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When I was looking around for an inexpensive portable practice amp, I noticed the many amp head/cab vs combo amp options. This is probably a dumb question but why use the amp head/cab when a combo amp should do the job? Or put another way, does the amp head/cab allow you to dial in a more precise tone? Or are we just splitting hairs here?
Pardon if this reflects my ignorance. I'm just used to plugging in, setting some dials and working on my tunes.
Thanks.
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02-12-2024 07:50 PM
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You get more flexibility with amp/head. For example. I used to own a quilter aviator combo. I liked the amp but I thought he cabinet was very limiting. So I bought a separate cab that had more of the sonic qualities I wanted.
When it comes to tubes, some people also get separate head because you get less microphonics and rattling than if the chassis/tubes are sitting right next to a speaker.
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It's also nice to be able to use heads you like with cabs and speakers of various sizes. I have a SBUS and a DV Mark EG250 that I can mix and match with a Toob Metro, a 10" Toob, an 8" Revsound bass cab and a RE 10. So I have a low powered tiny rig, a high powered tiny rig, a low powered large rig, and a high powered large rig, along with a pair of inbetween choices. Having speakers with different sensitivities lets me choose the amp & speaker pair that will give the right combination of loudness, clean headroom and breakup for any gig, band, and venue.
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My first real amp was 100W Carlsbro tube head with a heavy 2x12 particle board cabin. When I moved to a Vox AC-30 combo, I was in heaven. No head amps since then.
I have always wondered what’s the point in pedal amp rigs, if You use ”some cab” from the venue. The speaker is so essential part of the guitar sound that I like to carry it with me.
For a decade I have made my combo cabins myself so I can make them to meet my needs in sound and transportability.
I don’t like carrying different pieces and extra cables and connecting and de-connecting them all the time. I don’t trust my memory enough, I need simple solutions to carry!Last edited by Herbie; 02-13-2024 at 06:59 AM.
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I agree that less is more, and my Blu 6 (my only combo) is a perfect example of that. It’ll do most of what I need, and there’s a good backline at my regular venue. But sometimes I need a tiny rig. Sometimes I want the SBUS to be clean and loud in a smaller rig, so I use the Toob 10 or the Revsound 8. If I want a tiny rig for a blues gig, the Metros are less efficient and the SBUS will break up nicely at lower volume. And the 125W EG250 is clean and loud through my Metro BG.
Originally Posted by Herbie
A one box solution is ideal, but I don’t know of a universal one box solution. When I had space and the schedule to support them all, I had a variety of boxes - Boogie 1x12, Boogie Subway Blues, Twin, Vibrolux, Princeton, Blues Deluxe, SWR Baby Baby Blue, Phil Jones Cub, Phil Jones Briefcase, etc.
My pile of little heads and modest but capable cabs only requires one “extra” cable to connect head to cab. I have a few gig bags in various sizes and shapes, each of which holds one speaker with one of the little heads. So it’s still a one bag carry, with room for a pedal or two if you need ‘em plus a shoulder strap for easy carry.
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I have a few of both , for gigs I typically use a combo, I like to keep a simple live setup.
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I prefer combos -- fewer pieces to carry and fewer connections/cables. As others have said, with a separate cabinet and head you can select each according to your preferences, but I've never actually found that to be an advantage and have always been happy with the way my combos sound.
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As shown by the above, it's a matter of personal preference. Each has its advantages and disadvantages, and there is no perfect solution for everyone. I have both, and use whichever makes the most sense to me at the time.
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Lately I’ve been using my milkman 100 head as my primary on the go amp. Similarity to nevershouldhavesoldit, I pick the cabinet based on the setting. I also use different cabinets to get different voicings.
The milkman amp basically sounds like a much higher headroom Princeton reverb. So if I want a slightly different eq I might grab an cab with a different speaker.
Ive been playing a strat a lot lately and have found that my cabinet with a celestion cream alnico compliments it very well due to the full midrange response. The same cabinet might have too much midrange and bottom end for a 17” archtop, so I can take a lightweight 1x10” with the same amp and have a very different sound that compliments the archtop better.
If I need a lot of volume, I can take a 4 ohm (the milkman can take 4-16 ohm) 2x10” and basically have a much lighter Vibrolux reverb on the go.
One thing I realized long ago is that the speaker and cabinet make a huge difference, so by decoupling these from the amplifier you vastly multiply the versatility of your gear.
Everything I just said is redundant with the above comments but just sharing more detail on my experience.
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The OP is asking about "inexpensive, portable practice amps," so any used DV Mark, fender, etc combo would be fine, IMO.
I have a gig tomorrow, and I'll be bringing my tube head and 1x10 cab.
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The only time I went head/cab was with a Mesa Boogie Mark III. I didn't want to lift the combo. Having it in two pieces made the weight more manageable.
