 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Location: Land Of Misfit Toys
I've been playing for many years and am familiar with most of the terms to describe a guitar that most musicians know.
Terms such as QUACK and WOODY.(as in a Strat's neck pickup)

I've been shopping for a new AMP lately and there's one term I'm NOT familiar with.
I hear/read it used all the time to describe an amp.

The term: HEADROOM

For the life of me....I don't know what the heck it means!!
(I'm 6'3"...to me headroom applies to a vehicle where my noggin' doesn't get lumps!)

Please describe in a way that I can understand and possibly make a non-musician understand. (the wife)

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Post subject: Re: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 3:57 pm
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Professional Musician
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An example of headroom:

A Twin Reverb will go retardedly loud before it starts to distort, it has lots of headroom.
A 57 Champ will distort at bedroom levels, it does not have much headroom.

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Post subject: Re: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 4:20 pm
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Aspiring Musician
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Okay...so HEADROOM is described as the point where the amp starts to break up/distort?

Twin Reverb=LOTS of headroom....because of the very LOUD point where it starts to distort.


My Pro Junior=not much headroom....distorts early....


Correct?


Thanks!!

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Post subject: Re: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 5:44 pm
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Go to the head of the class. :wink:


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Post subject: Re: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 6:54 pm
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Rock Star
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Or the Head of the Room :lol:


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Post subject: Re: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 7:23 pm
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Rock Star
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I'm gonna go to the room with the head. :mrgreen:


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Post subject: Re: TERMINOLOGY question..................
Posted: Thu May 26, 2011 7:29 pm
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Rock Star
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I tend to think of headroom as extra power waiting to be used.

Like this: you set your amp at your operating volume, but it's still got some power that can be used for some real big dynamics without going into some nasty clipping.

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