Famous Buffalo Blues Spot Closes Doors
Here are some additional photos of Laurie Morvan plying her trade by playing some outstanding blues guitar at the Cafe Boogaloo in Hermosa Beach last Saturday night (Feb. 27, 2010)..
MISSISSIPPI BO SET TO PERFORM ON LA JUKE JOINT BLUES FESTIVAL
Legendary Musician John Jorgenson Releases Two New Albums Today – One Stolen Night and Istiqbal Gathering
Celebrates Centennial of Gypsy Guitarist Django Reinhardt
Nashville, Tenn.— As one of the pioneers of American gypsy jazz music, Jorgenson is celebrating the father of gypsy jazz, Django Reinhardt, whose 100th birthday would have been this year, with two album releases and a touring schedule that takes him across the country and across the pond with the John Jorgenson Quintet. Widely known as the "U.S. Ambassador of Gypsy Jazz," Jorgenson has earned a reputation as a world-class musician and guitarist and has collaborated with the likes of Elton John, Luciana Pavarotti, Bonnie Raitt and Bob Dylan. Both new releases see this legendary musician exploring new elements of world music, bluegrass, rock and classical as Jorgenson expands the range of gypsy jazz, captivating and enlightening fellow musicians and listeners along the way.
One Stolen Night, Jorgenson’s first 2010 release, is the second album credited to the John Jorgenson Quintet, following up on the Billboard Jazz chart success of Ultraspontane. This collection contains a mix of standards and new compositions, with plenty of clarinet and swing, plus a vocal and the addition of the Greek bouzouki into the Quintet's instrumentation. The Quintet recorded all of the tracks in two days using minimal production, resulting in a "live in the studio" sound that is warm, rich and so crisp that it transports the listeners to an intimate private concert.
The album features a driving rhythm section throughout as Jorgenson creates a classic gypsy jazz feel while pushing the boundaries with his arrangements and melodic content. "Red on Red" opens the album with fanfare and Django-inspired minor key swing, while "Mediterranean Blues" highlights a fiery jam session between violin and guitar. The title track, “One Stolen Night,” presents a captivating melody and showcases the enchanting sound of the bouzouki. Throughout the album the John Jorgenson Quintet creates a unique musical experience that equally enthralls the most discerning and the casual music fan with a sound that is all at once dynamic, romantic, driving, melodic and accessible.
Jorgenson’s second album release in 2010, Istiqbal Gathering, is the culmination of a long relationship between Jorgenson and Paul Gambill, conductor of Orchestra Nashville, and was recorded live at Ocean Way Nashville and the Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Jorgenson and Gambill combined with a world-class team of musicians and collaborators to create the first collection of music specifically composed and recorded for gypsy jazz guitar and orchestra.
Jorgenson's brilliant guitar work leads the way, supported by the progressive and dynamic Orchestra Nashville. "Concerto Glasso" and "Istiqbal Gathering" feature a full orchestra, the latter showcasing the breathtaking talents of Alexander Fedoriuk on cimbalom and David Davidson on violin. "Dieter's Lounge" and "Groove in the Louvre" feature the unexpected blend of string orchestra along with the GRAMMY award-winning Turtle Island Quartet. The combination is a groundbreaking album full of soaring melodies and driving rhythms, and it is utterly one of a kind.
The John Jorgenson Quintet is the only American act to ever headline the prestigious Django Reinhardt Memorial Festival in France, and has been featured at other "Djangofests" in the U.S., UK, Germany and Canada. For the films Gattica and Head in the Clouds Jorgenson was tapped to recreate Django's music, and in the latter he even appeared onscreen as Django with stars Charlize Theron and Penelope Cruz.
Despite the levels of success Jorgenson has already attained, the acclaimed musician has no intention of taking it easy any time soon. Building on the legacy of Reinhardt, Jorgenson continues to expand the popularity of his beloved gypsy jazz by offering listeners an exotic yet familiar sound to which they can relate. If 2010 is any indication, we can expect Jorgenson to take gypsy jazz to new heights for many years to come.
The house was packed, the spirits were flowing, and everyone seemed to have a genuinely good time (as they should when they go to MRB shows).
Mike Reilly showed his usual guitar mastery, and was joined by special guests "Big Daddy" Les Taylor and Billy Watson in the second set doing some of their standard blues harmonica tunes. And of course, Mikey was accompanied by long-time friend and guitarist Danny Ott, Chris Squires on the keys, kung-fu bass master Calvin Hardy, and that always-groovin' George Manoukian on the drums.
