Some Help Needed

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Hey guys how ya been?

I have a question for you. How can I run a guitar straight into 2 amps? What type of equipment would I need?


I know they have the y cables but wouldn't that look stupid with 2 cables coming off a guitar.... I think it would.

[Gr8Scott]

Re: Some Help Needed

Buy a Line 6 Space Chorus pedal. It has stereo outs that function even when the pedal is bypassed. Works just fine for that purpose IMHO and it doesn't look dorky.

[Red_Label]

Re: Some Help Needed

Buy a Radial BigShot ABY pedal. I've had one for several years now and it comes in VERY handy.

For instance, I'm working on setting-up identical tones right now between my Bogner XTC going into my Bogner 4X12 cab, and my Eleven Rack (with XTC modeling)... going into my Rocktron Velocity power amp into my Bogner 2X12 cab.

So I can flip back and forth between the two rigs with the touch of a button, and also run both rigs at the same time. It's a VERY handy pedal.

[Chickenwings]

Re: Some Help Needed

an aby pedal is needed, but its worth getting an active buffered one like the radial (like red label suggested) , because the two amps together may get a ground loop and the radial can eliminate that. It will also keep the correct impedances to each amp and your guitar so you reall get what you are after - which is both amps sounding like they would if you werent running in a Y setup. Sounds like a simple concept simple, but its not always. Also the active one will not POP when you switch.

[Hellion]

Re: Some Help Needed

An ABY pedal is the cheapest, but you're also splitting the signal. If you want to send a full signal to both amps, buy a cheap Behringer mixer and send the right channel to one amp and the left channel to the other. Make sure your "pan" dial is in the center.

[richard parker]

Re: Some Help Needed

Andrew, what two amps are you going to be using ? Just curious.

[Andrew Lamprecht]

Re: Some Help Needed

An ABY pedal is the cheapest, but you're also splitting the signal. If you want to send a full signal to both amps, buy a cheap Behringer mixer and send the right channel to one amp and the left channel to the other. Make sure your "pan" dial is in the center.

SO I'll be getting half volume at both amps?

Andrew, what two amps are you going to be using ? Just curious.

I'm using a pair of Pro Juniors. I know what you're thinking of too. Don't worry about it.

But seriously guys, this set up is liberating. My guitars straight into a couple really good amps. Ever since I ditched my pedalboard (which I still have but don't use), my playing has become more dynamic and more of how I want to sound. I can get tons of tones I never thought possible because I didn't have the right equipment, it's kinda funny actually. Just by messing with the volume and tone on the guitars and tone and volume on the amps I can get early Rory Gallagher sounds, Creams "Woman" Tone (believe me it sounds freaking great), Peter Greens barely breaking up tone, Kossoffs huge lead sound. These are pretty great versatile amps, I'm really quite in love with them. They have an amazing tone right out of the box and I've never been more happy with my set up.

[Red_Label]

Re: Some Help Needed

SO I'll be getting half volume at both amps?

No. I've never noticed any volume loss or difference. There may be one, but I've never even taken note of it.

[Sanford]

Re: Some Help Needed

I know they have the y cables but wouldn't that look stupid with 2 cables coming off a guitar.... I think it would.

Using a Y cable doesn't mean you have two cables coming off the guitar. It means you have the "single" end plugged into the guitar and then later on down the line it splits into two separate connectors....you know, like the letter "Y". Visually it wouldn't look much different than running a regular cable into an ABY box and having two cables coming from that into your amps.

The real reason you probably wouldn't want to use a Y cable is that one end is Tip-Ring-Sleeve (a stereo connector) and the two other ends are each mono (like a normal guitar cable). So if you plugged a Y cable into your guitar right now one signal wouldn't even work (because your output jack is mono and the TRS plug would have one of its connections go to ground).

[Sanford]

Re: Some Help Needed

...But, if you wanted to eliminate the need for a splitter box, I suppose you could either rewire your guitar to accommodate a stereo output jack and use a normal Y cable or try to find a Y cable that had mono plugs all around. Lava Cables might be able to do this, but they can be pricey.

[Stef]

Re: Some Help Needed

Radial

[jeremy]

Re: Some Help Needed

the radial switchbone is the best aby ive ever tried but not cheap

http://www.tonebone.com/tb-switchbone-features.htm

if you leave your volume control all the way up, all the time then i dont think you need to go crazy. but it sounds like you are starting the experience the magic of a simple rig where the volume and tone controls on the guitar give you 1000 shades of great tone. if you really wanna go down that path with two amps, try to find a used switchbone. the drag control lets you adjust the load which effects the relationship between the amp and guitar that is so critical.

there is also this which seems like just what you want without the extra boost crap but ive never seen one to try.

http://www.tonebone.com/bones-twincity.htm

[jcthejester13]

Re: Some Help Needed

Buy a Radial BigShot ABY pedal. I've had one for several years now and it comes in VERY handy.

+1. I use the BigShot and it is a great and extremely handy pedal.

[Gr8Scott]

Re: Some Help Needed

One thing noone has done is told you WHY they are suggesting what they are suggesting (including me).

ABY pedals are great if you want to select the amps individually or as a pair to both be running at the same time. Good ABY pedals have built in electronics to boost the split signal so it's the same volume as the initial single signal coming directly out of the guitar was. So if selecting amps is something you can see yourself wanting to do, then a decent ABY pedal is the way to go.

If you don't care to select one or the other amp and simply want to have both amps running all the time, a stereo chorus or delay pedal will do the same thing as the ABY pedal when it's set to "Y" mode. It will boost the signal to make up for the split and it will do so regardless of whether it is bypassed or not.

If you want to select the amps individually, the ABY is the best way to go. If you only want to run both amps at the same time all the time and you'd like the option of having a stereo delay or stereo chorus etc in the signal chain, then a stereo pedal would also be a good choice...

[drew_half_empty]

Re: Some Help Needed

Just for reference, cause I'm curious about this signal loss stuff, on an amp with 2 inputs, if you were to do the jumper thing with the 2nd input to another amp and put something like a boss pedal with a buffer inbetween, would you theoretically have no signal loss? Or do buffers do something different?