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Do you use an amp stand?

Lichtaffen

Lichtaffen

Sep 29, 2008
1,734
239
56
Rhode Island
www.pliableimaging.com
#1
My band practices in a very small space and my amp is right next to my knees. I really have to crank it to be heard over the 2 guitars, Hammond & Leslie, drums and Bose L1 for vocals, sax and digital piano. I use an Aguilar AG500 with 1x12 cab. I feel that by using an amp stand and tilting the cab toward my ears I shouldn't need to crank the amp as much as I do. Simple physics I suppose.

Any experiences with amp stands and this type of issue?
 
#6
I've used an amp stand from time to time and I have found it to work well for exactly what you need it for. As a matter of fact, I used to use an amp stand at gigs for my combo amps, this was way before light weight amps and cabs, just to minimize the amount of gear I brought to the show. However, the benefit was, I could hear myself really well all night, thus playing at a much lower volume and the rest of the band followed suit. that is a win in my book! There are many choices out there, so I'm sure you can find one to fit your needs.
 
#7
I use an amp stand alot of times, and its a collapsible "work table" I bought at Home Depot for $35. I got the idea from a thread here on TB, search for amp stands to find that. It works great with my 4x10 and I can hear it much better.

Edit: here is an image of it:

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#9
Lichtaffen said:
I do have a second identical cab I use at gigs. Call me lazy, but I don't feel I need to lug 2 cabs to rehearsal. Also, what 2 cabs will do is make me louder and cause the rest of the band to raise their volumes. I feel tilting the cab toward my ears would be a more direct solution to the issue.
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No, it does not require you to be louder. Your amp has a volume knob, you can turn it down.

It will let you hear yourself better at a lower volume.
 
#11
I used a 2x4 to tilt my 2x10 cabinet upward. Low budget.
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#12
Spiffmeister said:
I have the exact same problem! I now use tin cans to tilt my amp... Do you know of any decent amp stands? Stores dont really have them in stock here in tiny Belgium. I use an Ashdown 4x10cab.
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I used the same foldable worktable Jgroh mentioned. Here we can find it in Brico for 60 euro's: Invalid Link Removed

It is great: very strong, stable, perfect footprint and height for supporting a 410 cab, cheap, light, and folds flat for easy transportation. If you don't like the look, you can drape a black cloth over it like I did. The only reason I'm not using it anymore is because I replaced my 410 with two 210's that I stack vertically. Well, I do still use it for DIY work in the house, it is a worktable after all...

On the other hand, I have an Ashdown MAG 410 cab that I wouldn't mind selling you for 75 euro's. That would make a great stand too, and is barely more expensive! :)
 
#14
Lichtaffen said:
Thanks for all the replies. I guess now my question is which one should I grab? There are the ones that basically keep the cab on the floor and tilt them back and then the ones which elevate it off the floor and tilt it. In most cases, my amp is just a monitor for me. Thoughts or experiences?
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I prefer elevated of the floor, as it is usally more stable, especially for sitting an amp head on top. More importantly though, the tone varies less when you move around on stage and the distance between yourself and the cab changes. Also, when the head is on top, it's controls are within easy reach.

Disadvantages: I've had to move the cab down from the stand after soundcheck to lift it back up before playing once, as it blocked part of the screen the hosts were showing video's (corporate party, they were showing the year results). No biggie...
 
#15
I've never used one. I believe my amp sounds better when the sound bounces off the floor. Don't know if you understand my reasoning, but I believe the sound is better and louder when the amp is sitting on the floor.
 
#16
Elevating the amp so you can hear it better makes a big difference.

If you have one, put the amp on an ATA case.

Try your amp on top of the Leslie. I sometimes do this on a 145 and the height works out well.
 
#20
If there is a issue with vibration, try a piece of carpet or a piece of foam under the cab.

In general I use an Auralex Gramma pad for isolation under heads or cabs. I sometimes use interlocking floor mats. You can get them at a hardware store. They are made out of the same type of material that flip-flop sandals are made from and are about the same thickness. The mats can be cut to whatever size is needed and stacked.
 

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