Two Amps Into One Speaker?

Gary Meixner · From: New York, USA

Has anyone used the popular GK MB 200 with lap steel and/ or standard six string archtop guitar? For better or worse I have been recruited to play both with a band and I am getting sick of dragging two amps along. I thought I could substitute one of my tube amps with the GK and save myself a lot of trouble.

What I would like to do is to use my Blues Junior and the GK, hooking them both up to the speaker in the BJ - can that be done without messing something up? I have a high power SICA 12" that I can put into the BJ to cover the output of the GK. Is this a crazy idea? Will the whole things sound like crap?

Thanks for your thoughts,

Gary Meixner

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Only if you have one speaker cable.
You'll fry something if two amps see the same speaker
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Mike Wheeler · From: Delaware, Ohio, USA

You can't plug 2 amps into one speaker. That would blow one, or both, amps. You'd have to switch amps, one at a time (after turning them off). Not very efficient on a gig.

I'd find one of your amps that can serve both duties...guitar and steel, if possible.
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Best regards,
Mike

Gary Meixner · From: New York, USA

Wow, that was a fast response. Thanks for the advice. Of course it wouldn't work. I was thinking about some kind of switching device but didn't take into account the fact that the amp needs a load at all times to keep from frying the output transformer. Dumb idea. Thanks again,

Gary Meixner

Lane Gray · From: Topeka, KS

Does the BJ have the speaker direct wired, or is there a jack on the back of the amp?
If it has a jack, just put the GK on top of the BJ, and just turn amps off and swap the cable.
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2 pedal steels, a lapStrat, and an 8-string Dobro (and 3 ukes)
More amps than guitars, and not many effects

Gary Meixner · From: New York, USA

Lane,

Thanks again. That makes sense. There is an awfully good chance that at some point I would forget to switch the speaker wire and burn something up. I will have to give the problem a little more thought. You have been very helpful though.

Very best,

Gary

Tim Marcus · From: San Francisco, CA

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/amplifiers-effects/radial-engineering-headbone-vt-amp-head-switcher-for-tube-amps

maybe it will work? Only one way to find out Smile

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Milkmansound.com

Stephen Cowell · From: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

Why not just use one amp for both?
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Jim Priebe · From: Queensland, Australia - R.I.P.

I use a GK MB 200 for both - just have an AB switch at the amp input. I do have totally independent effects etc. for each guitar though.
The Radial device I use is super but dunno about the Headbone - one comment was they are OK if you just use the two amps and no effects loops. I would have trouble risking the output stages of various valve/tube amps though especially if it's a bit of a 'treasure".
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Priebs GFI ('09)Short-Uni10. GFI ('96)Short-Uni SD11. ('86)JEM U12
www.steelguitardownunder.com

Darvin Willhoite · From: Roxton, Tx. USA

I played in a church band for several years in a large church, playing mostly contemporary christian music. I played steel, acoustic and electric guitars, mandolin and bass. I used one programmable preamp for everything but bass and played direct through the PA system, monitoring with in-ears. I used a Digitech 2112 tube preamp and set up patches for each instrument and when I switched instruments, I just unplugged one, plugged in the other, and switched patches. It didn't take but a few seconds. The same principle should work with one amp. When I played bass, I played through the existing bass channel of the PA.
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Darvin Willhoite
MSA Millennium, Legend, and Studio Pro, Reese's restored Universal Direction guitar, a restored MSA Classic SS, several amps, new and old, and a Kemper Powerhead that I am really liking. Also a Zum D10, a Mullen RP, and a restored Rose S10, named the "Blue Bird". Also, I have acquired and restored the plexiglass D10 MSA Classic that was built as a demo in the early '70s. I also have a '74 lacquer P/P, with wood necks, and a showroom condition Sho-Bud Super Pro.

Clyde Mattocks · From: Kinston, North Carolina, USA

For a couple of years I used a Session 400 for steel and sat a Fender Super Reverb (head only) on top for guitar. I used an A/B box with the speaker wires routed thru. Worked pretty good for me.
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LeGrande II, Nash. 112, Fender Twin Tone Master, Session 400, Harlow Dobro, R.Q.Jones Dobro

John Gould · From: Houston, TX Now in Cleveland TX

Years ago I ran two different heads into the same cab. I built a switching system when I switched one amp to the speaker the other amp went to a loading resistor just in case some signal passed from that amp. It worked very well in fact in some cases just ran a variation with no cab and a direct box and loading resistors
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A couple of guitars
Fender GTX 100 Fender Mustang III Fender Blues Jr. Boss Katana MKII 50
Justice Pro Lite and Sho Bud Pro II

Darrell Birtcher · Posted 7 Dec 2013 6:44 pm

Run your guitar preamp/fx pedalboard into the aux in on the GK. It will mix the signals. Just roll off the volume on the instrument you're not playing. I've done this to amplify my acoustic and steel thru one amp.

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