Backup amps?

markm

CE Fan
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Jun 21, 2012
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Just wondering what you guys haul for a backup to gigs.

I'm trying to find something small with and effects loop to get me throug a gig if my main amp ever fails.
 
I have 2 H&K Grandmeister 36 heads that I bring to every gig.

The Tubemeister series might be an option for you. They are small, light, and sound fantastic.
 
I have 2 H&K Grandmeister 36 heads that I bring to every gig.

The Tubemeister series might be an option for you. They are small, light, and sound fantastic.

TubeMeister is fantastic, I use mine for cleans and as a backup for my 5150 and Randall.
 
I used to carry that same Crate Power Block to every gig--pretty small, powerful enough, decent sound for solid state. Now I take an EH .44 Calibre. It's tiny, and powerful enough for most things. My key point is that this is just to get through a gig. I don't want to haul another head or combo along. At one time, I carried a combo and a head, using the head and combo speaker as the primary, then I could just plug the speaker back to the combo if there was a problem. I've only once had to use the backup situation, and it was while I was using the combo/head method. Now, I'm always trying to pair down the weight and quantity.
 
Interviewer: "Lesteban, why don't you bring a spare amp to a gig?"

Lesteban: "I started gigging in 1965. I've owned an awful lot of amps that I've used on gigs and sessions. Not one has ever gone bad or so much as blown a fuse! We are, after all, talking a half a century of my experience with tube amplifiers here. They are very reliable devices. I don't bring a spare car to gigs, either.

Did you see spare amps at a Beatles show? Take a look, videos of Beatles shows are all over YouTube. No spare amps. Hendrix - no spare amps! Cream, no spare amps.

And if you've gotta take spare amps, what about spare pedals? What if a drunk spills poo on your pedals? You see where I'm going with this. It's a slippery slope, starting with spare amps. Soon you'll need to take spare amp covers, spare road cases. What if the power goes out? Spare generator."

Interviewer: "That's fine for some, Lesteban, but have you thought about professionalism? Don't you worry about how your audience would feel if your rig did go down for the count?"

Lesteban: "The audience would no doubt be very relieved that I stopped playing. I don't bring a spare guitar, either...Fifty years of audiences just wishing that something would make me stop. All disappointed that it hasn't happened."

Interviewer? "Wait...you're saying...that your audiences hate your music? Then why do you bother playing?"

Lesteban: "I am by nature a sadist."

Interviewer: "And your audiences?"

Lesteban: "Well, it takes all kinds, obviously. Some are simply too polite to throw vegetables. Some are my relatives. And there are people who enjoy pain. Serious music lovers do not attend my shows. They attend actual concerts."

Interviewer: "If your amp did go down, would you return the venue's money?"

Lesteban: "Pardon me? Did you mean to imply that venues pay...money...for this? In advance? You are hysterically funny, interview person. By the way, I just stole your wallet."
 
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Carvin V3M would make a nice backup. Small, versatile, effects loop, inexpensive, tube.
"It's less than $300!" :vroam:

I'm one of those that keeps spare parts, not spare systems. My back dictates how much gear I take.
 
Thanks guys, some great ideas.
I still don't know if I want something real small and cheap (ala micro terror). Just enough to limp through a gig if needed . Or something more suitable to get "my tone".
I've had amps fail on me in the past
thanks again
 
The small acoustic practice amp I bring to a gig is the backup: I usually plug straight into the PA. It's the nature of the music - mostly acoustic instruments (think traditional Irish stuff) played in really small venues - we could go completely au natural acoustic if needed, although I'd have to switch to an acoustic guitar from my electric (PRS HB), and thus forego some of our more rocking tunes where I get to solo with a TS.
 
DRRI head. It's small, lightweight, works with pedals... It sits in the band van and doesn't even get brought in. Never needed it, but it's nice to have just in case.

I have this stuff sitting around, so I figure "why not?"

I wouldn't have gone out and purchased something specifically as a backup though.

drri6_zps3376f990.jpg
 
My main amp for 16 years has been an Egnater TOL50. I acquired an Egnater Tweaker, the 15 watt single channel head, as partial trade for a guitar a while back. At the time I was using a Weber Mass to quiet the TOL50 for bedroom playing. Now I run my signal through the TOL50's preamp (power on, standby off) out the FX send through my pedalboard, and into the Tweaker's FX return to run through the Tweaker's power section. The Tweaker does the low volume stuff way better than I could get from an attenuator.

As a bonus, when the TOL blew a capacitor a couple years ago, it was in the shop for a few weeks. I used the Tweaker through my 4x12 for practices and a gig. Worked perfectly. I had it up pretty much all the way of course, but it kept up with the drummer and our bass player (Ampeg SVT through an 8x10) and we are NOT a quiet band.

As another bonus, the Tweaker has a bunch of switches and stuff for various different tones. While I can't get a sound out of it that sounds quite as good as my TOL50 (I haven't been able to get a sound out of any amp as good as the TOL), I can get lots of different tones that are reasonably good quality. When we recorded our most recent album I used some of the alternate settings on the Tweaker and it really helped break up some of the monotony.

TL;DR - Egnater Tweaker 15. Used: less than $300. Fantastic little amp.

EDIT: Well, this sucks. I used my 2000th post to talk about how great my Egnater stuff is. Sorry, I basically have no experience with PRS amps.
 
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I picked up a Micro Terror for the heck of it.
Pretty cool tiny amp. Actually sounds great for those nice crunchy sounds .
Have to try it with the band to see if it can hang as a back up.
Then I just won a bid on a Tiny Terror........
So some fun to be had picking a back up!
 
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I carry a Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 in my gigbag, I set up my normal rig with an A/B box as the first pedal and the A side goes to my pedals and then to my Bad Cat , the B side goes to the FR5 then to the PA. With this set-up if my amp or pedals ever go down I step on the the A/B box and the show goes on. When clubs are paying good money you have to be able to play when expected if you want to be invited back. I've had to use this twice to save a gig over the last several years. (Before the Fly Rig I used Tech 21 Character pedals)
 
I always bring my fender mustang 3 it's powerful and never lets me down and it's very light to carry.
 
I carry a Tech 21 Fly Rig 5 in my gigbag, I set up my normal rig with an A/B box as the first pedal and the A side goes to my pedals and then to my Bad Cat , the B side goes to the FR5 then to the PA. With this set-up if my amp or pedals ever go down I step on the the A/B box and the show goes on. When clubs are paying good money you have to be able to play when expected if you want to be invited back. I've had to use this twice to save a gig over the last several years. (Before the Fly Rig I used Tech 21 Character pedals)

What do you think of the Fly Rig? I haven't had the chance to play one, yet. I think it would male a great back-up with little footprint.
 
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