Head vs. Separate Preamp & Poweramp

[jdwhitak]

Hello,

I'm looking at getting a second amp for rehearsals and gigging. I'm trying to decide between getting a head or getting separate components. What are the pros and cons of each setup? Total costs seem to be about the same. Thanks for any and all help.

[Lo-E]

It all depends upon how much tinkering you want to do with your tone. A head will always be easier to deal with and is the way I would suggest you lean.

With separates, you can change one or the other for tweaking and you'll also have some more options in terms of how you power and/or match your cabinets.

For a rehearsal room setup, I wouldn't bother with separates.

[Chef]

As someone who gigged a four space rack of tuner/preamp/power amp for a looong time, I can tell you I miss nothing about hauling something that size and weight.

I really just couldn't be any happier with my little bitty Gallien Krueger MBFusion 500.
~4lbs, fits in my gig bag.

[dukeisdog]

Originally Posted by Chef

As someone who gigged a four space rack of tuner/preamp/power amp for a looong time, I can tell you I miss nothing about hauling something that size and weight.

I really just couldn't be any happier with my little bitty Gallien Krueger MBFusion 500.
~4lbs, fits in my gig bag.

And I'm on the other side of the fence. I was using a 40lb Mesa amp before I switched to my power/pre setup. I'm running a full 6U case and it's about 35LBS. Could understand why someone would go micro but I've finally found MY tone with my new power/pre setup!

[RickenBoogie]

As with most all gear choices, it's all just personal preferences. The pro's and con's are for YOU to decide.

[swspiers]

Yeah, I think it's mostly a matter of personality. I LOVE swapping out gear, trying new things out. Pre-power works for me. There are a lot of pre pedals and rack units out there, especially in the used market.

Nothing wrong with a set-it-and-forget it head though. Depends on what you want to spend your time doing...