I love how guitarists in 2024 are OBSESSED with portability, meanwhile even the smallest 4 piece drum set is like 1000x more annoying to haul, load and setup than a half stack.
it’s just the current trend, remember that 10 years ago everyone was obsessed with their axe fx and 8 string guitars… the guitar industry is marketing at bedroom players because they most likely don’t have a definite sound so they’re most likely to get the latest online gear trend
well which is the reason why sharing the drumkit amongst bands or relying on a backline kit from the venue and only bringing cymbals and snare is the most common thing in touring. I know, because I am a live engeneer in a club without a backline kit an so I get to deal with A LOT of annoyed bands who have to bring their kit (or straightup are not able to bring their kit so I have to rent one).
There is only one rule: MARKETING IS KING. None of this is new. 20 years ago I bought a Boss GT-8, and the forums were full of people discussing how it was better than an amp, more versatile, etc. People were never satisfied, and after complaining how their GT-8 sounded worse when put into the front of, say, a Marshall head...lead to people using FRFR speakers. Even then, they complained about fizziness, the tones, etc. People sold their rigs and went all in on these "modelers", although we just called them multi-effects...although the GT-8 was the first floor multi effect unit with quite good amp "models" and even cabinets. People would try the FRFR route, get frustrated, switch BACK to pedals (this was at the very beginning of the glut of pedals, booteek makers) and arguments flew. Sound familiar? This was TWENTY YEARS AGO. Think about that. 2024 and what's the difference? Nothing, really. Sure, the tech is better. Are people making better music? No. Are players growing by leaps and bounds? No. Is live music making a huge comeback in local venues? No. But...are guitar equipment manufacturers making heaps of cash over all this? YES. Are guitarists still chasing tone dragons and arguing over absolutely every possible angle? YES. If you want to spend the next twenty years of your guitar life going around in circles, spending money, chasing gear and arguing over what's "better", the only people who benefit is the guitar manufacturing industry. You will not progress. You will not get better. You will primarily SPEND TIME and MONEY. And at least with the money, you can get some of that back. I saw all this and fell for it for about one year, when I got my GT-8. I still own it, and for a reason far more important than its functionality (it's still a phenomenal piece of gear) I keep it to remind me that no matter how good all these new things that come out, Kemper, Fractal, etc, nothing is more valuable than TIME. Don't waste endless years chasing tone dragons. Don't bother yourself with these marketing and industry driven attempts to get your money. Find out what works for you best, buy that and get PLAYING. Write some music, get out there. Don't spiral into a hole of consumerism pretending to be art. This is a business to them. Buy a Tiny Terror, Kemoer, Fractal or whatever your situation requires and carry on. It's not important that itnis the "best". Just minimize the spending (and wasting) of time and money and focus on becoming a better guitar player. In another twenty years, you'll be far better off for it.
well said. I'm 25. figuring out what i like and i don't like. ive got about 30 pedals, a blues jr, and an orange micro dark with a 1x12. and a half a dozen guitars. it's hard not spending more money cause today i think i need a jcm800
Also something I forgot to mention that I've noticed is that there isn't as strong a market for 4x12 cabinets as there used to be. I can find an abundance for sale second hand at heavily discounted prices and yet they seem to sit for a very long time. Just an observation.
Great content once again thanks! Also leaving it there for your own assessment, should ou get any interest in a new topic to investigate: the new version of GHS fast fret...suprisingly haven't seen this that much on RU-vid even though it seems to get a ton of complaints from their customers'base. They drastically downgraded this popular product (essential to many) while keeping prices high and bring up trendy "eco friendly" justifications while the product itself is actually way less reliable and sustainable than before. cheers
I’m really happy to hear this since I always wanted to play a show of 3 fullstacks wall of 6 4x12 speakers and for the price they always were there was no chance. Allready bought two cheap 4x12s last year but thought it was just coincidence. Now I realize there is not so big market for them. Also since having private practice place is starting to get hard and people are not able to store 4x12s. Also big part of it.
it.s the same with large and heavy combo's like a fender twin / super reverb /bassman or marshall bluesbreaker , you can buy them 2e hand for under a 1000 euro's overhere in Holland , but nobody is buying them , and now you have the fender tonemaster series wich have the same sound and are a lot lighter and more practical in many way's . so yeah , the times they are a changing .
I still prefer my tube amps, a 4 x 12 cab and pedalboard of stomp boxes. I have a Helix and a Headrush pedalboard as well as a bunch of PC plug-ins but they just don't have the same thump and presence of my tube amps. I do love the modeller for recording purposes.
Don't know about the Headrush but the Helix having no thump I agree. That's why I sold mine and got a Boss GT-1000. Fractal Audio works for me as well but Line 6 always sounded to me as if there was some kind of hard-programmed low cut filter.
Have you tried a Kemper? I have a Headrush Pedalboard and have used the Helix Plugin aswell as other plugins I was told were good. The Kemper just has an incredible feel to it. When I first tried it I was stunned how other products are even in the conversation. I'm in the process of selling my amp, pedals and the Pedalboard
One other thing you're not mentioning is running a valve amp into a loadbox or interface with no speaker, just straight into the computer or desk... Rabea Massaad has done virtually all his home recording that way with his valve amps.
@@bassyey what's wrong with using a real amp and a cab sim/impulse response thing? The recordings sound pretty damn good to me, and I've heard A/Bs of that method versus the same amp with a miced cab and couldn't tell the difference.
I'm pretty sure he's still running a cab sim, it's just on the computer that's doing the recording so he can easily change his mind later. I know I do it this way.
It's a great combo. All the overdrive that I need, a really good speaker, and it doesn't take up too much space in my home. For anyone else reading, I would recommend buying used rather than new.
