Scott Henderson Discussion

[BS]

I've often experienced that one day i can plug into my amp and it sounds and feels ok, while the next day it doesn't. I've concluded that the main reason is inside my head! However I know at least one player who's obsessed with variations in voltage levels, and actually has a minimum voltage level stated in the rider. The first thing he does when he enters a new stage, is to measure the stage voltage. I don't remember the exact numbers, but let's say it' below 109,8 VAC, he won't play! He thinks quite subtile voltage variations have a significant impact on the way the amp sounds! Is this something you have ever looked into?

[Scott Henderson]

It's not a subtile difference - my amp is biased for 120 volts, and if the voltage is 110 the amp doesn't sound or feel as good. I haven't seen many places in the US that aren't 120, and in Europe we use a 220 to 120 transformer so I've never noticed a problem there either. I've had problems in Japan because the voltage is only 100.

[BS]

Sorry, I thought the std US voltage was 110V, so my example came out wrong. In Europe the norm is 230V -10%/+5%, so it was more variations in this range I was thinking of.