Preamp/poweramp vs. head
- Thread starter AcidBurn
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BornToShred
New member
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
A combo or a head/cabinet-setup is simpler to operate.
With separate pre-/power amps, you get more control. You can tailor your tone by combining diff. pre- and power amps. Using rack effects is simpler too.
I'd go with a head and a cabinet. Rack setups are for fags.
A combo or a head/cabinet-setup is simpler to operate.
With separate pre-/power amps, you get more control. You can tailor your tone by combining diff. pre- and power amps. Using rack effects is simpler too.
I'd go with a head and a cabinet. Rack setups are for fags.
dystrust
New member
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
:fing25:
Just because you don't know how to operate a rack setup doesn't mean that it's for a "fag". In the past I've used both a rack setup and a head, cab, and pedal board. If you need a lot of different sounds, a rack is the only way to go. Trying to manage a head and pedal board is a serious pain in the a** if you're changing sounds a lot. You also have the benefit of only needing to plug in a guitar cable, speaker cable, and midi cable in order to completely set up your rig.
On the other hand racks have some disadvantages. They tend to be large and heavy. They're also difficult to set up and program, and it isn't easy to come up with new sounds "on the fly".
That being said I'm moving back to a rack system. Despite all the disadvantages and how uncool rack gear is, being able to reconfigure my entire setup by pressing one button is just too tempting.
BornToShred said:I'd go with a head and a cabinet. Rack setups are for fags.
:fing25:
Just because you don't know how to operate a rack setup doesn't mean that it's for a "fag". In the past I've used both a rack setup and a head, cab, and pedal board. If you need a lot of different sounds, a rack is the only way to go. Trying to manage a head and pedal board is a serious pain in the a** if you're changing sounds a lot. You also have the benefit of only needing to plug in a guitar cable, speaker cable, and midi cable in order to completely set up your rig.
On the other hand racks have some disadvantages. They tend to be large and heavy. They're also difficult to set up and program, and it isn't easy to come up with new sounds "on the fly".
That being said I'm moving back to a rack system. Despite all the disadvantages and how uncool rack gear is, being able to reconfigure my entire setup by pressing one button is just too tempting.
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
I like rack gear for flexibility.
It takes longer to configure and program, but is faster to setup and teardown once configured correctly. With a well setup rack you can connect a few cables and your ready to go.
Another nice thing is that your gear is protected by the rack. Less chance of beer damage or damage from flying bottles and such. Also, all your settings are protected, as the knobs aren't exposed during load in and unloading.
Another plus is rack amps are generally stereo. Good if your into stereo effects like chorus or delay. Along the same lines are stereo line outs. Handy for going direct to board if you don't want/can't mic.
On the other side, if your rig is simple heads can be easier to manage. All you need to do is connect your guitar/pedalboard/amp/cab and your ready to go. Things can quickly become more complicated if you have parts of your pedalboard in your effects loop. There's alot more line loss in a setup like that, as you can easily add 20' or more of cabling to go between your loop and your pedal board.
Lastly, racks are self contained, heads aren't. If you're running a power conditioner, attenuator, a bunch of stompboxes and a rack effects unit into a head, you'll have sh*t dangling all over the place and cables everywhere. If it's all in a rack, it's all contained in a rack. You walk in, plug in, and play.
Lastly lastly, you can get all the benifits of rack mounting stuff with a head, just mount the head inside the rack, or stack it on top when you set up. Plenty of people do it that way, and it works great.
I like rack gear for flexibility.
It takes longer to configure and program, but is faster to setup and teardown once configured correctly. With a well setup rack you can connect a few cables and your ready to go.
Another nice thing is that your gear is protected by the rack. Less chance of beer damage or damage from flying bottles and such. Also, all your settings are protected, as the knobs aren't exposed during load in and unloading.
Another plus is rack amps are generally stereo. Good if your into stereo effects like chorus or delay. Along the same lines are stereo line outs. Handy for going direct to board if you don't want/can't mic.
On the other side, if your rig is simple heads can be easier to manage. All you need to do is connect your guitar/pedalboard/amp/cab and your ready to go. Things can quickly become more complicated if you have parts of your pedalboard in your effects loop. There's alot more line loss in a setup like that, as you can easily add 20' or more of cabling to go between your loop and your pedal board.
Lastly, racks are self contained, heads aren't. If you're running a power conditioner, attenuator, a bunch of stompboxes and a rack effects unit into a head, you'll have sh*t dangling all over the place and cables everywhere. If it's all in a rack, it's all contained in a rack. You walk in, plug in, and play.
Lastly lastly, you can get all the benifits of rack mounting stuff with a head, just mount the head inside the rack, or stack it on top when you set up. Plenty of people do it that way, and it works great.
Last edited:
BornToShred
New member
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
What's up with all the :fing25: :ing?
C'mon, don't take it so damn seriously!
And FYI, i can use a rack setup.
