Amp Head Question

[mrchodito]

I have a 120 watt combo amp that i'm not happy with (too big for current living situation) and I'm looking into selling it. I am seriously considering just getting a second hand marshall or vox head and running it by itself so that later on im halfway to getting a halfstack. I would really like power tubes to be in the amp i'm going to be playing. My question is can you play through an amp head by itself? Is this impossible and a totally newbie question or is it unhealthy for the amp?

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Amp Head Question

Sure you can play a head by itself, just don't expect to produce much more than heat.

 

[mrchodito]

Re: Amp Head Question

i thought as much. I was just clinging to hope cuz they all say 15watts or 100 watts etc.

 

[Benjy_26]

Re: Amp Head Question

You see, a combo amp is basically three components: the preamp, the power amp (s), and the speaker cabinet all rolled into one.

A head is only two of those components, the preamp and the power amp. If yo uget a head, you will need some kind of speaker cabinet to convert the electronic signal back into sound.

 

[baritone]

Re: Amp Head Question

You can NOT play a head by itself. It needs a speaker enclosure to produce sound. And if it is a tube amp, it will fry if you try to turn it on without a cab hooked up to it.

 

[greco]

Re: Amp Head Question

You can NOT play a head by itself. It needs a speaker enclosure to produce sound. And if it is a tube amp, it will fry if you try to turn it on without a cab hooked up to it.

Thanks for responding with this. I was going to say the same earlier (because nobody had mentioned it) but I am not all that familiar with heads and wondered if they might have some sort of protection circuit built in if they were used without a speaker attached (by error).

HOPE YOU HAVEN'T FRIED YOUR AMP BY NOW, BRO !!

Dave

 

[34029324079]

Re: Amp Head Question

I would read the manual first. consider the vox valvetronix - if there is a headphone jack, that may do. some effects units such as PODxt have headphone jacks - you can also plug in your stereo.

 

[mrchodito]

Re: Amp Head Question

Thanks for responding with this. I was going to say the same earlier (because nobody had mentioned it) but I am not all that familiar with heads and wondered if they might have some sort of protection circuit built in if they were used without a speaker attached (by error).

HOPE YOU HAVEN'T FRIED YOUR AMP BY NOW, BRO !!

Dave

no because i dont own one. it was just a question.

 

[greco]

Re: Amp Head Question

^^^^^^ That is a relief ^^^^^^