Head or Preamp layout?

[threadkiller]

I never got into the rack shit. I rebelled against it when the game seemed to be cram as much rack shit as you can I thought about it and almost did but since I was gigging with a bunch of JCM800 2203/04's and liked my tone I never bit the bullet. I saw some awesome racks that sounded great but I couldn't help but wonder how the guitar would sound without running through a million rack I/O's

I did the opposite. I am running a rack rig because racks seem to be out of fashion and everyone seems to want to run a head with a couple of stomp boxes. Seriously, I had no better reason for going rack than that. Having said that my rack is very simple. Power conditioner, pre amp, effects unit, power amp. I'm very happy with my tone. I think you can get great tone and plenty of flexibility with either these days. The rack stuff can get heavy quick. I have an 8 space rack and it has casters but that doesn't really help me up the stairs. Heads are probably easier to carry around without help.

Also, consider whether you like dealing with tweaking digital menus, presets, etc. I got pretty sick of it and ended up getting a rack pre with knobs but most seem to have digital menus and programming, saving presets, etc, which I guess makes sense but think about that before you commit.

 

[chunktone]

I cut my teeth playing through really good tube amps. I have tried alot of tube pre's and power amps, and they never quite capture the feel of a amp. Some do get a really good tone, but, to me, there is always something missing. I think it may have something to do with the a pre/poweramp have seperate power transformers, while a head has one that provides power for both the preamp and poweramp. ???

 

[Spaceboy]

I prefer everything about a rack setup.

 

[racerevlon]

I went back to heads a while back, but recently I dug out and re-constructed a rig with:

Furman power conditioner
KORG Rack tuner
Marshall JMP-1
Rocktron xPression
Rocktron ProQ
Marshall EL84 20/20

Running this thing stereo into two 2 x 12's is KILLING IT--two 4 x 12's is pure mayhem, and at only 20W per side!!! What was I thinking???!?!?!?!?

 

[wulf]

Rack. It has the ability to be as simple as a head+cab, not to mention the enormous amount of flexibility it offers. I also despise pedal boards- a midi footswitch is almost more than I even want on the ground haha.

Also I don't have as much money to spend on equipment as I'd like. So settling on one good poweramp after searching around, the VHT 2/90/2, has allowed me to spend substantially less whenever I want to change it up and buy another preamp.

Midi is more common on rack gear, not to mention if there is no loop like on some heads you can just go right after the preamp. Though flexible, there isn't as much demand for rack gear so there are fewer production pres and poweramps. More heads, yet more you can do with racks.

 

[Spaceboy]

Also I don't have as much money to spend on equipment as I'd like. So settling on one good poweramp after searching around, the VHT 2/90/2, has allowed me to spend substantially less whenever I want to change it up and buy another preamp.

This is probably the biggest reason I'm into racks. I always want to change things around, and grabbing another preamp is so much cheaper than replacing a head.

 

[Gsxrbusa]

I prefer a complete head.

I have heard from a reliable source that there is a slight tonal difference between a head and running preamp and power amp seperate. I, of course, can not verify that.

 

[Even Bigger D]

I prefer a complete head.

I have heard from a reliable source that there is a slight tonal difference between a head and running preamp and power amp seperate. I, of course, can not verify that.

There usually is a small difference, in that you generally end up with an extra couple of buffering stages and an extra volume control in line - so gain->volume->volume instead of gain->volume. That said, it's not necessarily a bad difference. Lots of people think certain heads sound better with a tube buffer and/or volume control in the loop anyways.

 

[Anonymous]

Since as far back as I can remember..I've used a small rack consisting of a preamp and effects...and usually running into some type of amp head so both I guess?? Just now seriously thinking about using an amp head for everything....I've had too amp heads to count over the years but when it come to the band and gigs...Always the rack and head (sometimes a power amp) set-up.

 

[FUZZboat]

so other than asthetics, has anyone ever ran a rack/poweramp setup that they felt (literally and figuratively) offered more in comparison to a similar amp head due to the ability to mix/match as you see fit?

FWIW


My Randall MTS RM4 loaded with Friedman (BE/C45 & HBE), Jaded
Faith 59RR, Voodoo Modded Recto, GTO/Mr Scary beats the pants off than any head I've owned (2204/2203, 2555SL Slash
Sig Head, Splawn Pro Mod, Mark IV etc)

I've hated every preamp I've tried in the past

last year sold all my amp heads since I no longer play live so I was looking for a "low wattage" solution to get so decent modded marshall tones.

needless to say , I was blown away at tones I got (am getting)

 

[mdc1mdc11]

heads for me. Sometimes I almost wonder if concert venues should just build a amp rig data center (or make it a portable trailer) with the basic amp types, like they do with IT technology, wheel it in and the guitarist can just walk in an plug-in their pedal boards. Some of these rack systems border on the looks of 1U, 5U IT rack servers.

