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  • #1

    Question about using amplifiers

    Hey All!

    Forgive my ignorance regarding this question, I'm just trying to learn all I can. I understand that to many of you my lack of knowledge may be aggravating, but I'll never get answers if I don't ask...

    Anyways...

    A while back I read somewhere (I can't recall) about an artist that used two different amps in a way I have never heard before. Basically he stated that instead of hooking his Marshall head directly into the cab, he first plugged it into the input jack of another Marshall head first. Something like this:

    [Marshall Head]----->[Marshall Head]---->[Cabinet]

    I think the logic here was that he could crank the first Marshall head into beautiful territory and use the second Marshall as sort of a master volume.

    Now I am not completely knowledgeable about these things, but it seems that this might be very bad for one or both amps...



    But if this could somehow be worked out under certain conditions, I think it could open up a whole array of experimenting with tonal options, like for instance how would a Vox AC30 sound plugged into a Supro first... the combinations would be endless.


    So basically is something like this possible/not possible/possible only under certain conditions or mods?

    Any thoughts on this subject would be very welcome.
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  • #2
    Re: Question about using amplifiers

    you CANNOT plug the speaker output of one amp into the input of another amp. you WILL blow at least one of them up. you can jump the two amps together in a variety of ways but both (assuming we are talking about tube amps) will need a speaker load.

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    • #3
      Re: Question about using amplifiers

      That would be an (over-simplified) description of amp-slaving. It isn't simply plugging the speaker out into the input of another amp - that will wreck your output transformer and power tubes. It involves plugging the speaker out into an attenuator with a line out, then sending the line out to another amp (usually a clean power amp, but you can use a normal guitar amp if you plug the line out into preferably the FX loop return) which is connected to a PA or your standard guitar speaker cabinet configuration (without any attenuation etc - just a straight connection). This lets you run the volume of your first (main/primary) amp on "10" to get power amp distortion/saturation, but controlling the actual volume with a separate amp. This reduces many of the drawbacks of a regular attenuator box setup, and makes those saturated sounds attainable at lower levels. This is especially useful for NMV amps. However, there's no such thing as a free lunch - this setup doesn't entirely re-create dimed amp sounds, because of big part of those sounds is the massive amount of air being moved and slamming anything in its path with sound. This is especially true for low end, and the only way to fix that is to run the amp LOUD and pure. Just wear earplugs and hope that your neighbors are very forgiving.
      Last edited by Myaccount876; 02-08-2016, 02:48 PM.

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      • #4
        Re: Question about using amplifiers


        Video courtesy of forum member LLL.

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        • #5
          Re: Question about using amplifiers

          Never run a "line out" signal into the "guitar in" jack of an amp.
          Practice guitar for hours each day. Do that for years on end and one day you will make it look so easy that people who have never done any of that will say that you were blessed with talent.

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          • #6
            Re: Question about using amplifiers

            Thank you all for the information, I am definitely going to invest in a Rivera Rockcrusher to see how my DR103 sounds 'slaved' into my Fender Twin RE.

            But yeah, there was no way I was just going to try doing it the way I originally thought I heard, I was definitely going to get more information...

            Strangely you don't hear very much about this kind of thing being done...

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            • #7
              Re: Question about using amplifiers

              Originally posted by DESERTRAT1 View Post
              Never connect a "speaker output" to the "guitar in" jack of an amp.
              Fixed it for you.

              Running a line level signal from one amp into another is exactly how slaving works. The Hot Plate in LLL's video outputs a line level signal which he then runs into the input of the Deluxe Reverb; the only way that can cause damage would be if the Marshall didn't have a speaker load (the Hot Plate is set as a dummy load in the video). There is no way that a line level signal will damage the DR, though you may end up with excessive volume or unwanted distortion if the line level signal is too loud.
              Originally posted by crusty philtrum
              And that's probably because most people with electric guitars seem more interested in their own performance rather than the effect on the listener ... in fact i don't think many people who own electric guitars even give a poop about the effect on a listener. Which is why many people play electric guitars but very very few of them are actually musicians.

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              • #8
                Re: Question about using amplifiers

                Originally posted by HiwattDR103 View Post
                Thank you all for the information, I am definitely going to invest in a Rivera Rockcrusher to see how my DR103 sounds 'slaved' into my Fender Twin RE.

                But yeah, there was no way I was just going to try doing it the way I originally thought I heard, I was definitely going to get more information...

                Strangely you don't hear very much about this kind of thing being done...
                That's because there are so many amps these days that sound great without having to resort to that.
                Originally Posted by IanBallard
                Rule of thumb... the more pot you have, the better your tone.

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