Running Two Amps

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MrBumpMrBump Frets: 1244
This is probably a really stupid question - but what's the best way of running 2 amps?

I currently have 2 complete rigs set up - an Egnater Renegade into a 2x12, and a 40 watt Tweaker.  Both have their own pedal board, and I use the fx loop on both.

Is there a cool way of using the best bits of both?  Or do I just need to use a single board, ditch the loop, and take an out from my Chorus Ensemble or delay pedal?
Mark de Manbey

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  • HaychHaych Frets: 5594
    Just use an ABY switcher in front of your pedal boards if you want to keep your current config but switch between the two, or even combine the two.

    I used to use a Morley Tripler to run two amps, worked great.

    Other switching options are available though.  You could use the preamp out on one amp to send to the power amp of the second amp, if your amps have the required connectivity.

    Another option is to use a pedal that has split outs to send to both amps simultaneously.

    Running two amps together is great though, enjoy!

    There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

    Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

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  • OssyrocksOssyrocks Frets: 1673
    I use a Radial Twin City ABY. Works great for running two amps and switching between the two, or both on at once. It's buffered so you get no signal loss when splitting the signal.

    Rob.
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  • MrBumpMrBump Frets: 1244
    Thanks - isn't there any attenuation with an ABY pedal though?  I would have thought it would change the way a pick up drives an amp, if you're effectively splitting the signal?
    Mark de Manbey

    Trading feedback:  http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/72424/
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  • HaychHaych Frets: 5594
    MrBump said:
    Thanks - isn't there any attenuation with an ABY pedal though?  I would have thought it would change the way a pick up drives an amp, if you're effectively splitting the signal?
    I can't comment for anything other than the Morley Tripler I used, but it has it's own boost dial, so you can run it anything from unity to +6db I think - I could be wrong on that though - I still have it somewhere so I'll have to dig it out and take look what the max boost level is.

    A passive switcher might suffer with signal loss if sending the signal in two different directions but I'm only guessing since I've never used one.

    There is no 'H' in Aych, you know that don't you? ~ Wife

    Turns out there is an H in Haych! ~ Sporky

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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    MrBump said:
    Thanks - isn't there any attenuation with an ABY pedal though?  I would have thought it would change the way a pick up drives an amp, if you're effectively splitting the signal?
    No, because the same signal voltage is still seen by both amps - virtually no current is drawn so the same pickup will drive both amps equally. There is a very slight loss caused by the input impedances being paralleled (500K instead of the usual 1M) and the capacitances of the two cables will take off a little more top-end than just one, but it's very marginal.

    After that it's just a case of how complicated you want to make it - if you want, you can have pedals in front of both amps, pedals in the loops of both amps - the same, or different ones - and run both amp preamps either separately or in parallel into both power amps separately or in parallel... with the effects either in dual mono or summed stereo. Are you Dave Gilmour or The Edge? :)

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • MrBumpMrBump Frets: 1244
    Thanks, guys.

    So in terms of making use of stereo pedals...  

    I will get an ABY pedal, as that sounds like a dead sensible thing to have.

    How would 2 separate fx loops play with a stereo chorus pedal, for example?  Can you chain fx loops together in some way?  Or that as @ICBM has suggested getting a little Gilmour/Edgy?
    Mark de Manbey

    Trading feedback:  http://www.thefretboard.co.uk/discussion/72424/
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    MrBump said:

    How would 2 separate fx loops play with a stereo chorus pedal, for example?  Can you chain fx loops together in some way?  Or that as @ICBM has suggested getting a little Gilmour/Edgy?
    If you want the chorus pedal to work in stereo, you will need to either simply run it in front of both amps and not use the loops, or to essentially use the two amps' preamps as 'overdrive pedals', then mix them together, go to the chorus, then back to the power amps of both amps. This would allow you to switch between the two amps if you use them for different sounds, but have the result come out of both sets of speakers.

    The Boss LS-2 would work well as a switcher/combiner for the two amps. But it's still going to be a lot of cabling! You may also run into ground loop problems - worse than the normal ones you may get with two amps.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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  • BebopperBebopper Frets: 129
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  • EricTheWearyEricTheWeary Frets: 16253
    Bebopper said:
    Not that I understand this but I was about to reference that. 

    Having wet dry or stereo set ups does seem a bit context specific. IIRC on one of his videos Pete Thorn was talking about running a wet dry set up in a trio which give him a huge sound but that was then completely the wrong thing when he got a gig in a bigger band. 
    Would be interesting to at least try though. 
    Tipton is a small fishing village in the borough of Sandwell. 
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71951
    Having wet dry or stereo set ups does seem a bit context specific. IIRC on one of his videos Pete Thorn was talking about running a wet dry set up in a trio which give him a huge sound but that was then completely the wrong thing when he got a gig in a bigger band.
    I found that too. In a bigger band mix the guitar needs to be focused rather than huge, or it just either gets buried in the mix or muddies everything else.

    "Take these three items, some WD-40, a vise grip, and a roll of duct tape. Any man worth his salt can fix almost any problem with this stuff alone." - Walt Kowalski

    "Just because I don't care, doesn't mean I don't understand." - Homer Simpson

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