Jump to content
Heritage Owners Club

head or combo


Recommended Posts

  • Replies 50
  • Created
  • Last Reply
Posted

For many years now I have preferred heads over combos for three reasons, they're just easier to move, you never know which speaker/cab combination will work best for you with any given amp, and It's much better on the amp (especially the tubes) if the amp is separated from the speaker cab.

Posted

For many years now I have preferred heads over combos for three reasons, they're just easier to move, you never know which speaker/cab combination will work best for you with any given amp, and It's much better on the amp (especially the tubes) if the amp is separated from the speaker cab.

 

+1!

Posted

It really depends on what you are doing. For grab and go to small gigs, it is hard to beat a small combo. However, if you are playing different sized venues and/or like to change up your sound (or like tubes) it is tough to beat a head/cab set up.

 

You can bring the right cab for the job. The head is lighter especially if you like tube amps. You can change the head and/or cabinet you use at will. Rather nice that way.

Posted

Entertaining that dilemma just now. Various heads and cabs does offer a lot of flexibility. And I'm tired of lugging! Thinking of having, get this, my Deluxe Reverb split! I have a friend who's a fabulous cabinet builder. All he does. He could do it easily...and I'd get the "good buddy" deal. Heavy magnet on the speaker, in the Deluxe. And all the lifting in and out, and carrying, and the inconvenience of a handtruck.... Man...I must be getting old!

Posted

Tubes in combos get a lot more rattled than tubes in heads. You can use dameners but I'm not convinced they are worth the effort. One head and multiple cabs can be very useful.

Posted

I find I get as easily stymied by too many options as inspired. But I'm dealing with the problem too, as I prefer a combo for its simplicity, but I'm finding them harder to move around because of the weight. What I need is a perfect combo that weighs almost nothing and sounds just like I need it too no matter what the controls are set to. Should be simple enough?

Posted
I find I get as easily stymied by too many options as inspired. But I'm dealing with the problem too, as I prefer a combo for its simplicity, but I'm finding them harder to move around because of the weight. What I need is a perfect combo that weighs almost nothing and sounds just like I need it too no matter what the controls are set to. Should be simple enough?

 

I with you here. I once thought I wanted options. I guess I do on a minor level. I like to have, say, a solid body for high gain and hollow bodies for nearly everything else. I like to have a high gain amp sound and a clean sound. That's about it.

 

The Cube handles that ok. The cleans are perfect but I am not sure on the gainy stuff. I'd need to spend more time with it that way and see.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Posted

Entertaining that dilemma just now. Various heads and cabs does offer a lot of flexibility. And I'm tired of lugging! Thinking of having, get this, my Deluxe Reverb split! I have a friend who's a fabulous cabinet builder. All he does. He could do it easily...and I'd get the "good buddy" deal. Heavy magnet on the speaker, in the Deluxe. And all the lifting in and out, and carrying, and the inconvenience of a handtruck.... Man...I must be getting old!

Many folks that play a Deluxe think that way, that's why Fender recently came out with a head version of the Deluxe.

Posted

Any of you guys that wanna trade a nice 2x12 combo for a head and cab, I've got a 52lb head and a 105lb 4x12 cab I'll trade ya. Whew. I also take 3 or 4 guitars and stage room permitting my Jet City JCA head and 1x12 cab for my strat. I must admit after lugging my 4x12 cab in, it is a joy to grab the JCA head in one hand and the cab in the other and walk in. It's just not versatile enough for my whole set without playing with knobs all night.

Posted

Love the sound of 4x12's hate to move one.

Posted

General feel is exactly where I was going--the head's prob gonna win here. ONE MORE---I only really need 50 watts--but can get the 100 watt for a few hundred more...Splurge for overkill "just in case" or save the cash and take wife out to dinner and children to Frankie's fun park?---I leaning heavily toward 50 watts option.

Guest HRB853370
Posted

General feel is exactly where I was going--the head's prob gonna win here. ONE MORE---I only really need 50 watts--but can get the 100 watt for a few hundred more...Splurge for overkill "just in case" or save the cash and take wife out to dinner and children to Frankie's fun park?---I leaning heavily toward 50 watts option.

You are kidding right? Are you going to really play gigs Rusty that require 100 freakin watts?? I say go with a 18 watt combo. Today's amps do not have problems with tubes rattling or dislodging, unless you toss it off the tailgate of your pickup truck. Why waste the money? After all, you want to go to Frankies right?

Posted

SO to the original question.... 100 watt head or combo?

 

The answer is ear plugs.

Guest HRB853370
Posted

SO to the original question.... 100 watt head or combo?

 

The answer is ear plugs.

+10,000 good one J

Guest HRB853370
Posted

For 100 watt tube that will be giggled...which will work best?....the head seems easier as its lighter...and can be moved from cab to cab....thoughts?

Stop by and hear my 18w Tweed Deluxe or my 22w Deluxe Reverb RI. That will settle your decision about wanting 100 watts!

Posted

After a back injury I moved from combos and head and cab set ups to pretty much just using a head and cab.

My 212 cab weighs 22kg and most heads I were using weighed about the same or slightly more. My combos all weigh/weighed 35-39kg.

Then one day I plugged my 212 cab into my 112 combo and that was it. Thats what I used. Sounds great to have the tighter punch of the 212 and the more airy sound of the combo. I mic'd the combo.

Defeated what I was trying to do to lighten the load. It increased it. But having the combo sitting on the 212 cab and a higher vehicle means that I didnt have to bend and lift. Sorted.

Posted

The question for me in power output isn't so much whether it gets loud enough but what does it sound like at needed volume. For high gain playing, typically, the higher rated heads, say 100w, have a tighter sound where as the 20w will be looser. I prefer the sound of higher rated power sections all around even though I will NEVER use even half of their potential.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Posted

The question for me in power output isn't so much whether it gets loud enough but what does it sound like at needed volume. For high gain playing, typically, the higher rated heads, say 100w, have a tighter sound where as the 20w will be looser.

That's a matter of damping and some amps have a damping control such as the Fender SS 100 which has a loose/normal/tight selector switch on the back to control exactly that.

Posted

 

The question for me in power output isn't so much whether it gets loud enough but what does it sound like at needed volume. For high gain playing, typically, the higher rated heads, say 100w, have a tighter sound where as the 20w will be looser.

 

That's a matter of damping and some amps have a damping control such as the Fender SS 100 which has a loose/normal/tight selector switch on the back to control exactly that.

 

I've seen that. I kinda live in yesteryear so I don't know how common that is now. I just assume that most don't.

 

I really want to try one of the SS amps.

 

Sent from my SCH-I605 using Tapatalk

Posted

100 watt---I'm American...bigger is better right? Actually, 50 will prob do fine---what I'd really like is the ability to reduce wattage by selector switch---I have seen this option on many amps out there....from 1 watt to 5 to 20 to 50....versatility is a plus. 50 watt and 2X12 is in the sights---just gotta put a name brand on it!

Posted

100 watt---I'm American...bigger is better right? Actually, 50 will prob do fine---what I'd really like is the ability to reduce wattage by selector switch---I have seen this option on many amps out there....from 1 watt to 5 to 20 to 50....versatility is a plus. 50 watt and 2X12 is in the sights---just gotta put a name brand on it!

 

That describes a Mesa Express 50+.

Archived

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

×
×
  • Create New...