I’m speaking from the bass world and what you are talking about is starting to hit our market. We have been playing through digital amplification for a while now. All bass amp companies are doing it. It’s the standard now. For ages we have had to carry a bigger load because of our 300 watt tube heads and refrigerator 8x10 cabinets. Now I can get away with a 2x10 combo at the same wattage. Add a small cabinet with the combo and now I’m pushing 500 watts. My combo weighs only 2 and a half stone and the ext. cab is only 2 stone. Most gigs I don’t even need the extra cab. Speaker technology is now going smaller as well. Phil Jones is doing great things with bass cabinets that only have 2x7 speakers at 300 watts.
It's possible to get deep response with small speakers, but good god are they inefficient. You're easily losing 10 dB across the spectrum to keep the bass from rolling off. That means pumping in a whole lot more power. The trick is finding where the weight saved on speakers and the weight gained from more amplification cross over each other.
@@mal2ksc That’s an interesting point. I have played through Phil Jones stuff before but never owned. So my experience with what you speak of never occurred to me. I know there is some companies in the biz are going to FFR speakers. It’d be curious if they are the same way or the next new thing in speakers for bass and guitar.
Now that's funny I ordered my Mesa Boogie in the 70's when you could communicate with both Randall and Rayven Smith. Weight wise I understand the Mesa's are hefty.
About FRFR - I think it's niche product and isn't necessary to use with modelers When playing at home - you can use studio monitors/hifi system/good quality computer speakers/headphones When playing at campfire - you can use your bluetooth speaker When playing gig - you plug in straight into PI Correct me if I'm wrong
I use FRFR for small gigs with my 4 piece band. We basically use it to amplify our already dialed in tones from our individual electric/acoustic guitar amps. We don't use modelers, but they could work for it as well. FRFR are nice because they require you to get the "sound" you want before it gets to the PA and then it does not alter or color it in any way (in theory), so you know what you are going to get and you know that the sound coming at you from your amp (used as a stage monitor) is the exact same sound going out to the audience. I have a 57 champ that I mic with a SM57 and then a Loudbox Mini for acoustic which I DI out to the FRFR. I know the sound for each guitar I want is already dialed on my presets, so I don't have to mess with the PA system very much. I don't know if that's how FRFR are supposed to be used, but that's how I have been using it haha
I plug an ISP Theta DSP into 2 powered PA speakers, the kind that can be "mains" on tripods, and also floor wedges. I already have two pair of these speakers, so I put them to use in a new application. They are relatively light weight as well. You didn't mention the scenario of jamming with friends, loud acoustic drums and no PA. You do still need loud power. Also you might want some additional air moving on stage at a gig for good old-school feedback. Remember when Brian May, Mick Ronson, Nugent, Randy Rhoads were controlling raging beast guitar rigs? If you want to play like that some stage volume is required.
@@f0rth3l0v30fchr15t Electrics exist. More robust for camping. Most folk take a music player anyway. You can adjust the volume - all the way to zero using headphones. I’ll do it my way thanks buddy.
I'm in a band that uses modelers and FRFR speakers for our stage volume, and that's just it, sometimes you play a show where you NEED stage volume. I love the ease of use of our modelers, and the things I can do using them/FRFR speakers that we just couldn't do with traditional guitar amps/cabs, but there's certain places where the sound guy may just not run guitars through the PA (I was amazed when it happened to us that we were told he wasn't going to mic up amps or run guitars through the PA. Luckily we had the FRFR speakers) or other situations where I just don't want to put that much trust in the sound guy (played a show once where EVERY band on the bill except one ran guitars direct, and you just couldn't hear the guitars for any band except the one who had amps. Since then, we always bring the FRFR speakers in case we need stage volume)
I think this topic is very genre specific, and could possibly be specific to local music scene as well. The Fender Twin and the Vox AC30 (or clones of them) have been staples in the world of jazz, blues, country, fusion, and more classic rock styles of rock n roll for decades. For a volume sake, a Twin and an AC30 can be every bit as loud as 100 Watt Marshall through a 4x12, its just more direction so they don't spread the sound out as much. (if you've never dimed a Twin, I highly highly recommend it, they are absolute flame throwers when cranked. haha) In the world of heavier music, I think you're absolutely right through and I think it's due to more and more people getting exposed to recording guitar before performing these days. It used to be that you started a band, practiced with your big amps, and did the gigs with your big amps then you went into the studio to record. Since people like to record with the gear they spent so much money on, they recorded with their big amps, and it sounded good so who cares. But I remember, my entire life, people saying the "secret weapon" in the studio is a small combo amp, and it makes total sense. But we already owned big amps haha. Now the new players are recording and capturing their guitar sound right away, and they are learning that for the most part, an SM57 that's 3 inches from the cone, sounds pretty damn good and doesn't necessarily care about the delivery system. (Yes there are differences in sound between a types of cabs, and what not, but it all sounds good and it all create a good sound for an album) So the newer players aren't as inclined to think a huge stack is necessary.
Are they really loud the same just more directional? Sounds counter-physics to me, why more directional. Also, running a 10 W amp through the same set of speakers as a 100 W amp will be quieter. But contrary to popular belief, the 100 W amp is not ten times louder than the 10 W one but only twice as loud (loudness and its perception considering wattage is logarithmic, not linear). That said, I am not saying that a Twin run hard through a different than its stock speakers can sound fire!!!! Speakers are the biggest tonewood in electric guitar anyway :)
I started with shitty Amos and found my way to a 100 Watt stack. Then I got ahold of a Fender bronco. It was like 7.5 watts and a 6 inch speaker. Sound guys fell in love with me. Worked great in the studio too. I’m 100% modeler these days. But I did love amps. Still do. But portability reigns supreme. Line 6 helix has about 10,000 pounds worth of gear packed into about a 10 pound box.