If you missed this show, then check out The Mike Reilly Band website for future engagements. This is one band you don't wanna miss.
See you at the next MRB show. Until then, keep the juke joint rockin' and have a bluesy kind of day.
-René Mente
or: AmericanBluesBlog@gmail.com our work horse email.
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Zac Harmon is originally from Mississippi, but has made Los Angeles his home base since the eighties. Harmon started out in LA behind the scenes, producing and writing songs for the likes of the O’Jays, Whispers, Black Uhuru and others. However, his life long dream was to be a featured performer. In 2002 he released his first CD, “Live at Babe & Ricky’s Inn,” which was a homage to his Mississippi roots. Zac and his band the Mid South Blues Revue won the 2004 International Blues Challenge contest, in the “Best Unsigned Band Category,” sponsored by the Blues Foundation. This award jump-started his career. His second CD, “The Blues According To Zacariah” gained wider radio play, including XM, Sirius and the American Blues network. In 2006 Harmon won XM’s “Best New Artist Debut” award. Since then he has continued to win awards and gain praise for his work.
Harmon was recently signed by the well-known Canadian label, Northern Blues and released the CD “Zac Harmon From the Root,” which we are now reviewing. Northern Blues is a label devoted to recording and releasing eclectic roots music, including blues. Many of their artists have gained international reputations and they seem to do a good job in promoting their releases and helping their artists break out from local to national and international acts. This transition is most definitely quite difficult and without a label such as Northern Blues, it is virtually impossible to get much recognition. Northern Blues has helped people such as Janiva Magness and Otis Taylor gain wider notice. Most likely this release will do the same for Harmon.
“From the Root” is a solid release. It is characterized by Harmon’s ability to write and play across several genres. Of course, his music is grounded in the blues and the blues tunes on the CD are excellent. He gets the show started with the tune “Don’t Give Me Another Reason,” a groove oriented blues number that is a perfect song. The lyrics, singing and music all meld into a perfect stew for this song. I played this song a half dozen times, in my car, before going to the second track. It is a good time tune, which emphasizes the singing and lyrics. Too many blues artists these days sacrifice the song in favor of endless, repetitive, mind numbing, soloing. Harmon is too much of an accomplished musician and producer to make this mistake. He adeptly mixes catchy lead work, with strong lyrics and propulsive rhythms. This song, while grounded in tradition, has a modern texture to it. Harmon is not bashful about using a bit of overdrive on his amp, which gives his blues a slight rock edge. This is a good strategy because it shows that blues music of the past can connect with more current styles.
However, on his “Keep the Blues Alive,” he appropriately rolls back the distortion and plays clean, stinging, traditional blues lines, which demonstrates his ability to play the “real deal blues” as good as anyone today. On this tune, we can hear how his blues predecessors have influenced Harmon. But it is Harmon’s mission to help keep the blues alive. Not coincidentally he is on the Board of Directors of the Blues Foundation. “Hattie Mae” is another song firmly rooted in the blues and the repeated riff is straight from the tune “You Don’t Love Me,” (but the blues version, think Magic Sam, not the rock version). Like sex, blues is about establishing the repetition of a great groove and the best blues artists get this. Harmon is at the head of the “groove class.”
I particularly dug his “Want Ads” track. This is a soul number, which reminded me a bit of Eddie Floyd’s Stax work. This was an extremely impressive song in which Harmon plays some tasty fills and highlights his strong vocal skills. The tune leaves little doubt that Harmon is equally adept at playing blues and soul. The CD also features a bit of reggae, rock and more blues. It is truly an impressive outing. The musicianship of the backing players is outstanding and Jimmy Z’s work on the harp clearly adds to the overall vibe of the release. I know it is tough to sell CDs these days, in the stores, but you need to order this CD immediately. Harmon has established himself as a front line blues/roots performer and he deserves our support.
Blues has always been a rough musical genre for artists, especially the black ones. The white kids who were able to “rock it” did much better. Of all the black blues artists, BB King is at the top as far as commercial success is concerned. Buddy Guy has also made a decent living with the blues. There are a number of touring black blues musicians who are able to make money on the road, but they have to work extremely hard. Muddy Waters and Albert King also sustained relatively successful careers. Willie Dixon died with a lot of money in the bank (successfully suing Led Zeppelin, for ripping off Killing Floor), but he was more of a songwriter than a performer. I think it is fairly safe to say that, the people who created this amazing music, and are directly responsible for motivating the start and proliferation of the multi billion dollar rock and roll industry, did not see anywhere near the success they deserved.
