Tube amp head and cab's

[Chankgeez]

I prefer head from the walls.

[Mudfuzz]

I prefer head from the walls.

Ilovegloryholes.com is that way >

[chillerthanmost]

Keeping in mind pedals are facing up to where bending on one knee to adjust real quick still seems much easier than knobs on an amp facing to the side.

The ones that do trip me out are when a cab vibrates enough to move the head above it after a few seconds of playing. This happens more often with bad bass cabs or light bass heads, and the few times I've dealt with that, I don't put my heads above that cab. In face, now that I think about it, I don't put any of my heads on top of bass cabs. The way my band set's up is:
GUITAR CAB - BASS CAB - BASS CAB - GUITAR CAB

The guitarist set's his two amps above one guitar cab and I set my two amps above the opposite guitar cab. So at least I do get less vibration than if I were to put them on the bass cabs. But, again, I wouldn't be able to tell difference in longevity unless I had the same amp, with the same tubes, and played them the same amount of time, etc, etc. So it could just as well be a placebo effect, but it could not also. Best thing to do is obv what makes you most comfortable. I personally don't think there's an issue if your amp is staying still above a well braced cab. If it was sliding and moving all over the place it would be an entirely different story (:::insert emperor bass cabs joke here:::).

[theavondon]

I think, and this may just be me, but this might be a case of overthinking things?

Or, I'm a luddite that doesn't care about his gear.

[Uncle Grandfather]

Keeping in mind pedals are facing up to where bending on one knee to adjust real quick still seems much easier than knobs on an amp facing to the side.

The ones that do trip me out are when a cab vibrates enough to move the head above it after a few seconds of playing. This happens more often with bad bass cabs or light bass heads, and the few times I've dealt with that, I don't put my heads above that cab. In face, now that I think about it, I don't put any of my heads on top of bass cabs. The way my band set's up is:
GUITAR CAB - BASS CAB - BASS CAB - GUITAR CAB

The guitarist set's his two amps above one guitar cab and I set my two amps above the opposite guitar cab. So at least I do get less vibration than if I were to put them on the bass cabs. But, again, I wouldn't be able to tell difference in longevity unless I had the same amp, with the same tubes, and played them the same amount of time, etc, etc. So it could just as well be a placebo effect, but it could not also. Best thing to do is obv what makes you most comfortable. I personally don't think there's an issue if your amp is staying still above a well braced cab. If it was sliding and moving all over the place it would be an entirely different story (:::insert emperor bass cabs joke here:::).

Good points. Having two amp heads stacked atop a solid base probably would help against this hypothetical problem. The bottom head is mass loaded, so the amp head cabinet is less prone to pass in vibration, and the top head is sitting on a more solid base now.

It was years ago, before I started isolating the head from the cab, and I was in the studio laying down tracks. Then I took the head into the control room and ran a cable out to the cab to work out some parts or punch in, don't recall....but I do remember that the tone was different, in a good manner. That's what started it all for me. I thought it might be the due to the longer cable or a bad cable so I took the head back into the studio and sat it on one of those 4" thick semi-rigid fiberglass sound absorbers....recorded those parts again and the tone was better. but placebo is real so?

[greyscales]

I think, and this may just be me, but this might be a case of overthinking things?

Or, I'm a luddite that doesn't care about his gear.

[aen]

yyyyyyyeaaahhh, I think this is getting awfully deep into a non-problem. Like eating an extra 45 calories a day or something.

[AxAxSxS]

I do put shock absorbing material between my cabs and amps. Like some have said, this might be overthinking things and a non issue, but it makes me feel better. Somehow I doubt anyone has done a scientific study about tube longevity and cab placement. I know the floor shakes when we play so unless there is carpet there that would not really help, might be worse if the floor is getting the cumulative effect of it all.

[skullservant]

I've got rubber feet on both of my amp heads. I've had rubber feet on all of my heads except for one which I think was solid state. That's the only head that was wiggling around while I've played, I since have gotten rid of it. I've never had a problem? Not sure if it's the rubber feet but I've never put my heads next to my cabs except for at my wedding where I was trying to keep the stacks down and be fairly discrete.

[01010111]

I think it would make a difference but it wouldn't make a significant difference. Like drying your t-shirts on a line instead of in the dryer to make them last longer.

I've got rubber feet on both of my amp heads. I've had rubber feet on all of my heads except for one which I think was solid state. That's the only head that was wiggling around while I've played, I since have gotten rid of it. I've never had a problem? Not sure if it's the rubber feet but I've never put my heads next to my cabs except for at my wedding where I was trying to keep the stacks down and be fairly discrete.

I had that same problem with a Bruce amp. But that was partially because the head was just a featherlight preamp and the power amp was in the cab, it had hard plastic feet too, though.

[AxAxSxS]

I did break the ceiling light fixture in the kitchen on the floor below the band room, caused it to come loose from the house and fall and be crushed. So sonic energy can def be transferred, I just don't know how bad it would be for an amp.

[hbombgraphics]

I haven't had a tube head and cab in a while but most I have owned had rubber feet
only exception was my plush but that was tuck n roll

I think enough engineering goes into the design that it probably doesn't need to be re-engineered by musicians
plus the looking cool thing

if you get to strange about where you place things you start to float into eric johnson territory

[Uncle Grandfather]

I do put shock absorbing material between my cabs and amps. Like some have said, this might be overthinking things and a non issue, but it makes me feel better. Somehow I doubt anyone has done a scientific study about tube longevity and cab placement. I know the floor shakes when we play so unless there is carpet there that would not really help, might be worse if the floor is getting the cumulative effect of it all.

Along with effecting the tube life, I'm really most concerned about any sonic degradation from vibrations getting into the tubes and causing unwanted mechanical vibrations, just like microphonics, thus distorting the original signal. So basically a cab is a resonating box, and all i've played you can feel em. Taking the head off the box was step one for me, and then finding a way to deal with stage/floor vibrations was next. I don't know, just bored, first post. Wondering if people thought about these things or just put their amp heads ontop because that's where everyone else does.

[hbombgraphics]

I have thought about it, but honestly I think some of those vibrations are what make tube amps sound like tube amps

some of those things that technically don't make sense are what make music awesome

[Mudfuzz]

sonic degradation from vibrations getting into the tubes and causing unwanted mechanical vibrations, just like microphonics, thus distorting the original signal.

there's also that thing about playing loud and for a good % of people here distorted sounds through them so it's had to say if noticing would happen

but yes I've thought about it but… meh..