Just last week had my first show using in-ears and No cab on stage (well, I did bring one as backup). Just an amp, cab-sim+loadbox. I always thought that not having a cab would mean that I missed the interaction/feedback between amp and guitar. But in reality, my guitar sound was great (and easy to mix) and I did not mis the cab and stagesound at all during the whole 2 hour show. And the people in the first row where happy to not be pierced by my guitar sound :) Oh and even better, we are working on some promotion material for the band and I recorded the audio of the whole show. I wasn't that happy with one of the solo's, the timing was of. Yesterday at home. I picked up the same amp, and the same loadbox. Hooked it up to my DAW an re-recorded the solo and the sound was identical to the live recording. I could never achieve that by miking up a cab.
Been running in ears and a modeler onstage for almost 10 years. It’s the way to go. I thought I’d miss having a cab onstage too. Had to do it for fly dates. But I haven’t looked back. It’s way better. Sound guys love it too.
"Well actually" old guy here. I think the original Lunchbox was the Gallien Krueger 250ML, which was originally released in 1983. 100 Watts stereo (50 per side). Even useable on its own for rehearsals and very small gigs with its two 6-1/2" speakers. It sounded like the 80's, but hey, it was the 80's.
Kids today will never know the joy of being in a band that has to carry an 8x10 bass cabinet and 2 sets of 4x12 guitar cabs out of a basement, load into a van, unload at a gig, carry them up 2 flights of stairs to set up, wonder where the singer is, only to find him sitting at the bar, holding his microphone bag. Then comes the blank look and 'What? I brought all my stuff in already. I figured I'd grab a beer.' Oh..... having a drummer with a 20 piece, triple kick drum setup factored into that equasion, too. 😆 Aaaaaahhhhh..... the good old days.
Something people never mention is the efficiency of certain speakers. I’ll always choose a lower efficiency speaker like a greenback type speaker which can have a 97bd efficiency as opposed to vintage 30s and other speakers which have 100+db. The lower efficiency speakers allow you to get the amp further into working territory at the same volume and also be lighter at the same time.
Great video, as usual, man! I saw Black Label Society live back in 2009 or so. They had had a total of 8 Marshall heads powering 12 4x12 cabinets, a unique arrangement of two full stacks on either side and then a row of half stacks in front of the drum riser. You could actually tell the PA in this smaller club was mostly just blasting the vocals and drums. It was.... incredibly rock'n'roll.
@@Pikilloification I yield to your supreme and infallible knowledge of all things live music circa 2009. You were there. You know all... And all hail, God-king PiKilloification!! (All hail...)
I'm keeping my mind open on amps. I learned long ago (back int he 80s) to be agnostic on amps. Don't get hung up on tubes, solid state, form factor, etc. If it works it works. I had a Marshall stack but realized I preferred combos for gigging. I loved rocking it out with anything from a Gallien Krueger, Randall, Crate or Peavey solid state, or a Laney or Marshall or Fender combo. I eventually got a Boogie 50 Cal combo and that became my main gigging and rehearsal amp for a decade. I loved it. But I'll try anything. I think modelers are awesome and had a Boss GT modeler a couple years ago. I'm also a fan of the Boss Katana. I'm always eager to see what new amp wonders are coming down the pike.
You're missing the one things about modellers that people love. The ability to essentially switch amplifiers mid show digitally. Also the abilty to easily run stereo.
My 2 rigs are both 50 watt heads and 1x12 cabinets. Different rigs for different gigs. One is a blackstar club 50 head thru an eminence man o war, and the other rig is an EVH 5150 III 50 watt thru an eminence private jack. Fits in the trunk of my little ford focus hatchback. Both rigs get PLENTY loud for any gig. I use the XLR out on the blackstar and a lil sonicake ir loader for the evh (from the preamp out). I am able to turn both rigs master volumes up loud enough to sound good, but quiet enough to not interfere with the PA. I also place them to the right side of the stage facing towards the left, to help further reduce interference with the PA.
Someone from fractal yelled at me on a forum saying their product is not meant to replace an amp and not meant to replicate an amp. It’s a “recreation of the signal chain with microphone placement so you can hear recorded guitar tones for recording, live monitoring and direct playing.” I have a fractal and I’ve used modelers since the 90’s. They are a tool but not a replacement. I will never give up my tubes, it’s just not the same no matter what anyone says. I use an fm9 with a high end frfr and it’s just okay. I’m very particular about my sound and the cleans aren’t bad at all but distorted tones just don’t sound like an amp. I’ve noticed highs missing no matter how much you play with settings. Now, fractal told me to eliminate the amp settings and use EQ emulation instead. That makes no sense whatsoever. The point of amp simulation is to sound like the amp. Simulation has come a long way but it’s not a solution yet. Bands that use modelers live, for a musician with a good ear, can absolutely hear the difference
I saw them and it was just stupid. Couldn't hear a damn thing they were doing even with earplugs. Definitely an album band for me. Glad I saw them, but wish I could've heard it, too it was so loud it just became like TV-static. What really shocks me is the Twin J. keeps pointed right at his head along with all the other amps on stage. How can he hear anything?!
Only two stacks? Thats down from the usual three! Dino Jr was Easily the loudest show ever for me and it was loud even with earplugs in. That being said, it was a fantastic show.
J is probably deaf. Decades of loud. Decades. That's one question I'd like somebody to ask him if he's ever interviewed again. J, how's your hearing holding up
Everything said here is 100% true. The biggest issue in the guitar community is people with set in stone sound theory’s based on nothing. All it does it turns people into idiots and makes people waste money trying to chase something they don’t understand.
My Fender Super Reverb was heavy but I always carried it by myself, usually lifted up in both arms to cover distance, then by the handle to get it placed.
One thing that might be interesting would be bunch of 1x12 cabs with built in power amps and a some sort of preamp (possibly on your pedalboard). For a small gig you could bring just one powered 1x12. If you need a bit more volume, bring two of those. When you absolutely need to cut through on alarger stage bring four or even more. For those 4 or more you would likely need a car, but hey would still be easier to pack, unpack and set up than the 4x12.
