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pairing amps for stereo?

fitzoid

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2004
Messages
56
I have a rivera jake combo 112 50 watt and want to know what other amp would work , other then another jake to to get the stereo effect, it does fender and marshal between the two channels all ready.The guitar is a bbk 355.
 

MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,166
Hard question to answer, since we don't know what kind of sound you are trying to achieve and what other effects you use. Also, are you running one amp wet and the other dry? How loud do you play? Etc. etc.

I've done all kinds of combinations - Fender Blackface with Marshall, Fender with Matchless, two Fenders (one wet, one dry), Fender with Vox, Vox with Marshall, etc.

There are endless ways to go stereo and to run one amp with effects (distortion, echo, chorus, etc.) and the other clean (dry). I've also run echo/delay through one but otherwise leave it clean sounding and the other amp with overdrive.distortion. Tons of fun! :dude:
 

corpse

Well-known member
Joined
Jun 9, 2007
Messages
4,876
I used a 1987 Marshall (50W NMV 'plexi')w/ a 2x12 cab with a Line 6 Flextone 3- ran the Marshall dry with fine results.
I now use a dry Marshall 2061 with a 2x12 cab and a '69 SFDR. It sounds great. I use a Radiall AB-Y box with ground lift. Very important to reduce humming.
Downside is it makes for a lot of hauling at showtime.
 

Wally

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Joined
Feb 27, 2003
Messages
3,535
Stereo,....imho, this dictates two identical amps. IF you are panning a mono signal from one side to the other I would think that you would want idetical signals on each side. I have an ES-345 and Ilike to run each pickup into a separate but identical amp...set up the same way for the most part. I have a stereo pan pedal to get things moving spatially. I thnk of 'stereo' as two identical amps----from the world of stereo hi-fi amps...musical reproduction amps. The amps for each side are identical, but the signal is what varies position and/or sonic quality of what comes out of the speakers.
I also like to run different amps from the same mono signal foir tonal complexity. . I don't consider this stereo...but that is just my point of view. but then....your Jake allows for this type of complexity...just run your signal into both channels. Thpse channels are different...and can be made extremely different by juggling the gain and tone controls on either side. Run an extension cab for the expanded field of dispersion. You can run a pan pedal or an ABY pedal to further manipulate things. THis is not quite the same as two separate amps, but it an expansion on what you are now doing, I woud think.
 

fitzoid

Member
Joined
Aug 11, 2004
Messages
56
What I like to do is get the amp to where I can control the brake up or feedback as an effect.As far as effects,I use vox wah,bd-2,dd-3 sometimes.Being the 355 is stereo, I thougt another amp would make it a little fuller sounding more so than loud.On another note should I look for another 50w amp with same or less some what.What I play is mostly blues stuff 60s & 70s.
 

cryptozoo

New member
Joined
Jun 25, 2008
Messages
2,738
Stereo rigs are the only way to fly. Or at least one of the only ways.
 

Bob Womack

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Joined
Apr 8, 2002
Messages
2,191
Just like people mix speakers to get different sounds, you can use two unrelated amps to get two different sounds. One of my favorite pairings is a normal amp and a rotary speaker amp. You can take a preamp out of the normal amp and use it to feed the rotary amp to make the sounds a bit more similar. This rig offers you three new options: keep the rotary amp still for two sounds and stereo, spin the rotary cab at slow (chorale) speed and get instant separation and an increase in harmonic complexity, and spin up the rotary cab at fast speed for tremelo. Additionally, horn-to-speaker blend allows you to adjust the tone and subtly of the effect: less horn creates a more subtle effect.

Bob
 

Patrick Ginnaty

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 15, 2001
Messages
1,498
I used to run a Boogie MK I ri with a Rivera design Fender Concert, but I've also run two SF Deluxe Reverbs (best sound ever), two SF Super Reverbs, two blonde Fender Bassmans, and a SF Deluxe Reverb with a SF Princeton Reverb. Similar power/speaker setups work best for my ears.

I would think that an inexpensive amp that would pair well with the Rivera might be an 80s Rivera design Fender Concert w/1x12"... undervalued in todays market ($500-600 ish) and well designed= good sounding for the $$$.
 

j45

Active member
Joined
Jun 14, 2002
Messages
9,081
This was the best stereo set up I've tried (on the ends). Sitting between the random timing of a pair of Leslies is a mind blowing experience. With or without a stereo guitar...doesn't make much difference. The random phasing and wild displays of harmonics from the random timing of the two sets of horns and woofers spinning is a virtual kaleidoscope for the ears. You never hear the same thing twice.I used a Divided By 13 Switchazel for ABY two Echoplexes or two Deluxe Memoryman set to medium and medium-long and long delay, a pair of Bassman or 50w Plexi heads to push the Leslies (disconnect internal amps). I've gone out to my studio many a night to play guitar and lost track of time until I realized the sun came up and I have drool all over the front of my shirt.. If you don't do drugs anymore like me, this is the next best thing.... maybe even better.