 

[killertone]

Man, it is a tough call. I usually end up with a head in a rack with other stuff so it's a moot point at that stage of the game. Taht being said, I recently reconstructed my rack rig and not only does it sound fucking sick, I can dial all the presets for different guitars. The versatility is very hard to beat there.

 

[JamesPeters]

Besides what Tom (Gsxrbusa) mentioned, there's also this to consider: the wrong match can ruin your sound. Back when the dinosaurs walked the Earth and I bought a Mesa Quad preamp direct from Mesa (yes, just after the Earth cooled Mesa still sold direct to Canada), I struggled to get it to sound the way I wanted with several guitar poweramps (a couple nice tube poweramps, and a Mosvalve). It occurred to me later that perhaps poweramps can affect the sound and all the sound isn't "just in the preamp" (as I'd been told countless times by friends, music store employees, etc.) As a matter of fact the poweramp's design affects the sound a lot. Also some preamps and some poweramps just don't match up like you think they might; the devil is in the details, how the output (preamp) and input (poweramp) circuits are designed, what frequencies are emphasized or de-emphasized, that kind of thing. Sometimes it works out well, other times it's crap.

When you buy a head, you are more reassured you're getting what the amp is supposed to sound like. So at the time (shortly after the dinosaurs became extinct) I bought heads again. Later I realized having a rack setup with the preamp and poweramp inside wasn't helping me much in terms of convenience. Making the rack 50+ pounds heavier isn't really very convenient. A separate rack for effects only works fine for me. Yes it doesn't balance nicely on most heads, but it can be put on the ground, on a milk crate, whatever.

So, I like both setups. I just realize the advantages--and disadvantages--of both.

 

[verderacer]

I have been doing the preamp rig for several years now, but some of the new modded and boutique tube amps just

Im on a Fortin kick currently, but have my eyes on a Diezel VH4, Ceriatone Chupra and a few other tube wonders. So now its integration time, no way I am gonna get rid of the rack, but put the 2 together.

 

[Disfigured]

I currently run a rack preamp into the power amp return of a head, I chose a power section to ensure a more head-like sound, using the master volume on the preamp and bypassing the master on the head, running directly into the phase inverter through an unbuffered effects loop.

But there will always be a tonal/feel difference, like Chucktone said, one major difference is due to the shared power section/power transformer of the head: when you crank the amp and hit a chord hard the transformer sags and reduces power to both the output and preamp sections causing them both to sag, creating a more dynamic response.

In a separate preamp/power amp setup, you can get the power amp to sag, but from what I understand the way a stand-alone preamp is wired in Class A it won't sag. In my setup the preamp remains tight and stiff vs the head, which is more dynamic. I can get the power amp to sag easily, and I prefer the extra tightness/stiffness of the preamp as it is a bit more solid and better for metal playing.

 

[Shark Diver]

Man, it is a tough call. I usually end up with a head in a rack with other stuff so it's a moot point at that stage of the game. Taht being said, I recently reconstructed my rack rig and not only does it sound fucking sick, I can dial all the presets for different guitars. The versatility is very hard to beat there.

I have a JFX-1 if you want to finish that off.

 

[Sick Michael]

I think generally speaking, a head is more of a "complete" "pure" tonal experience. Some racks I've heard/played vary, from sounding worse than a line 6 spider, to actually holding their own. But this latter category are few and far between.

Of course Im biased, but the Mesa Quad/395 rig I have would appear to be matched perfectly and definitely sounds better than some amps I've owned (I've also figured a way of switching between EL34s and 6L6s on the fly).

For me though the flexibility is key, if I just played through a single channel marshall all the time (which, dont get me wrong, is awesome fun and really challenges you on the volume knob stakes) I wouldn't have branched out as much musically. In other words, flexibility is not just for flexibility's sake - it actually encourages you to try other styles that a single amp head might not allow. The multitudes of AxeFX people on here will surely testify to this.

 

[Zachman]

For me, it's heads.

Between me, and mentoneman's previous experiments w/ the preamp/power amp solutions-- I just have been lucky enough to find the amp heads which provide the core tones that work for me, that the preamp solutions just didn't-- though I haven't found one head that does it all, so you guys know me... I have been accused of leaning toward the EXTREME.

 

[SFW]

I have run a rack rig a few times. These days I much prefer a head setup. It's cheaper. I just bought a new 5150III head. For the cost of the head, I could have purchased a CAA 3+. Then I would be looking a shelling out at least another $1k for a good poweramp. It become cost prohibitave after a while. With a good sounding head, and a good effects unit (Nova System for me) I can get all the tones I want and need.

 

[crystal lee]

I vote preamp. I like the option to bring as little as possible, so small gigs/jam a 1x12, 3U rack(I have very little FX) and maybe 30 watts. For playing outside or to tame a loud drummer I like the extreme big power option which can't be found in a head.