I just stumbled into a Peavy Delta Blues 115 and was blown away. I thought they only did metal machines but this things cleans are sublime! The dirt channel does get filthy but for a fuzzer like myself the clean channel is perfect for effects and they sound fantastic! Plenty of output, great reverb and solid trem it's a perfect lil 30 watter
I've only ever had combo amps. Even now, when I use amp sims for a lot of stuff, I still have a Peavey Bandit to play around with and even record if I want to. Peavey Bandits are famous for being loud, durable, and sounding pretty good, so it's a no brainer. They're pretty cheap too, especially used ones. I would have no problem bringing my amp to a gig with a few pedals.
The FRFR speakers from GR Guitar use Neodymium magnets. They are insanely light weight and they sound AWESOME! (Tough to find in the USA though. Only a few dealers.)
I feel like I’ve gone through all of this the last 10 years. I’ve come back around and am using a traditional pedal board with an amp modeler (NUX Amp Academy). I went a while only using in ears being happy not lugging an amp but missed the feedback and feel of an amp on stage. I then started using an Ev powered speaker and now am using an Orange pedal baby powering an Orange open back 212. This gives me everything I want. Perfect Ir Bogner 412 sound to FOH and my in ears every show, and some real cab feel (at a reasonable volume) on stage.
I’ve mostly looked at combos exclusively for my bedroom and largely potential live experience needs as a way of keeping the cost down, and also only looked at solid states for the same reason. I was gonna do whatever I wanted anyway, but I’d love to be a trendsetter.
As someone who gigs multiple days a week every week, I for one agree with you! I have a VHT classic 6 that I use and has been the perfect gigging solution. I run my pedalboard through the front of the amp, use the 12" speaker for onstage monitoring, take the line out of the back and put that through an IR loader and out to the PA. I've never been happier with our stage volume/house mix
You'll pry my 4x12 and loud wattage tube amps from my cold dead hands. Been through the amp sim, digital modelers and analog amps. Nothing comes close to the sound, feel, and stomach punch of a true 4x12 and tube amp combo. The world can tick on with pa's and IR and axeFX. I will be in my corner half deaf with my marshalls cranked and neighboors calling the cops. Metal til' death \m/
In 40 years doing rock / hard rock I never owned a combo. Total unsexy to me, ha ha. So it was Marshall hybrid top (Artist 3203) plus 2 4x10s. Later ENGL took the amp slot, plus 4x12s. And today. Well, I am down to 1 4x12, alternatively use 2 2x12 (stereo if I am the only guitar player). Amps are an ENGL Invader, or the mighty JMP-1 / the Synergy system (4 preamps, 8 channels tube mayhem) into an ENGL Poweramp. I love the options we have today. That being said. The Kemper (profiler, not modeler) still amazes me. Ok, maybe not sexy. But I play it as often as the other "real" amps. Often enough my own profiles. Done right, they are the real thing for me, too. Cheers!
i was gigging for a few years before covid with MATRIX AMPLIFICATION NL212 COMPACT 2X12 GUITAR CAB super light big on sound with Neodymium magnet speakers and a blueguitar amp1, i never needed anything else and so much easier to carry around and way more power than i needed.
I agree, it will be combos with not too much power. In fact, I worked 10 years on that concept and designed and built my own 20W amp with an integrated microphone and a slightly tilted speaker. So I can hear myself very well on small stages while there's also a real mic signal available to send to a PA. It sounds REALLY good! Way better than any amp I owned before.
It will be modeler+flat PA for gigging with consistent tone, and vintage style combos/racks for home or studio inspiration. It already is like that for many bands ranging from local club dwellers to Metallica..
I believe the future is quality tube power amps. I’ve got a really nice 112 Engl cab that is a lifer as far as I’m concerned, but I’ll always try new things with heads. Currently running a Friedman Runt 20 with a UAFX Lion and Stomp in 4cable which gives me a vast array of cleans to go with the Runt’s overdrive. If I didn’t have the Runt I’d get a Fryette 50 power amp and a Friedman IR-X
Spot on with what I''m seeing in the guitar world. I went and bought a 100w head and a 2x12 vertical cab recently. Had always wanted one... Played it a couple times and asked myself "what am I really gaining with this thing?" the answer was about 30lbs of unneeded weight. No more volume. No better sound dynamics. I took it back and came home with a solid 1x12 combo. Infinitely more usable and portable.
Hello K. I hope you're doing great since meeting you at NAMM. And Shout out to Glenn as well. I want to confirm with your prediction a bit with my own observation. I believe that combos started making a comeback in early 2000. I remember when Guitar Magazine did a review on a particular combo. (forgive me if I can't remember the name of the combo). That article made me partly retire my 5150 and use my Silver Stripe Peavey Bandit and purchased the matching 112 sx to go with it. AS of recently, I purchased a Valeton GP-200 and my back thanked me for it. It's versatility is amazing and capabilities and endless. In so many words, I concur.
For one of the metal bands I play in I run a Quilter 200 watt Pro-Block set to run clean with a few pedals in front then into a 2x12. Honestly it works great for me and I don't see the need to change up that setup anytime soon as it sounds great, can get loud or quiet, and isn't too difficult to lug around all things considered.
A very well made case. The further it went, the more I was convinced of the argument. The clincher: line outs and XLRs out of modern lightweight combos, means you can do it all.
When I was a young guy in my first regularly working band, the two guitarists both had Marshall stacks with the heads at 100W. This period in my city was the tag end of big live venues and more small rooms being the gigging space. Some of them really small. Both guitarists eventually got their Marshall heads rewired down to 50W. Jumping forward several decades and as well as venues being small, it's all small combos and/or Modelers and speaker boxes. I was in a band for a little while where the lead guitarist had a modelling rack and a speaker box. Can't remember the exact set up, but it was really cool. It never sounded quite right to me, and I did suggest maybe running it through a tube pre-amp of some kind. I don't know if that is possible/the done thing or not. The guitarist looked at me blankly and said, but the sounds are all modeled. I dunno, his call after all. I left it at that. But they don't sound quite right to me, maybe I'm just too old scholl, and or a bit deaf.