Case in point: Fenton Robinson. Like most of the great blues artists of his era, Fenton Robinson hailed from the South (Mississippi). Fenton played blues in Little Rock Arkansas in the 50’s and moved to Chicago in the early 60’s. Fenton started out by playing with Larry Davis who penned “Texas Flood,” which much later became a hit for Stevie Ray Vaughn. During the first part of the 60’s Fenton did some session work and had a few releases on small labels. Fenton covered “As the years go passing by,” long before the tune became a hit for Albert King. He got a big break in 1966-67 when he recorded his biggest hit “Somebody Loan Me a Dime,” using BB King’s band for his backing band. This song sold 150,000 copies, which, even today, would be astronomical numbers for a hard-core blues release.
But Fenton was not a lucky fellow. In 1969 Boz Scaggs (who previously played with Steve Miller) recorded “Somebody Loan Me a Dime,” using Duanne Allman on lead guitar. It was a big song for Scaggs (who still plays this tune live), but Scaggs’ name appeared on the writing credit instead of Fenton’s. Fenton did not receive writer’s royalties for the song. He later sued and was compensated.
Finally, in 1974 Fenton recorded his “Somebody Loan Me a Dime” CD for Alligator Records (it was only Alligator’s fifth release). “Somebody Loan Me a Dime” was the first tune on the CD and it was a powerful recording. He kicks off the tune with a quick key change and it gave the song a dramatic flair. All covers pale in comparison. The entire CD is brilliant and is considered to be a classic recording. If you don’t own this CD I strongly urge you to buy it ASAP, you won’t be disappointed. My favorite tune on the disc is the second song called “The Getaway.” This tune is a riveting, funky minor key number, which finds Robinson daydreaming about getting away from cold Chicago and meeting his woman in the warm Florida sun. This tune perfectly captures the essence of blues. On one level, Robinson is singing about a woman, but there is so much more here. It also speaks to the hard cold economic realities of being a poor black man or woman. Chicago was once the dream destination for Southern Blacks but it wasn’t Nirvana. It is ironic that Fenton now fantasizes about going back to the South (albeit, Florida isn’t Mississippi). The one thing that “the man” could never take away from a blues man, like Robinson, was his dreams for a better life. Every time I hear this song it gives me chills and I come to a slightly better understanding of blues music.
Most Chicago bluesmen (and woman) had a difficult time acquiring booking agents and roadwork in the 70’s and 80’s. Fenton was no exception. Fortunately, his musical prowess landed him jobs with better-known blues artists. For instance, he played and toured with Charlie Musselwhite in the 70’s. Fenton played on Musselwhite’s Rough News CD (for the Point Blank) label in the 70’s. Musselwhite recorded Robinson’s “Tennessee Woman” composition on a CD he did for Vanguard. In all, Robinson released only five CDs and the above-mentioned Alligator release represented his best-recorded work. There are a number of live You Tubes of Robinson which capture his unique singing and playing styles. He had an introspective style - he thought about what he was playing and was a master of space. He used jazzy runs and diminished chords, which gave him a unique sound. But make no mistake, this was most definitely blues and not jazz. It is such a relief to listen to a skilled blues guitarist who isn’t “rattling off” 1000 notes per second and isn’t playing at hard rock volumes.
One You Tube highlight was his performance at Buddy Guy’s Legend’s club in Chicago, which, I believe, was shot in 1991. This was one of his last performances in Chicago. Fenton’s last years, in the 90’s, were spent living in various cities in Illinois and Indiana. In Springfield Illinois he started a “Blues in the Schools” program and he enjoyed teaching young kids about blues. He died of a brain tumor on November 25, 1997.
Aside from writing effective songs, Robinson was an accomplished vocalist and played classic blues guitar. His overall vocal style was somewhere in between BB King and Albert King, but very much original. His guitar playing didn’t fall into any of the usual blues box patterns. T. Bone and BB and later Albert heavily influenced most of the great guitarists. But Robinson was coming from a somewhat different place, stylistically. Even Robinson’s axe of choice was different than the rest. He used a Gibson ES225 guitar. This is a single cut, thin hollow body “jazz box.” He got a very sweet tone from this instrument. He had a second release on Alligator, but it didn’t do as well as the first one. He continued to record sporadically in the 70’s and 80’s and he continued performing live up to the time of his death in 1997. Again, I urge you to buy “Somebody Loan Me a Dime,” on Alligator and check out the You Tubes of Robinson. There is a lot to enjoy if you are a blues fan, and to learn, if you are a blues musician.
