I play guitar in a three piece band, and being the only guitar player I was thinking buying a whole other set up for the other side of the stage. As of right now I'm running a Triple Recto. with a recto 4x12. I'm not sure what I want to use for the other side, but I switch back and forth between clean and distortion fairly a lot. Is there anyway to link two half stacks together and use ONE foot switch to switch both heads to clean and back to distortion in one step? Thanks for any help.
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- Thread starter nomarmn05
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Are you any good with electronics & a soldering iron?
If I understand what you want to do, you want ONE footswitch to control TWO amps.
One way to do this would be to build a footswitch with two cable connectors, one to each amp. Conceptually, imagine replacing the footswitches in the TWO footswitch floor units with relays. Then buld a third footswitch unit with buttons to toggle the relays in tandem, and wire everything up. Now imagine putting all of this in one floor box.
Custom Audio Electronics could do this for you, but it would probably cost quite a bit.
You might be better off just putting the two footswitch boxes close enough together that you can hit both at the same time with the same foot.
Another way is to use one power amp section as a slave to the other amp. In other words, you use the preamp and tone control of one amp, but the power amps and speakers in both. If you have a rack effects unit, you might also be able to make this rig true stereo as opposed to dual mono.
If I understand what you want to do, you want ONE footswitch to control TWO amps.
One way to do this would be to build a footswitch with two cable connectors, one to each amp. Conceptually, imagine replacing the footswitches in the TWO footswitch floor units with relays. Then buld a third footswitch unit with buttons to toggle the relays in tandem, and wire everything up. Now imagine putting all of this in one floor box.
Custom Audio Electronics could do this for you, but it would probably cost quite a bit.
You might be better off just putting the two footswitch boxes close enough together that you can hit both at the same time with the same foot.
Another way is to use one power amp section as a slave to the other amp. In other words, you use the preamp and tone control of one amp, but the power amps and speakers in both. If you have a rack effects unit, you might also be able to make this rig true stereo as opposed to dual mono.
Are you not playing through a PA? And if not, why?
I don't see much point in making your stage volume louder if you're using monitors. It could end up pissing the sound guy off and sounding like crap out front.
If you have to, seeing you have a triple, you could probably drop a cable and plug another cabinet in and be satisfied with spread out dual cabinets.
thanks for the responses.
ylo - that's something to look into. Would it be easy to make one of the connections a midi wire (rectifier side) and the other 1/4" if the other head happen to be 1/4" for the footswitch? Also, how much would you estimate Custom Audio Electronics would want for this idea?
Mr_You - Most of the shows I play don't have monitors, nor do they mic the guitars. If anything just bass drum and snare. It's mostly just fire hall type shows. I figured I would try another cab, and then try my friends head out to see if it sounds the way I want it to. I'm going for the most power I can get. And I figure if I were to have two different tones, both being real full, it would almost be as if there were two guitar players.
Sorry if I'm not explaining myself enough and again, thanks for the help.
ylo - that's something to look into. Would it be easy to make one of the connections a midi wire (rectifier side) and the other 1/4" if the other head happen to be 1/4" for the footswitch? Also, how much would you estimate Custom Audio Electronics would want for this idea?
Mr_You - Most of the shows I play don't have monitors, nor do they mic the guitars. If anything just bass drum and snare. It's mostly just fire hall type shows. I figured I would try another cab, and then try my friends head out to see if it sounds the way I want it to. I'm going for the most power I can get. And I figure if I were to have two different tones, both being real full, it would almost be as if there were two guitar players.
Sorry if I'm not explaining myself enough and again, thanks for the help.
ylo said:
+1
Slave out to a power amp/speaker cab. If you get a power amp like the 2:100, you could run just one side for stereo (or dual mono), or even some day add a third cabinet for an ultimate W/D/W set-up.
Dom
nomarmn05 -- I'm not sure I follow you, but adding MIDI is another layer of complication. Nobels, Access Electronics, and a couple other companies sell MIDI controlled relay switch boxes that you might be able to make use of.
I don't know what CAE would charge, but I doubt a custom project would cost less than $600. Check out their web site, and give them a call to describe what you want to do if you think this is the way to go.
Seems to me slaving one amp to other would be the easiest way to go. You would only have to change channels (clean / distorted) on the master amp. The other would just amplify the input from the master.
I don't know what CAE would charge, but I doubt a custom project would cost less than $600. Check out their web site, and give them a call to describe what you want to do if you think this is the way to go.
Seems to me slaving one amp to other would be the easiest way to go. You would only have to change channels (clean / distorted) on the master amp. The other would just amplify the input from the master.
I don't see much reason to "slave" another head or poweramp since you're already playing a super powerful 150w tube amp. Have you considered just running another 4x12 on the other side of the stage? It would add that "fullness" to unmic'ed gigs to make up for the lack of a second guitarist.
I planned on using a second cab anyway, but I figured if adding another head with a total different sound, that it could make it sound even more powerful. As if there is two guitar players. Slaving one wouldn't allow me to have two different sounds and like sam adams said, I do have 150W so I would just stick with two cabs instead of slaving. Thanks for the help guys.
If you go this route, you'll probably want to use an Amp Gizmo and/or Nobels MF-2 (or other midi controller, but I got this one recently) to channel change via MIDI or relay switch.
I'm a big fan of combining a Dual Recto with a Marshall for rhythms. But its the mixed combination of the two (versus spread out and seperated) that probably sounds best.
Or start playing clubs with PAs or mic yourself. A small club I frequent around here only mics the bass drum and uses an overhead mic for drums, snare is plenty loud, all other instruments are mic'ed.
I'm a big fan of combining a Dual Recto with a Marshall for rhythms. But its the mixed combination of the two (versus spread out and seperated) that probably sounds best.
Or start playing clubs with PAs or mic yourself. A small club I frequent around here only mics the bass drum and uses an overhead mic for drums, snare is plenty loud, all other instruments are mic'ed.
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