Is this WDW rig idea crazy?

[stratotone]

I want something really cool sounding that isn't too much to carry to a gig, and fairly easy to set up.

Here's my crazy idea:

Guitar into tube amp (either the SLO I have in layaway or my Ecstasy) and line out from tube amp into the fractal. Fractal output into a stereo Tube amp (Randall RT 2/50).

Here's where it gets a little different.

What if I take one of my 4x12s and rewire it - tube head dry into bottom two speakers. Top two speakers getting the stereo output from the power amp. Of course I'd have to rewire the cab and put a new jackplate on it. For gigs I could either run the 2nd set of outputs direct to the PA, or just mike the effected speakers on the cab.

Good idea? Or am I insane?

Pete

 

[Shark Diver]

Cool, but for true w/d/w I'd use the Axe for wet into frfr powered monitors. I was doing this for a while, dry cab tube amp. I eventually just went amp/palmer/2290/monitors - no cab. I think you'd do fine with the cab wiring, but lose a little of the true w/d/w thing and stereo separation.

 

[Zachman]

You could, but may find that the lack of stereo spread is not so exciting, and you could run into some phase issues with the dry and wet in the same cabinet (may not though). You could also use 3 1x12 cabs.

Let me know which way you decide to go and how it works out for you.

Thanks,

Zach

 

[Digital Jams]

I dont think you would get the spread you are looking for as Zach said Pete, I would go with a couple of cubes to get the weight down and try that.

 

[MikeT]

You could, but may find that the lack of stereo spread is not so exciting, and you could run into some phase issues with the dry and wet in the same cabinet (may not though). You could also use 3 1x12 cabs.

Exactly what I was thinking - especially phase issues .


I'd use a pair cubes for the wets.

Mike

 

[ke2]

Steve talked about a cool idea as well.

2 4x12 cabs, both stereo. Put them side by side. The 4 centre speakers are dry, and the outer pairs are wet.

A lot to drag around, though.

I think your idea sounds good, Pete. If you avoid phase issues, you could get a lot out of a single 4x12.
I guess you`d mike both wet speakers, and one of the dry ones, so the audience will still get stereo spread, even if it might be a little tight for your listening.

 

[mentoneman]

you're not crazy--i always think about the smallest size possible for great tones.

could you imagine bringing something like this to a gig

except two micro cubes instead of one for stereo spread

or one of these

for your stereo wet cabs


i keep coming back to an axe-fx floorboard w/ build in 3 way powered output jacks...one takes a tap off of the "dry" preamp and the other two are post effects

 

[stratotone]

Thanks for the ideas/comments guys, keep em coming!

My whole reason for trying to make it work with a 4x12 is I need something that will fit in my MazdaSpeed3. I can cram a 4x12, head, rack and guitars in there now.. not sure if I have much room for anything else. Have thought about two cubes and a 2x12, as that MAY fit... cab-wise I have 7 4x12s, 2 2x12s and 2 1x12s so I have some stuff I can experiment with.

Fractal allows you to reverse the phase of your outputs, so I think that would correct any out of phase issues with the cab. Or I could just reverse the wiring on one pair of speakers.

I know a stereo spread is more massive the greater the seperation, but back in the dark days (early 90s when I had about zilch for gear) I ran a Peavey Stereo Chorus 2x12 combo and within that combo the stereo sound was pretty nice.

Live I'd probably mike up the effected speakers or use the line out from the fractal with cab sims direct to the house - that way I can get volume boosts for leads. My main reason for thinking about the W/D/W setup is because of how bad I remember the SLO style fx loop to be... maybe the Axe will play nice with it, I don't know. Getting closer to getting that SLO home too. I just go back and forth between having a live setup with a shitload of fx, and stripped down... recently I played three gigs fairly close together - went from using an Axe FX rig into a QSC HPR1212i, several pedals into a Mesa Roadster head and Bogner 4x12, and a Bogner Ecstacy half stack with a Boss DD20 in the loop and no wireless.

