Anyone gig with a small combo??

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NickCormier

New member
My teacher plays shows with a small 1x12 combo, I forget what it is.. but also ive seen some really talented musicians play with something as small as a Peavey Classic 20, for shows of under 100-200 people..

I have a pretty sizeable rig, my pod x3 > Carvin T100 rack > 2x12 and 1x12 cab.. which isnt too bad to carry around, but I dont have a car and have to take the bus to most of my gigs, so its still alot..

I was thinking of getting a Tech 21 Trademark 30, and just bringing a pedal or two with it, and maybe if the show gets abit bigger I could mic it up or use the XLR input to go straight to the PA.. Think that'd work? I'd reserve my Carvin rig for any extremely metal shows, which I dont do often at this time in my gigging life.. its mostly jazz/rock.

I was wondering if any of you play small shows(under 150ppl) with just a 1x10 or 1x12 combo amp??
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

i know jeremy used to play a lot of gigs with his blues jnr. wahwah still gigs with his fender super champ. he plays stadium shows with that amp mic'd. its a very doable thing.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I do if it's going to be a venue or situation were a 1/2 stack set up with a head and 4x12 or 2x12 cab is not appropriate or appreciated. I have a 2554 Jubilee 1x12 combo, which I can run on 25 watts, that I can use in place of my Jubilee head or my Metro JTM45 head and a seperate cab.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I played an 800 seat auditorium with a 1-12 combo mic'd with the amp only turned up to 4.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

1X12 combo for me. Mesa Express 2:25 w/ a Vintage 30 speaker, gets as loud as i need it to, but I'm considering buying a 2X12 cabinet to stick under it and maybe fill my sound out a little more.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

Kac said:
1X12 combo for me. Mesa Express 2:25 w/ a Vintage 30 speaker, gets as loud as i need it to, but I'm considering buying a 2X12 cabinet to stick under it and maybe fill my sound out a little more.
Click to expand...

That's what I use, except I have the 1x10. Didn't have a chance to gig with it yet, but I have played it at gig volume with a drummer, and it kills. I am also considering the 2x12.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

My mate's Uncle joins his acoustic trio in a small venue whith a Fender amp of about 30Watts, and it's way loud enough!

My 80 Watt would bite your head off in there.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

Just as a heads up, the Trademark 30 is a solid state amp. You'll find that when set so that it doesn't distort the power section (which sounds bad in a solid state) that it'll be around as loud as a 10w tube amp. Either way, it's not an issue if you're mic'd into the PA, but you may find it a bit quieter than what you're expecting if you're used to working with tube amps.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

If I'm doing a cocktail gig or a school type gig that is not in the auditorium, I'd usually go with my Princeton Reverb copy (12 watts, 1x12). Most of the time I'll bring my Tweed Twin as it is my main gigging amp (40 watts, 2x12) which is really a large combo. However, in many situations it is too big, I kinda want an amp between my Princeton and my Twin...
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

i started out gigging with some huge stack gear... thru the process of growing tired of hauling it all i ended up with is just a single C30 combo and some common pedals... sometimes i add the 1x12 extention cab to the C30... The extention cab adds a lot to the sound... it's a sealed back matching tweed C30 cab that they no longer offer...

i've been wanting to make a Fender Deluxe Reverb reissue my new amp for a long time for some of the music i play...
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I use small amps almost all the time...Mission Super (18 or so watts into 2 10's), Fender Deluxe (18 watts into 1x12) and an Ampeg Jet (12 watts into a single 12). I really prefer it to bigger amps...I get told to turn down less often (however it does still happen!?) and I feel like I have a better tone than whan I was trying to deal with big amps plus they are easier to move around!
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I use a Trademark 60 to gig with. It sounds great through the PA- everything goes through the PA all the time, so we can keep the stage volume really low. The result is a much clearer sound out front, and no more headaches & ringing ears at the end of the night.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I used to gig with 3 combos and a single cab...those days are over, whew. Got a killer combination of tones using a 3 way, but it was a hassle to set up. I love my 4 12, I can control the volume and still get great BIG tone. I agree with Mincer. I have gigged with the Trademark 60, it's light and the tone is awesome. The gain side is full cranked Marshall and the cleans are great, can't go wrong with it's light weight and size. It's my practice amp now and I love it. Don't let anyone diss Tech 21, try it, you'll hear and it will surprise you. My old rig...uggggh
1209332346_dsc00346.jpg
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

Sometimes I'll take my old Fender MusicMaster Bass out (12w), it doesn't keep up unless it's mic'ed or it's a pretty quiet group.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I gig with a 30 watt tube 112. It's plenty loud. Never had to crank it passed 4.

The thing is, any gig where a small amp wouldn't cut it would almost always have a system you can mic the amp with. Wahwah, case in point.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

Well I've A-B'ed all my amps through either their own 1x12 or a 1x12 cab against my 4x12 and I really do prefer a 4x12 cab for tone. That's not to say that I can't get a good tone out of a 1x12, and were its impractical to use a 4x12 or 2x12 cab the 1x12 can still do a good job. In a small venue a open back will often give a less directional, more of surround sound, sound as well. Given the choice though, I'd run prefer to use the larger cabs if I can.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

Ditto LPB! I can't believe how great a good 4 12 cab sounds...I'll never go back.
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

i'm not a 100% pure tube snob but i am lost in the new tech world.... i have some small combos that are tube and SS... i've been wanting to put together a small modeler rig for some time now... i may just end up grabbing a 1x12 VOX modeler amp and be done with it, but part of me wants to use a small powered monitor and be able to use different preamp modelers... whatever i end up with portable is the key
 
Re: Anyone gig with a small combo??

I gigged for years in a 7 piece Blues band with Just a 12w Princeton reverb & ts-9 for lead boost. The trick with a small combo is to get it off the ground.
 
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