Why do so many combos have the control panel on the top rear?

[BarfanyShart]

It's a good question, putting the knobs in the back is clearly poor design. I have to imagine some business genius somewhere got the idea that amps with a nice clean face sold better. And that may be true, people mostly buy stuff based on superficial aesthetics and first impressions.

People are stupid when they buy things. Most people buy houses based on what color the walls are painted, and they always paint over it anyway.

 

[2F/2F]

Makes a lot more sense than having the controls on the front panel.

 

[MNAirHead]

production cost... weight... marketing

 

[Kestrel]

Lots of guitar amps still have the control panel on the top rear: Vox, Orange, Peavey, even a few Fender combo amps. I figured bass combos just followed suit. It never bothered me, although I do think that a bass combo amp with a kickback design should have the control panel on the front. Like they way Ampeg did on their BA v2 combos.

 

[Smith357]

I know a lot of it is just personal preference, why Baskin-Robbins makes 31 flavors. Having knobs on the top back is a deal breaker for me. The knobs must be up front, easy to see, and easy to reach, even though once the amp is setup I only occasionally make changes, I do not want to tilt the amp forward to tweak it. Yes, it has limited my choices a bit, but I don't care. Now get off my lawn you young whippersnappers.


How about a head with the knobs on the top back?

 

[Bubble]

Chicken head knobs are a cheap and easy easy out from hard to read. Just keep a picture in your mind of how the chicken sounds when it's pickin' certain angles.

Also, the control panels are most always black background with very small white labeling so it's hard to read the settings. In an onstage environment the lighting might not be so good and it would be nice if the amp had backlit controls so you can see the functions.

 

[Nebadon2000]

I use 'Ampwedge' to moderately [not as sharp as monitor or some kickback type amps] angle Combo toward my ears. Many Guitarist and Bass players use chair, stand or other device when using smaller cabs or combo's to hear themselves and for Guitarist 'specifically' how loud their playing. If you can get 6-10ft in front of Amp not so much of a need.

Hopefully Lead Guitarist in you all's band does this

 

[dbsfgyd1]

As far as I can remember, way back when I first started playing bass, all combos had the control panel at the front. Why do some brands now put them on the rear edge of the top? It doesn't seem to make sense to me, as if you can see the control panel there, then the speaker must be firing at your legs or at best at your waist - not your ears, so not very helpful if you want to use it as a monitor.
Am I missing something? Perhaps the manufacturers are going for a clean look at the front of the amp?

I have a 2-10 combo. In an upright position, I have the controls on the side and a speaker closer to my ears.

 

[Ostie]

You have tubes FALLING OUT of the sockets? Say what now?

I don’t have a tube amp now, but many years ago I had an old Pro Reverb and the tubes would loosen up from transporting, setting it down, etc. I had to occasionally reach back and make sure they were seated. Gravity worked against them, being upside down. That and the heat rising into the sockets constituted a serious design flaw in my book.

 

[yodedude2]

 

[JCW308]

I don’t have a tube amp now, but many years ago I had an old Pro Reverb and the tubes would loosen up from transporting, setting it down, etc. I had to occasionally reach back and make sure they were seated. Gravity worked against them, being upside down. That and the heat rising into the sockets constituted a serious design flaw in my book.

Okey-doke.

 

[MYLOWFREQ]

Am I missing something? Perhaps the manufacturers are going for a clean look at the front of the amp?

Looking down and adjusting your settings is easier then doing squats.

 

[Dr. Keebs]

If they wanted to be super crafty, they could mount the control panel on the bottom. It would be like musical theater.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

As far as I can remember, way back when I first started playing bass, all combos had the control panel at the front. Why do some brands now put them on the rear edge of the top? It doesn't seem to make sense to me, as if you can see the control panel there, then the speaker must be firing at your legs or at best at your waist - not your ears, so not very helpful if you want to use it as a monitor.
Am I missing something? Perhaps the manufacturers are going for a clean look at the front of the amp?

A clean look is certainly a perk of using it that way, but its also because it's easy to see from the top while you are standing up with most combos. If we had 810 combos, then having them on top at the rear might be a problem. But, we don't, so it isn't.

Another consideration is that the space in front of a top-rear mounted combo can be used sonically as part of the cabs internal dimensions allowing more internal dimension without a bunch of dead non-utilized space above the speakers. Whereas with the front mounted amp and controls the combo would have to be taller to accommodate that to have the same internal dimensions for the speakers. So it's a more efficient and compact use of space.

 

[JW56789]

It's a luxury feature: Your knobs always feel warm to the touch. Hate cold knobs.

 

[Rip Van Dan]

I toured with a group back in the early 70's (71 through 73) that used Vox Super Beatle amps. They had their controls on the amp head on the top back with controls both on the top and over the edge on the back. Because they were tall in their stands, they couldn't easily see them in that orientation. So they usually had the heads turned around backwards so they could easily see the controls and make adjustments as needed. Of course that hid the signature Vox face cover, but was more practical so that's how they ran them.

 

[JakobT]

As far as I can remember, way back when I first started playing bass, all combos had the control panel at the front. Why do some brands now put them on the rear edge of the top? It doesn't seem to make sense to me, as if you can see the control panel there, then the speaker must be firing at your legs or at best at your waist - not your ears, so not very helpful if you want to use it as a monitor.
Am I missing something? Perhaps the manufacturers are going for a clean look at the front of the amp?

As others have said, it’s an efficient use of space, and since most combos don’t have a kickback feature, it’s also a more accessible location in most situations.

Another thing that occurred to me is that this design also uses less materials and is a simpler design overall, so it makes for a cheaper production process.

 

[Nephilymbass]

As far as I can remember, way back when I first started playing bass, all combos had the control panel at the front. Why do some brands now put them on the rear edge of the top? It doesn't seem to make sense to me, as if you can see the control panel there, then the speaker must be firing at your legs or at best at your waist - not your ears, so not very helpful if you want to use it as a monitor.
Am I missing something? Perhaps the manufacturers are going for a clean look at the front of the amp?

I think it’s a combo (lol) of function and look. It’s easier to tweak a combo that’s on the floor if the controls are on top. Look wise think about it. With the controls on top they can make the amp look like the products the pros use onstage. For example this from the crowd

Looks a LOT like

Imo controls on the front of a combo really only make sense if it’s a kickback style combo that can be used as a wedge like these

 

[BAG]

I appear to have been lucky with my purchases.

My most used amp, a little Schertler B10, has the controls on the front panel. I always have it on a small stand pointed toward me as a monitor so it's easy to adjust.

My GKMB212, being so much bigger, gets little or no angle on it so the controls at the back are still easy to see.......

So I have a place to sit

And like DJ Bebop said, it gives me somewhere to sit.

 

[Remoman]

I'd say it's got a lot to do with weight and size. With the amp hanging down from the top of the back of the cabinet, clearing the speaker, then the face of the cabinet doesn't have to be built up on top to house the amp. Overall size is smaller, and more importantly less material is used in the cabinet so that the weight is reduced. And of course that's a biggy, esp here on TB!

There's some reduction in complexity of cabinet construction and amount of material used that saves a small margin in production. But I don't think there's enough numbers produced for that to be a large factor. I'm betting it's more of an 'our 200W 1x12 combo weighs 2 lbs less than theirs' design and marketing goal.