Every guitar player is on a quest to find his
or her perfect tone. Many of us long to get
the guitar sounds we hear on albums and
projects we idolize. Often what happens is
you buy the same amp your favorite artist
used, only to find it’s not quite what you
heard on the recording. You then seek out
mic’ing techniques, mics and preamps, all
kinds of advice from every website imaginable,
and it all leads to a dead end.
The problem could be that one amp may
not be able to give you everything you
want. In fact, many artists use several different
amps simultaneously when recording
and performing. Here’s how it works
– each amp has certain strengths and by
combining different amps, you can blend
those strengths together. It’s like a good
sports team; you utilize the strengths of
each player. Stevie Ray Vaughan is a great
example. He often combined different
amps to produce his trademark tone, both
on stage and in the studio.
When combining amps, you can use less
gain, and still get the sustain you’re looking
for. Imagine cleaning up and articulating
every detail of your playing, getting all the
sustain you need, and adding more punch
so you can be heard through the mix. This
is what it’s all about.
The truth is, you can never have too
many amps. Ask my wife – our house
used to have a room filled with close
to 35 guitar amps. But if you don’t have
two or three guitar amps sitting around
waiting to be plugged in simultaneously,
you’re not alone. Many people have multiple
guitars, but far fewer have multiple
amps. If you only have one amp, you
may need to call your friends together
for an amp summit meeting!
Once you’ve gathered a few different
amps, you need to hook them up so you
can play through them simultaneously. A
“Y” cable will do the job, but there are better
solutions. (There are many to choose
from, but I’ve tested the following, and
they work for me.) For large rigs, check
out the Radial Engineering JD7 (see fig 1).
This rackmount box has two guitar inputs
and seven outputs; one direct out and six
Jensen transformer-equipped isolated outs.
This means no ground loops between
amps and no humming/buzzing – just killer
tone. The smaller Radial Engineering JDV
mk3 (see fig 2) supports two guitar ins
and four outs, including a tuner out, for
smaller setups. You could start with the
Radial Engineering Big Shot ABY for a twoamp
setup.
A great starting place is a Marshall, a
Fender, and a third amp from another manufacturer.
Set up the Marshall amp in the
middle with no reverb, add the Fender with
some reverb to the left (you might set it
with slightly more ‘verb than normal as it’s
offsetting the dry Marshall), and the third
amp on the right with a medium amount
of reverb. Match the volumes among the
amps, and begin experimenting. As you
play, change the volume levels and
tone settings on each amp to find a “composite”
sound you like. You may find one
amp is great for shimmery highs, while
another provides low-end thump. Or they
may all combine into a huge punchy tone.
You’ll probably find yourself getting lost in
non-stop playing – there are nearly infinite
options for dialing in the amps’ volume and
tone settings!
Good luck in your quest for tone, and
remember, when your spouse says, “You
can’t play more than one guitar at a time,”
you can reply with, “Yes dear, but I can use
more than one amp at a time!”
Brian Cravens
Brian Cravens has owned, or is in the process of arranging
a second mortgage to own, virtually one of every Fender
amp made in the 1960s. Many ‘60s and ‘70s Marshalls
have also found a home under his roof. He helps people in
the quest for perfect tone at his Sales Engineer position at
Sweetwater. You can reach him at 1-800-222-4700 ext. 1278
or at
brian_cravens@sweetwater.com.