Using a second amp as a 'drive' channel?

Hattigol

Does anyone do this? I have a Vox AC15 HW1X, which sounds great on its own. For solos, I boost it with a TC Spark (and/or a J Rockett Archer). But I love the idea of getting a second (small, overdriven) amp, an A/B/Y pedal and basically kicking the second amp in over the top of the first. There's a gorgeous Rift 5w amp here which would fit the bill.

Thoughts welcomed? Downsides (other than lugging an extra amp around)?

musteatbrain

I do this at home with up to 3 amps.
I reckon a combination of cost, lugging, venue space and potential phase issues are what put most people off doing it at a gig

Hattigol

musteatbrain said:

I do this at home with up to 3 amps.
I reckon a combination of cost, lugging, venue space and potential phase issues are what put most people off doing it at a gig

Phase issues?

kennedydream1980

Alot of good info here:

Hick81

Do it! Playing in a 3 piece originals band I played through a Fender Princeton for the cleans and a Marshall 1974x for the drive. Had them split stereo style on the stage left and right. I’d either run them together just for the tone or kick one in for chorus’ - It was like a second guitarist kicking in. 

I found that when I tried overdrives and distortions with the Princeton the tone changed too noticeably, so it worked well for me.

ICBM

Most pro guitarists do this, for a good reason - it means the two amps can be mic'ed separately and given separate channels on the desk, each of which the sound engineer can set just right in the FOH mix so nothing needs to be changed when the player switches sounds.

The problem with using a single channel-switching amp, or a clean amp with a pedal, which is then mic'ed and fed to one channel on the desk, is that if the tone or volume jump when switched isn't quite right in the FOH mix - even if it sounds right to the player on stage - then the sound engineer will have to re-adjust the desk every time the player switches... which is a right pain!

You'll usually find that players who use both channels of a channel-switching amp actually have two amps set up, one permanently on each channel, for the same reason.

Dominic

Its the best way to do it........great sound and big versatile spread of sound.

pintspiller

I don't think I read about it beforehand, but I interviewed Buffalo Tom after their Birdbrain album and was told he kicked in an additional stack for solos etc. Sounds like the best way to use a single channel amp. Provided you got roadies.

timmysoft

The main problem is sound guys. 

Most struggle to Mic one amp so with two you’re just asking for a bad time. 

It sounds great if you have a soundman that knows the band and the sounds, but if not it’s just a mismatched collection of volumes.

StuartMac290

I've done it off and on for years. A long while ago I had a pair of Twins and a pair of JCM800 half stacks on stage. That were fun.

One of my favourite recent set-ups has been a Tone King Imperial for cleans and a Lazy J J20 for dirt. Again, fun.

p90fool

I do it on and off, depending on the venue and the engineer. 

I used to confuse a lot of them when I had a Marshall half stack for cleans and a pair of Fender combos for dirt.

ICBM

timmysoft said:

The main problem is sound guys. 

Most struggle to Mic one amp so with two you’re just asking for a bad time. 

It sounds great if you have a soundman that knows the band and the sounds, but if not it’s just a mismatched collection of volumes.

That's very true, but the odd thing is that with a tiny amount of extra effort at the start, it makes things much easier for them in the end, even if they don't know the band. A lot of the complaints about sound engineers seem to have this as a common feature - bad sound engineers make extra work for themselves and then resent it, good sound engineers find out what the band wants and then everyone has a better gig...