Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

[Dr.Mavashi]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

So I am playing my half stack with WebberMass in a really small room and I am strugling a bit without a reverb, so if I take of the back cover on my 4X12 will it give me a bit of reverby sound?

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

The last show I played with my half stack, the sound guy kept telling me to turn down. I got so fed up 2 songs in that I kicked over the speaker mic and cranked her up.:butkick: It sux being the opening band at a gig. You always end up being the sound test rat.

Man, why are people who play SG-X's so incredibly bad-ass?

Anyway back on topic...you guys ever hear of Jucifer? They use something like 36 different speaker cabinet for their ONE guitarist. I went to see them a couple of years ago...my friends who couldn't get into the bar 'cuz they were underage still heard the show just fine sitting in the parking lot. Said they even felt the vibrations when leaning on the side of the building.

INSIDE, it was like a wind tunnel. She hit the first chord through that rig and my hair was blown back for the rest of the show. One of the greatest sonic experiences of my life, and it taught me a valuable lesson.

More speakers = more love. Stack 'em high boys.
:firedevil

 

[EveryMn]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

damn you guys!!!

I just traded in my blues junior for a head and I was gonna go with a 2x12 cab. now y'all got me thinking about a 4x12. I don't want to spend that kinda money right now.

and trust me, it's the sound, not the aesthetics

Funny, I just bought a BJ, and I love it.

The second I have to upgrade, I'm planning on getting a Reeves CP504 and a 2x12, probably, if only to help my back since a 4x12 is 35lbs heavier, not to mention $300 more from the wallet.

 

[Mephis]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I'm pretty happy with my 120watt half stack setup.

Maybe I just have a different tollerance for volume but it seems about right for me even when cranked all the way.

 

[Baltar]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

it really depends on the size. for hundred people gig on a small
stage i used a 112 2/3back cab + my 112 combo (50W engl).
it's a very articulate setup, ... precise, loud, balanced. love it

412s are to much bass in my ears, and they're bundling like hell
... which i also don't like.

 

[Rushfan2112]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I prefer combos as they're lighter and easier to carry, plus my Blues Junior is one of the only amps I'll ever need. If I had to go with a full stack, though, I'd get a 4x12 and 4x10.

 

[arbiter]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

your wife said: 'buy it' - i'd buy it

 

[Philcguitars]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I think it is very dependent on how you create your sound, and the PA your piping it into, if at all. I've seen Richie S. play full and Halfs but always a row of five. Gilmour always has four full Hi-Watts. The Eagles all seem to play small combo amps.

There doesn't seem to be a definitive pattern.

 

[The Golden Boy]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I'm pretty happy with my 120watt half stack setup.

Maybe I just have a different tollerance for volume but it seems about right for me even when cranked all the way.

Are you sure that's the best thing for your ears? Seriously, Clapton and Townshend are only two of the guys that stood in front of dimed stacks that have serious hearing problems.

 

[EveryMn]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I heard Townshend's hearing has actually improved slightly since the late '70s.

 

[34029324079]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I cant fit the 4x12 in my corrolla, but fortunately the 2x12 is just barely enough for my hard rock style

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

More speakers = more love. Stack 'em high boys.
:firedevil

It's hard to argue that!

After gigging pro/semi-pro for over 20 years, I've just very recently learned that fact. I've gigged on and off with combos and half-stacks. Last year it was a Traynor Custom 50 Blue 1X12 combo on a sealed-back 1X12 extension cab. It was a very nice setup and I got lots of compliments on it. But this year I bought a Traynor YCS100 tube head and an extra Marshall 1960A cab. For the first time I'm using 2 4X12's and I LOVE it. The sound is SO HUGE and full. Not louder, but way more fat and full. I'm using both cabs on the floor as I don't like the sound in my face. Side-by-side they give a very full, fat sound to the point of sounding stereo. I love it and it's going to be a drag to play some gigs (in small clubs on small stages) where I can't have both cabs there. More = better for overdriven rock sounds for sure...

 

[WhoFan]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

i use a 4x12 stack whenever i can just for the larger tone... but in most clubs it's better to use my 1x12...

 

[Amateur]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I used to play with a full stack or two 4x12s during my younger days and I can tell you that they do affect your hearing if you're not careful. I hear ringing in my ears and I couldn't even sleep the nights after I played. I finally got wise by using a combo and hooked it up to the PA. It is easier to carry and the techs will take care of the sound for you.

 

[rainsong86]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

the singer in my band refuses to use anything but a 2x12 combo on top of a 4x12.. he likes it this way because he can bring the 2x12 home for practice.. with a half-stack you have to bring the huge 4x12 cab along with you unless you have multiple amps/cabs

I used to have a 2x12 stereo amp and had one amp running the combo speakers and the other amp running a 4x12 on the other side of the stage.. it looked so amateur having a 2x12 combo sitting atop an amp stand (which is really the only way to hear the thing.. otherwise the sound would be hitting your ankles).. I've now moved up to a stereo setup with 2 4x12 cabs.. muuuch better.. my right sound is just as beefy as the left

 

[Hot _Grits]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I play a variety of different venues and different styles of music,so I tend to chop and change depending on the requirement.

I do know that I generally don't like 1x12 amps and cabs for any venue, though. I prefer an open-backed 2x12 for spread and dimension when the gig calls for clean and low gain, and closed-back 2x12s and4x12s for a punchier sound for rock gigs. If I have to use a 1x12, I prefer a twin amp setup.

Aesthetically, I'm a big fan of the Joe Perry 'big jumble of amps' approach, especially as I like multiole amp setups for tonal variety.

So I suggest you get a cab that doesn't match...

 

[Skarekrough]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I got tired of hauling around 4 x 12's a long while ago. They have their place and for what they do they're thing thing to go with.

I do have a 2 x 12 cab floating around the house here that I snagged for a good price with the idea that eventually I may need it for something.

But overwhelmingly I've not played a gig with my combo amps where I didn't feel like I was getting a great sound out of them.

 

[Mincer]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

as long as i am loading it myself, it is a combo or modeler into the PA for me. I like a pretty quiet stage volume. i don't play heavy rock anymore, so i understand why people like big stacks. i just got sick of loading them in and out, and the small stages. the band sounds much better when we can hear each other- the audience thinks so too.

 

[Empty Pockets]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

I have the solution...put your Orange halfstack on top of a Green 6x12.

That'll REALLY make the wife happy. Plus it'll give all those watts somethin to do.

 

[aloha]

Re: Full stacks, half stacks, combos, ect...

Personally, I like to keep it simple.

I gig with a 1X12 Mesa combo with a mic or DI to the PA. Usually, I'm still loud as hell.

I cannot imagine how you guys play with 8 12" speakers blazing all those watts. I guess everyone has their own way, but that seems like overkill; I'm sorry.

There was only one time I had trouble monitoring with my combo. I was set up next to an Ampeg bass tower with 12 10" speakers or something ridiculous like that. The rumble from that thing was impenetrable. Out in FOH, though, my guitar fit nicely into the mix. The soundguys were good to me. I was good right back and tipped them out (like we all should).

Aloha