I went from 2, 4 x 12s and two heads in the 70s, to a single Vox MV 50, that looks like a clothes iron, and two tiny Vox 8 inch speakers. 50 watts and sounds amazing. Stacked on top of each other, I have to bend down to adjust it. The only thing that’s the same these days is that I still have to wear earplugs.
When I got into stand-up, I bought a pair of big, heavy 600 watt active speakers which looked great but were heavy. I later bought a 100 watt sound bar employing an array of smaller speakers. It blew out a hall and was no heavier than an electric guitar. I later brought a 50-watt amp about the size of a lunchbox. It also blew out a hall that sat 450 people. This worked because voice requireme ts are minimal. You don't need a lot of bass. Electric guitars don't, either. Bass guitars are the Ines that need the equivalent of a subwoofer. A single 10 to 12 inch box would serve, so long as you had an amp capable of running juice through it. You don't need any of this if you pipe through the P.A. system. But it's cool to have boxes on stage. There's also excitement when you have a source for all that sound, something that will shake your shirt like a subway passing in front of you. In many venues, a band in a van will be able to use something minimal in size to get decent sound. But if you have a little extra space, stacks look cool.
I'm using Quilter Superblock amplifiers at the moment. Best of everything in my opinion. It goes on the pedalboard and, like a modeller I can go direct whilst plugging into a lightweight 1x12 (or any cab for that matter). In fact for most of the gigs I play I power it off the pedalboard's 9v supply and run DI only or through a cab at 1w, which is loud enough for the venues I play.
I've thought about trying to build foam and composite cabinets for my rig because I'm just tired of heavy amps. I've even considered building a 2x10 pedal board amp combo where the lid is basically a baffle board with two speakers and a simple tone stack, class d amp. I could even go stereo that way.
That little RP50 with a TS boosting it going through a JVC kaboom box is one of the best practice amps I’ve had in 40 years. At the time the POD sounded like dung in comparison.
A few points here. You want the necessary decibal that correctly fills the room. If you're in a small room , then get a low wattage amp that can be turned up to at least 80% for a full sound, especially a tube amp. On another page, the discussion turned to EVH about his 'brown sound'. Well the story was: he bought a Marshall and like the sound only when he turned it all the way up. But the problem was 'it was so damn loud'. He bought another Marshall that sounded really good, but it was too quiet. He discovered that it was a European amp and was under voltage due to different power requirements. Then it hit him. Lower the voltage, lower the decibal, while keeping the sound that he liked. He acquired the Variac to do just that. Only that it did change the tone a bit. It also introduced a bit of delay. It was hard on the amp though because it introduced the power issue of a 'brown out'. The opposite destructive issue like the 'spike'. So he had to replace tubes often. So you see! You want to be able to turn your amps up for the best sound but low enough wattage that correctly fills the room. Need to be able to turn up the volume and open it up. Size your amps to the room in which you're playing in. . A PA system, if available, can certainly change strategy and the need for high wattage amps.
I have a 50w JCM800 1x12 Combo that is loud enough to shake the windows on 4. I played it in a loud metal band with the other guitarist using a 5150 and it never had an issue being heard.
I think you're absolutely right about combos being the "amp of the future" at least for most people. For every touring guitarist or professional studio musician with guitar techs & roadies there are hundreds, if not thousands of guitarists who play pubs, coffeehouses or community centers, and they cart their own gear from home to the gig, usually in their own car. And for every gigging musician, there are hundreds of guitarists who seldom or never play gigs, and their amps don't even leave their home very often. And they don't want to deal with angry neighbors, parents, spouses or housemates. So yeah, combo amps with line outs, speaker emulation and headphone jacks, and maybe some sort of attenuator or power scaling. We're seeing more of these, and as technology advances, we'll probably see even "boutique builders" making more inroads into these sort of amps. There may even come a day when solid state technology can make amps that can convince even the most effete "cork sniffing" valve geek that they don't have to carry around 40-75+ lb. amps around to get good tone.
The last combo I bought was a Boogie 22 Calibre in the mid 90s. I recently decided to come back to music and found that my beloved Boogie and my old Twin were suffering form old age. I'm involved in making an album and the chip frying noises due to dry joints and whatever else, made them almost unusable. So - time for a new amp. Never heard of modellers at all. As I say, I had been out of the industry. But my flabber was gasted when by degrees I found myself leaning towards and subsequently purchasing a Fender Mustang GTX 100. What a revelation. It's recording options are stunning as is its gig-ability. It's got about a squillion pounds worth of pedal, amp and cab technology and 100 watts of umph all for under £600. It's a no brainer and no slipped discer too. 🙂
I think it's more of a case of versatility. For example, I have a Blackstar HT Stage 100 and matching cab, an H||H IC100S with a Marshall 4 x 12 angle front, a Marshall Code 100 combo and a MooerGE300, more pedals than I can shake a stick at and various DAW plugins such as Neural DSP, Softube and McRocklin suites. I don't gig live, just record at home and all the aforementioned gear, just gives me plenty of options.
It is quite amazing accomplishment Marshall invented the head/speaker cab pairing in 65 even though Fender had been doing it for 5 years up to that point... that is quite impressive
you're right on the money. i think pedal amps like the boss ir-2 and strymon iridium will continue to gain popularity. i also agree with your thoughts regarding lighter combo amps that have a 1x12 speaker as well as a speaker output, allowing you to run through an additional cab if needed. one thing you didn't mention, which i think will continue to be important moving forward, is a headphone output. having a high-wattage tube amp with the ability to power scale down to bedroom practice levels along with a headphone output would be ideal.
