• Registered: 2007-04-25
  • Posts: 551

Topic: Homemade half-stack

I'd like to get some more power from my amp, not for volume, but for more distortion and overdrive.  If I had money to pitch around, it would be awesome to get a half-stack Randall or Marshall....however, I don't have a spare $500 at the moment.  I recently was playing around with my cousin's little Mirco Cube amp (a great little amp by the way) and seeing that it had an extra jack, I hooked it up to my 30-watt Crate combo to make a sort of homemade half-stack.  I found that once I dialed in the right settings on each amp, I got some great sounds and tones from mixing effects on the two.  What if rather than buying a brand-new amp, I found a little 15-watt combo for $100 or so (I was thinking about a Crate Flexwave 15-watter since my other amp is a Crate) and hooked the two together? Does anyone else do this?

"A steering wheel don't mean you can drive, a warm body don't mean I'm alive"
Switchfoot

06sc500's Website

  • From: Anchorage
  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 82

Re: Homemade half-stack

I use a "Big Shot" bypass amplifier switcher.  With it I can run thru two amps and switch from "A" amp to "B" amp or have both working.  One amp is a Peavy Delta Blues tube amp and the other is a Line 6 Spyder 210 that has a lot of different effects.  Really a good set up and if you spread the amps apart you get stereo too.  If you just wanted to run both amps without using a switching box, just get a "Y" cable.

  • Registered: 2007-04-25
  • Posts: 551

Re: Homemade half-stack

I have used a regular instrument cable to hook them together.

"A steering wheel don't mean you can drive, a warm body don't mean I'm alive"
Switchfoot

06sc500's Website

  • Registered: 2006-03-04
  • Posts: 2,662

Re: Homemade half-stack

I use two amps when I perform live( sometimes 3). Stage right is a Marshall 50W Soloist and stage left is a Behringer 45W Acoustisonic.( some people call this "daisy-chaining") I run my vocal mic, percussion mic, and guitar into an unpowered Mackie mixer with a touch of digital reverb. Out of the Mackie into the 2 face channels of the Marshall ( two out puts, left and right) from the line out on the back of the Marshall directly into the face input of Channel 1 on the Behringer. It's a small yet clear and powerful set-up. Many times I've had people ask me, "what else are you using besides those small little practice amps?" hahaha
   
        At my bigger venues I'll throw in my Bose L1 Cylindrical Loudspeaker System and use my Marshall/Behringer set-up for stage volume. Same set-up plus a 2 into 1 quarter inch cable splitter on the back line-out of the Marshall. One line to the Behringer, one line to the Bose. The Bose has it's own power/volume 3 band EQ source so the Marshall and Behringer are unaffected with the addition of the Bose.

Peace and Guitars,
SouthPaw41L

Give everything but up.
  • Registered: 2007-04-25
  • Posts: 551

Re: Homemade half-stack

Thanks guys, I think I'll keep an eye out for a good deal on another amp to hook up to mine.

"A steering wheel don't mean you can drive, a warm body don't mean I'm alive"
Switchfoot

06sc500's Website

  • Registered: 2006-08-25
  • Posts: 45

Re: Homemade half-stack

I think you'd be better off getting a used 50w combo amp. I have an old Ampeg tube combo with 1-12" speaker and it puts out plenty of power. It didn't cost that much and it is really loud. Half stacks are overkill for most situations.

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