Running two amps at once

[thebigz]

How many here run through 2 amps at once? I'm thinking it may be fun to go through both of my Laneys, or one Laney and the Fender at the same time.

Do people do this for a bigger sound? Do most use one amp for clean and one for distortion? I'm new to this whole thing

[Twitch]

For shows where either I or the other guitarist cant make it, we rig up a two amp combination. We set one up on each side of the stage. We run the preamp out of the primary amp into the effects return of the other. Its more for balance and not tone, but if you have two identical amps, this way could be used for ballance and maybe a little tone difference if using different cabs. Alternatively and probably more like you were thinking, you could use an ABY switch and run into the front end of two amps. We use the slave method because we can just run the cable behind the stage and wed never be switching between the two.

[VitaminG]

So Twitch, you're just running the preamp of one into the power amp of the other? That's not really using two amps then, not in the sense that thebigz is asking about. You could do the same thing running the one amp into cabs on either side of the stage.

[roodyrocker]

I have used two amps live in the past but not often. The stages we play are too small and the rig was getting too complex. However, I can tell you I initially used a Morley A/B box but quickly got rid of it. It was a very noisy device and had to go. I replaced it with a Radial Engineering Switchbone. The Switchbone isolates the two amps from eachother and allows them to be run either amp alone or both simultaneously. It also has ground lift and polarity switches so noise was not an issue. As a bonus it has a boost switch too. Most importantly it made it safe to run both amps when other setups may pose a shock danger. As far as sound, it was incredible running something such as a clean channel electric amp simultaneously with a piezo pick up into an SWR acoustic amp from one guitar. Absolutely huge sound! You can do the same with two distorted amps too. My advice is if you're going to run two amps get a Radial Engineering Switchbone A/B/Y box

[jgcable]

I have noticed many times that running 2 amps at once usually results in ground loop hum. Its a crap shoot from stage to stage. Usually there is a ground loop problem of some sort.

[Twitch]

the sense that thebigz is asking about.

Covered in the last part of my post, and he didnt specify.

[SixstringKing]

Never have a problem running my Marshall AFD100 and and Hughes & Kettner TriAmp through a Radial Switchbone A/B/Y box. I have a stereo rack, dual eq, noise gate/compressor, eventide eclipse, blah blah blah, running one side in one amp and the other through the other amp into a couple of 4x12s per head with no issues like Rudy says. And the sound, yeah it's huge! Especially when running two different heads and blending the sound together! Just incredible!

[thebigz]

I don't play outside of my basement that often, but it just sounds like too much fun. I just run straight into the amps, no effects or anything. I'll give that Switchbone a shot!

[roodyrocker]

The Switchbone is not cheap but it works great! The Morley I had before it was noisy even if all had was one amp. Thats why I got rid of it. The Switchbone I still ahve and play around with it at home too

[toejam]

The easiset way to start out is to get a stereo chorus pedal. Guitar into pedal, one output of pedal into one amp, the other output into second amp. You can just keep all the controls on the pedal all the way down if you don't want to use the effect.

[thebigz]

yeah, after I closed this thread, I looked up the switchbone on Amazon, not gonna happen just to have a little fun. I like Toe's idea, and that's more on the level of my rig

[toejam]

It's definitely the cheapest way. Certain chorus pedals may even give you a slight doubling effect, which beefs up the sound a little, with still having the controls all the way off.

[Chad]

Yeah, any pedal with stereo output can be used as a splitter. You don't even have to mess with the pedal's settings....just leave it in bypass mode. I've done that several times before with success.

[markD]

i have used my vintage fender and JCM800 together. it sounds cool. i had the fender modded (reversible) through the 2nd speaker jack to enable the two to work together without the horrible ground-loop. it makes for a great sound when i am playing a strat or a tele.

[Chief_CrazyTalk]

I used to use a Boogie head and jubilee combo in stero years ago. I believe I used the effects loops and a Quadraverb to do it, sounded pretty cool. I've been wanting to try using two Marshall amps lately and have been wondering what ABY swicth to go with. I was looking into Whirlwind, any good? I may have to try the Radial unit. I don't think I want a stereo sound these days, just one big mono sound.