Combo VS. Head

[groovetuber]

This could have gone in any section, but I am curious to hear your opinions on Heads vs. Combos. Is it better to have one versus the other if you have access to a cabinet? I am debating whether or not to get a head or combo, because if it's essentially the same thing once hooked up to a cab I am leaning towards getting a combo because then I would have the option of not using a cab if I were at band practice or wanted to jam at a buddy's house. In that case, transprotion would definately be somewhat easier. What do you guys think?

 

[ibanez4life SZ!]

For the ability of having any easily transportable rig, the combo is a great idea!

But after getting my dual recto solo head, nothing else can cut it......I take it everywhere! Just love it! Not that hard to get around either....two trips...once head, then the 4x12.

 

[jgventura]

i was suprised how light my 4x12 was... but that doesnt mean that i can move it by myself, way too big and awkward. i'm thinking of getting a 2x12... but ya only thing that i heard about (either certain or all, i forgot) combos is that the tubes being close to the speakers tend to rattle or something of the sort..

 

[jbird]

I prefer seperates! Access to a cab? Get a head!

 

[MetalMatt]

Combos tend to be heavier than a head and cab situation. Sure you'll have to take two trips but its worth it than that one trip killer. Plus going the head route you can have the option of having different cabs(1x12/2x12/4x12), not saying that you can't do that with a combo, but with the combo your stuck with the option it came with. I don't know, just my 0.02 cents.

 

[tele_jas]

I've had both, 2 Boogie heads and 3 Boogie combos.... My advice is, for the ease and convience of a quick set up nothing beats a combo. You have everything in one package and you can even go old school and stuff your extra stuff in the back of your amp (pedals, cables, ect...) and have it all there. Also, you get a great compact package of tone that only takes one trip to and from the car where as a head/cab rig will take 2 or 3 trips to the car (or down your long hall-way).

But, my Road King combo is 125 pounds!!! And my back feels it every now and then. It is on rollers, but that doesn't help going down stairs or rocky walk-ways. My Tremoverb was 105 pounds and even my Rectoverb was around 80 pounds and was just above the comfort level to carry more than 25 steps.

I love my combo, but I'm currently looking for a head cab set up to trade for.

* combo for ease and convience
* head and cab to save your back in the long run (and for resale value)

 

[groovetuber]

Combos tend to be heavier than a head and cab situation. Sure you'll have to take two trips but its worth it than that one trip killer. Plus going the head route you can have the option of having different cabs(1x12/2x12/4x12), not saying that you can't do that with a combo, but with the combo your stuck with the option it came with. I don't know, just my 0.02 cents.

What do you mean "the option it came with?" Can't a combo hook up to any of those cabs?

 

[Brewski]

groovetuber, Yes you can hook to any cab with a combo, but I think that Tele_jas was referring using the speakers within the combo and probably figured that you wouldn't go with a cab, if you have a combo. If you are wanting to hook up to a cab, anyway, then go the head/cab route.

I have both a Road King series 1 head with a 2x12 cab, as well as, an F-50 combo, and a couple of other combos. The head/cab set up is a little more bulky, and you'll need to make two trips, but it will save your back. You can then get the cabs of your choice, be it a 1x12, 2x12, or 4x12.

For recording, many studios prefer a head set up, to prevent tube rattle as jgventura mentioned. Many times stand alone cabs are physically larger than the speaker space of a combo, and will give you more bottom end.

There are some trade offs with both. I do like the F-50 combo, in that it's great for portability and ease of setup. It actually weighs less than my RK head.

 

[MetalMatt]

Groovetuber, I'm sorry I didn't clarify What I meant was your stuck to use what the combo came with - being a open back, closed back, 3/4 back, 1x12, 2x12. Brewski said the rest. (thanks!)

I'm not against combos, I just like the different "options" I get with a head. It might take longer to set up but thats a small problem IMO. If it was a perfect world I would have both ways, honestly!

 

[ytse_jam]

i prefer heads, also concerning not so high-end products... i remember once i tried a Marshall AVT series 2x12" combo, which sounds very bad imho. It was a friend of mine who wanted to buy it and asked me some suggestions... then we tried the head version of the same exact model with a Marshall 1920 2x12" cab (which also isn't so great) and tone changed drastically, head+cabinet was two times better. i think nothing sounds better than a cabinet designed for being used just as a cabinet and for doing its job with no compromises. Many combos sound great too, but mainly only at relatively low volumes...

 

[Russ]

In my experience I have found that I like a combo for ease of setup (leave it plugged in and leave the speaker plugged in). On the road you can leave the speaker plugged in and just plug in and play. However a head is nice to have if you have to move things around yourself because you have options regarding where you put it. Tubes tend to last longer in a head also. Combos tend to sound brighter if played through the combo cabinet though you can unplug the combo speaker and use a separate cab if desired. Combos can be space savers because of the compact all in one design.

I moved to using heads only after using a rack for several years. I dumped my rack for a simpler and lighter setup. I now have my Mark IV in a combo cabinet although I have a head cabinet and a rackmount for it. I will probably switch back to a head cabinet should I return to playing out. I might even swap into the rackmount if I decide to go back to a rack setup. Prior to the rack I had been in combos for the sake of space saving but always thought heads and cabinets looked better. Though I really like the look of a head in a road case that houses a rack also.