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Integral to the sound and vibe of the classic electric blues of the fifties and sixties (and beyond) are the instruments used by the musicians. The great blues artists of the classic era started out playing in small clubs, using low wattage tube amplifiers. Low wattage amps, when cranked, distort in a manner that most blues guitarists (and harmonica players) find appealing because it adds to the grittiness of the overall sound. Of course, the amps had to be sufficiently loud so that the guitar player (or harp blower) could be heard over the drums and the noise in a club. There were several amplifier manufacturers in the fifties including, Gibson, Ampeg, Silvertone (and others), but the amp of choice for most working musicians was the tweed Fender series. Leo Fender, who is most famous for his Telecaster and Stratocaster guitars, was also a master of creating brilliantly designed amps. Fender had an entire line of amps, in the fifties, from the tiny 5 watt Champ (Duanne Allman and Eric Clapton are said to have recorded their guitar parts for Layla on Champs), to slightly more powerful amps, such as the Deluxe and Tremolux, that could be used in small clubs, to the most classic amp of all, the 59 Bassman. The 59 Bassman is considered the gold standard in the history of amplification design and it has been copied for fifty years.
Growing up in the Northern California’s Silicon Valley, I have been involved in the high tech electronic industry my whole life. I hold a degree in Electronic Engineering and had previously worked for many years in high tech companies. Prior to college I had an assembly job for a manufacturing company where I was involved with wiring and soldering. I began playing the electric guitar in the early seventies and I love the tone and simplicity of the tube amplifiers that were available back then. A few years ago, I decided that I wanted to focus on my passion, which is designing and building guitar amplifiers. So ARACOM Amplifiers was formed and it is now a full time endeavor for me.
In my amp collection, I have a few original 60s Marshall Amplifiers. The early Marshall Amplifier circuit design was very similar to the Fender’s Bassman circuit. Like many players, I love the tonal range of these vintage amplifiers; from bright cleans, gritty blues, to their classic rock distortion. I believe the simplicity of these vintage amplifiers is what contributes to their great tone. It is these tonal characteristics that influence the design of the ARACOM products.
The heart of many of our amplifier is based on these early classic 60s circuits. We use the original Marshall Amplifiers to sonically compare their tone against the ARACOM amplifiers.
Tribute Series
Our Tribute Line of guitar amplifiers are modeled after the 60s Marshall JTM45, JMP50 and 18-watt amplifiers. Reverb is available as an option for the Tribute Series amplifiers.
Custom Series
The Vintage Rox Series VRX18 (EL84) and VRX22 (6V6) amplifiers.
These amplifiers are of my own design and include 2 channels, a clean channel and a hotter lead channel. The Vintage Rox Series is priced for the current economic situation, with prices starting at $895.
Evolver Series
The Evolver offers a Marshall "Plexi" or "JTM" tone in a custom handwired amp, with the versatility and convenience of having Channel Switching with simultaneous Master Volume Control bypass, along with a built in Tube Overdrive feature.
All of our amplifiers are offered in Head or Combo cabinet configurations. A half power switch is available on all of our amplifiers, which allows the user to cut the output power by half.
We also offer a Power Rox PRX150-Pro Power Attenuator. This product goes between your tube amplifier and speaker cabinet and allows you to crank up you amp, while reducing the power level to your speakers. The PRX150-Pro is highly transparent allowing you to lower the volume level while maintaining the amplifier’s tone and dynamics.
Could you briefly explain the sonic differences between tubes such as 6v6, 6L6, EL84 and EL34?
This a very good question, since power tubes are one of the key factors that determine the tone and personality of the amplifier. When selecting an amplifier you will need to decide how much clean head room you want and the how loud or quite you expect the amp to be when it is cranked up. The power from a pair of these tubes in typical push-pull arrangement can be: EL84/6V6 15 to 25 watts, 6L6GC/EL34 40 to 60 watts, KT88/6550 up to 90 watts. In a quad arrangement, the power would be approximately double these figures. Amplifiers at 50 watts or more can provide a decent amount of clean headroom. While a lowered powered 20 watt amp might not provide a lot of clean headroom, it will provide tube distortion at lower volume levels as compared to the larger amps.
I would say that sonically there are similarities in tone between the 6V6 and the 6L6GC. These tubes provide a warm clean tone and an open distortion, where you can still have a lot of pick definition.
Likewise with the EL84 and EL34 there are similarities in their distorted tone. They both can provide thick, tight and heavy distortion. Their clean tones can be quite different from each other and a lot of it has to do with the biasing methods and power output differences.
