Has anyone ever used a PA amp to run a guitar signal

[shook494]

My Dad called the other day and told me I left my old Fender PA system in the garage. He wants me to pick it up during the Christmas visit. I forgot I even had the thing. It's an old 70's or early 80's PA system. The head looks like a regular head unit. I'll have to look at it and see what kind of tubes are in it. Just wondering if this would work as a clean amp?

[tulk1]

My Dad called the other day and told me I left my old Fender PA system in the garage. He wants me to pick it up during the Christmas visit. I forgot I even had the thing. It's an old 70's or early 80's PA system. The head looks like a regular head unit. I'll have to look at it and see what kind of tubes are in it. Just wondering if this would work as a clean amp?

 

It might work as a PA. But you wouldn't like it as a guitar amp. Not without some sort of preamp in front of it. Not up on all of the nuances of why, but I think it has to do with line levels and that sort of stuff. I know my guitar sounds like poo when I run it thru the small PA I have connected to the DAW. Put a preamp/modeller in front of it and it sounds pretty dandy. So, no, doubt it'll work as a clean amp.

[shook494]

K. Thanks. Just thought I would save some$$$$$. I just want to get an inexpensive amp for blusey tones. I'll keep looking around.

[mars_hall]

Leslie West, during the peak of Mountain fame, used a Sunn PA Amp head with good results. Your mileage may vary.

[JeffB]

David Gilmour used a Hiwatt pa head. He sounded/s ok I guess. YMMV

[barrymclark]

Just give it a swing when you get it home. See how you dig it.

[golferwave]

I've been told that acoustic guitar amplifiers are not much more than a PA amp. I've plugged my acoustic into my Sunn coliseum PA head and it sounds great.

[shook494]

Thanks for all the info guys. I figured I would try it out when I get home after the holiday. I hope I can get soe cool sounds out of her if it still works. Haven't used that thing since 93'

[Sparky]

If you don't have a "line-out" on any of your other amps to run through the PA (if you do, certainly try that first to see how it sounds), you might wanna spend $30 and get one of these. A Behringer GDI21. They're like a SansAmp ($149.00) that can go directly into a PA or a recording device. I have one to take to gigs as a fail-safe to run through the PA if my amp blows up, instead of schlepping around another amp. Its got an XLR out for quiet operation through a PA.

[bolero]

if it's an old tube amp it may be almost the same circuit as a gtr amp...my '60's marshall PA amp is the same as a JTM45/100

[shook494]

if it's an old tube amp it may be almost the same circuit as a gtr amp...my '60's marshall PA amp is the same as a JTM45/100

 

That's what I was hoping for. It's an old tube amp from the 70's or early 80's. Can't wait to check it out. Thanks.

[barrymclark]

If you are doin jazz, you might really dig it.

[212Mavguy]

If you are doin jazz, you might really dig it.

 

I have an old PA tube amp, a Fender 160 PS, has a pair of 6550's in it. Supposed to be 160 tube watts output. Solid state rectified, has a bunch of RCA 7025's in the preamps. HUGE transformers! Six channels with 1/4 inputs, volume treble bass reverb for each of those, a master volume, master reverb, line out, it's at the tech right now getting ready to run again after sitting idle for a few years. Hope to use it for guitar, bass, or PA. Will post more when it arrives.

[FredZepp]

I bet that a Line 6 Pod would work rather well with something like this...

[smurph1]

The only problem I can think of is if you are trying to sing through it also..The guitarist in my band runs a floorboard into the PA and sometimes when we are crankin' It drowns the vocals out..My 2 cents..

[barrymclark]

I bet that a Line 6 Pod would work rather well with something like this...

Unless you use a high gain amp setting through a hi-freq tweeter. That can be a bit too sizzly. That was my take on it when i tried that. For clean guitar or bass, t'was sweet!