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Topic: Combo amps vs. Rack systems |
Larry Hamilton
From:
Amarillo,Tx
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Posted 19 Oct 2011 4:27 pm |
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I have been thinking seriously about going the Rack system route, more of a new toy, than necessity. I have read what I could easily find on the forum. I am currently using one or two PV 112's with no complaints from me or anyone else. Been trying to do my homework and bugging several people. Any comments, experiences, likes dislikes, etc. would be appreciated.
OH btw, I don't get to play out that often due to lack of jobs not to mention day job. I do keep the neighborhood entertained  . I am 59 yrs. old looking at retirement in a couple years. Thanks for everyone's time.
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Keep pickin', Larry |
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Dave Grafe
From:
Hudson River Valley NY
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Posted 19 Oct 2011 6:21 pm
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Rack systems have a place as do combo amps.
The advantages of rack rigs include maximum control over the signal chain, highest possible fidelity when you want it, the sort of overdrive you want when you want it, ease of feeding a solid signal to a PA and over-all adaptablilty.
The primary disadvantage of playing through a rack rig in my experience is the number of heavy pieces of gear that one must move to and from the gig. After many years of carrying a steel, a seat, a processing rack and one or two speaker cabinets the ease of stacking the steel and seat on top of a wheeled combo amp and rolling it where it needs to go makes it hard to go back.
I did build a wooden rack combo of my own from recycled stage plywood years ago. It had a 3RU cove on top, large enough to pack a 3- or 4-band parametric EQ/preamp, a Lexicon PCM70 and a SAE P50 amp pushing 200 watts mono bridged into the 8-ohm K130 in the lower, partially enclosed compartment. It wasn't the prettiest think to look at but it worked, but even with wheels it was still ungainly in comparison to the Evans, Randal Steel Man, Peavey NV400 or other commercial combo amps with comparable performance. |
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Brad Sarno
From:
St. Louis, MO USA
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Posted 19 Oct 2011 7:17 pm
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I was a big fan of my old '69 Twin Reverb with a K130 in it. I loved that amp, but my back has some issues that can get tweaked with just the wrong move with just a little too much weight. So about 7 years ago I made myself sell that sweet amp.
For me, weight was the primary reason to go for a rack rig. Once I was settled in with a rack setup, I realized that it had all kinds of benefits beyond just lighter weight. Having the controls right by my side, tuner, effects settings, etc. is something I'm hooked on now. Can't imagine going back.
B |
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Larry Hamilton
From:
Amarillo,Tx
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Posted 19 Oct 2011 7:32 pm
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Thanks guys for your input. I already carry steel, seat,small rack with FX and usually 2 PV 112's, so the number of pieces would be the same and I'm guessing about the same weight. Like was said controls right by your said would be nice.
Brad, not to suck up but Rev would be the Pre of my choice.
Please any more comments would be appreciated. The more info the better. Thanks.
_________________
Keep pickin', Larry |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 6:50 am
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I remember years ago when Jeff Newman was affiliated with Peavey and he extolled the vitues of using a Profex II in conjunction with a DPC 750 amp to cut down on weight. That's when I started to experiment with rack systems and I got hooked.
Sometimes it's just easier to grab a combo amp and plug in but it really is hard to beat a good rack setup. |
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Larry Hamilton
From:
Amarillo,Tx
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 7:41 am
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Erv, in response to your last sentence, if I do the rack way, I'll always keep a combo amp, probably one of my 112's, for those quick, last minute little jams or get togethers . thanks for your reply.
Keep them coming folks. I thank each and everyone of you so far.
_________________
Keep pickin', Larry |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 7:51 am
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Larry,
You've got the right idea!  |
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Steve Schmidt
From:
Ramsey, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 8:27 am
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It pretty much comes to the fact that 3 pieces are lighter than one but you have it all in one, so to me its "take your pick". As Brad stated above, I'm enjoying my old Twin Reverbs lately. I have recently put a new Eminence speaker in one of the new twins but it hasn't had enough hours on it to really break in. It did shave off 10 pounds though. Like everything, your tastes change and someday I'll put the twins aside for a while and pick something different. You cannot have too many amps. (I think Erv taught me that one)
steve |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 8:29 am
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Steve,
I hope you didn't pick up any more bad habits from me!  |
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Jerry Overstreet
From:
Louisville Ky
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 9:07 am
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Yeah Erv, you're such a bad influence. 
Larry, I still have a NV400 that I use sometimes, but 90-95% of the time I'm totin' rack stuff.
Once you go rack you never go back.  No, not true, but sounds good anyway.
I have enough stuff to configure a couple different rack rigs. Most of it is older MosValve and TubeWorks stuff. Also a Roland pre/processor in a more compact rig. A few different Black Widow 12's and 15's cabs.
It's nice to have preamps and presets for different styles and tunes. I also play some guitar, laps and slide so with just a knob twirl, I've got a sound for each.
Just do it for you. The way the sound envelopes you is heavenly and it'll make you want to play.
Sometimes I get weird comments from people about trying to be showy or loud but it's never been about any of that. It's about the sound even if it's just for me.