Nevershould's solution makes perfect sense. I can't explain why I've never gone that way.
The OP asked about a "portable practice amp". Heads can be light and there are some light cabs, so it will work. Still, one thing is more portable than two, if that matters, and there are plenty of good sounding lightweight combos. I mean, there isn't really a bad choice.
I recommend the Crate GFX15 combo, which sells used for around $35 and has a very nice sound. That's my practice amp for around the house.
For the range of things I do regularly, I have the LJ at the small end, although I'm likely to take my "medium" rig anyway, which is currently a JC55.
When there's a PA, I bring the LJ and go XLR into the board. That gives me the option of using the LJ as a personal monitor if I need it. And, it gives me the LJ controls if I need those. That has worked out well. In fact, the LJ into a JBL line array (with my usual ME70 pedalboard) was as good as any sound I've gotten ever.
When I need to be loud, I bring a Mackie SRM350 and a Yamaha mixer (because it's the old SRM350 and needs a preamp in the signal path). Not so convenient, but I don't have to play that loud very often.
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Pardon my ignorance but what is an "LJ"?
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Forget that. It's the DV Mark Little Jazz. Dumb me.
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just a background observation
about tube amplification
tube combos tend to be
open back not primarily for
acoustic reasons but to keep
the tubes cool
note one of the most popular setup
is the Marshall archetypical
head + cab
this uses a closed back cab typically
obviously both designs work fine
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I think the choice boils down to transportation options and weight. Head/cabinet options are easier to carry than combos, if the amps are heavy. But two pieces of course, so maybe better if you can drive to the gig. Using mass transportation, compact and usually one piece might be better. Or micro two piece set up as others have mentioned. It all depends on the amp, and the gig.
Both can sound great, I think it's more a matter of convenience. Keep in mind that heads came about back in the days of big cabinets, so it was easier to split them up. No we don't tend to use big cabinets as much, especially in jazz.
I do think though at some point cabinets get too small to sound really great. Some of the little amps can sound boxy, though some sound pretty good. I Just got a Little Jazz, and while it sounds pretty great, I will never confuse it with a 2x12!
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Volume wars.
I reckon everything was a combo until the Bassman got too heavy to lug around.
once crowds got to the scale of open stadiums and farm fields, closed back full stacks were the only way to get that much noise to reach the back rows. I generalise a bit here cause Fender hung in with the twin and Vox hung in with AC30, but even they had ‘piggy back’ amp heads, such as the blackface bassman. Open backs get a lot of their sound character from reflections off rear walls, so outside a lot of low end is lost. In a hall they are great.
at some point the practicality of moving a 100w amplifier chassis with 8x12 cabinet took over and became a head with two 4x12 cabinets to make loading easier (relatively)
heads would also be housed to fit the cabinet, which explains their width to match. Besides, 100w worth of tubes and transformers needs space and ventilation. That is my guess why you can get 50w heads come in big wide boxes mostly empty.
Nowadays though, 100w of Tube power is not a necessity to get volume to the back of stadium venues. But many like the convenience and tonal flexibility of mixing/ matching Amps and cabs. Plenty of 20-50w tube amp heads in small formats the size of a bread loaf. Going solid state, digital or switching have made options incredibly small. That’s not to say 100w tube amps don’t have their place in the music world
cheers
Emike
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Two major aspects:
1. Size and weight
Big combos are difficult to transport. It may look like a suitcase until you try to lift it. The more speakers inside, the heavier the cab. The more tube power, the heavier the transformers. The advantage of a head is that you split the weight of amp and cab in half and you also split the size of the total package so that you can squeeze the gear inside your vehicle.
Speakers with big ceramic magnets are very heavy. Alnico or Neo are lighter. A Pine cab is much lighter than thick plywood. Hardware, like tilt back legs and casters, add to the weight.
A small combo on the other hand is a very convenient one piece grab-and-go package, like a suitcase. What size you require is a question about venue and volume needs.
2. Legacy and style
Size and weight is secondary when we honor the legacy; style of music, tone, appearance and originality. Heavy Metal is supposed to be loud, i.e you need a big cab, like a 4 x 12 powered by a 100W tube amp. When you play your Heavy Metal, head banging in front of friends and family in your living room you won't need 100W tube power, but you can still show your true colors by using a small amp (possibly a solid state) inside a big head for show.
When you play an outdoor rockabilly gig you'll happily haul a 5F6 Bassman 4x10 combo, because nothing beats the real deal.
When you play old school Jazz on an old school guitar wearing an old school tie, then you obviously plug into an old school tube amp combo, light weight (pine, alnico) suitable for a gentleman.
Side note: A traditional head amp often got a more advanced back panel compared to a regular combo, but it typically doesn't have Reverb (the Reverb tank is traditionally mounted inside the combo speaker cab).
A modern combo may have all the back panel features of a traditional head, plus some more.
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