Nobody Wants Heads / We All Want Small Amps... Really?

[Dee Mort]

heads and cabs. usually higher wattage heads, whatever sounds good, and a selection of cabs. why carry the weight of amp and speaker at the same time?

i don't gig, but couldn't you just take the head with you and find another way to get sound to foh? there's so many options for loads/di/ speaker sim etc now. just research what is safe for your amp. i keep reading boss tae, attenuators, and certain devices can be bad for your amp (keeping in mind that you'll inherintly be pushing the amp harder, is there something else unsafe going on the amp doesn't like??)

 

[FleshOnGear]

That radar is a great piece of gear. I use mine for recording the line out from my weber mass 200

Yeah, I’ve been loving it. Great bang for the buck! I just wish you could run two speaker models, one left and one right. But for what I spent, I’m totally happy. I really like the Champ, Bassman, and 57 Deluxe models. They cut a bit more than the 4x12 models.

@Dee Mort, I could totally just bring a head, my Power Station, and the Mooer Radar, and go straight to the PA. I could also do the same with my Peavey Classic 30 combo, which is lighter than any of my heads.

 

[Eric'45]

Ok, I'll chime in here, and speak for the "young generation". I'm 29 years old. Most of the people my age certainly don't "get" why I play guitar and make music. It is mostly seen as a weird, old- fashioned hobby. I know a handful of people in my age group that make music, though. What is different is the priority that making music has for those people. I'm a minority inside another minority because I don't play guitar, i live for music. What I wanna say is, it's not true that there are no people of the younger generation that make music. Of the 3 or 4 guys that I talk to regularly, they all play guitar or bass, yes. But that's about it. Their knowledge or interest goes deep enough to know that a guitar has 6 strings and a Bass has 4. They can play along to 'smells like teen spirit'. So yeah, there are musicians in my generation. But each of those doesn't have a clue about the difference between Transistor Amps or Tube Amps. The interest just doesn't go deep enough. Of course, convenient, small solutions (that have bluetooth and can be controlled via smartphone, ideally) are what's popular.

Nothing wrong with that, and I also own 2 Combos myself (Or, actually, 3 Does a Leslie count as a combo? It's neither small or portable).

With all that being said, my JTM45 Head with separate 2x12 is easier to carry than a Bluesbreaker Combo. Having Heads allows me in my current situation, where space is kinda limited, to have several Amps, but a single Cab. The flexibility is greater.
And to be honest, my most flexible piece of Gear is in fact my Diezel VH2- and that's obviously a 100W Head. It can go from Bedroom Volume to ALL the Thump and Power you might ever want from a Tube Amp- it can deliver pristine cleans at any Volume. We live in a time where there is a solution to enjoy even a 100W Non- MV Plexi in any situation- with Headphones and IRs, even.

For anybody that is a bit interested in the subject, there's no reason not to own big Tube Amps and Heads, since why limit yourself to a single thing? There are some great MV Amps out there, and there are so many possibilities to make the most impractical Non- MV Amps work in any situation.

But looking at the big picture it is true, even if we don't like it: Most younger Guitarists don't even know what a Vacuum Tube is.

 

[Dee Mort]

I could totally just bring a head, my Power Station, and the Mooer Radar, and go straight to the PA. I could also do the same with my Peavey Classic 30 combo, which is lighter than any of my heads.

fair enough. i just thought most combos were bigger and heavier than most heads. i would grab my 5150 iconic or 5150 50w 6l6 heads, or run any head into a suhr rl ir then to foh, something like that. i find it's the combo that's a pain the ass to carry.

that peavey would be 10lbs less than my dsl40c, crazy but neat

 

[marshallmellowed]

I don't really pay much attention to what the general population does, I just worry about what I like. I like heads & cabs, mainly the larger 50w & 100w amps (2203x, 1959 SLP, a couple of 900's...), and always through a 4x12. I play the amps louder than I could at most gigs we play, aside from those that are outdoors. My tube amps rarely leave my home, as they're not what I choose to gig with. At home, It's what I like, and that's all the reason I need. How many large amps are selling or not selling in our current environment is irrelevant to me.

 

[Silverdome]

Who knows...I'm becoming the old man shouting at the clouds these days. I'll probably always be a big amp guy but on the other hand whatever gets people out playing music (big or small amp) I'm for it.

 

[nioclás]

The interest just doesn't go deep enough.

I hear you.
My last band were stating the question "Do we really have to have a rehearsal *every* week?...". I don't know if it's just me (I'm an old fart), but I get the impression that people around me simply are not interested in making music. That's why my current band is a trio: the Looper, the Drum Machine, and myself.

Anyway. Head+cab(s) for me please. Not necessarily more difficult to carry around. Moreover, I can match the heads with whatever cabs I want. And the number of heads I own does not necessarily have to match the number of cabs.

 

[anitoli]

Guitar wanna-be's:



Guitar players:



No explanations needed.

 

[V-man]

If heads are TRULY threatened, I see combos going first.

If we are playing the “trend” game, the IR-2 and other units would likely to be on the biggest rise, threatening ALL conventional amplification.

