Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

[jccarmichael]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Still don't know what you want yet? Are you mic'ing your cab for live gigs? Do you like your current 112 cab? Would you be happy with a smaller, lower wattage head sitting on top of your cab or are you bent on having a combo instead?

 

[JeffB]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

(used & new) Marshall combos are relatively cheap over there, no? If so,look into
a Vintage Modern, 2 channel JVM, or more budget friendly Marshall Haze 40.

 

[Brow]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Still don't know what you want yet? Are you mic'ing your cab for live gigs? Do you like your current 112 cab? Would you be happy with a smaller, lower wattage head sitting on top of your cab or are you bent on having a combo instead?

I guess we'll be micing the amps when gigs get to that stage. I find that I really like the 1x12 cab with my Carlsbro 50 Top head (a great clean platform for pedals) but I don't like it at all with my Orange AD30 head (too dark sounding).

(used & new) Marshall combos are relatively cheap over there, no? If so,look into
a Vintage Modern, 2 channel JVM, or more budget friendly Marshall Haze 40.

I guess some of them can be had for (relatively) cheap prices compared to alot of other amps. I'll keep my eye out on Ebay etc and see if anything comes up.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

I remember B2D had the jcm800 with 212 and it was too loud... but you went 112 and that was too loud...

those 15watters Fender Blues Junior can be extremely loud before the tone breaks up; Im not sure what wattage or how clean of a clean tone your lookin for, 50 pounds weight aint exactly light to carrry but its better than the 212 combos at 100lbs; just sayin, if you had the orange ad - was it the head then? if you play rock music, and you do rhythym chug stuff you might want to stay with the closed back cab and head...try combo in a practice setting first, combos are NOT my fav for rock, but for solos and light blues stuff they are nice

 

[Uk Ant]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

The big problem with combos is the weight for me. You may save a trip to the car but then injure your self lugging it up some steps.
You should think about downsizing your head.
That said there are some good little combos out there which I've almost been tempted by in the past such as the Engl Screamer of Thunder which do occasionally turn up second hand.
If you want versatility then the Line 6 Flextone is the affordable choice, sounds pretty good, is reasonably portable and has tons of sounds including tuner and effects but you'll need the board to go with it.

 

[Uk Ant]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Oh, Brow, what Charvel are you selling?

 

[jccarmichael]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

I guess we'll be micing the amps when gigs get to that stage. I find that I really like the 1x12 cab with my Carlsbro 50 Top head (a great clean platform for pedals) but I don't like it at all with my Orange AD30 head (too dark sounding).

I think you stated earlier that your cab is a 1x12 with an open back. Right? Given everything you've mentioned about your situation, I would think you'd be leaning towards a smaller, lighter, lower wattage head with 2 channels, an effects loop, and switchable output impedance (4, 8, 16 ohm). Going this route will a allow you to spend money on the head only because you can plug it into your cab. If you find you don't like the sound with your cab there is probably a 1x12 closed back cab designed to go specifically with your new head. You can dial in your tone just plugging directly into the amp. If there are a few effects you just can't live without, then put them on a smaller pedalboard. You can put your delay and modulation effects (chorus, flanger, etc) in the effects loop if you want. Use your amp's footswitch and you're in business. If you find that you like clean tones in one cab and dirty tones in the other. Then you could go with two cabs and a cab switcher. ...but that doesn't really address your downsizing concern.I'm not exactly sure what kind of tone(s) you're looking for. You said you're playing in a 70's/80's rock band now, but you were in an indie rock band before. Given that, maybe you'll need something more versatile. You might not be doing 70's/80's rock forever. .... or would you rather just have something that does strictly 70's/80's rock and does it well? Do you want something that can do super clean and super dirty? ..... so many questions....... If downsizing is your ONLY concern then yes, ditch the pedals and get a mini combo (there are a handful out there). Then all you have to carry to a gig or rehearsal is a guitar in one hand and a little amp in the other. If that is too extreme then go the route of the "mini-stack" like I described above. Like I said in an earlier post, my personal recommendation would be any of the Egnater line (Tweaker, Rebel 20, Rebel 30). I don't think you'll find more usefull features and great tone on any other amp of the same size/wattage. ... but there are plenty of other options listed by other forum members here. Best of luck!

