Decisions, decisions — Half-stacks or combos?

J

jndietz

The Way It Moves
Long story short:

I own a Marshall cabinet (the cheapy) and a ValveKing 100 watt head. I love how it sounds, I hate moving it around and its almost entirely way too loud for the venues we play at. I'm considering selling ValveKing head and buying a ValveKing 212 and putting the Celestions from the Marshall in the 212 combo. It would be easier to move around, and although it may still be loud, it probably won't be as loud as the half-stack.

Or do you guys have any other suggestions on 212 combos in that price range with two channels? I heard the VK 212 combo sounds great with different speakers in it. I thought about a Fender Twin... I think that would get too pricey for me.

Just looking for some advice here, thanks guys.
 
The Valveking 2x12 is still 100 watts. Unless you need that much headroom, try something with a little less wattage.

Also, check out Peavey's Classic series - all of the classic i've tried have sound really good. I have a classic 20 and delta blues here right now (not mine) and i've been getting a lot of great sound from them just straight up. I used to own a classic 30 and it was great - also takes to pedals very well.
 
+1 on the lower wattage --or rather saner wattage-- peaveys. You shouldn't need anything over 30 tube watts until you're playing Giants Stadium. I have a 100 Watt ampeg 212 that I am pretty certain I will *never* use for anything other than a bass amp.

A valveking combo will be just as overpowering through two nice 12's as it is through your marshall, for all intents and purposes.

Traynor makes some fine tube amps. Genz Benz makes some great ones. You'll probably have better access to try out the Peaveys, however. You can never go wrong with peavey if you play any kind of rock. So maybe stick with what you know.

Stacks make more sense with Bass Amps since you need 100 tube or 300 solid state watts to even play bar gigs. Weight really becomes a factor, which is why I sold my best bass combo off. But 30 tube watts will rock your school auditorum or bar or wherever, so a combo makes sense. Especially with two tens or two twelves.

And you don't *need* two channels. Some basic drive or boost or distortion pedal and a simple touch of the volume knob should get you what you need.


HMMMM..... I'm wondering if there are tube substitutions to bring back the power of your VK head... then you could just swap out your cab for an avatar 212 or something.
 
Obi-Wan zenabI said:
HMMMM..... I'm wondering if there are tube substitutions to bring back the power of your VK head... then you could just swap out your cab for an avatar 212 or something.
Click to expand...

That's a really good idea and something that isn't mentioned very often. Instead of shelling out the cash for a new amp if you already like the one you have, why not try lowering the output with different tubes and speakers.

I've seen those THD yellowjacket things that let you use different tubes, but I don't know enough about tube types to give any credible information.
 
My. 02. I prefer seperate head and cabinet. That way you can mix and match cabinets. I do own a Classic 30 combo which I really like. 30 watts is pretty loud but nonetheless, I take great please using my Dsl 100 into a 4x12. Too loud for most venues but fun nonetheless. Once again the flexibility of seperate head and cab is great. You shoulnd't automatically think high (100 watt) head; get a small head and a seperate cab, say a 1 or 2x12. Also the separates are easier to tote around.
 
You could also get a 2x12 cabinet, put the preferred 12s in it, and get a power attenuator. Never done it myself, just another thought, and it would spare you having to switch heads, or go completely combo. :)

Honestly, I'd suggest that simply because a 2x12 cab isn't going to weigh a ton, and a head by itself is portable. I have a Fender Blues DeVille, which has a 65 watt all-tube head, as well as 4x10" speakers built into a combo. It is barely "portable", hehe
 
Small is good! If you need volume stick a mic in front of the combo and run it through the PA. Big amps are like drunken elephants - go where they want and make lots of noise but everyone else in the band has to accommodate them.
 
Call me the ignorant fool, but couldn't you just turn your amp down? Or is there a sweet spot on the volume knob that you like, where the sound quality is just 'perfect'?
 
Mesa Dual Rectifier Rectoverb 2x12 combo. You won't find a more versatile or better sounding amp, unless you go to the Mesa Road King combo. Don't mess around with Peavey's or any of that other limited tone stuff. You can usually find a Rectoveb 2x12 for around $1000 on ebay. They are built like a brick, so the worry about buying a used lemon is taken out of the mix. You can buy a lesser amp, but will end up chasing your "perfect" tone to the tune of thousands of dollars. Don't mess around, and end up buying a dozen amps before you find the "right one". Just buy the Mesa. You can change the tubes from 6L6's to EL34's without having to have it biosed if you want a dirtier "Marshall" type overdrive instead of the Mesa crunch. OR if you go with the Mesa Road King you can switch back and forth between the 6L6's, and EL34's via foot switch, or combine the 2. The Road King also has both a parallel, and in-line effects loops. Mesa's are still hand made, and if by an outside chance you do have a problem, when you call for support you get an actually live tech that is on the floor building amps (just try to get support from Marshall).

Here is a link to a Mesa Tremoverb (pretty much the same as a Rectoverb).

http://cgi.ebay.com/MESA-BOOGIE-DUA...ryZ43374QQssPageNameZWDVWQQrdZ1QQcmdZViewItem
 
Randall MTS 2X12 combo. Most versatile amp on the planet...........

Or, if you can swing the extra dough, get the preamp and combo amplifier that can switch between el34's and 6L6s.....
 
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