2 Amps, 1 Cab...?

delorean

Maybe a very silly question but can this be done?

i.e - My Blackstar Series One head and my Marshall DSL50 sharing my Zilla Fatboy 2x12 cab?  I was wondering if there was some kind of ABY type of switch to do so.

My 2x12 only has one speaker jack, so I'm hoping there's a a pedal that'll feed both amps into the speaker and allow me to select which amp I'm using by stomping.

Or is this wishful thinking?

professorben

I think the Radial Headbone Switcher does it. 

professorben

http://www.tonebone.com/headbone.php

professorben

TBH it's bloody expensive. 

I personally would Rewire the cab to stereo, add a jack socket and run each head as a 1x12 
giving the option of two amps at once from a simple A/B/Y Switcher. 

Bright onion could knock you one up for buttons comparatively speaking.  

delorean

professorben said:

TBH it's bloody expensive. 

I personally would Rewire the cab to stereo, add a jack socket and run each head as a 1x12 
giving the option of two amps at once from a simple A/B/Y Switcher. 

Bright onion could knock you one up for buttons comparatively speaking.  

Thanks for the feedback!  I know nothing about wiring but I have a friend who could do this for me.

So if I got this done, when only 1 amp is selected will the sound still come from both speakers, or would it only come from one?

professorben

delorean said:

professorben said:

TBH it's bloody expensive. 

I personally would Rewire the cab to stereo, add a jack socket and run each head as a 1x12 
giving the option of two amps at once from a simple A/B/Y Switcher. 

Bright onion could knock you one up for buttons comparatively speaking.  

Thanks for the feedback!  I know nothing about wiring but I have a friend who could do this for me.

So if I got this done, when only 1 amp is selected will the sound still come from both speakers, or would it only come from one?

Only one. 
Afaik you can't connect two output transformers to one load as you would end up back feeding into the the unused transformer. 

Bad juju. 

The headbone works by effectively having a loop in which your amps input and output sit, shutting off both at the same time, I think. 

@ICBM ;
@ecc83 ;
over to you gents. 

steamabacus

You can't use a simple A/B switcher as the non-selected head will still need a resistive load across the output to avoid damage. This is why a suitable switcher will cost somewhat more than a standard signal-level switcher.

I think Ampete do something for two heads and two cabs in any combination but, again, probably quite pricey.

The alternative would be to use a normal switcher but you MUST make sure both amps are in standby when you switch and the non-active amp MUST remain in standby when not connected to the cab. Remember though, accidental mistakes do happen.

delorean

steamabacus said:

You can't use a simple A/B switcher as the non-selected head will still need a resistive load across the output to avoid damage. This is why a suitable switcher will cost somewhat more than a standard signal-level switcher.

I think Ampete do something for two heads and two cabs in any combination but, again, probably quite pricey.

The alternative would be to use a normal switcher but you MUST make sure both amps are in standby when you switch and the non-active amp MUST remain in standby when not connected to the cab. Remember though, accidental mistakes do happen.

Hmmm this is way more complex than I had pictured in my head!  I wanted to use the Marshall for rhythm and flick to the Blackstar for leads, so switching to standby before changing wouldn't be practical sadly.

Oh well, back to the drawing board!  Thanks for your input guys

professorben

Get a stereo 4x12?

delorean

Would love to my my car is approaching terminal capacity at the moment with my gear - and that's using a 2x12

Cabicular

I used to use 2 orange  1x12s
neo cream backs in them
small and light

robinbowes

@delorean I have a Headbone that I'm not using and would sell for £175. It's boxed and in excellent condition.

PM me if interested.

R.

ecc83

"So if I got this done, when only 1 amp is selected will the sound still come from both speakers, or would it only come from one?"

 Electrically the sound will only come from one speaker. However, in 2x12 the undriven cone will act as a 'passive radiator' and will add something to the proceedings in terms of tone if not level but since the level drop is only 3dB (assuming two amps together deliver the same power each) I doubt it would be noticed in a band situation unless you are using radically different voicings from the two amps.

Dave.

ICBM

Having only one speaker driven can sometimes sound odd - the undriven speaker acting as a passive radiator is usually out of phase with the driven one, so you can get a slightly 'notchy' or 'hollow' sound… although sometimes you don't really notice, it depends on the exact cab and speakers. You also need to be careful with power ratings - each speaker needs to be capable of handling the power of each amp, rather than the cabinet as a whole. If it works OK it's definitely the simplest solution for a compact set-up though.

earwighoney

delorean said:

Maybe a very silly question but can this be done?

i.e - My Blackstar Series One head and my Marshall DSL50 sharing my Zilla Fatboy 2x12 cab?  I was wondering if there was some kind of ABY type of switch to do so.

My 2x12 only has one speaker jack, so I'm hoping there's a a pedal that'll feed both amps into the speaker and allow me to select which amp I'm using by stomping.

Or is this wishful thinking?

Seems like an excuse to buy another cab. 

delorean

robinbowes said:

@delorean I have a Headbone that I'm not using and would sell for £175. It's boxed and in excellent condition.

PM me if interested.

R.

Thanks Robin, I think I'll have to hold fire for the moment, I wasn't expecting this daft idea of mine to have much of a price tag!!  Will definitely let you know if anything changes though

delorean

earwighoney said:

delorean said:

Maybe a very silly question but can this be done?

i.e - My Blackstar Series One head and my Marshall DSL50 sharing my Zilla Fatboy 2x12 cab?  I was wondering if there was some kind of ABY type of switch to do so.

My 2x12 only has one speaker jack, so I'm hoping there's a a pedal that'll feed both amps into the speaker and allow me to select which amp I'm using by stomping.

Or is this wishful thinking?

Seems like an excuse to buy another cab. 

and a bigger car!

robinbowes

delorean said:

robinbowes said:

@delorean I have a Headbone that I'm not using and would sell for £175. It's boxed and in excellent condition.

PM me if interested.

R.

Thanks Robin, I think I'll have to hold fire for the moment, I wasn't expecting this daft idea of mine to have much of a price tag!!  Will definitely let you know if anything changes though

No worries. It's here if you want it, and does exactly what you want.

R.