Daisy-chaining Amps together

[twangmeisternyc]

I mentioned on another thread that I have been playing around with a combined pair of amps, one tube, one solid-state, setting the tone controls for each to my liking.

A couple questions...

1) I know I need power on the primary amp (tube - Fender) to generate the signal for the secondary (solid-state). It appears 83mV is coming from V1A Pin 2 in the NORMAL channel to the common between Inputs 1&2 to accomplish this power need.

How much tone and volume variation/influence might I expect to see to the secondary amp from adjusting Volume, Treble, Bass on the primary?

2) Knowing when both Inputs 1&2 are used, whether in a daisy-chain or just two instrument inputs, the -6db effect is negated off of Input 2 as otherwise designed. It looks like the 1M and the 136k ohm impedances are in parallel.

Am I getting full gain, or am I getting the -6db gain?

I am in-process of figuring this out myself, but would like others with good experience to comment....

[Rickenjangle]

It shouldn't matter all that much. I've been doing this myself for years. I can tell you that some amps - when they're off - will not allow signal to pass through the parallel inputs, but others might.

When I am using my tube Vox amp as my primary and one of my Pathfinders as a secondary amp (like when I need a skosh more onstage volume) I have noticed that when the AC15 is in standby, the volume to the Pathfinder is still there but seems to have been attenuated.

I say, just tweak both amps until they sound good together, and play your guitar with a big smile on your face... ;-)

[twangmeisternyc]

Just trying to understand it better...been doing the "sounds great" just like when I was younger, too!

[twangmeisternyc]

My sense is that it is getting louder as I turn up the primary (tube-Fender) amp. Whether it will continue or just plateau I dunno...but it does sound freakin' great.

I like this progression I've been on. First, just a new 40W 6L6 amp with reverb and trem. Then making a second 15" speaker baffle to swap in and out with the 2-10's. Then modding the amp for more reverb, more headroom. Then an enclosure for the 15" speaker replacing the second baffle. Then the 50W solid-state amp. Now being able to mix and match.

I teased myself about an old Pete Townshend TV interview where he describes the first week Jimi Hendrix was in London. Chas Chandler asks Pete as a favor to take Jimi around to the stores to get some equipment. Pete, a little unsure about who this "black man" was, or if he would make it in London, or was worthy of his time, obliges...

They go to Pete's favorite shop and Pete says, "I used to play one of these, 100W, very nice, and now I'm playing one of those, again 100W, it's very nice as well..." and so on, then he leaves Jimi at the shop thinking he'll play around, trying a few of them out a while, whatever...

Later in the day, Pete heads back by Chas Chandler's flat, as he nears he hears this totally insane volume of guitar sound a block away. He arrives to find Jimi with 2 of each, all daisy-chained together!

His final comment in the interview was something like..."I created that f*cking black maniac"

[Doc W]

This is really interesting. How do I do this without blowing up anything? I would like to try it just for the sheer hell of it. I have a brown Concert (a '62), a Traynor YCV40T, and a '72 Super Reverb. What should I put into what, if anything?

[twangmeisternyc]

Most amps have two inputs per channel. Just plug in your guitar into one, plug another guitar cord into the second jack, then run that cord to the next amp. The signal from the first goes to the second, and so on...

The only concern is if your amps are 2-prong plug, etc., where grounding could be affected. Best to plug the amps into the same power source as well so they are in phase with each other.

[Rickenjangle]

Twangmeister is correct. You shouldn't have any problems if you're plugging all 3 amps into the power supply. Gerald Weber wrote a column in Vintage Guitar magazine about 'Texas Tone Del Maximo' and detailed how he plugs in 3 amps. There are issues with whether you have polarity correct with those old amps, but if you've had the 3 prong cables installed in the amps and had the polarity switches disabled, you should be fine.

Doc, I would suggest going into the Concert first, then the Super, and then the Traynor - but that's just because I'd like to hit the Concert hard. It's probably all the same anyway.

Another neat way to do it would be to go into the Concert first, then out the parallel (2nd input) to something like a rackmount stereo digital delay unit, and take the left and right outputs of that into the other two amps. then, spread them out and stan in the middle. Instantly, the tone is 3-d and huge!

[Doc W]

I can hardly wait to try it tonight. If you don't hear from me by Monday, something blew up. Dial 911.

[Rickenjangle]

Doc, are you down with O.P.P.?

(Ontario Provincial Police)

[Don]

I like to combine a blackface amp like my Vibrolux Reverb with a punchy amp like my tweed Deluxe clone. Fat and shiny!