Just a plug for the GD Walker Stereo Steel system for steel. One of these rigs with the proper fx processor and speaker cabs makes a fabulous and lightweight sounding system. I would still be using it were it not for needing so many different sounds for my range of instruments. |
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Larry Hamilton
From:
Amarillo,Tx
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 12:01 pm
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Jerry,you said it will make you want to play and that's what I need. Been in a little slump and it is hard to make myself practice like I should. About all I have been doing is trying to keep my eyes and ears in focus  .
Just a few more pro rack comments and my arm may be twisted to splurge and put my plan into action. part of which will be to sell off some good equipment to recoup some expense and make room for more stuff .
_________________
Keep pickin', Larry |
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Eric Philippsen
From:
Central Florida USA
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 10:01 pm
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For me, whether I use a rack setup or combo depends on a number of factors, many of which have been mentioned by others.
- the kind of job. Is it a big venue? More than likely I'll use a rack.
- Studio? Definitely a rack setup.
- given that I can't offload near the stage, how far will I have to schlep equipment from where I park to where I play? If it's a long walk then I'll use a combo and do it all in one trip.
- what time does the gig end? If it's a club gig that ends at 2:00 in the morning, i know from experience that I'll be pretty tired when that time comes around. I'm too old to party after those gigs and, frankly, I just want to get home and crash. The last thing I want to do is spend a lot of time breaking down and packing up a stereo rack setup. Let's face it, with a combo amp you unplug it, put the cord in back and maybe slip a cover on it. 30 seconds?
- I envy those who have a great deal of energy all the time. But that's not me and, well, honestly, sometimes I'm not feeling all that industrious. (read: I'm lazy). Yep, a combo is nice then. |
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CrowBear Schmitt
From:
Ariege, - PairO'knees, - France
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Posted 20 Oct 2011 11:58 pm
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another rack user here
quite practical imo since i've got all my sound in 1 place & close by
in mine i have :
Peterson Stroborack tuner
Lexicon MPX1 effects unit
Mesa Boogie Studio preamp
Telonics PA200 power amp
otherwise i also have & use a Peavey Nashville 1000 amp |
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Tony Glassman
From:
The Great Northwest
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Posted 21 Oct 2011 6:15 am
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RACK = lighter individual pieces, preamp is next to guitar player, allows greater component choice
COMBO = heavier, but less trips to and from the truck, less hassle to set-up, must reach behind to tweak |
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Larry Hamilton
From:
Amarillo,Tx
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Posted 23 Oct 2011 1:25 pm
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Well guys I THINK I'm going the rack route. One more thing to check and if successful I'll start putting it together and get things other things ready to sell and make room fo the new. Thanks for the help and any more comments will be appreciated. .
_________________
Keep pickin', Larry |
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John De Maille
From:
On a Mountain in Upstate Halcottsville, N.Y.
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Posted 23 Oct 2011 3:40 pm
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| I swtched to a Walker Stereo Steel, a couple of years ago and I love it. Speaker cabs 22 lbs. each and head with ProFex 11 18 lbs. I still have my Nash 400 and Nash 1000, which, I used together, all the time, but, my back said "Are you Crazy?" I'll keep the PV's, but, I use the Walker SS now excusively. |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 24 Oct 2011 8:37 am
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I just got back from the Iowa Steel Show and the steeler with the best tone, in my opinion, was playing an Emmons p/p through a rack with just a ProFex II and a Peavey DPC 750 and two 15" cabinets.
Besides that, he was an excellent player! |
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Brett Lanier
From:
Madison, TN
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Posted 24 Oct 2011 9:18 am
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Another option would be an amp head with separate speaker cabs. This is what I do. I have a custom 70 watt amp head (30lbs) for steel, and a '68 bandmaster for guitar and harmonica. I like being able to tweak the amp while sitting at my steel, and also the option of mismatching different speaker cabs for certain gigs. Plus the amp head takes up less space on small stages than the rack I was using before.
If you get yourself a rack setup, definitely keep a combo amp around. Having to haul the whole rack setup around for a quiet rehearsal or radio station gig can really be a drag. I have an LTD that lives in the back of my van for that purpose. |
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Michael Hartz
From:
Decorah, Iowa, USA
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Posted 3 Nov 2011 8:03 pm
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| I purchased one of Brad's Revelation preamps about 5 five years ago and have never looked back. It is the single best musical purchase I have ever made, PERIOD! I run it with a TC electronics M300 processor straight into our board and hear it back thru a stereo monitor mix into my Fidelity in-ears. The tone is unbelievable. I also run it into a Stewart 1.2 World power amp into 2 jbl loaded cabs when I can't use my in-ear setup. 5 years later and I still grin when I hear my tone thru the Rev. |
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mtulbert
From:
Plano, Texas 75023
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Posted 4 Nov 2011 2:48 am
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What Michael said,
Took a chance on a Revelation and was in love ten ;minutes after I got it.
Great piece of gear made by a good guy is very supportive.
Regards, |
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Erv Niehaus
From:
Litchfield, MN, USA
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Posted 4 Nov 2011 7:55 am
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I usually play through a rack, however, a while back I bought an old Webb amp.
From what I could read about the amp, I understood that the speaker that really made the amp shine was a JBL E-130.
I tracked one down and installed it in the amp.
Last night was the 1st time I got to try it out and I was amazed!
That amp has more tone and punch that what I've been accustomed to for quite a while.
Now I understand the enthusiasm that steelers express when talking about this amp. |
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