TwilightOdyssey
Darkness on the edge of Tone
I know there are a lot of strong feelings on the forum about whether a 1/2 stack is even necessary, but I have an interesting story to relate to you all:
I have a full stack, consisting of a Hiwatt 4x12 bottom and a Rivera 4x12 top. 2 months ago, we brought a new second guitarist into the band, and I split the stack in 1/2 and began using my Rivera head with the Hiwatt cab. Sounded great, I must say. I never fully appreciated the sound of the Hiwatt until I played this way.
Recently, that guitarist left the band to pursue other things, and I was able to put my full stack back together again. For the past couple of rehearsals with the new guy, who has his own Marshall 1/2 stack, I was AMAZED at how much cleaner the sound was. Besides the height factor (which we partially fixed by puttting the other guitarist's cab on a milk crate to project beter), there was so much more depth and resolution to the tone, it wasn't funny. I could hear each and every note in sparkling detail.
Was it louder than than the other guitarist's setup? It has the potential to be, but I used my 50W JCM800 while he used a 100W Valvestate (which sounds terrible, btw). I adjusted my volume to match his, aslo.
So, to all the nay-sayers who think that even a 1/2 stack is too much, I have to disagree, and now I'm a totally dedicated full stack man! The myth that you only need a 1/2 stack or more if you're playing stadiums is just that: A MYTH!! Having all the volume is great, but you can't touch the headroom, dynamics, or resolution you get from a head (or preamp/power amp) and a full stack!!
I have a full stack, consisting of a Hiwatt 4x12 bottom and a Rivera 4x12 top. 2 months ago, we brought a new second guitarist into the band, and I split the stack in 1/2 and began using my Rivera head with the Hiwatt cab. Sounded great, I must say. I never fully appreciated the sound of the Hiwatt until I played this way.
Recently, that guitarist left the band to pursue other things, and I was able to put my full stack back together again. For the past couple of rehearsals with the new guy, who has his own Marshall 1/2 stack, I was AMAZED at how much cleaner the sound was. Besides the height factor (which we partially fixed by puttting the other guitarist's cab on a milk crate to project beter), there was so much more depth and resolution to the tone, it wasn't funny. I could hear each and every note in sparkling detail.
Was it louder than than the other guitarist's setup? It has the potential to be, but I used my 50W JCM800 while he used a 100W Valvestate (which sounds terrible, btw). I adjusted my volume to match his, aslo.
So, to all the nay-sayers who think that even a 1/2 stack is too much, I have to disagree, and now I'm a totally dedicated full stack man! The myth that you only need a 1/2 stack or more if you're playing stadiums is just that: A MYTH!! Having all the volume is great, but you can't touch the headroom, dynamics, or resolution you get from a head (or preamp/power amp) and a full stack!!
