Back-up amp

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GulliverGulliver Frets: 848
What do people take as a back-up if their amp dies?  I could take a spare head, but I currently take amp, 2x12, PA and lights with me to gigs, something smaller would be ideal. I've considered an HX stomp to chuck into the PA, but that feels like a sledgehammer to crack a walnut.  I could go HX Stomp for all amp tones but I'm irrationally attached to bits of glass and air movement when playing live.

is there something obvious I'm missing?
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Comments

  • relic245relic245 Frets: 944
    I take a peavey bandit. 

    Maybe a bit ott but it's what I use at rehearsal to save taking a big heavy amp so I'm totally used to it.  Also I have room in the car which makes it easier. 
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  • GulliverGulliver Frets: 848
    relic245 said:
     Also I have room in the car which makes it easier. 
    That genuinely is my only problem with bringing a second amp - my car currently fits everything perfectly  (well, my hot-weather fan goes in the passenger footwell, but that's not in there every gig) and whilst I could downsize the 2x12 I absolutely love how it sounds...
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  • MajorscaleMajorscale Frets: 1553
    I take a Two Notes Cab M+.  Under normal circumstances it’s a speaker emulator DI connected to the mixer for monitoring. If my valve amp ever failed it would take over full amp and cab modelling duties. A lot easier than lugging a second amp around.
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  • AntonHunterAntonHunter Frets: 916
    Joyo American Sound for a straight-to-PA solution for emergencies. Cheap and lightweight!

    Spare heads don't have to be huge though,  I've recently got myself a Quilter Superblock US for home practice and small gigs, but have been taking it with me as a spare head, and the speaker sim XLR out is decent enough too 
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  • KeefyKeefy Frets: 2272
    edited April 2022
    I take a Markbass Nano 300 head. It serves as spare bass head, spare guitar amp (using the speaker in my combo), and on one occasion the power amp for one side of the PA.

    It’s pretty poor as a guitar amp, so I also have a Bad Monkey pedal set to low gain that I can put after my pedal board.
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  • GrunfeldGrunfeld Frets: 4028
    JI've recently got myself a Quilter Superblock US...
    Oh they are great.  I take a Quilter as a spare and last night the bass player did the whole gig using his Quilter which he brings as a spare.  Great little amps. 
    To be fair all you need is a get-out-of-jail solution and before the Quilter I used an Orange micro terror which fitted the bill perfectly for the once or twice I needed it.  [for sale too, PM if anyone's interested, don't want much for it.]
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  • sw67sw67 Frets: 228
    edited April 2022
    I was using a helix with in ear monitors but a band line up change means it suits me better to take my amp. I still take the helix for back up as it would cover the bass player as well.
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  • ICBMICBM Frets: 71960
    Spare valves and fuses if using a valve amp, and a Mesa V-Twin pedal to go direct to the PA or any other available amp (even not a guitar one) if the fault is more serious than that.

    If I really needed a full replacement amp (power amp and speaker) then I’d take my Peavey Studio Pro as well as my Mesa.

    "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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  • CaseOfAceCaseOfAce Frets: 1307
    Orange Micro Terror (apols to ICBM !!) mini head. Obviously you need an amp where the speaker has a jack to unplug from the amp to your backup head.
    ...she's got Dickie Davies eyes...
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  • Jimbro66Jimbro66 Frets: 2418
    I used to use an Ethos Overdrive Amp: Pedal format that can be used as a very flexible 2-channel overdrive pre-amp, which is how I normally used it, but also has an integral 30w amp to optionally power any speaker setup. It saved the day more than once.
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  • gjonesygjonesy Frets: 145
    H&K ampman/stomp man could be an option. Nice and small so hopefully you’d find some space for it.
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  • thomasw88thomasw88 Frets: 2316
    Best one I've found is a quilter toneblock or problock.

    They aren't cheap. BUT they can plug into a cab or go direct to PA very easily and work brilliantly with pedals.  I also use it for rehearsals and have done loads of gigs with it if I can't be bothered taking a full amp setup, or for multi band gigs.

    I'm also using a humboldt simplifier at the moment which I've got to say I am liking a lot.
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  • Line 6 Spider combo. Perfectly possible to get a useable just-on-the-edge-of-crunch sound that will work fine for a wedding band when mic'ed through a PA. 

    I have gigged with it when my main amp has been in repair. I am sure most of us have that one dream tone in our head that eludes us most of the time, and for sure I am not likely to find mine residing in this amp, but for a passable sound in a wedding band, the Line 6 does the job.

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  • ElectricXIIElectricXII Frets: 1077
    For my cover band I'm running an AC15 mostly, and where possible I bring a Deluxe Reverb, either to run as a clean amp along with the Vox, venue permitting, or as a spare. I also bring a box of valves, however changing valves on the AC15 takes much longer than on the Fender.

    I've also been looking at the Vox MV50 AC as a back up to my Vox combo but haven't seen one secondhand yet at a decent price.
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  • FezFez Frets: 499
    I take a flyrig but I also have a dod screaming blues which like the bad monkey has an emulated output.
    Don't touch that dial.
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  • chunkmonkchunkmonk Frets: 49
    Recently invested in a used Torpedo Cab M+ as a back up for gigs and having used it a few times for rehearsals to get used to it ‘live’ I’m seriously impressed with how versatile it is when used in connection with my pedalboard direct into a PA.
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  • jdbwalesjdbwales Frets: 309
    I use a Blackstar HT5 as a backup for my HT50 head - tiny, light, onboard reverb and fx loop, output for di-ing into the PA. All bases covered.
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  • CaseOfAceCaseOfAce Frets: 1307
    I've come round to thinking that the perfect back up amp is a small lightweight 10 or 12 inch speaker / 15 watt combo with a basic channel set to break up.

    In the heat of battle with a packed dancefloor / full bar - the last thing I need to be doing is unplugging speaker leads at the back of amps, finding and hooking up power supplies on cramped, tiny stages and getting a back up head working.
    And don't even think about diagnosing faulty tubes and replacing them after taking off tube cages, back panels!? No chance!  =)

    Which is why something like a Fender Pro Junior makes a lot of sense - apart from the ridonkulous prices these days...
    ...she's got Dickie Davies eyes...
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  • dcgdcg Frets: 228
    Ethos Clean ll amp (i.e. the version with the built in 30 watt amp).  If my main amp has/had collapsed, I plug the Ethos into my usual speaker cabinet and pedalboard.  The Custom Tones preamps and amps are really great, and very small and light.  Please don't be put off by the solid state build; although my drive pedal has a valve in it, for my sound I'm sure I can get everything I want from the Ethos (and no one would know there was no warm glass in sight).  Check out Rodney Gene Jr's videos of the Clean ll... 
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  • HAL9000HAL9000 Frets: 9551
    CaseOfAce said:
    I've come round to thinking that the perfect back up amp is a small lightweight 10 or 12 inch speaker / 15 watt combo with a basic channel set to break up.

    In the heat of battle with a packed dancefloor / full bar - the last thing I need to be doing is unplugging speaker leads at the back of amps, finding and hooking up power supplies on cramped, tiny stages and getting a back up head working.
    And don't even think about diagnosing faulty tubes and replacing them after taking off tube cages, back panels!? No chance!  =)

    Which is why something like a Fender Pro Junior makes a lot of sense - apart from the ridonkulous prices these days...
    This is exactly why I just throw an old Katana 50 into the boot. Not the world’s greatest amp, but weighs next to nothing, didn’t cost a lot, and would get me through a gig.
    I play guitar because I enjoy it rather than because I’m any good at it
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