Head or Combo amps?

[Mr. Brady]

I'm curious what the majority on this forum prefer. I like heads, because it's easier to carry a head and a separate cab than a 2x12 or 1x12 combo, plus you can try different speakers really easy and really tailor your sound that way. I do seem to see more combos for Mark IV's and and Mark III's on ebay though. I know a lot of guys like the all in 1 package the combo offers. Which do you prefer and why?

 

[pmb]

The heads (and the other meaning of heads too actually )
I have a mark III head, I think combo's are already heavy, but still, I like every amp through a 4*12 cabinet

 

[aenigma]

Doesn't really matter to me so I didn't pick one, the amp is the same with or without the speaker.But if youre getting a combo you are definitely getting more bang for the buck since you get a speaker along with it.But they are still the same amplifier, and if you get tired of lugging it around you can pull the amplifier out and put it in a casing for a head.

I have combo and the reason I went with it was just because that happened to be the kind of Mark IV I found when I was looking for one.I already had a 4x12 cab I was going to use with it, so a head would have been fine too.I use what ever works, and they both work.So then it is narrowed down to what is available at the time of purchase.

but still, I like every amp through a 4*12 cabinet

This sums it up nicely.

 

[Stu Gutz]

They both have their plus and minus's. I like the heads for ease of lugging around. I like the combos because their open back sound is less directional and maybe disperses the sound a bit more to the band members on stage if I am not being miked and piped back through the monitors. I also am trying to keep things as simple as possible and the combo setup seems to suit me ... except that my hardwood combo is almost too heavy to lift by myself especially when in a Mesa flight case.

 

[Russ]

For me it varies.

I like the look of a head and cab way better.

I like the portability of a head and cab way better.

I like the simplicity of a combo when I am not going to be moving it.

I like the one trip to the vehicle and it is loaded action of the combo.

I like the sound of the open back of the combo mixed with a sealed cabinet and/or one or the other by itself.

I like that tubes tend to last a little longer in a head v. a combo.

To me it doesn't matter what the amp is housed in provided I am getting good tone.

I often disconnect the combo speaker and run a Thiele with a sealed 4x12 cabinet when in the combo configuration.

I own all three configurations for the short chassis (head, combo, and rackmount) so I can change between the three if I so desire though I have yet to rack it because I haven't felt the desire to as of yet.

I am fortunate to have owned the EVM-12L in the combo so that I may be pumped up. I make all you girly men wish you had a physique like mine... Truth be told, The combo with the EVM is about as heavy as a long 2x12 combo sporting other brands of speakers (Celestion, Emminence, what have you).

I like the fact that the head sits lower and can hide under a blanket in the extracab seat of my truck or sitting front to back the longway on the front seat between the driver and passenger like an armrest.

I like the fact that since my combo cabinet has wheels it rolls where I want it to.

I like the big feet on the head cabinet but do not like the black circles that they can create.

I probably would have would have voted for the head due to reduced tube life in the combo and the stylish looks sitting atop my 4x12 cabinet. The combo's open back setup is something I can work around because my Thiele is actually tuneable with it's back door feature allowing you to choose the amount of openbackedness ( <------ just made that word up do you like it?) and it has an additional panel that you can tune the front ports with also.

 

[aenigma]

When you say you get less tube life out of the combo do you mean when running it through the combo speaker and not a cab?That would make sense since you are turning the amp up more since it is one speaker, but if you are outputting to a cab then tube life should be the same.I haven't needed to change my tubes in my combo since I got it and its been about a year.

Although I am really thinking about trying some JJ tubes to get a smoother tone.These to be precise:
"Description: A pair of JJ 6L6GC's for depth and punch and a pair of JJ E34L's for crunch. For the front end 5 JJ ECC83S's, 4 hand picked high gain tubes for V1, V2, V3 and V4, and a balanced ECC83S for V5. For players after the Petrucci or Satrani tone."

Anybody try these in their Mark IV?

 

[darkbluemurder]

Both have their pros and cons. From a technical perspective the head is better since the tubes do not get as much vibration from the speaker. Dito for portability if you need the power.

The combo's plus is the compactness.

 

[Tuna141]

I had to vote for the combo due to it's versitility.

I simply stick my my combo on top of a closed back 4x12 and then mic both combo's 1/2back speaker and a speaker in the closed back. This set-up gives you the best of both and gets your combo up to ear level.

I also like the tone of a combo mated with a Thiele on the bottom. It's compact, yet still puts out some decent low end.

Actually either a head or combo is a good choice