Pete

 

[jasonP]

honestly I'm thinking of doing just that to one of my 4x12's just because of you. This really sounds like a good idea. I wonder if it would work. I think if there was a way to isolate all 4 speakers or the two stereo ones I think it would work much better.

 

[Rufus Leaking]

I did this for a while with two 2-12's. One speaker dry and one wet in each cab. I could seperate them as much as I wanted for stereo spread... worked great.

Right now I have a 4-12 dry center, and use my 2-12's on either side - one speaker dry and one wet. So I have a total of 6-12's dry and 2 wet. Sounds massive!

 

[Digital Jams]

You have a point about the Peavey combo, my JC-120 sounds beautiful with that wet dripping chorus working with just the 2x12.

I still would look for some seperation.

 

[mentoneman]

I did this for a while with two 2-12's. One speaker dry and one wet in each cab. I could seperate them as much as I wanted for stereo spread... worked great.

Right now I have a 4-12 dry center, and use my 2-12's on either side - one speaker dry and one wet. So I have a total of 6-12's dry and 2 wet. Sounds massive!

i have done some experimenting with speakers and to me it's best to run a 4x12 for the dry cab and you can get away with 1x12s for the wets, but i have run stereo/no dry with a 2x12 cab in stereo and two 1x12s linked one to each side for added physical spread and that was also cool.

also just a wet/dry rig......4x12 dry cab, and either 1x12, 2x12, or 4x12 for the wet cab, and that also sounds killer and dare i say more focused than a stereo rig with no dry cab.

my friend is running a herbert dry and then taking a line from a hotplate into my old replex into his marshall's loop return jack into a wet 4x12 about 12 feet away and it's brilliant.

 

[stratotone]

I did this for a while with two 2-12's. One speaker dry and one wet in each cab. I could seperate them as much as I wanted for stereo spread... worked great.

Right now I have a 4-12 dry center, and use my 2-12's on either side - one speaker dry and one wet. So I have a total of 6-12's dry and 2 wet. Sounds massive!

i have done some experimenting with speakers and to me it's best to run a 4x12 for the dry cab and you can get away with 1x12s for the wets, but i have run stereo/no dry with a 2x12 cab in stereo and two 1x12s linked one to each side for added physical spread and that was also cool.

also just a wet/dry rig......4x12 dry cab, and either 1x12, 2x12, or 4x12 for the wet cab, and that also sounds killer and dare i say more focused than a stereo rig with no dry cab.

my friend is running a herbert dry and then taking a line from a hotplate into my old replex into his marshall's loop return jack into a wet 4x12 about 12 feet away and it's brilliant.

Hm, I may have to try a dry 4x12 then line out to the fractal, to a powered QSC hpr1212i

 

[Shark Diver]

I did this for a while with two 2-12's. One speaker dry and one wet in each cab. I could seperate them as much as I wanted for stereo spread... worked great.

Right now I have a 4-12 dry center, and use my 2-12's on either side - one speaker dry and one wet. So I have a total of 6-12's dry and 2 wet. Sounds massive!

i have done some experimenting with speakers and to me it's best to run a 4x12 for the dry cab and you can get away with 1x12s for the wets, but i have run stereo/no dry with a 2x12 cab in stereo and two 1x12s linked one to each side for added physical spread and that was also cool.

also just a wet/dry rig......4x12 dry cab, and either 1x12, 2x12, or 4x12 for the wet cab, and that also sounds killer and dare i say more focused than a stereo rig with no dry cab.

my friend is running a herbert dry and then taking a line from a hotplate into my old replex into his marshall's loop return jack into a wet 4x12 about 12 feet away and it's brilliant.

Hm, I may have to try a dry 4x12 then line out to the fractal, to a powered QSC hpr1212i

I was doing this, works well, and you can pump vocals in to to save stage/monitor space.