makepeace
the reason i ask,
playing my squier through my fuzz on full blow into my cube 15, its almost unbearably loud on volume 1.5 out of 10.. where playing clean i can get away with the volume on at least 5..
anything to worry about if i crank the amp with an effect that boosts signal?
Gearhead
Speakers are chosen with a certain power stage to make sure you can not overload them. Power stages are designed to handle the largest signal that the preamp can put out etc; Roland will have gotten that right. On the other hand, a fuzz is an effect that gives a very spiky waveform through to the speaker which will still take its toll imho. If it sounds really bad, it is bad as far as I am concerned.
makepeace
tonally it sounds pretty good on 1.5.. doesn't sound unhealthy or anything.. its just pretty loud. maybe i'll give it a bash tomorrow..
AlanRatcliffe
Even if speaker and power stage can handle the extra oomph, the input circuitry can be at risk from hitting the amp with too much input volume. At the very least it shortens the lifespan of components. I'd usually say you can safely double the guitar's output level without damage (probably more with single-coils).
Particularly with smaller amps, the main design consideration is price rather than durability, so the speaker and power amp may not be able to cope with high volumes for anything more than short periods.