I am currently experimenting with open, closed, and ported cabinets with various speakers and my amps. To add to this I am working on finding my own ideal sound as we all are but realized a long time ago that depending upon the sound you are looking for and what material you are playing your gear will be predetermined. I have quit GAS-ing but am on more of an expeditionary tone quest. Hopefully I can figure out exactly what else I need to have and what I don't need anymore. My office is getting overrun by amplifiers.

For my personal sound I am more than likely going to keep a couple classic amps and a pair of modern amps. Right now my current candidates seem pretty strong but I still would like to have the combo cabinets for the heads that I am looking to keep just for the sake of being able to switch into a combo cabinet if desired.

One drawback to the Mark IV in the combo cabinet is that my choice of speaker in the combo is the EVM which is a boat anchor heavy. This makes the combo not so portable though it has casters. I tried to pick it up the other day and opted not to. I liked the weight better in the head though the Mark IV is not very light anyway. The FU-3 mounted does not help with the weight either. I like the sound of the Mark IV through my 4x12 Greenback cabinet better than through the EVM for some stuff (mainly singing leads) but I like the EVM better for rhythms. Again I just have to decide what I am going to be doing before I coordinate the setup.

I guess bottomline is figure out what suits your needs. Those needs may change as they do change your configuration and setup. I think your idea to go combo with a cab is a good idea for real versatility. Plus you could plug in both and tailor your sound further. My combo is nice to roll around the house when I need a scenery change while playing and it gets out of the way easier than a head and cab. I can roll it under my desk or under a table to get it out of the path of harm. I have used extension cabinets with combos before to use the combo speaker as a monitor and direct the extension for best sound per location.

Side note: combos look funny sitting on top of cabinets if they are not the same width. Heads do too but heads typically fit their matching cabinet. The Mark IV short chassis looks funny if it is in the 1x12 combo cabinet not in the head cabinet while sitting on a 4x12 cabinet. I have seen Marshall heads sitting on vertical 2x12 cabinets creating a T shape and though it looked odd

 

[rickc007]

In that case, transprotion would definately be somewhat easier. What do you guys think?

I have the Lonestar Special in head/cab, however I just purchased a hardwood lonestar special combo, that I "had" to have

just carrying it to the car is a workout, I mean "Heavy". Being hardwood prob didn't help

the good thing, I don't gig, so I won't have to carry it.
But if I did, I would go head/cab all the way. The cab is actually prettly lite,
the bulk is in the head. And this is a low wattage, meaning small transformer

I would not even attempt at picking up a 2x12 Road King Combo. Think I just hurt my back thinking about it

also on tone, the head/cab has a "deeper" sound than the combo. I figured the amp is taking up some space in the 1x12, so acoustically it's got to be a little diff

below is my head/cab pic (will have the hardwood pics later

 

[strumminsix]

I bought a LSC 1x12 combo. I wish I bought the 2x12 head/cab.

 

[groovetuber]

Thanks for all the opinions guys! Looks like I'm goin with a head and cab.

 

[chennie]

I had a rectoverb combo, but it was bulky and heavy. So I decided to make a head and a seperate cab. You have to walk twice now, but better to walk twice than killing my back. I don't believe that the rule of combo is one easy fitting applies to much of boogies =)

Here are some fotos of the results for those who are interested. The pictures are not that nice becuae of the hard flash light. Oh and I build a 2x12 to Mesa specs to accompany my "newborn" amp.

 

[boogieslide]

In that case, transprotion would definately be somewhat easier. What do you guys think?

I have the Lonestar Special in head/cab, however I just purchased a hardwood lonestar special combo, that I "had" to have

just carrying it to the car is a workout, I mean "Heavy". Being hardwood prob didn't help

the good thing, I don't gig, so I won't have to carry it.
But if I did, I would go head/cab all the way. The cab is actually prettly lite,
the bulk is in the head. And this is a low wattage, meaning small transformer

I would not even attempt at picking up a 2x12 Road King Combo. Think I just hurt my back thinking about it

also on tone, the head/cab has a "deeper" sound than the combo. I figured the amp is taking up some space in the 1x12, so acoustically it's got to be a little diff

below is my head/cab pic (will have the hardwood pics later

Nice setup! Makes me miss my Gibsons a bit although I never had any as nice looking as that. I had a black LP Standard and a Silverburst LP Custom.
I bet that rig sounds really nice. Perhaps someday when I get away from wanting to play with balls to the wall gain (that is a strange phrase :shock: ) I will check out a Lonestar. I think I would like it.

 

[boogieslide]

I had a rectoverb combo, but it was bulky and heavy. So I decided to make a head and a seperate cab. You have to walk twice now, but better to walk twice than killing my back. I don't believe that the rule of combo is one easy fitting applies to much of boogies =)

Here are some fotos of the results for those who are interested. The pictures are not that nice becuae of the hard flash light. Oh and I build a 2x12 to Mesa specs to accompany my "newborn" amp.

Nice work! I had a H&K Triamp that had started out as a combo and got wrecked in a UPS shipping accident. The owner before me salvaged it and turned it into a head. He bought a shell from H&K. I think maybe they sent a new front plate to as the design allowed it to be swapped out. On the back though it was screen print like the Mesas so it was upside down. It was actually handy if you were in front of the amp leaning over it

I too will take a head and cab config any day over a combo. I don't mind the extra trip for the added flexibility.

 

[Shep]

i think having and cab can be better..eg..small cab for one gig and big cab for another...