Once you have settled on the tube model designation number you prefer, you can then have fun trying different brands of tubes. If you have the cash, you also try NOS tubes, which are usually worth the extra money.
In an ideal world, we would own many amps that covered all of the various popular tube models. Then we can pick the amp for the exact tone we want for that moment. Being an amp builder, I am fortunate in having the opportunity to play through all of the various power tube types.
While on the topic of power tubes, there are 2 popular ways that builders can bias the tubes: fixed bias and self biased. These biasing methods will affect the tone, dynamic response, and power output.
Do you have help building the amps?
I design, build and test all of the ARACOM Amplifier products myself. This way I can be certain about the quality of our products. For prototypes, I use several guitarists who test and evaluate the amplifiers.
Based on having all of the components and material in stock, it takes about 2-3 weeks to complete an amplifier once I begin working on your order. This does not include highly customized amplifiers, which can take much longer. When I can start on your order depends on the backlog.
Do you make your own cabinets?
I build all of our head cabinets and some of our smaller combo and extension cabinets. For our larger 1x12 and 2x12 combo cabinets, we use Jeff Earl of J Design cabinets, located in Northern California. Jeff does excellent work and offers a wide range of cabinet designs including hardwood finishes.
I believe most people will agree that the economic downturn has hurt -all industries. Also there is an abundance of new amp and pedal companies, so there is plenty of competition.However, we have introduced new products that are more affordable to more people. We are actually having a very good year and I am working full time on building products to fulfill the backlog of orders. I am very grateful for all of the customers who have purchased products from ARACOM Amplifiers.
Our product pricing is based on the current economic situation. For example, our handwired Vintage Rox VRX18 and VRX22 amplifier series is priced at a sub $1,000 level. Naturally at these prices, our mark up is low. We are offering our customers a lot value for their money spent.
Are there any influential guitarists who use your amps?
I consider every guitarist playing ARACOM amps as being influential to the development of the ARACOM Amp products, since they all provide me with important feedback. The most well know guitarists are John Garcia and Gene Baker. John is a veteran bluesman who performed many years with John Lee Hooker and is currently the lead guitarist for the John Lee Hooker Jr.’s band. He has also performed with Bo Diddley, B.B.King, Johnny Winters, Huey Lewis & Paul Simon. Gene is the founder of Baker and b3 electric guitars and he is well known on the music industry. He gigs weekly with an ARACOM Amplifier. Gene has been very instrumental in the development of our products and feature. A couple of other guitarist that have been involved in the testing of our products is Brendan Delumpa and Pat Curtis.
Do you sell any amps through music stores? If not, do have any plans to do so?
There are a handful of music stores in the Northern California where our amplifiers are for sale, but the majority of our sales are direct. With the current economic situation, our philosophy is to sell direct and pass the savings on to the customers.
Perhaps Custom Shop is an overused phrase, but that is what ARACOM Amplifiers is, a “Custom Shop”. We have customized or personalized many amplifiers. Some customers request additional features such as: Reverb, Effects Loop, Channel Switching, or an extra gain stage. Other are looking for cosmetic changes such as a particular tolex color or grill cloth design. While others request custom cabinet designs. We also benefit from customer’s special request, since some ideas are incorporated as standard features in our amplifiers. There is a page on the ARACOM Amplifier’s website that dedicated to the custom amplifiers we have built.
In your experience, what are the most common characteristics/features that guitarists are looking for in boutique amps?
The top priority for most guitarists when evaluating a boutique amplifier is its tonal quality. Some people turn to boutique amplifier companies because they are looking for an amplifier that can replicate the tone of a popular vintage amp such as a Marshall JTM45, or a Fender Black Face Deluxe Reverb, or perhaps a VOX AC15. Others turn to a particular boutique amp manufacturer for an original designed amplifier that offers a unique tone, which is exclusive to that manufacturer’s model.
Why is it that most effects (pedals) detract from the basic, organic sound of an amp?
While some overdrive/distortion pedals can sound real good, in my opinion nothing can replace the natural tone of a good overdriven tube amplifier. In some cases, the amplifier alone does not generate the desired distortion level. This is where a good clean boost can be used to overdrive the amplifier into distortion, while maintaining the natural sound of the amp. From an electrical point of view, there is also fact that the extra cables involved in connecting a few effects pedals in series affects the tone and signal level from the guitar. Even with the pedals switched off, there is a negative effect on the signal quality before reaching the amplifier. A lot of customers have mentioned that they want to reduce the amount of pedals on their board and get as much as possible from their tube amplifier.