Something that a lot of people miss in this discussion is music festivals. There is already some venues/promoters that doesn't allow for a full amp rig because of the size of the venue but festivals are trying to cut the changeover times as short as possible and because of that some festivals doesn't allow amps on stage unless it's for stage volume. The difference between Modelers and amps in CO times is quite big. With a modeler the sound is consistent and that means there is no reason to soundcheck the guitars except for a linecheck. The AE can do the mix before the gig even starts and then they just rig up everything the same with the drums. It's the norm now for larger acts to rent a hall and do preproduction before the tour/festival season starts and pre program the lights, The ME mix the in ear mixes and the AE does a majority of the main mix. So this is the norm for larger acts and is going to trickle down into the smaller acts with time. I've worked with a few bands that right now is doing the hybrid setup. Modelers, In Ears and FRFR speakers in order to get the response/feeling of having a amp on stage. The main complaint from musicians have been that it feels weird to play a guitar without the sound pressure from the amplification.
I play every Sunday with a line 6 helix floor straight into a PA. I used to have a 4x12 and head, but now just modelers and a marshal dsl40cr combo. I use an frfr speaker at home with the Helix. With the helix, I can dial in so many different amps and cabs, it kind of makes my combo amp feel like a uni-tasker.
Hey KDH... That makes a lot of sense. One thing I would add is that classD power amps are making light solid-state non-modelling amps. I'm a fan of Quilter amps which are loud, have great tone and have a direct out for the PA.
I think the benefit of FRFRs and normal cabs is the flexibility - you can put infront of it what you want and get a multitude of different sounds. Multifx Pedal and a power amp pedal? No problem. Powered kemper? No problem. A vintage marshall head? No problem. Play the heavy head at home and take something lighter to gigs? A combo is always quite 'what you have is what you get', you don't really have a lot of options (though you can effectively get a powercab if you just use the fx-loop-return).
I use a pedal board amp, a Hotone Britwind. It's tiny, massively powerful, and very easy to transport. Also carrying a lightweight cabinet is much easier than carrying a combo amp (as I can slip my amp into the pocket of my gig bag). I think you're on the right track but splitting up the components (separate amp separate cabinet) is still the way to go now that really great pedal sized amps are now available
I’m stuck in an a class amp with a few good pedals as my favorite rig. Last time I was in Vegas the guitarist in the band in the bar was plugged into a freeking red bean into the PA and was killing it. If it sounds good, it’s good. I think a similar thing is how cell phone can take such a great photo without a high quality lens.
For years I used a 120 watt tubed head and a 4 x 12 cab. Than the bar scene changed, less volume. At that point I took a little braek for a few years. Got into playing in 2021 and use a 50 watt tube head and a 2 x 12 cab, to me that is the ultimate set up today.
We're already seeing the popularity of 2x12 rising, because it gives you the dynamic thickness of a bigger cab, but closer in size to 1x12. You are right about neodynium speakers, I have a Celestion Neo-V speaker and love it. 2x12 combo or a lunchbox + 2x12 is a nice middle ground that gives you some on-stage presence/monitoring and is small enough.
I found what works for me! My sound! Not looking to sound like anyone else even if to do a cover tune. Not to offend any Parrots out there…haha. I use a pedal board with an actual 25 watt amp on it. Send a cable to my neo 15 cab ( which is smaller than some 1-12 cabs ) and one to the PA- Done . if the amp goes out. No issue, the replacement weighs less than 2 lbs and is the size of a double sized effects pedal. This works for all my needs and wants. Bottom line- find your sound and get the gear that achieves it.
last gig I played was with a Katana 50 and I only had it on the 25 watt setting with a full rock band. With an even louder metal band, it can still keep up. It's 25 lbs (11 kg) and $230 and it sounds great in a live context. My only problem is that it doesn't look as cool. Maybe fake cabs or a cool band banner or something for the looks haha
A half stack is plenty for any gig, and since only one speaker needs to be mic’d into the PA, a person could make a tiny cabinet with only 1 twelve inch speaker to be mic’d and a tiny 20W amp to drive that cabinet while retaining the same controls as the full amp head, so everyone’s “holy grail” sound can be portable and modular. However, many guitarists don’t want to be relying only on monitors and wedges for their stage sound, so the full stack helps to be connected with your sound on stage while performing.
Yep , that checks out ! For me I'm going the "Sans Amp FlyRig5 with a 3 huge cardboard boxes dressed up like a stack" route ( until I can buy a combo amp )
I use the Victory V4 amps and a vertical 2x12. It's small footprint, and if I want I can turn up with just my pedalboard and guitar to either use backline or go straight through the PA. I get real feel from the on stage cab, don't get option paralysis or EQ nightmares from digital modelling/FRFR and I get the versatility of choosing my format.
After starting out Solid State ,going through many tube varieties and digitals; I ended up back with a Peavey Bandit 65. The solid state analog just feels better to my head. It can bark and growl too.
I've gigged with a Fender Hot Rod Deluxe amp for 30 years. Favorite amp. Hands down. I'm a simple guy. But as I've aged, lugging a 48-pound amp around played hell on my hands and back. And the incredible volume was less than desirable as I shifted to more jazz gigs. Thankfully I found the DV Mark Jazz 12 combo amp. It's a smallish cube with Class D electronics and a neodynium speaker that delivers 50 watts of clean, warm tone and weighs a mere 18 pounds. For rock gigs I picked up the DV Mark Silver Gen 12 combo. Same basic specs - 50W, 18 pounds - but a beefier clean tone and a better match with a few pedals. Both amps have plenty of headroom to play unmic'ed in a medium-sized club, and have an xlr out that provides the board with an excellent signal. Here's the weird thing. These amps cost around $350 apiece. And that's kinda crazy. So yeah. I'm with you. Combos all the way. Modeling amps have come a really long way - sure, sure. But unless you've got a whole lot of time to spend fiddling with all the presets and everything, you're not going to get the feeling of just plugging into an amp you know and trust. And sure the DV Marks are small combos. But, if you stack them, they do look kinda badass.