 

[devastone]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

The new Blackstar HT series are affordable, sound great, and should be readily available on your side of the pond.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Traynor is another option. They're Canadian made so I'm not sure if they're sold on the other side of the pond.

The YCV-50 (the blue colored amp) is 50 watts, two channels with boost button, although I don't like the boost. I use an MXR Microamp in the FX loop for my boost. It's a great amp with 12ax7's and EL34's and not considered boutique so it's not very expensive (over here in Canada). The speaker is a Celestion Vintage 30.

You can also get the YCV-40WR (i believe that's what it is called). It's a 40 watter with 6l6's.

Gotta second that for anyone in a similar situation, but over here in the States where Traynors are more available.

I had the Custom Blue 50 and loved it. Gigged it for a year. Had the matching sealed 1X12 as well. Very nice little setup. Only sold it when I upsized to the Traynor YCS100H 100 watt head. I've been gigging two of those in a stereo setup for the past three years. Love it. But just sold one of them because I got a Bogner Shiva and that's gonna be my main amp now.

Nevertheless... the Traynor Custom Blue 50 combo is an awesome amp. Does a great job of doing the Fender and Marshall thing. The boost is about worthless though. Just adds more gain. THey should've done the boost on that like they did on the YCS100 head. That adds some serious adjustable volume for lead work.

 

[ImmortalSix]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

I have tried all sorts of smaller amps, and the only one that ever sounded good was a 1x8" combo. Weird.

I have tried a 1x12 combo, a 1x12 cab / head, and the 1x8" combo aforementioned.

Plain and simple, I can't live without the bass response of a higher wattage, larger speaker'd amp.

Cliffs: less is less. more is more.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

I think combos are cool. I have to remind myself that my all time fav bands led zep and qotsa use combos for their albums. But ya heavy is heavy! Bungalo bill uses fender blues Jr for gigs and it only weighs 30 lbs... I really want the rocker 30 but it weighs 50 lbs. If your not happy with 112 Marshall with a hot plate I'd look into lower wattage...

 

[GuitarStv]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Gotta second that for anyone in a similar situation, but over here in the States where Traynors are more available.

I had the Custom Blue 50 and loved it. Gigged it for a year. Had the matching sealed 1X12 as well. Very nice little setup. Only sold it when I upsized to the Traynor YCS100H 100 watt head. I've been gigging two of those in a stereo setup for the past three years. Love it. But just sold one of them because I got a Bogner Shiva and that's gonna be my main amp now.

Nevertheless... the Traynor Custom Blue 50 combo is an awesome amp. Does a great job of doing the Fender and Marshall thing. The boost is about worthless though. Just adds more gain. THey should've done the boost on that like they did on the YCS100 head. That adds some serious adjustable volume for lead work.

Traynor does make a decent, versatile, giggable amp. They're not particularly light though . . . I think that my YCV is about 50lbs, which isn't exactly friendly when you need to get up flights of stairs.

 

[Brow]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Hey guys.

Thanks for the new posts.

I guess I need to elaborate on my whole situation really........

Ever since I've played guitar from age 14 I've always loved 60s/70s Classic Rock and over the last few years I've really gotten into 80s Glam Rock/Metal (whatever you want to call it). Up until about 4 or 5 years ago I'd only ever been in bands that practiced, never really done much gigging. Upto that point I had my 100w JCM800 2210 head with my 2x12 combo and everything was fine.

I then got in the Indie Rock Band I mentioned earlier and then everything changed. We went upto gigging anywhere between 4 to 8 times a month and because of that I bought a Marshall JTM60 combo as the tone of that amp suited better than my JCM800. I had alot of problems with the amp and eventually ended up using it as a 1x12 cab with my Orange AD30 I got when the JTM60 eventually died.

For a change of sound after a few years I got my 1970s Carlsbro 50 Top head and then got 100% of my drive tone from pedals. I eventually left that band and didn't do much for a while. I fluttered around with a few bands but not really anything that did much gigging.

I now find myself in the 70s/80s Rock band I mentioned earlier. So even though it's always been my favourite style of music, it's pretty much the 1st time I've come to actually play it with a band.

Oh, Brow, what Charvel are you selling?

It's a late 80s/early 90s Japanese Fusion Special that I routed for a bridge humbucker, instead of the 2 single coil sized humbuckers side by side it originally came with.