I like a head and a cab, or combo setup, just because i prefer it simple.
I use only two sounds; clean and dirty. With a touch of reverb. Most of the time i don't even do any channel switching, but use the volume pot to clean the sound up.
^WTF has this got to do with anything any way?
It's a matter of opinion. I just wanted to say i'd go with a head and a cab, or a combo. I could've been a bit more polite, i quess.
:ban:
What's up with all the :fing25: :ing?
C'mon, don't take it so damn seriously!
And FYI, i can use a rack setup.
I like a head and a cab, or combo setup, just because i prefer it simple.
I use only two sounds; clean and dirty. With a touch of reverb. Most of the time i don't even do any channel switching, but use the volume pot to clean the sound up.
^WTF has this got to do with anything any way?
It's a matter of opinion. I just wanted to say i'd go with a head and a cab, or a combo. I could've been a bit more polite, i quess.
:ban:
some_dude
Raging BB Gunologist
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
The :fing25: has a smile in it.
I more or less plug strait in (I use the Boss GE-7 as a line buffer), and the only effects I use right now is some chorus in the loop.
Guitar -> Boss GE-7 -> Preamp -> Small Clone -> Polychorus -> Power Amp -> Hotplates -> Cabs
But, I still like having my stuff rack mounted, that way I can have my amp, power conditioner, tuner, and attenuators all in one box, and it's all well protected.
I'd like to get ahold of a rack switching unit, that way I can mount my pedals and avoid having to run another 60' of cable for the loop (single out, stereo returns).
BornToShred said:
The :fing25: has a smile in it.
I more or less plug strait in (I use the Boss GE-7 as a line buffer), and the only effects I use right now is some chorus in the loop.
Guitar -> Boss GE-7 -> Preamp -> Small Clone -> Polychorus -> Power Amp -> Hotplates -> Cabs
But, I still like having my stuff rack mounted, that way I can have my amp, power conditioner, tuner, and attenuators all in one box, and it's all well protected.
I'd like to get ahold of a rack switching unit, that way I can mount my pedals and avoid having to run another 60' of cable for the loop (single out, stereo returns).
dystrust
New member
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
That looks like the EQ settings for "And Justice for All". It sounds great when you're playing to four walls, but it gets lost as soon as you play in a band. On the Quad or any Mark series, I like to scoop the mids a little with the graphic (I boost them on the other EQ) just so the low end isn't quite so muddy. My guess would be that setting sounds like sh*t.
Ken said:
That looks like the EQ settings for "And Justice for All". It sounds great when you're playing to four walls, but it gets lost as soon as you play in a band. On the Quad or any Mark series, I like to scoop the mids a little with the graphic (I boost them on the other EQ) just so the low end isn't quite so muddy. My guess would be that setting sounds like sh*t.
Ken
PlayingWithDollsologist
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
MRID!
I will give a little credit though, the mids on the parametric are cranked to ten.
However, cranking them and then scooping them...looks like someone who has no clue what they're doing. There has to be an "in between" setting there that gets the job done.
MRID!
I will give a little credit though, the mids on the parametric are cranked to ten.
However, cranking them and then scooping them...looks like someone who has no clue what they're doing. There has to be an "in between" setting there that gets the job done.
dystrust
New member
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
The reason you crank one and scoop the other is because the rotary EQ is pre-gain and the graphic is post-gain. By cranking the rotary you get more gain and a thicker sound. You then scoop out the mids you don't need with the graphic to prevent the sound from getting muddy.
The reason you crank one and scoop the other is because the rotary EQ is pre-gain and the graphic is post-gain. By cranking the rotary you get more gain and a thicker sound. You then scoop out the mids you don't need with the graphic to prevent the sound from getting muddy.
Re: Preamp/poweramp vs. head
right now im in the process of going back to stomp boxes and a combo amp, the rack just had to much versatilty for me. I was always tweaking my sound more than i was playing. Anyways, heres what i have for sale now : digitech 2101 fully loaded tube preamp/effects processor, digitech control one floorboard (not a midi pedal, only works with the 2101 and some other digitech products) rocktron voodu valve, and carvin t-100 tube steroe 50watts per side or mono 100 watts poweramp. i also have a digitech rp20 thats will be going. oh, and a rocktron 1x12 velocity cab, and a peavey 4x12ms cab (pickup only)
right now im in the process of going back to stomp boxes and a combo amp, the rack just had to much versatilty for me. I was always tweaking my sound more than i was playing. Anyways, heres what i have for sale now : digitech 2101 fully loaded tube preamp/effects processor, digitech control one floorboard (not a midi pedal, only works with the 2101 and some other digitech products) rocktron voodu valve, and carvin t-100 tube steroe 50watts per side or mono 100 watts poweramp. i also have a digitech rp20 thats will be going. oh, and a rocktron 1x12 velocity cab, and a peavey 4x12ms cab (pickup only)