Valid point in regards to combo amplifiers - Mark Knopfler for example used to tour with a 1x12 Tone King Imperial combo (before he switched to Kempers), and for the few songs he used the TK, the tone was absolutely brilliant. Personally, I'm a huge fan of Cab / Mic Sims (like the UAD OX) paired with a real tube amp. My logic behind this approach is pretty simple - with all my favourite guitar sounds (from Artists like Knopfler, Gilmour, Clapton, etc.) - the tone you actually hear live or on recordings, is never just Amp and Cab. Mics and Desks are always part of the equation. Since I dont have a full on studio setup available - Cab + Mic simulation with a Tube amp is my current go-to setup.
Eminence, on this side of the pond, makes more than a few Neo speakers. I've found that larger speaker enclosures are what actually creates the aggressive bottom end of a cab/speaker setup. I wouldn't be surprised if companies start making cabs with 3 or so passive diaphragms in the 10 to 12 inch diameter range, and then there is a spot for a single speaker, or else larger enclosures in general for closed back 1x12 cabs, and a higher prevalence and popuilarity in open back 1x12 and 2x12 cabs. In all honesty, I've already noticed this trend, with Mesa, ENGL, and Harley Benton making extra large, vertical 2x12 cabs.
I have a pedalboard that uses analog effects but uses a little HxStomp as the amp and cab sim. The signal is then split, one going to the front of house and one going to an Orange 1x12 cab loaded with an FRFR speaker powered by a tiny little Seymour Duncan powerstage. The reason? When using just a modeler, the audience in the first few rows only hear drums and vocals due to lack of amps on stage. Also having a speaker near you, vibrating the stage and it helps with the "feel" of playing live. The cab is not mic'd and not cranked up loud enough to mess with the house mix so that ensures the house is always consistent and myself as well as the crowd can hear the guitars/bass. All of this gear can fit in the backseat of my car no problem.
I think the future of guitar amps is going to mainly be in the reactive load embedded world, ie - Revv amps. It is going to be about having an actual amp that pushes air but with the functionality to play with a direct out/headphones
I'm curious: why would you want to mic an FRFR cabinet, when you can just plug your modeler directly into Front Of House? I would think that an FRFR is only useful in venues that aren't big enough to have their own PA system. Am I missing something?
I would think of an FRFR as a wedge. Its also shaped like one too. Its so the guitar players can hear the sound of their amp and not wear earbuds. I dont personally see the point of FRFRs either.
I agree with that prediction. Since the 90s, I insisted on my 2×12 combo and the bass rig to be faced in towards the band as monitors. The pa took care of the front of the house. Sound guys loved us for that. Other good bands hated their sound, playing after us. The combo amp rules.
I used to have that little Digitech pedal you showed 😁 I'm surprised you didn't mention the Line 6 pod. My last Digitech pedal was an RP335, it saved a festival gig for me once when my amp blew out, I had to finish the gig with the amp modeling pedal into the p.a. I'm seeing more players using modeling pedals now. My favorite now is a 20 watt tube head into a 212 cabinet, loud enough to be heard over a drummer and can be mic'd for larger gigs. Plus it's lighter weight than a 100 watt head and 412 cab.
in regards to the power amp through a traditional cab. I've been playing with an automotive full range power amp. Its rated to 800W peak and ~300RMS. Not only can I run that to one my larger speaker cabs (6x 12" private jacks). I have the option to run it in stereo to multiple cabs, utilizing stereo effects as well. This amp and PSU combined is lighter than even the terror. Im personally using an ATX PC PSU because I knew how to wire it up. However there are plenty of 12V DC PSU's up to 1kW for
That honestly seems like a really good idea. But how do you match the impedance between the amp and the full-range speakers? I know most amps use 8 or 16 ohms, but car stereo speakers are like 2 or 4 ohms. I guess you would have to know a bit about electronics to match them up. Also, would you need something like a crossover if you wanted to split the high frequencies to some tweeters or 6x9's?
@@sidgar1 pretty with all automotive power amps the impedance just lowers the effective power output where you get distortion. In my case the "bridged" configuration, which puts the stereo channels in series, gets me the 300W @4 ohm. If say my speakers were wired to 8, it'd be ~150 (just a fraction). That's why you see power ratings on power amps on a chart of different impedances. Regarding the crossover- pretty much all the full range amps (that aren't only for subs) have a built in high pass and low pass filter. If you have speakers thatre low power or you're super concerned you can set the HPF to like 80-100hz and not have to worry. Some have a lot of variable filters when you get up on prices. A 16ohm cab can be quickly switched to 4ohm by turning the series connection into all parallel. Usually a 4x12 16ohm is 2 16's in series and the pairs in parallel. Where all parallel becomes 16/4 = 4. If you're savvy enough, you can wire in a switch that does the circuit change on the same input. Finally, multi channel amps like for 2X L/R (4 total) usually supports the bridging across all channels which gives you a billion choices like doing something crazy like each speaker in the cab getting its own channel. It's pretty much a win win but does take a little setup/wiring.
@@frjhracing I misunderstood, then. I thought you were hooking car stereo speakers to a guitar amp, but it sounds like you're also using a car stereo amp as well? Now my question is how to match the input impedance for the guitar signal? I read that a guitar uses around 1MΩ input impedance, but I don't know what a car amp uses for its input. It sounds like a really cool setup I would like to try out for myself.
