Having multiple amps/cabs/speakers?

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

If you have just one idea in your head of "your sound" then yeah you could be fine with 1-4 amps. If you like lots of different flavors then you'll need more amps. I think it starts with the amp and then optimize the speakers, tubes, pickups, etc around it. For me at least

LOL. For some of us it's never enough.

To my 4 heads you can add 6 4x12's (all loaded with different EV's, Fanes, and Celestions, 1 2x12, 1 1x12, 1 1x15.

Also the amps get hit by a Treble Booster, OD, tube preamp, distortion, or one of 5 fuzz or fuzztortion boxes.

 

[braintheory]

LOL. For some of us it's never enough.

To my 4 heads you can add 6 4x12's (all loaded with different EV's, Fanes, and Celestions, 1 2x12, 1 1x12, 1 1x15.

Also the amps get hit by a Treble Booster, OD, tube preamp, distortion, or one of 5 fuzz or fuzztortion boxes.

Yep I think I know what you’re going for. For high wattage speakers my all time favorite have been Fane Crescendo’s and JBL E120’s

 

[Hiwatts-n-Gibsons]

Yep I think I know what you’re going for. For high wattage speakers my all time favorite have been Fane Crescendo’s and JBL E120’s

For me it's alnico EV SRO12's. I have two mixed with two Fane Medusa 30's in one cab, and two mixed with two Celestion G12H-100's in another cab. Tbt I would love the sound of four SRO's in a cab, but my back says fuck you every time I think about it. I did run them by themselves in a Boogie 2x12 for a while, and it sounded awesome.


I also had two EVM12L's paired with two Fane AXA12's for a long time. I love the combination of the right cast frame and pressed frame speakers in a cab.

 

[ewill52]

This is kinda where I'm at. I know it's blasphemous to say, but I don't really have GAS for anything right now (except maybe the Friedman Jose). But, I'm not really wanting to get rid of anything either. @ewill52 will find this shocking, as he was just ribbing me the other night about the amount of buying/selling/trading I do.

I think I just miss the days of "this is the only amp you have, make it work". So much simpler.

LOL!!! i only jest because i've been guilty of it as well! The tone-chasing and acquisition of new stuff or pieces that you think you need becomes addictive, to the point I find myself wondering if maybe i should focus a little more on playing lol

 

[diezelduder]

You explained gas, it's not as sexy as just saying i have dat gas

 

[PurityS.L.G]

Never too many options, trying different combos is what keeps me noodling which is where most of my riffs come from. Different tones make for different kinds of riffs and keeps things fresh

This I can relate to the most. I don't dial in my amps to have the same tones as each other either, but I get why most would do this out of habit. Every single amp I own, with exception to my Mesa Marks, don't sound too similar even if they share some circuit DNA.

With that said, where I feel shame in myself is I do try to make all my boost pedals sound the same or give me a certain sound which is retarded IMO LOL. I can't help but seeking an OD to do a certain thing and only that and lack the appreciation of the unique color its supposed to give.

 

[War_in_D]

LOL!!! i only jest because i've been guilty of it as well! The tone-chasing and acquisition of new stuff or pieces that you think you need becomes addictive, to the point I find myself wondering if maybe i should focus a little more on playing lol

You're light years ahead of me in the playing department! I need to move into the woodshed on a permanent basis.

 

[SoooRad]

As of tomorrow I will be back down to one amp. I really don’t need a lot of different amps as I pretty much shoot for one sound, I would like to get a 3-stage amp to pair with the 4-stage Sirrom. Another Morris. Basically having the 2 amps that overlap, but one can get heavier and the other more vintagey.

My sound is rock amp, Greenbacks, old style super strat, some delay.

 

[Erock]

After going through the trouble of putting the amp switcher back in the rack and hooking up all my amps/cabs some things occurred to me.

• If we dial in amps to get "our tone", what's the point of having several amps if you're just going to basically dial them all in to sound the same to your ear?
• IMHO, cabs/speakers seem to make way more difference than the amp in the overall "tone".
• Does having multiple amp options cause some kind of "decision paralysis" where you have too many options to choose from? Does it make you spend more time trying to figure out what amp you want to play, than actual playing?
• I've got a small collection of vintage/NOS preamp tubes and I would like to do some rolling but where do I start? "What if" these tubes sound great in this amp, but they might sound better in that one! GAH!! What do I do?!?!
• Nothing, that's what.. because I'm too busy spending time on a forum instead of playing.

Sometimes I long for a simpler time.

congratulations, you have completed level 5 of gear whoredom. Level 6 self deletes yourself, because you've stacked them too high, and they fall like an avalanche one day. Maybe I'm projecting.

 

[Scumback Speakers]

I believe in the multiplier effect.
https://www.scumbackspeakers.com/demoroom/demoroom10-13.jpg

 

[Epiplatys]

After going through the trouble of putting the amp switcher back in the rack and hooking up all my amps/cabs some things occurred to me.

• If we dial in amps to get "our tone", what's the point of having several amps if you're just going to basically dial them all in to sound the same to your ear?
• IMHO, cabs/speakers seem to make way more difference than the amp in the overall "tone".
• Does having multiple amp options cause some kind of "decision paralysis" where you have too many options to choose from? Does it make you spend more time trying to figure out what amp you want to play, than actual playing?
• I've got a small collection of vintage/NOS preamp tubes and I would like to do some rolling but where do I start? "What if" these tubes sound great in this amp, but they might sound better in that one! GAH!! What do I do?!?!
• Nothing, that's what.. because I'm too busy spending time on a forum instead of playing.

Sometimes I long for a simpler time.

I suppose because I am a techy and have 13 tube amps and 6 cabs lying around anyway. And I have a long wall in my home studio. This is a good enough reason, is not it?

Also I can't dial a Mesa Mark to sound like a JCM800, or the other way around. I just can't

I'd agree that cabs/speakers make bigger difference in the overall sound. Not that the amps would not, of course would. Just that the cabs make bigger difference relatively speaking.

Hold on, what do you mean "instead of playing"? I'm too busy flicking knobs and switches! And those odd times that I feel like practicing here is my Neural QC...