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Small 500 to 1000 watt power amp.

Jacobflyin

Jacobflyin

Sep 18, 2016
88
124
#1
Hey guys, After getting my Darkglass ADAM I now run my Darkglass M900 flat and don't use anything on it but the volume. I am looking for a small power amp only, that would fit on my pedal board like my M900 does.

I ready a couple post about this subject but they were from 2017 or so and there has been a ton of new gear in the last 3-4 years. I really want something that will not color my sound at all and just power my 2 Schroeder 212PL cabs.
 
#3
agedhorse said:
I think you will find that the cost of a power amp only will not be significantly smaller or less expensive than what you have already. You will be fighting "economies of scale".
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Yeah I just feel bad that my amp that does a lot is doing nothing really, I was thinking I could use it at my at home rig and get a smaller less detailed power amp for my live show rig. when live shows ever come back.
 
#4
IME, it will be no more expensive to get a second full featured amp. There's no reason to feel bad, the market for fully integrated heads is probably 20 times larger which serves to make them less expensive per unit to manufacture at the higher quantities (especially when EMC and safety certifications are factored in).

There is another benefit to having the full amp on your pedalboard... say you have a problem with your pedalboard... your amp is now a full back-up preamp.
 
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#5
I don't disagree with what Agedhorse said but if you're still interested in a power amp there are a couple of options. There's the Jay Ganz Straight Ahead power amp (500 watts), the GSS Sumo (1000 watts) and Baby Sumo (600 watts), The RAD 1000 or 1200 watters, and the most pedal board friendly (I think), the Jule Amps Simone 500.
 
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#6
agedhorse said:
IME, it will be no more expensive to get a second full featured amp. There's no reason to feel bad, the market for fully integrated heads is probably 20 times larger which serves to make them less expensive per unit to manufacture at the higher quantities (especially when EMC and safety certifications are factored in).

There is another benefit to having the full amp on your pedalboard... say you have a problem with your pedalboard... your amp is now a full back-up preamp.
Click to expand...

You know what I did not even think of that, if my ADAM or any other pedal or maybe even my power supply decides to take a crap at a show I can always plug straight into my head and tweak some knobs real quick and get a good tone for a live show. Thank you.
 
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#7
ahc said:
I don't disagree with what Agedhorse said but if you're still interested in a power amp there are a couple of options. There's the Jay Ganz Straight Ahead power amp (500 watts), the GSS Sumo (1000 watts) and Baby Sumo (600 watts), The RAD 1000 or 1200 watters, and the most pedal board friendly (I think), the Jule Amps Simone 500.
Click to expand...

That Jule Simone 500 is exactly what I was looking for but after Agedhorse brought up a good point in a pedal board problem at a show I think I will stay with my DG M900 it does sound great even with everything flat and it is already mounted on my pedal board so why change it I guess. Thank you for the help.
 
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#8
ahc said:
I don't disagree with what Agedhorse said but if you're still interested in a power amp there are a couple of options. There's the Jay Ganz Straight Ahead power amp (500 watts), the GSS Sumo (1000 watts) and Baby Sumo (600 watts), The RAD 1000 or 1200 watters, and the most pedal board friendly (I think), the Jule Amps Simone 500.
Click to expand...
Do these amps have FCC and safety certifications?
 
#9
For several years I looked for a small power amp like my old (now long gone to amp heaven) SWR Amplite. After not finding much I realized the economics of such a small slice of a small market meant it wasn't something likely to ever be readily available. I settled on an an 800W Quilter BB800 which has proven better for me than just a power amp. It has enough EQ capability to be very usable without an outboard preamp but it's very simple and when used with a preamp in front of it (Barber Linden, Noble, Sonic Spark, EBS Valve Drive etc) the Quilter's unconventional EQ tends not to conflict with or duplicate the preamp's EQ. Just a thought.
 
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#11
+1 on the Quilter. I was in the same boat as you last year. I owned the Straight Ahead and a Sumo. The SA was super light and fit on my board very easily. The Sumo was much larger and heavier. Both sounded great. I ended up selling both because I wanted an amp that was versatile enough to use without my pedal board.

I ended up with the Quilter. It's amazing. Small, light, the EQ is great, and it sounds very transparent when set flat. Also, you can bypass the preamp and go directly into the power amp. It's killer, and I ended up picking up a bunch of Preamps to use with it.
 
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#12
+1 to what has already been said about the BB800 if you decide to go through with the change. It sits nicely on my pedal board along side the effects and preamps. It takes effects (HX Stomp, in my case) very well, has more power on tap than I need, and the EQ is very useable if you just want to grab it and go for a quick jam.
 
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#15
Jacobflyin said:
Yeah I just feel bad that my amp that does a lot is doing nothing really, I was thinking I could use it at my at home rig and get a smaller less detailed power amp for my live show rig. when live shows ever come back.
Click to expand...
There's a benton 300 block on the classifieds here. I think it's under 200 bucks. Small, 300 watts, real basic. Search harley benton block- classifieds
 
#16
ahc said:
I don't disagree with what Agedhorse said but if you're still interested in a power amp there are a couple of options. There's the Jay Ganz Straight Ahead power amp (500 watts), the GSS Sumo (1000 watts) and Baby Sumo (600 watts), The RAD 1000 or 1200 watters, and the most pedal board friendly (I think), the Jule Amps Simone 500.
Click to expand...
I got a custom 2k watt Gss mega Sumo made it can run two 4ohm cabs at 1000 watts rms each and it weighs under 7 lbs. It's a mean machine and cost me under $900
 
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#17
Jacobflyin said:
Hey guys, After getting my Darkglass ADAM I now run my Darkglass M900 flat and don't use anything on it but the volume. I am looking for a small power amp only, that would fit on my pedal board like my M900 does.

I ready a couple post about this subject but they were from 2017 or so and there has been a ton of new gear in the last 3-4 years. I really want something that will not color my sound at all and just power my 2 Schroeder 212PL cabs.
Click to expand...
Here you go. $180

For Sale - Harley Benton Block 300B

So you know, there isn't much difference between 300w and 500w. Just like there isn't much difference between 450 @8 0hm and 800 @4. This should be perfect. And there's an eq off switch so it runs just like a straight power amp.
 
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#18
Jeff Bonny said:
For several years I looked for a small power amp like my old (now long gone to amp heaven) SWR Amplite. After not finding much I realized the economics of such a small slice of a small market meant it wasn't something likely to ever be readily available. I settled on an an 800W Quilter BB800 which has proven better for me than just a power amp. It has enough EQ capability to be very usable without an outboard preamp but it's very simple and when used with a preamp in front of it (Barber Linden, Noble, Sonic Spark, EBS Valve Drive etc) the Quilter's unconventional EQ tends not to conflict with or duplicate the preamp's EQ. Just a thought.
Click to expand...

Agree 100% about the Quilter. I have a HX Stomp for FX and preamp plugged in the BB800. I first use the quilter EQ to find a "neutral" tone, to compensate for the acoustic properties of the room I'm playing in (mostly my flat or rehearsal studios for now). Then I use the presets of my HX Stomp, some of them with specific eqs for specific songs. I works great. The 2 knobs EQ of the BB800 is amazing.
 
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