@sidgar1 The setup is: guitar, (pedal board, modeler, or plugins), car power amp, guitar cab (wired in 4 ohm). 99% of the amps have RCA connections unless its fancy with an optical/digital input. So i have an RCA to TRS adapter and a really long pro audio RCA cable (not flimsy like you typically see, about equivalent build quality to a decent guitar cable). Usually what they have is a input attenuation pot which lets you change the expected line level. To be honest idk if actually works as preamp gain or if it varies the input impedance as I never checked...probably should. IT may also depend on the amp itself. I found with pedals/ guitar, modelers I just crank it all the way down to zero (no pre gain or attenuation) and I still run outputs at like 20% volume on the modeler or roughly -12db on line level (if im using PC interface and plugins) results in a decent punchy in-room volume. The thing about car amps is they just straight amplify - so its basically like having an amp always at 100%. The difference being mainly the way the amp reacts to a load. It'll only use the power based on the input and speaker load. A little sidenote is - mind you at 300W...ZERO noise. I think more of a byproduct of the really clean ATX PSU. but literally I cant tell if the amps left on even if my ear is right on the speaker. And then you turn on the modeler and get full volume. Idk of any other setup with a guitar cab of that power and no noise.
@@sidgar1 also in regard to if say you want to run the car amp through FR-FR speakers. You do essentially everything else I described except for you have to turn on the IR's on your amp models or use something like the boss IR2 ....or else itll sound like a fizzy mess. With bass, and really clean tone, it can result in something super rich but the FR speakers have to be ready for the bottom range (theres still the variable crossovers on most amps)
For the past three years mostly and this year exclusively playing an “anti-modeler” system. I have a small pedalboard with an ir loader DI at the end of the chain and my sound comes from whatever pedals I have switched on. The LPD Sixty8 wins my pick for most playable and natural amp sound and not only can no one tell it’s just pedals, but going through a 7” monitor with this rig actually does give that amp in the room feedback to me. My board can almost fit in my guitar gig bag and I roll up with a feee hand.
The other option is like the Boss Nextone series with their tube logic technology or the Yamaha THR100 heads(now out of production) where you can select which tubes you want the feeling of, again making the amp even lighter and still running a direct out to front of house.
My speaker evolution since the early 00s went from 100W Marshall Stack to 50W Marshall Bluesbreaker to Fender Princeton, now I just turn up with the Strymon Iridium or Helix stomp.
Im into my local DIY scene, and here you need a proper head and cab because the places we play rarely, if ever, have a PA set up for anything other than vocals. Some of the guys do use modelers run into a cab, but most everybody has a traditional pedalboard run into a 2x12 or occasionally 4x12, though the 4x12’s are usually shared between bands. Personally I have a crate 2x12 combo, though I may get something from orange soon.
What I'm seeing more and more are "traditional" smaller sized valve guitar amp heads with built-in load boxes, IR loaders and XLR outs. They also feature MIDI programability and foot switching. This seems to be catering to both the home/studio crowd for silent recording and live players running traditional cabs and or IR cabs with direct outs to the FOH.... along with in ear monitors. So the marriage of old valve amps with modern features seems to be a growing trend.
I literally got a Marshall DSL40CR and a Head Rush Core last week. I love the Head Rush because it works great for my bass too, and I just plug it into the FOH support through XLR. I just needed the amp for my personal monitoring purposes, or if I play in a smaller venue that doesn't have FOH support.
These days I use a Fender Excelsior with an attenuator. This gives me the tone I want and provides a line out with a speaker sim to the PA for live stuff. Beats my old head and cab set up.
I recently got a combo like a year ago after 20 years with a half stack. I’m very pleased with it. Supro Black Magic. I also invested in the UA Dream. It’s super dope too. Go figure.
I also expect to have modeler/tube amp mixes: you have a real tube amp at the heart and you can access effects, you can bring your own IRs (multiple - depending on program) and you have USB connection to record DI + amp tone at the same time.
If you want loud combo type setup just get a 1x12 cab load it with a 150watt speaker then plug in whatever head, lunchbox, power amp of choice. I use a bluguitar Amp1 mercury it’s the biz and it fits in a Boss pedal board case with a tc electronic plethora and a few extra pedals and isolated power supplies.
I had a Blackstar HT 60 soloist for gigging. Loved it, but it was sooo heavy. Bought a helix LT. Great for portability but missed a certain something. Invested in a Blackstar ST James, light, portable and sounds great. Now I have my helix lt with some overdrives I like in the LT loop, 4 cable method. Now I have a backup to my amp in the helix lt out to the PA. Best of both worlds.
I see it moving forward into speaker less rigs. You have some in-ears (god forbid AirPods) and everything on stage is mixed and then sent out. Headphones have become the new speaker, whether guitarists like it or not.
You can also do what Rob Zombie’s band did years and years ago, which is don’t have any amps on the stage at all. The amps were behind screens and stuff that video and lights were projected on. When you want feedback you walk over to a screen that showing some cool graphics that you like and your little Amp or whatever you have is behind the screen. Nobody can see it at all. So, it doesn’t matter what it is at all. Personally, I love the sound of my old Mesa/Boogie Mark III combo miced up and put through a PA. It sounds incredible. Sometimes I run it through cabs. Sometimes I make it stereo. One of my favorite ways to use it is with a wet, dry, wet, set up. I use the direct out to go to a Mesa all Tube 2: Ninety power amp with stereo effects and I have the Mesa combo dry up the middle. it sounds really, really really good. That little combo powering Marshall or Mesa cabs sounds great. However, there is some kind of special magic that the combo itself has. I actually prefer the sound coming right out of the combo to the sound coming out of 4x12 cabs, powered by the combo or other all-tube power-amps. Although, …. that sounds great too. I have played and experimented with my gear for decades. I know it very well. There are certain organic, gurgling, distorted tones that I really cannot possibly imagine having achieved with any VST, modeler, etc. However, I remain completely open minded to all new technology. For instance, I would really like to own all the simulations and plug-ins for Dime and Gary Holt.
What he's talking about is a modeler within a 1 by 12 combo. Solid State or a 1 by 12 tube combo amp with Cab simulator. Distortion effects can occur before the final PA section. This can happen in a SS or Tube amp.
