Amp question

B

baker_

yeah, newbie works fine.
I've read and experimented with raising guitar amplifiers off the ground to get a better sound, but I have a few questions.

1. Why exactly does raising it off the ground make a difference?
2. How far off the ground should an amp be to start making a difference? (for example, would an amp on casters make any difference?)
3. If I have another amp on top of the amp I am recording, is that going to affect the sound? If so, how?

I have been experimenting the last couple of days on getting good guitar sound from my amps, and I can't seem to get my Fender Stage 160 to sound good. It's pretty heavy, and it's on casters, so instead of trying to heave it on top of another amp or something, I decided to ask a few questions. I have had success with a few set ups, and have learned that smaller amps often sound better.
 
The reason for getting the amp off the ground is to escape the 'boundary effect' that causes emphasized bass freqs. It's the same thing that makes your stereo speakers have so much bass if you stick them in the corner. I'm not sure how high you have to raise them to get away from that but I'd think a foot or so would do it. The amp on top isn't gonna be as much of an issue because the thing you're trying to get away from is having the amp sitting on a huge surface like the floor. An amp on top isn't the same thing at all and while it may have some effect .... it's a totally different issue.
 
bob's right as for the why.

as for height, just put it on a wooden chair or barstool or something. that's sufficient.


cheers,
wade
 
Yep, a good sturdy chair (or 2 side by side for really heavy amps) is a fairly standard hight to raise an amp off the floor. This helps cut down on a lot of boominess. Other things you might try are, sitting the amp more toward the center of the room, and at an angle to the wall instead of paralell to a wall. If you have an open back amp the different locations in a room will alter the sound a little more than a closed back amp.
 
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