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Is it important to own multiple/different amps?

#21
Last weekend I was glad to own a few amps---

Dress rehearsal for a backing a 90 piece choral group Friday night--- left amp set up for Saturday night show.

Next morning--- left at 11 am for a Saturday afternoon gig (used my back up/small rig)--- got home, ate dinner-- went to evening gig and didn't have to load in/set up.

Sunday morning ---- left home @ 6:30 am to do a gig 100 miles away (my third amp that I leave set up in my studio was already in the guys car that drove for this gig.

I'm glad I have 3+ rigs that can I can shuffle around--- to get the most out of them and make life easier on me.
 
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#22
Micros have changed the way I think about multiple rigs. I used to have one rig for practice and one for gigs so I did not have to move a rig from my practice space to gig. Saved one packing step for gigs. It's possible now to have one small head that cuts any size room you'll play in. I think having different size cabinet configs with one main head is useful. Doesn't hurt to have a backup head though.
 
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#23
shastaband said:
Back in the day (1970s and 1980s), when I was a poor gigging musician, I was playing 6 nights a week, 5 sets a night, 45-50 weeks a year, and I had one amp, one cab, and one bass.
Now I play one gig a month, and I have six amps, five different cabs, and eleven basses.

So no, you don't NEED multiple amps. A backup is nice, though.

(On one gig, my Bassman Amp died. Had to borrow a Twin Reverb from the guitarist, bypassed the speakers into my Dual Showman cab (JBL D-140s). Got me through the gig.
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Same here back in the day - Ampeg V4B/SVT810 cabinet, Rickenbacker bass. That's it!
 
#24
Kevan Campbell said:
Do you consider it important to have multiple amps? Maybe two or more of the same one so that you've got a backup? How about owning at least one tube, one solid-state and one hybrid for different tones? Who has a micro-rig for small gigs, a medium sized rig for bars and a massive rig for big halls/festivals?

I thought this would be a fun way to start off the week. For instance, I have a Mesa Buster 2x10 for small stages and an Aguilar DB659/728 & GS410 for medium stages but I'm looking into either a micro-rig for an easy load-in/out or a head+8x10 setup for larger stages (and admittedly my own ego...). I feel like we see entry of threads on having multiple basses and effects (and bands...) but the subject of owning multiple rigs doesn't seem to come up very often. Anyone out there care to share why or why not you have more than one amp or more than one type of amp?
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Yeah, I have to say it came in handy to have two rigs, my rocker rig and the scaled back lounge/variety/country rig. Has worked well. Currently using my Rock rig and practicing at home through the scaled back rig. It is being used. Also I leave the rock rig at the practice space. Saves my hauling back and forth.
 
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#27
I think every needs a gig rig and a home rig. I think most people don't ending up with multiple amps because they planned it that way. It usually comes from searching for your own tone and trying out different amps.
 
#28
I have several, one at home, and one at each practice site (two bands). I also have my gig rig and a backup. The one time I didn't have a backup was at a Halloween gig. My old GK RB1001 blew up mid set, fire came out of it. Looked cool for about three seconds. Luckily our keyboard player is a former bass player and had a Hartke head with him. Lesson learned, bought a GK MB500 as a backup. With inexpensive micro heads there is no reason not to have one.
 
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#29
It is important to have the right tool for the right job. This applies both to instruments and amps. How you present yourself is important.

You don't want a huge cab on a small stage, it's a distraction. I figure three amps: one amp can serve most needs, a bigger amp when more power is required, a small amp when only that will do. In my case, that's an SVT, a V4B, and a B-15N. Of course a backup that you can depend on is a good idea.
 
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#30
I have at least four completely separate rigs, but I use just one of them 90% of the time (Monique Dove Cage>Berg IP112ER). Sometimes I'll add a Berg HT112ER to that rig for bigger rooms.

I also own a WW stereo head, a GK micro head, a couple of Bergie 1x12 cabs, an EA 1x15 cab, and an Ampeg B-15N with an Altec Lansing 15, but I'd be perfectly happy if I just had the basic rig described above.
 
#32
i agree with most - not required but nice to have.

personally i have two full rigs- a carvin thats racked with a tuner and power strip, and a gk mb500 that i leave loose and have a small or pedal tuner i use with. then i pair one of those heads with either a schroeder 2x15 or an ampeg 1x15. my 2x15 sees most of my gigs and practice, but if i have a small stage or are doing recording or just jaming i use the 1x15.
 
#33
I like having a back-up. Just added peace of mind. I'd rather have it and not need it than need it and not have it, ya know?

I have two gig-worthy rigs; a racked Carvin BX1600 with tuner and power conditioner that I normally use with my Greenboy F112 and a Markbass Jeff Berlin sig. combo with a Markbass New York 151 extension cab. I'm currently in the process of putting together another racked unit with a BBE BMAX preamp. Still need to get a power amp for it.

I'd like to get a small, high-powered micro amp to take along in case something goes belly-up. Shouldn't be too much trouble to get things going again should that happen. Thinking maybe a Markbass Little Mark 800 or something similar that would fit in a bag. I could get away with using a DI of some kind if push came to shove but I like having a rig on stage with me.

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#37
Thanks for the response so far y'all! From the collective responses so far I'm pretty sure I'll need to get myself either a micro-rig that can function as a backup (one artist in working with has several road dates planned for this summer) or a medium-rig for in-town (which will likely be an Ampeg of some kind because they sound great and lots of bandleaders tend to hear with their eyes).

Keep'em coming!
 
#38
I don't think that you need different amps for tonal reasons (unless you have a big pile of spare cash and a roadie of course) but I always take a backup amp to gigs, a Crate Powerblock 150W class D guitar amp. I have only needed to use it once, we were running off a crappy generator* and the line voltage was so low that my main amp (at the time a Peavey IPR1600) would not power up.

(I don't usually have FOH support.)

* It caught fire before the end of the night and plunged the marquee into almost total darkness. We packed up by candle light and an I phone flashlight app.
 
#40
Kevan Campbell said:
Thanks for the response so far y'all! From the collective responses so far I'm pretty sure I'll need to get myself either a micro-rig that can function as a backup (one artist in working with has several road dates planned for this summer) or a medium-rig for in-town (which will likely be an Ampeg of some kind because they sound great and lots of bandleaders tend to hear with their eyes).
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If they sound great, then they're not hearing with their eyes, are they? :D
 
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