Head/cab vs combo... whats the benefit?

D

darrvid

New member
So, other than being able to mix and match the head with other cabs, whats the benefit over that and a combo amp? I'm looking to sell my "starter" amp (a carvin 100w combo) for something else. I'm leaning towards orange amps, but that's all not really the point of this post. What I want to know is why I'd want to get a head/cab over a combo. I'm thinking of just buying a head and running it through the cab of my combo (I think thats possible, but haven't looked to be honest).

Anyway, whats the pros/cons?
 
Theres a huge difference in the sound of a 4x12 closed back cabinet (or a 2x12) vs. an open back combo amp, really depends alot on what you are looking for...I'de have to agree with tylerxxx that a cab definately has more punch but i'de love to have a Fender twin combo (but i wouldn't trade my Marshall stack for it)
 
hmm, hadn't thought about how the enclosure affects the sounds. guess I'll just have to try out the combo and compare to the stacks.
 
stratkat said:
Theres a huge difference in the sound of a 4x12 closed back cabinet (or a 2x12) vs. an open back combo amp, really depends alot on what you are looking for...I'de have to agree with tylerxxx that a cab definately has more punch but i'de love to have a Fender twin combo (but i wouldn't trade my Marshall stack for it)
Click to expand...

i'd like a fender twin, but that's a whole new world of sound, haha.
 
I like heads and cabinets for the following reasons:

1.You can easily mix and match amps and speakers. I know you can do this with combos, but it is MUCH easier with heads.
2. The amp can be remote from the cab, so you can tweak without having a blaring speaker in your ear. This means you can also put the amp in the control room and the cab in the tracking room.
3. They do look way cooler.
D. Heads are much easier to carry around and put in smaller places, like those awesome road cases. You can have a large amount of amps in one place wired up to a patch bay or something similar. You can then keep your cabs wired up in a similar way and just patch what you want when you want it.
5. You're not stuck with something, if you want more sounds you can buy a different cab or different head, etc.

I've got a bunch of cabinets just for those reasons. 1x12, 2x8, 2x12 closed back, 4x10 open back, 4x12 closed back, etc. Much easier than reaching around and up into a combo.

That said, there are some really cool combo amps, but for my money I'd get the head/cab.
 
Separately Heads and cabs are lighter! Aside from weight there's no real sound advantage (IMO) as you can change the speakers in your cab or combo, or add another cab (yeah it weighs more, but cosmetically speaking.... awesome!!!

seriously- open backs tend to push more mids and highs, closed cxabs more lows, ported/closed lots of low end

It's all in what your looking for.

I play a Mesa Combo with 4 - 10's and a separate bottom with 1 - 12 and 2 - 8's... why? I play a lot of slide and I want the high freq harmonics (ring) of the slide to carry thru and still get bottom end without it being boomy/muddy

If you're lucky you find the Holy Grail early on.... otherwise you buy and sell a lot of equipment!

Stainless
Sacramento
 
I have a Fender Cyber Twin and a Marshall Stack.

The Marshall rarely gets played because A) I rarely find myself in need of more power than the 60Wtt rms Fender. B) Carrying it up the basement steps (the stairs turn!) is no picnic C) The stack takes up more space...never know when you'll have to pack up more than you thought you did.

"dude...but it's a Marshall Stack!!!"

The Cyber Twin, A) I never have to guess if whoever broke down the equiptment packed the head and the cabs. B) You always need at least one speaker cable...minor detail... but easy to lose. C) You can get a LOT more tone out of a combo amp (effects too), not to mention if you're playing clubs and your speakers are mic'ed,your head/cab might sound great at a cranked volume, but thin at lower volume.



J.P.
 
Honestly...it all boils down to personal preference.

I have combos, and I have heads & cabs. For different situations, each has its own benefits and drawbacks. It just depends on what you're going to use the amp for.

Keep in mind that they also make closed-back combos as well.

Just pick the amp that suits your needs and ears the best...whether it be a combo or a head & cab.
 
SweetPee,
Can you clarify what you mean by you're able to get more tone out of a combo? I don't think that makes any sense!!!

Also, (not to anyone in particular) who said you need a 4x12 cabinet with a 100watt head? There are plenty of options out there for a smaller head that you can crank for club use. I dunno, but I'd still much rather have the ability to mix and match quickly and effectively.

Yes, you can mix and match with combos, but who does that? I know people that buy new speakers for their combos, but I'll be damned if I'm taking the time to swap speakers everytime I want a different sound.

Rory
 
stratkat said:
Theres a huge difference in the sound of a 4x12 closed back cabinet (or a 2x12) vs. an open back combo amp, really depends alot on what you are looking for...I'de have to agree with tylerxxx that a cab definately has more punch but i'de love to have a Fender twin combo (but i wouldn't trade my Marshall stack for it)
Click to expand...
I have a Fender Twin, red knob series combo and a Fender Dual Showman red knob which is the identical amp only in a head unit. I run the head through an openback 2 x12 cabinet that I made up. My preference is open back.
I have 2 Eminence Red White and Blues in it. Of the two I prefer the head cab as it is a tighter sound. I used to have the same speakers as the combo but preferred it then too. The Eminence speakers are the perfect mix for me. It is also easier to carry a head than a combo and at my age that is a big consideration, especially at 1 am when it is around 30oC+ (86oF). Although when I gig I have 3 amps, just 'cause I can.

