Jump to content
Hamer Fan Club Message Center
  • 0

Multiple/daisy chained amps?


tomteriffic

Question

A post in another thread got me to wondering about this again. 

It's well known that in most cases, when you see the ubiquitous wall o' Marshalls, you're looking at empty cabs or just scrims,maybe with the power lights wired up.

But then, you've got the situations where somebody is obviously using two or more amps, maybe switching off between guitars but they're wired together.  Somehow.  Then I saw an AC/DC rig rundown where they were using DA's (distribution amps) to drive about a zillion stacks for Angus and Malcolm.

I had read many moons ago that running two amps and/or switching between them was a dangerous and potentially lethal proposition due to grounding issues and the wrong type of switching.  So I never did it.

But now I'm thinking about running two small amps, each begging for its life or in a clean/dirty kind of setup.

Somebody edjimicate me please?

Link to comment
Share on other sites

5 answers to this question

Recommended Posts

A dedicated A/B, A/B/Y box with isolated circuity. There are some nice ones out there. Liele, Palmer, Radial, Saturnworks, Etc.

I am going down the same rabbit hole atm. Same, but different.

guitar> pedals> split~

Amp one, fx loop pre amp out >                                                                         Amp One  FX loop power amp in

                                                           switch between pre amps> loop FX>

Amp two, fx loop pre amp out>                                                                          Amp Two Fx Loop power amp in

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to A/B/Y with small committed pedalboards for my BF Vibrolux Reverb (clean to grit) and my Soldano Astroverb/Boogie Thiele 1x12 (grit to apocalypse). I seem to remember getting a jolt a few times touching the two amps simultaneously with my first homemade A/B box. I soon bought a legit A/B/Y but I also made it a point to not touch the amps simultaneously so I can't say if either/or or both solved that issue. My multi-amp rig lasted maybe a couple months at most - twice as much shit to haul to gigs, set-up, break down, yada yada. But it was definitely cool while it lasted - tons of tones on command.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

I used to A/B between two amps for clean and dirty back in the 80s.  I made the A/B box myself.  In the AC/DC rig rundown, you'll notice they also have a dedicated power conditioner that they've dialed in to give the exact voltage to all the amps.  They're also all then connected to the same power and proper grounding source.    Angus is also wireless, so  that helps him.   I'm no electrical engineer, but I'm sure these things solve many of the shock problems etc.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Absolutely no practical knowledge (what would I do with such a rig in Madison Square Bedroom?), but I have a basic understanding of the risks and have read a good bit on the configuration.  This seems to be a well-regarded solution.

SwitchboneV2-large.jpg?19907b69b5

Quote

With the Radial Switchbone V2 ABY/C amp selector and booster, you can effortlessly toggle between and combine up to three guitar amplifiers with a tap of your foot. Switching is completely silent, by virtue of high-performance opto-couplers. Buzz and hum aren't an issue either, thanks to transformer-isolated outputs. Replicate the tone and feel of being connected directly to your amp with the Switchbone V2's Drag control. A variable Baseline buffer control boosts the front end of your amp for extra punch, and a built-in power booster achieves up to +18dB of clean gain. And the Radial Switchbone V2's Class A input buffer ensures top-quality sound, enabling longer cable runs without signal degradation.

 

Link to comment
Share on other sites

We had done something similar with our stereos at school parties. It kept the amps cool and delivered a huge sound. I greatly remember these times.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...