Are there any brands that you can recommend that excel at retaining the natural sound of an amp?
Now days it seems that there are thousands of pedals on the market and the selection process can be overwhelming. Therefore, I passed this question over to Brendan Delumpa of www.guitargear.org, a guitar gear review site. At guitargear.org, Brendan has personally reviewed 100+ effects pedals. Brendan’s recommendation for pedals that retain the natural sound of your tube amplifier are the KASHA KA-ODP-A Overdrive pedal and the Creative Audio Labs MK 4.23 Boost pedal.
Just about every component in the amplifier has an effect on tone. The components have to be selected for their quality and tonal properties. The transformers have to be from a company that specializes in designing and winding guitar amplifier transformers, which are different than audio amplifier transformers. For a guitarist who is interested in exploring the tonal possibilities of his amp, he can experiment with trying a few different brands preamp and power amp tubes.
Finally I asked Jeff to explain the relationship between loudness and wattage. I think you’ll find his explanation interesting and worth reading. Here is his response:
Loudness VS Power Level
Differences in power levels are often referenced as differences in dB (decibels). Doubling an amplifier’s power or reducing its power by half would be a difference of 3dB. For example decreasing a power level of 100 watts to 50 watts would be a -3dB reduction. Reducing 100 watts to 25 watts would be a -6dB reduction. While reducing the output power by half seems to be a lot, it might be hardly noticeable by ear. The reason is, decreasing the power by half (-3dB) does not provide an audio perception of half the loudness level. In order to perceive a 50% drop in the audio loudness level, the power would have to be cut by 90% or -10dB. Therefore, a 100 watt amplifier would have to be reduced to 10 watts in order for an audio perception of a sound level to be cut in half. Keep in mind that 10 watts can still be too loud for some applications. Some people even consider even one watt to be too loud for “bedroom” use.
The speaker’s efficiency determines the Sound Pressure Level (SPL), how “loud” the volume will be. The speaker’s efficiency is rate as a sensitivity specification, which is based on the sound pressure level measured in db the speaker produces with 1 watt of power applied and measured at a distance of 1 meter from the speaker. A typical 12” guitar speaker will have a sensitivity rating around 100, however this rating does vary and is specific to each speaker model.
For example, a speaker with a sensitivity rating of 100 will produce 100db at 1 meter (3.3’) with 1 watt of power. A speaker with a sensitivity rating of 97 will produce 97db at 1 meter with 1 watt of power.
An amplifier providing 50 watts of power into a speaker with sensitivity rating of 100 will produce the same SPL as an amplifier providing 100 watts of power into a speaker with a sensitivity rating of 97. Therefore, the volume level depends on the sensitivity of your speaker and the power applied to it.
The following chart compares examples of loudness VS power level. The SPL is based on a speaker with a sensitivity rating of 100. The approximate loudness is based on the subject standing one meter (3.3’) in front of the speaker.
POWER VS. LOUDNESS CHART
| Watts | SPL (db) | Loudness |
| | | |
| 0.0078 | 79 | Passenger car at 10 (60-80dB) |
| 0.0156 | 82 | |
| 0.0312 | 85 | Vacuum cleaner |
| 0.0625 | 88 | Major Road Noise (80-90dB) |
| 0.125 | 91 | Noisy factory |
| 0.25 | 94 | |
| 0.5 | 97 | |
| 1 | 100 | Jack hammer at 1m |
| 2 | 103 | |
| 4 | 106 | |
| 8 | 109 | Accelerating motorcycle at 5m |
| 16 | 112 | |
| 32 | 115 | Hearing Damage (short term exposure) |
| 64 | 118 | Rock concert |
| 128 | 121 | |
| 256 | 124 | |
| 512 | 127 | Jet at 100 meters (110-140 dB) |
| 1024 | 130 | Threshold of pain |
| | | |
As you can see, based on the above chart, if your amplifier is cranking out 32 watts of power, into a speaker with a sensitivity rating of 100 and you are standing 3.3’ in front of the speaker, hearing damage due to short term exposure can occur.
The distance you are from the speaker of course affects the SPL. If you are in a space where there is no reflected sound, such as outdoors, then each time the distance from the speaker is doubled, the loudness of the sound pressure level is reduced by 6 dB.
Feet From Speaker dB-SPL
------------------------- --------------
3 94 (reference)
6 88
12 82
24 76
50 70
100 64
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