 

[Red_Label]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Traynor does make a decent, versatile, giggable amp. They're not particularly light though . . . I think that my YCV is about 50lbs, which isn't exactly friendly when you need to get up flights of stairs.

True. I guess it's all about perspective. I've been lugging two 4X12s and two heads everywhere. So a 50# combo would seem light! ;-)

 

[everdrone]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

ya if I was gigging 4-8 times a month for years, I would not want to lug the 412s either. sounds like the 112 cab was loud enough for you. the half stack looks awesome but versatility is key.

in other words, dont bring a gun to a knife fight. if you could keep the 412 and plug a combo into it on occasion that would be pretty killer. or plug the combo into your 112 that would be cool too.

looks are key these days. the minimalist bands can get away with the fender blues junior. no hair metal band would be caught dead with a little combo micd!! or a combo sitting on top of a 412 for that matter. Qotsa is playing combos, but they are ampeg v22s that weigh 100 pounds (they sound awesome tho).

Id just go for that orange stack - 112 combo and 112 cab. has a decent clean channe. those combos cost the same as the head so its really good deal over the head. looks kinda cool and you can stack so the speaker is closer to your head. sometimes it may not be big enough if you play a large outdoor venue, especially if you are not micd. also 50lbs is heavy compared to the blues junior.

bottom line is if you want to push more air to get that bass chug, you gotta have more wattage, but small is cool if you can swing it! blues and mellow and some minimalist type bands is nice for open back cabs, for rock and hair metal its the closed back cabs and stacks.

 

[everdrone]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

oh, here is a nice video of what my new rat pedal would do to fender blues junior! awesomeness!!!!! listen to those clean tones. You would need a volume pedal and a distortion pedal with your blues junior and it would get you there. note there is not much bass thump there tho:

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PNi5l95CVl0

Im gonna make video/clips of my setup too soon, its pretty similar but its 8" and 5 watts so I get even more natural breakup! not alot of low end thump tho for sure

 

[butnut]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

I think combos are cool. I have to remind myself that my all time fav bands led zep and qotsa use combos for their albums. But ya heavy is heavy! Bungalo bill uses fender blues Jr for gigs and it only weighs 30 lbs... I really want the rocker 30 but it weighs 50 lbs. If your not happy with 112 Marshall with a hot plate I'd look into lower wattage...

Rocker 30 is 50 pounds? hehe, I knew it was heavy, not 50 pound heavy...but I don't lug it up any stairs, and my Scion XB is dropped so it's not a big deal. The tone I get is totally worth the weight. I was gonna check out the Vintage Modern, but when I heard the Orange, I found my tone.

 

[Stratman]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

I suggest that you PM Scott_F or e-mail him at WWW.celticamplifiers.com

Scott_F make really nice sounding combos that are very user / club friendly

 

[Brow]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Thanks for the new posts!

I had considered using my Orange head with a different cab but I'm not really sure it's EL84 setup is the right thing for what I'm looking to do now?

When I used it with the originals band I had it set just on the verge of breakup when I hit the guitar hard, but if I played soft it was a nice clean. I'd Still need to use my bigger pedalboard with that amp though, so not sure how much of a solution it actually is. Unless I traded the AD30 against a Rockerverb or something more Rock orientated?

I do really like the look and sound of the Splawn Street Rod 40w combos, but I don't think they're even available over here yet

I suggest that you PM Scott_F or e-mail him at WWW.celticamplifiers.com

Scott_F make really nice sounding combos that are very user / club friendly

I've always liked Scott Fs amps but I'm not sure I'd trust to have 1 shipped over to me here in England as I have bad luck in most cases and it'd probably end up smashed to pieces :banghead:

 

[Chickenwings]

Re: Gigging with a combo? Advice needed please!

Its not the wattage of your amp that makes you too loud. Its the amount and efficiency of your speakers.
There are plenty of two channel 1x12 marshall combos around....great for gigs. Not too heavy - and easy to mic up. 800s, 900s, 2000s etc. plenty of choice and you can keep the great marshall sound. The 800s and 900s are also proper made in england tube powered marshalls so should still be easy to get a hold of over there. Plus...you can always run an extension speaker box if you ever need it.
for example:
http://www.stefanlicht.de/cms/upload/bilder/big/JCM900.jpg