As you turn up your amp louder your ears will hear a greater increase in high and lows than in mids, this is what causes you to lose definition in your sound. Add to that the fact that your highs and lows will be drowned out by other instruments in the band, and you end up with a battle within the band just ot get heard.

Solution? Compensate for the "loss" of mids" when turning up your amp either by turning down the highs and lows or turning up the mids.
The middle fequencies are what make your sound clear, defined, and make you poke through the mix of a band.

Sending your signal through a PA system will not make your sound any clearer, only louder. You'll have the exact same problem, if not worse, if your sound is not adjusted to be played that loud in the first place.

[Edited by SPL on 01-26-2004 at 05:30 PM]