Help please !!! Does anyone know how to "tie" two combo amps together?

[Jim11895]

Hey everybody,

I'm new to the world of playing bass, and need some guidance. I have a G-K Backline 210 that I use at my bands practice space and a G-K Backline 112 that I use for practice at home.

We'll be doing some gigging, and I'll need a little more power than the 210 can provide. I could add an extension cabinet to the 210, which would give me 300 watts of power (200 w/o the extension), but I was wondering if I could somehow tie the 210 and the 112 together, which would give me 200 watts from the 210 and 100 watts from the 112. The 112 has a Line-Out jack which the owners manual says "sends a line level signal for use with a direct box or to a second amplifier". Can I run a patch cord from the line-out jack on the 112 to the input on the 210, and plug my bass into the 112? If so, then I assume I would still have to operate the volume controls on each amp independently?

Also, could I still add an extension cab to the 210 if the 112 is tied into it, giving me 400 watts total power? If anyone has any experience or knowledge of this type of thing, your thoughts would be gratefully appreciated.

Thanks,
Jim

 

[lomo]

The best way to use both combos together would be to get a splitter box (like a Radial ABZ) to send your bass output to both silmultaneously. Those boxes go for well under 100 bucks. The 112 probably is not swallowing the full 100 watts without farting. IMO you're much better off with the largest 8 Ohm ext cab you can afford under the 210.

 

[JxBass]

Markbass support suggested this to me for linking two Markbass combos and I've also seen reference to that approach in various TB threads. I suggest checking with GK support before trying it to be safe.

 

[MrRumble]

Yes you can tie the two combos together. I have lined out of my Eden head into my Fender combo and it worked fine. I had to do this in a pinch one night for a last minute gig and did not have access to my my usual rig. You just have to adjust the volume and tone on each combo till it sounds right.

 

[Jim11895]

Thanks lomo, I hadn't thought of that. Regarding the extension cab, I've been wondering whether a 2x10, a 1x15, or even a 4x10 would be best. I know this is a somewhat subjective question, but I'm interested in the opinions of experienced players. I play a 5-string Modulus. I prefer a somewhat rounder, fatter tone, rather than punchier tones.

-Jim

 

[PSPookie]

This approach should work and yes you could still power an extension cab with the 210 combo.

Note: this is hardly an ieal configuration and something a little less 'patchwork' will likely perform much better.

 

[Bassmec]

The best way to use both combos together would be to get a splitter box (like a Radial ABZ) to send your bass output to both silmultaneously. Those boxes go for well under 100 bucks. The 112 probably is not swallowing the full 100 watts without farting. IMO you're much better off with the largest 8 Ohm ext cab you can afford under the 210.

I use a lehle dual but there are cheaper proper transformer based splitter boxes in their range like the p split.
This will allow you to use both eq systems to idealize the eq of each combo rather than using the line out of one into the return of the other.

 

[Jim11895]

Thanks for the info. I emailed GK and will see what they say.

 

[derridiandrift]

+1 on the splitter box, or any pedal that has a "parallel output" like the SansAmp Bass DI. In this case, you simply keep the pedal off and take put the main output to one combo and the parallel output to the other combo.

Not familiar with the two combos you own, but you can "slave" one amp from the other if they both have effects loops. To slave one amp from the other, you take the pre-amp output from one combo and run a line to the power-amp input of the other.

 

[Jim11895]

This approach should work and yes you could still power an extension cab with the 210 combo.

Note: this is hardly an ieal configuration and something a little less 'patchwork' will likely perform much better.

Yeah, I know it's not the ideal situation. Just trying to maximize what I've got. Thanks for your reply, I appreciate it.

 

[ihateusernames]

but you can "slave" one amp from the other if they both have effects loops. To slave one amp from the other, you take the pre-amp output from one combo and run a line to the power-amp input of the other.

This is the most straight forward solution offered, and I've done just that with a BL head (and varying combos/stacks) - if you like the result and feel a need for more control of the 'rig' then follow the split signal advice of others.

 

[steveksux]

The 112 line out jack is a much hotter signal than a bass guitar, you will probably have trouble putting it into the input of the other amp. Much better to use the effects input, or better yet power amp input if its available on the back of the 210 to connect to the line out of the 112.

If there's no suitable input on the 210 besides the guitar input, at least hit the -10dB pad if it has one, anything to keep from overloading the preamp of the 210. If that's the only input you have to work with, a splitter would be a better option.

Randy

 

[PSPookie]

Thanks lomo, I hadn't thought of that. Regarding the extension cab, I've been wondering whether a 2x10, a 1x15, or even a 4x10 would be best. I know this is a somewhat subjective question, but I'm interested in the opinions of experienced players. I play a 5-string Modulus. I prefer a somewhat rounder, fatter tone, rather than punchier tones.