ampsch1-1.jpg
 

MikeSlub

Administrator
Joined
Jul 15, 2001
Messages
15,166
This was the best stereo set up I've tried (on the ends). Sitting between the random timing of a pair of Leslies is a mind blowing experience. With or without a stereo guitar...doesn't make much difference. The random phasing and wild displays of harmonics from the random timing of the two sets of horns and woofers spinning is a virtual kaleidoscope for the ears. You never hear the same thing twice.I used a Divided By 13 Switchazel for ABY two Echoplexes or two Deluxe Memoryman set to medium and medium-long and long delay, a pair of Bassman or 50w Plexi heads to push the Leslies (disconnect internal amps). I've gone out to my studio many a night to play guitar and lost track of time until I realized the sun came up and I have drool all over the front of my shirt.. If you don't do drugs anymore like me, this is the next best thing.... maybe even better.

ampsch1-1.jpg

:dude: :dude: :dude:
 

Patrick Ginnaty

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 15, 2001
Messages
1,498
Looking at j45s rig, you can see that the amps he uses balance out, in terms of tone and power output.

Here are a few lower rent dual amp rigs, with comments...
60w Boogie (dry) paired w/60w Rivera design Fender Concert (wet) this combination worked well, the tones and volumes worked well together
patlincolntheatre95.jpg



You can see I'm A/Bing the two amps, on an outdoor gig neither moved enough air, in parallel the tones didn't blend like I wanted to hear
P4140989.jpg


The next outdoor gig, I used an 80s Concert with the Deluxe Reverb... it worked kinda OK, but I still wasn't 100% pleased
web013.jpg


The Deluxe Reverb/Princeton Reverb combination works OK, but I think that either 2 DRs or 2 PRs would work better (having tried 2 DRs together previously, a wonderful combination).

I also tried stereo Super Reverbs, it was SWEET.

Two amps of equal power sound like a stereo... the two sides of a stereo amp are equal in power, right?

Can't find any other pics, sorry.
 
Last edited:

Patrick Ginnaty

Well-known member
Joined
Dec 15, 2001
Messages
1,498
This was the best stereo set up I've tried (on the ends). Sitting between the random timing of a pair of Leslies is a mind blowing experience. With or without a stereo guitar...doesn't make much difference. The random phasing and wild displays of harmonics from the random timing of the two sets of horns and woofers spinning is a virtual kaleidoscope for the ears. You never hear the same thing twice.I used a Divided By 13 Switchazel for ABY two Echoplexes or two Deluxe Memoryman set to medium and medium-long and long delay, a pair of Bassman or 50w Plexi heads to push the Leslies (disconnect internal amps). I've gone out to my studio many a night to play guitar and lost track of time until I realized the sun came up and I have drool all over the front of my shirt.. If you don't do drugs anymore like me, this is the next best thing.... maybe even better.

ampsch1-1.jpg

Outstanding!
 

Nathan F

New member
Joined
Aug 17, 2006
Messages
390
I've tried pairing a 66 deluxe reverb with various combo amps (princeton reverb, brown deluxe, supro). They sounded great during rehearsal, but on stage I've always turned off the 'b' amp and finished the set with the DR. The other amps seemed to get in the way.
 

jrgtr42

Well-known member
Joined
Mar 24, 2005
Messages
2,308
I've been running a stereo rig for a long time now. I use a Boogie Rocket 44 and a Fender tweed Blues Dlx reish, split from a E-H Deluxe Memory Man. (fender is clean, Boogie is the echo out.)
The trick in my opinoin is to get the volume balance right, so that one amp isn;t totally overpowering the other (and gettng the effect levels right so it's not louder or quieter with it on and off.
I like having the different amps, because every amp is a little weaker in one area, and combining like this can make up for those weaknesses.
 

latestarter

Well-known member
Joined
Nov 9, 2009
Messages
4,173
Not true stereo, but splitting my signal to a 65 Amps Tupelo and Greenstone Bellbird - sounds great but I have to absoluetly make sure the phasing is right (using a Radial switcher with phase switch). Otheriwse what seems like an insignificant variance ends up causing problems in the mix.
 

Mahalo

New member
Joined
Nov 19, 2005
Messages
530
This was the best stereo set up I've tried (on the ends). Sitting between the random timing of a pair of Leslies is a mind blowing experience. With or without a stereo guitar...doesn't make much difference. The random phasing and wild displays of harmonics from the random timing of the two sets of horns and woofers spinning is a virtual kaleidoscope for the ears. You never hear the same thing twice.I used a Divided By 13 Switchazel for ABY two Echoplexes or two Deluxe Memoryman set to medium and medium-long and long delay, a pair of Bassman or 50w Plexi heads to push the Leslies (disconnect internal amps). I've gone out to my studio many a night to play guitar and lost track of time until I realized the sun came up and I have drool all over the front of my shirt.. If you don't do drugs anymore like me, this is the next best thing.... maybe even better.

ampsch1-1.jpg

That's just awesome! And totally drool-worthy. Thanks!
 
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