Back up amp

Jalapeno

ICBM said:

Jalapeno said:

Something SS that you don't ever have to worry about.

There is nothing that applies to, not even a Peavey Bandit. You always need to have a backup strategy even if it isn't a complete spare amp.

That WAS the backup strategy. 

I don't think whipping the back off an amp on stage is anyway practical unless you're ICBM.

ICBM

Jalapeno said:

That WAS the backup strategy. 

Sorry, I misunderstood.

Jalapeno said:

I don't think whipping the back off an amp on stage is anyway practical unless you're ICBM.

It's actually far easier than you'd think, especially if the amp doesn't have a fully closed back. Might even be quicker than going out to the car for a backup and having to set it up etc.

The easiest (though not cheapest) and most foolproof which doesn't need any diagnostic skill is to simply carry a complete set of valves and fuses - if the amp dies, change all of them and try again. If it still doesn't work then you need your alternative backup strategy anyway. If it does you can figure out which valve was faulty later...

not_the_dj

I always have my Orange Micro Terror with me at gigs. I also use two 2x12 cabs so with my main amp head that effectively gives me two complete rigs that could get me through the night.

skay

I subscribe to the @ICBM method, I take a spare quad of EL84s and recitfier valve when I play live with my AC30. If one of the preamp valves go I can just nick from the reverb positions as I don't use it on my amp. Along with spare fuses and different sizes of screwdrivers, i'm hopefully ready for any break-downs on stage. 

The only issues is waiting for the valves to cool down enough to handle them, but by the time i've unplugged things, laid my amp on its back on the floor, removed all the screws from the side of the cabinet, loosened the kettle lead clip, unhooked the reverb midi lead thing and slipped the amp out of the cabinet, then they should already be halfway there! Cue the crowd chorus of "Why are we waiting?"

I would still maybe like an Orange Micro terror for spare though, as I imagine playing that through the two Celestion blue speakers would actually sound pretty cool, probably better than those Electro Harmonix pedal amp things.

Jalapeno

ZT Lunchbox would be a tidy little spare to have to hand

ROOG

Skay said:

I would still maybe like an Orange Micro terror for spare though, as I imagine playing that through the two Celestion blue speakers would actually sound pretty cool, probably better than those Electro Harmonix pedal amp things.

Having tried my micro terror through a 4x12 I can say that It wasn't half bad.

Barney

i just carry a roland cube 60...nice and portable and dosnt mind getting knocked about a bit...

hotpickups

Well this thread I started is proving to be popular. I am surprised though that no one suggested just taking the jack/lead from out of the pedals whicj normally would have gone yo the amp and putting it into the jack socket on the mixer/PA. Is that not advisable?

ICBM

hotpickups said:

Well this thread I started is proving to be popular. I am surprised though that no one suggested just taking the jack/lead from out of the pedals whicj normally would have gone yo the amp and putting it into the jack socket on the mixer/PA. Is that not advisable?

No - not unless the pedalboard has some sort of speaker emulation on it. If you're using any sort of dirty sound, it will sound horrible - buzzy and boomy at the same time - and with a lower-powered 'vocal PA' type setup there's a real risk of damaging the PA speakers.

Some pedals do have speaker emulation - the Bad Monkey and other Digitech pedals from that series, and Blackstar HT series for example - and any multi-FX with 'amp modelling' built in should.

If you want to hear what it would sound like without, listen to any Mike Oldfield recording - he actually likes that sound, and it does seem to work in the context of his music, but for anything more rock-band related it's really not going to sound good.

wrinkleygit

In the past when when my old fender went bang in the middle of a gig, I went straight from my pedal board into the PA, not ideal but it got me thro the night, recently picked up a roland cube 30 to use as a practise amp & actually did a small village hall gig with a drummer & bass player, it was just about on it's limit volume wise but using the fender black face setting the sound quality was not bad & best of all it weighs next to nothing. mike b.

skay

ROOG said:

Skay said:

I would still maybe like an Orange Micro terror for spare though, as I imagine playing that through the two Celestion blue speakers would actually sound pretty cool, probably better than those Electro Harmonix pedal amp things.