-Jim

A 2x10, preferably from the same maker and line will give you the best results. IMO/IME/YMMV

Why so much instrument and so little amp? That Modulus will really come to life when played through a nicer rig. Go see Jim at Atlanta Bass Gallery and try some things out.

 

[Jim11895]

The 112 line out jack is a much hotter signal than a bass guitar, you will probably have trouble putting it into the input of the other amp. Much better to use the effects input, or better yet power amp input if its available on the back of the 210 to connect to the line out of the 112.

If there's no suitable input on the 210 besides the guitar input, at least hit the -10dB pad if it has one, anything to keep from overloading the preamp of the 210. If that's the only input you have to work with, a splitter would be a better option.

Randy

The 210 has a -10db pad as well as an effects input. The line-out on the 112 sends a "line-level" signal. Not sure what that means....

Thanks for your reply,
Jim

 

[PSPookie]

The 210 has a -10db pad as well as an effects input. The line-out on the 112 sends a "line-level" signal. Not sure what that means....

Thanks for your reply,
Jim

"line-level" is a slightly hotter (higher voltage) signal than "instrument-level." A bonus of going in through the effects loop on the 210 combo is that you may be coming in post-EQ (check the manual to find out for sure) which will make the task of getting a consistent sound out of the setup much easier.

 

[Jim11895]

A 2x10, preferably from the same maker and line will give you the best results. IMO/IME/YMMV

Why so much instrument and so little amp? That Modulus will really come to life when played through a nicer rig. Go see Jim at Atlanta Bass Gallery and try some things out.

That's where I bought the bass! I hear you about the nicer rig.... I got the 210 as a gift last Christmas and the 112 this Christmas. Both came as surprises. I'd rather have gotten a gift certificate so I could have selected a rig with growth potential....

Again, I know this is subjective, but in your opinion, what type of rig would be best, assuming I was starting from scratch (and with a limited budget)?

 

[Jim11895]

"line-level" is a slightly hotter (higher voltage) signal than "instrument-level." A bonus of going in through the effects loop on the 210 combo is that you may be coming in post-EQ (check the manual to find out for sure) which will make the task of getting a consistent sound out of the setup much easier.

Thanks for the reply. The 210 manual says the Effects send and return jacks are after the EQ, but before the "Boost" section....The boost adds a valve effect, or say it says.

 

[steveksux]

Thanks for the reply. The 210 manual says the Effects send and return jacks are after the EQ, but before the "Boost" section....The boost adds a valve effect, or say it says.

That's perfect then, you avoid sending the already EQd signal from the line out of 112 through the EQ section of the 210.

Regarding your response to my earlier post, the line level is higher voltage than the signal from the bass guitar, the 10dB pad would drop the hotter line out from the 112 to something closer to a bass guitar sized signal. That's what amplifiers do, they amplify smaller signals (bass) into larger signals (line level), and then through power amplifiers until they're large enough to drive speakers. That option would send your signal through the 210 EQ section, since you're already EQing at the 112, that's not necessary, probably counter productive.

Since you have the effects returns designed to handle line level signals, that's the way to go.

Randy

 

[PSPookie]

That's where I bought the bass! I hear you about the nicer rig.... I got the 210 as a gift last Christmas and the 112 this Christmas. Both came as surprises. I'd rather have gotten a gift certificate so I could have selected a rig with growth potential....

Again, I know this is subjective, but in your opinion, what type of rig would be best, assuming I was starting from scratch (and with a limited budget)?

It's hard to say, especially since "limited budget" means different things to different people.

If I were going to build a new rig from the ground up I would probably lean towards the Genz-Benz gear. The heads that I've tried all sounded good and after 5 months of ownership I'm still absolutely in love with my Uber 212. Then again, GB isn't exactly budget gear.

My other top contenders would probably be Aguilar or Mesa, but again, these aren't cheap options.

For a great, fat sounding rig on a smaller budget you might try finding a used MarkBass LMII and a used 4 ohm Aguilar GS212. That's a ton of bang for your buck and a sweet pairing.

A GK head and Avatar cabs would also be another budget -friendly choice.

Bag End cabs can be found for relatively cheap on the used market and are absolutely fantastic. They also sound great with a variety of heads.

There are a ton of great-sounding, affordable amps and cabs out there. The trick is finding somethign that suits your ear and your wallet.

 

[steveksux]

The trick is finding somethign that suits your ear and your wallet and your back.

With the neo cabs and class D/digital power supplies, you have even more choices that don't involve heavy weight..

Randy