And I spot a lot of “apples-to-bullshit” with this. 2204/6505 halfstack compared to what… A 20-50W 112 combo, or a 50-100W 212 Juggernaut? Because we ALL know the least palatable choice EVER is the 212 combo. And now you have the largest application possible against the smaller/smallest… hence, bullshit.

We are now in the two decade mark of ”serviceable” mini-heads, transitioning from boutique lunchboxes to ALL big-box amp companies offering no less than two mini circuits each. content creators can make all the BS arguments they want about $2K+ half-stacks going out, but the combo reigning supreme reeks of complete bullshit. A 20W+ mini and 212 is no more taxing to any gigger than a 112 combo is and is easier to use (dial) in a house.

 

[purpleplexi]

Don't even own a cab larger than 1 x 12 anymore. Or a combo come to that. And the highest rated amp I own is 40 watts. Done with big stuff. Most of the time I never needed it anyway in fact my plexi got me banned from one local venue.

 

[Dee Mort]

And I spot a lot of “apples-to-bullshit” with this. 2204/6505 halfstack compared to what… A 20-50W 112 combo, or a 50-100W 212 Juggernaut? Because we ALL know the least palatable choice EVER is the 212 combo. And now you have the largest application possible against the smaller/smallest… hence, bullshit.

i thought a 40lb 30w combo (which still doesn't have di out, so you still need more equipment) as the basis for this arguement seemed unfair, glad someone chimed in. that's why i compared peavey classic 30w combo to my evh 5150 iconic 80w which is also 40lbs, is half the size, has more balls, but has di out! lol

i hate carrying a combo, might as well haul a 212 closed back instead, they weigh in around 50lbs, just like my open back dsl40c weighs 53lbs (which sounds way better in a closed back cab anyways)!!

 

[Eric'45]

I hear you.
My last band were stating the question "Do we really have to have a rehearsal *every* week?...". I don't know if it's just me (I'm an old fart), but I get the impression that people around me simply are not interested in making music. That's why my current band is a trio: the Looper, the Drum Machine, and myself.

Anyway. Head+cab(s) for me please. Not necessarily more difficult to carry around. Moreover, I can match the heads with whatever cabs I want. And the number of heads I own does not necessarily have to match the number of cabs.

Finding like- minded people to form a Band with is hard nowadays. I mean, I'm fairly open minded, and I can at least tolerate many styles of music. But most of the local Bands are just cover and party bands, unable to put even a slight personal twist on their songs, or they are into Indie- pop or whatever that is called. Occasionally it's fun to have a Jam session and actually socialize with musicians, but I'm a Rock/Hardrock/Metal player at heart. I guess I was born in the wrong decade.
But aside from that personal rant- all that is the core of the problem: Even if young people get into guitar, they are not into the sort of music where Big Amps still rule. At an Underground Metal Concert, Big Tube Heads and Half or Fullstacks are still common. But that is not the popular music.

 

[anitoli]

It's only going to get worse going forward. The US is being prepped for a big demographic change and the replacements are not into metal, guitars, amps ect. Enjoy the tunes and gear, life is short.

 

[LPMarshall hack]

Give me head, or give me death!!

 

[goldtop0]

I remember going to Sydney in the early '80s on music business, sound reinforcement PA stuff, talking with the sound hire companies there. They discussed the fact that Marshall stacks were out and a Boogie combo(behind the scenes) was the thing. I was horrified as we were angling to get M amps into NZ and to me 'the stack' was the shizz
When we did manage to bring the gear in a year later or so it was predominantly combo sales and mainly the solid state amps they were making at the time, cost being of the essence here.

 

[PelliX]

Give me head, or give me death!!

You need to work on those pickup lines, bro...

 

[RCM 800]

I think the last time I used my 4x12 for a gig was 2011. Even when I was gigging regularly I didnt roll it out unless we were playing outdoors. Most of the gigging Ive done was with mic'd 1x12 either combo or head and cab. Sometimes I do two 1x12's if we have a lot of time to setup and Im not in a hurry. If I was having trouble hearing myself over the drums I would lean the amp back or put it in a chair so it was pointed at me. I havent sold the 4x12 but at least they hold their value pretty well so it doesnt bother me to let it sit even though I honestly doubt I will ever use it on stage again.

 

[jmp45]

I no longer gig but the 1959 or 1967 into a half or full 1960 stack is magic with the greenies or black backs. I have a few combos that sound good but they aren't my go to. When I was off to school sharing a town house apartment in 73 I had my 73 1959 stack in the upper bedroom. If I happen to be there during a week day when neighbors were at work, I'd crank it. Crazy cops never showed up. They did a few times when I moved into rental house with a few other musicians south of campus. Crazy days, seriously crazy,

 

[LPMarshall hack]

Me and my fellow guitarist still gig with half stacks. But we're a loud drunken party bar band.

 

[Mitchell Pearrow]

I have a fender practise combo amp that's been collecting dust for 8 years but exclusively play amp heads through a Palmer PDI-03

Sometimes I feel they're a pain to lug around and i'm handy enough to dial in a good vst tone but there's just something about playing a real amp, even if it's into my computer, thwt I can't give up

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