Clive
 
tylerxxx said:
i'd like a fender twin, but that's a whole new world of sound, haha.
Click to expand...
I hear ya. I got one on order just waiting for fender to deliver it to australia... they have a not so good reputation here and deservedly it seems its been a month already..and still no sign :|
 
rory said:
SweetPee,
Can you clarify what you mean by you're able to get more tone out of a combo? I don't think that makes any sense!!!

Also, (not to anyone in particular) who said you need a 4x12 cabinet with a 100watt head? There are plenty of options out there for a smaller head that you can crank for club use.

Rory
Click to expand...

The more wattage/headroom you have available to drive each speaker will give it a punchier, more present tone, thus a 100 watt 2x12 combo often does sound better because its 2 speakers are being drivin much more efficiantly at 50 watts a piece than the same 100 watts being distributed amoung 4 speakers at only 25 watts a piece.

As for driving a 4x12 cab, you dont nessisarily always need 100 watts even though its most common. In fact some tube head owners actually prefer 50 watt heads because thier amp has to work harder and is able to hit its power tube sturation level (or sweet spot) much sooner and at lower volumes. Anything less than 50 watts may start to sound to anemic though.
 
Rory writes:

Can you clarify what you mean by you're able to get more tone out of a combo? I don't think that makes any sense!!!

NRS writes:
The more wattage/headroom you have available to drive each speaker will give it a punchier, more present tone, thus a 100 watt 2x12 combo often does sound better because its 2 speakers are being drivin much more efficiantly at 50 watts a piece than the same 100 watts being distributed amoung 4 speakers at only 25 watts a piece.

In addition to that response, the head/cab is usually made to play at higher volume.To my ears, a combo amp sounds better at a variety of volumes...especially on a clean setting.

J.P.
 
Ok. I would still disagree with you, but I'll agree to disagree.

There are plenty of heads that are quieter than a 100watt super lead, and there are some combos that are really damn loud. I think this is a case of, what works for one person might not work for the other.

Strictly speaking from a recording standpoint, I'd never want just one guitar or one amp/speaker combo. Just changing the cabinet on an amp will/can dramatically change its response. As far as something as subjective as tone is, my marshalls and "bassmen" have tons of tone. My little nano head has tons of tone, and is quiet quiet. I am a big fan of lower wattage heads because you can crank them at a fraction of the sound a 100watt marshall puts out. At this point, I think I'm rambling so I'll stop.

To the original poster, a combo amp offers you the portability that a head/cab MAY not (completely depends on the combo and the head/cab, take a 1x12 or 2x12 cab with a small univalve amp compared to a fender hot rod deville 4x10). And a head/cab MAY offer you the flexibility to quickly change variables.

Rory
 
NRS said:
The more wattage/headroom you have available to drive each speaker will give it a punchier, more present tone, thus a 100 watt 2x12 combo often does sound better because its 2 speakers are being drivin much more efficiantly at 50 watts a piece than the same 100 watts being distributed amoung 4 speakers at only 25 watts a piece.

As for driving a 4x12 cab, you dont nessisarily always need 100 watts even though its most common. In fact some tube head owners actually prefer 50 watt heads because thier amp has to work harder and is able to hit its power tube sturation level (or sweet spot) much sooner and at lower volumes. Anything less than 50 watts may start to sound to anemic though.
Click to expand...

See that signature pic? ;) That is a Marshall 412 loaded with 25 watt Greenbacks. Yes, 100 watt cab.

The amp is a THD BiValve. 30 watt amp. The thing is that I only have ONE 6K6 in the power tube section. I don't know my watts for these tubes offhand, but two of them would be like 5-8 watts if I recall. So even though my Greenbacks are not being pushed as hard as they could be (they may only be getting 1 watt each lol), it sounds 100 times better than any amp I have played or owned. And that watt break down is way less than most 100 watt heads going into 280 watt cabs.

Funny thing is, my amp is still loud enough to play with a drummer no problem. And has enough bass to piss off bass players until I roll off a little.

(yes, I know the dangers of running speakers WAY, WAY under wattage like I am doing, but I don't care, I will buy more speakers if I need to for this tone.)
 
There is a difference in sound since combo's have to have some opening in order for the amp to breath. To my knowledge, there is no closed off speker section in any combo I have ever seen, but I may be wrong on that.

I personally like a head and cab.
 
The thing I like about my head + Cabinet arrangment is that I can have the head away from the cabinet when recording & playing if needs be. SOMETIMES my superbass head really gets rattled & bumped when it's on the cab & playing at high vol. I like having the option of taking the head off & away from all the extra vibration.
Mind you my cab isn't a Marshall - it's an ETONE 200W single so I can't claim to have a Marshall stack & the single BIG cone does make for more movement.
Transport for gigs &&&&&& repair is another benefit.
Cheers
rayC
 
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