Two Amp Set-ups / ABY Boxes

[MannequinRaces]

Who on here uses a two amp set-up and do you like it or not? I've been thinking about getting another small watt tube amp so I can exploit the full potential of my DMMWH and my Stereo Pulsar. I could just run the pedals straight into my recorder but that's not very fun. The setup would be used primarily for stereo effects but might also be used for a sort of clean channel / dirty channel sort of thing. Also those of you that have a two amp set-up, what kind of splitter / ABY box do you use? I was looking at either the Loop-Master: http://www.loop-master.com/product_info ... ucts_id=40 or the Lehle P-Splitter: http://guitars.musiciansfriend.com/prod ... D=82068285.

Thanks for any thoughts or suggestions!

[cheesecats]

I use 2 amps to record live. I have them spread wide and use the stereo output either from a chorus or tremolo/pan. I don't use an A/B switch. I set the amps clean and use pedals for dirt and other effects. I use a single stereo mic centered in the sweet spot. I find the differences in tone settings, speakers, distance from the mic, etc. often result in the frequency spectrum being spread across the stereo field, even with out any effects, and the notes dance around.

[MannequinRaces]

I use 2 amps to record live. I have them spread wide and use the stereo output either from a chorus or tremolo/pan. I don't use an A/B switch. I set the amps clean and use pedals for dirt and other effects. I use a single stereo mic centered in the sweet spot. I find the differences in tone settings, speakers, distance from the mic, etc. often result in the frequency spectrum being spread across the stereo field, even with out any effects, and the notes dance around.

Sounds great. Thanks for your input. Do you have any sound clips of your set-up? Also what stereo mic do you use?

[cheesecats]

The videos on my vimeo channel all used this method. I use an old AT9400 stereo electret condenser--they don't make them anymore. Here are some more examples:

http://www.mediafire.com/file/wyokno4yj2k/double d.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/file/wajjym2bi ... erside.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/file/2yi5gzmqemm/Seafoam.mp3

http://www.mediafire.com/file/ianlzzjdmmg/Rhythm Stick Vegasized Double Hammered 2.mp3

I like the expansive sound of the single stereo mic, and it's very easy to record once you find the right spot.

[MannequinRaces]

Wow! Those are some great examples! I like 'double d' the best probably. What amps did you use for those?

[cheesecats]

Thanks. I use a twin reverb on one side and a music man seventy-five head with an old 60's 2x12 bassman cabinet on the other. The music man is a bass amp and has a deep switch, which helps the frequency spread.

Here's the setup:

[pothole]

I went down that path for live use about 10 years ago for a short time. Used an EB stereo pan pedal which had some mods done to it. Being able to blend to taste each amp was pretty cool. It was alot of fun actually..I didn't have a lot of stereo effects, but did have a few..can't even remember which ones..maybe a stereo deja vibe? Is that even an option on that pedal? I think I had a stereo boss delay as well and maybe something else. It was fun and sounded great.

My inspiration for that setup came from Mike McCready...was a huge pearl jam fan back in the day..here is a quote from one of their techs..

"From the interface, we go to an original Uni-Vibe, a Dunlop wah pedal with a built-in preamp that provides four different tone selections, an old Boss analog delay pedal and then to an Ernie Ball Stereo Volume pedal set in the 'pan' mode. One side of the pan pedal.. which feeds our clean amp.. goes back to one input of the rack interface, while the signal from the other side of the pan pedal goes to an old, puke green Ibanez TS-9 Tube Screamer. That signal then also goes back to the rack interface and into the dirty amp. When the pan pedal is all the way back, Mike just gets the clean amp, and when he pushes it all the way forward all he gets is the dirty amp. "The dirty amp is one of three Marshalls: a '68 50-watt Marshall plexi or one of two '69 100-watt Marshall Super Tremolos that have had the tremolo disconnected by Sal Trentino, who services all our amps and also does Neil Young's work. They're all four- input amps, so I jump the channels to get a little more gain." "The clean amp is a Mesa/Boogie Studio Preamp that runs into a VHT G2150 Classic power amp and two 300-watt Marshall 1960 4x12 cabinets."

[MannequinRaces]

Those are some sweet amps! Great set-up! Gotta love old Fenders.

My inspiration for that setup came from Mike McCready...was a huge pearl jam fan back in the day..here is a quote from one of their techs..

I'm a PJ fan also. Thanks for posting how McCready used his set-up. It's always fun to read about stuff like that.

[sevenSHARPnine]

Sometimes if I'm feeling saucy I run my Blackheart combo with my JC-60. I split my guitar with a Loop Master Y-splitter so that I send one unaffected signal to me JC-60 which is super clean, and the other signal goes through my pedalboard and into my Blackheart amp. It's cool to have a clean layer of sound underneath the dirt or modulation of what have you.

I own another piece of Loop Master gear and it's phenomenal. I recommend them highly!

[MannequinRaces]

Sometimes if I'm feeling saucy I run my Blackheart combo with my JC-60. I split my guitar with a Loop Master Y-splitter so that I send one unaffected signal to me JC-60 which is super clean, and the other signal goes through my pedalboard and into my Blackheart amp. It's cool to have a clean layer of sound underneath the dirt or modulation of what have you.

I own another piece of Loop Master gear and it's phenomenal. I recommend them highly!

Thanks for your feedback. I found out about the Loop Master stuff after seeing some of it in the 'show your pedal board' thread. It's nice to hear firsthand from somebody that actually uses it. Their prices seem reasonable for what you get so I think I'll try out some of their stuff. Thanks again!

[my bloody television]

I was using a Super Reverb and Twin Reverb in stereo for a while but since I'm not playing stadiums it's become just too much...in terms of transportation hassle and volume issues mostly. It did sound fucking sweet though. I have an SPX90 at the end of my chain and got a LoopMaster stereo true bypass box for it. When the SPX90 is bypassed the true bypass box works as a y-splitter, great build quality just takes a while to get the LoopMaster stuff.

[MannequinRaces]

I was using a Super Reverb and Twin Reverb in stereo for a while but since I'm not playing stadiums it's become just too much...in terms of transportation hassle and volume issues mostly. It did sound fucking sweet though. I have an SPX90 at the end of my chain and got a LoopMaster stereo true bypass box for it. When the SPX90 is bypassed the true bypass box works as a y-splitter, great build quality just takes a while to get the LoopMaster stuff.

Awesome! Thanks for sharing your experiences with a two amp set-up and the Loop Master stuff. I'm mostly just a studio bedroom recorder/player, so hauling two amps around won't be a problem.

[htsamurai]

I do that to retain clarity on high gain, usually I have a super heavy fuzz that keeps close to no chord clarity (I like jazz chords, remember?) with some reverb, then another amp with high OD and some chorus, beautiful walls of sound with clarity enough to play some jazzy jazz.
I use this guy, has NOT let me down in the least. I read the comment that it's built like a nuclear missle silo (as tanks for for pussies) and I could not agree more.

they go for $175 new, which I think is a bit much for what it does (I traded for it) but it's the best I've used in that I've never worried about it in anyway...ever, I guess you're paying for peace of mind, perfectly clear signal, stupid awesome enclosure and no tone sucking
http://www.startouchpedals.com/Merchant ... gory_Code=


though..I'm gonna be selling it soon....soooooo

[MannequinRaces]

though..I'm gonna be selling it soon....soooooo

Nice! Sounds like a cool pedal and rig. Let me know if you decide to sell it!