Having tried my micro terror through a 4x12 I can say that It wasn't half bad.

Hmmmm, they're so cool looking and quite cheap, sounds like a perfect present to myself...

Ahhhhh, I thought my GAS had gone for new stuff, @ROOG look at what you've done! ;P

hotpickups

Thanks. That talked me out of that idea then. Really loved the blues junior I tried today. As a mentioned a bit pricey but I've seen them go for a reasonable. price. Although it is another box to lug around etc. So I'll check out the others mentioned here as a smaller alternative.

skay;55140" said:

ROOG said:

Skay said:

I would still maybe like an Orange Micro terror for spare though, as I imagine playing that through the two Celestion blue speakers would actually sound pretty cool, probably better than those Electro Harmonix pedal amp things.Having tried my micro terror through a 4x12 I can say that It wasn't half bad.





Hmmmm, they're so cool looking and quite cheap, sounds like a perfect present to myself...

Ahhhhh, I thought my GAS had gone for new stuff, @ROOG look at what you've done! ;P

ICBM

wrinkleygit said:

In the past when when my old fender went bang in the middle of a gig, I went straight from my pedal board into the PA, not ideal but it got me thro the night

Mike Oldfield Tone is better than an unamplified electric guitar .

If you really have to do it, you can usually get away with it if the PA has enough EQ - three-band gives you at least a fighting chance... turn the treble right off, the middle up full and the bass to a bit below halfway and see how it sounds, then adjust if necessary. If it has a sweep mid you can usually dial it in quite well. Assuming the soundman wants to let you do it of course...!

(Mike Oldfield is actually one of my favourite artists by the way... but I'd struggle to use his sound for most of the things I do.)

ROOG

hotpickups said:

Thanks. That talked me out of that idea then. Really loved the blues junior I tried today. As a mentioned a bit pricey but I've seen them go for a reasonable. price. Although it is another box to lug around etc. So I'll check out the others mentioned here as a smaller alternative.

skay;55140" said:

ROOG said:

Skay said:

I would still maybe like an Orange Micro terror for spare though, as I imagine playing that through the two Celestion blue speakers would actually sound pretty cool, probably better than those Electro Harmonix pedal amp things.Having tried my micro terror through a 4x12 I can say that It wasn't half bad.





Hmmmm, they're so cool looking and quite cheap, sounds like a perfect present to myself...

Ahhhhh, I thought my GAS had gone for new stuff, @ROOG look at what you've done! ;P

I did mean as a back up! I have a Blues jr III which I prefer

hotpickups

Blues junior is now in my want list. Have to start saving and hope my gigging amp holds out til then

meltedbuzzbox

+1 for a pod/zoom of some kind.

It fits in a bag and can go straight through the PA. Why drag another amp to a gig?

hotpickups

Not quite sure how the pod works. I would still want to use my pedals so can the pod fit in situ somewhere to enable me to use them etc?

meltedbuzzbox;55357" said:

+1 for a pod/zoom of some kind.It fits in a bag and can go straight through the PA. Why drag another amp to a gig?

stickyfiddle

hotpickups said:

Not quite sure how the pod works. I would still want to use my pedals so can the pod fit in situ somewhere to enable me to use them etc?

meltedbuzzbox;55357" said:

+1 for a pod/zoom of some kind.It fits in a bag and can go straight through the PA. Why drag another amp to a gig?

Yeah, you'd just put it in your chain in place of the amp, then DI the POD's output to the desk. 

hotpickups

Any extra cables ill need stickyfiddle I.e. do they come with the pod?

stickyfiddle;55433" said:

hotpickups said:

Not quite sure how the pod works. I would still want to use my pedals so can the pod fit in situ somewhere to enable me to use them etc?

meltedbuzzbox;55357" said:+1 for a pod/zoom of some kind.It fits in a bag and can go straight through the PA. Why drag another amp to a gig?







Yeah, you'd just put it in your chain in place of the amp, then DI the POD's output to the desk. 

hotpickups

Which would be suitable the pod or pod 2.0? Or is it just more features but both would get me through a gig etc?