This compact Crate PowerBlock amp is no longer in
production, but you can get a used one for around $100.
Affordable Backup Amps
It’s easy to get bogged down in tone snobbery. Many of us would rather find a pustulant
boil on our genitals than find a solid-state amp as our only source of sound on a big
gig. But we’re not talking first choices here, we are talking survival, or getting through
a gig when our “A” rig goes belly up. I’m sure there are hundreds of serviceable options
for a small, cheap backup amp, but here are a few suggestions.
Electro Harmonix 22 Caliber
22 watts
Stree price: $104
This thing is tiny,
about the size of
a smallish pedal.
It’s cheap as you
could hope for and
sounded good online.
Worth a look.
ZT Lunchbox
200 watts
Street price: $245
This is a “friend of a
friend” recommendation.
I’ve never
even seen this amp,
but the size works
and I’m told that
it sounds great and
can keep up with
loud drums.
Peavy Bandit 112
80 watts
Street price: #349.99
(find secondhand for
as little as $50)
A combo amp but
can drive any cabinet.
There’s nothing
pretty about this
amp, but it is cheap
and nearly indestructible.
Pick a used one
up for $50 and leave
it in your trunk just
in case. I actually saw
Keith Urban play
through one of these
with his old band,
The Ranch, and he
sounded like… well
… Keith Urban.
Traynor Quarterhorse
25 watts
Street price: $239
The size of a largeish
stomp box, this
amp can plug into a
4x12 cab and rawk.
Or run the headphone
out directly
into a board for a
convincing speakersimulated
sound.
Diago Little Smasher
5 watts
Street price: $189
Though I’ve not
played through this
head, the size and
simplicity appeals
to me. A meager 5
watts may not be
able to keep up with
the band, but in a
pinch, this could
get you through.
Fender solidstate
Tweed
Bronco
15 watts
Street price: No longer
in production,
around $50 to $120
used
15 watts
Street price: No longer
in production,
around $50 to $120
used
A combo amp with
a measly 5" speaker,
this sounds great
when driving a
4x12. Very small
and light. I’ve used
this for everything
from guitar to pedal
steel to bass. Sounds
great, less filling.
3. Leave your top
shelf rig at home
If you read Premier Guitar
you probably have stuff …
lots and lots of stuff: multiple
amps, guitars, stomp boxes, etc.
Assuming that’s the case, you
may reconsider touring with
your best gear. Gear is made to
be played, but regrettably, the
road is like Ike Turner, constantly
handing out a beating. Your
“best” stuff will soon become
your “okay” stuff, eventually
downgrading to your “not working”
stuff. I only use my favorite
amps for recording and travel
with my “B” amps. As abysmal
as it is to have your amp die on
tour, having your best amp not
work at a session is worse.
Guitars aren’t as susceptible
to breaking down as amps are,
but they are more likely to be
stolen. Escaping unnoticed with
a hefty amp is difficult, but it’s
relatively easy to grab a guitar
and run. I’ve never lost a guitar
on the road, but I know people
who have had their beloved axes
stolen right off the stage, out
of a van or hotel room, or even
taken in the airport. I do bring
out some favorite guitars on the
road, but I try to never let them
leave my sight.
Sinister Sun
For a crowd of bikini clad, cold drink chugging, Frisbee chucking,
SPF-50 caked concertgoers, the sun means good times with possible
dehydration and burning. For us onstage, the sun is a sinister force
that can detune instruments and bake electronics to the point of failure
while rendering LEDs useless. Here are some tips to beat the heat.
- Avoid leaving your
guitar in direct sunlight
when not playing.
Find a shady spot that’s safe
and leave it on a stand, if
possible, so it can acclimate
to the heat. (One bit of
warning, if it’s a festival
with many acts and a big
crew stomping around,
your guitar may be in danger
of getting smacked off
a stand. If that’s the case,
leave it in the case.) Avoid
carrying your guitar into an
air-conditioned backstage
area between soundcheck
and gig or your sweet
6-string baby will remain
hopelessly out of tune for the entire show.
- Push your pedalboard
as close as possible to
your monitor so the overhangs
of the monitor will
shade your pedals. This will
hopefully make your pedal’s
LEDs and tuner visible.
(This is where a small, skinny
board comes in handy).
Though I’ve never used that
clip-on-the-headstock tuner,
this could be a big help.
- Both solid-state and
tube amps left in the
sun can shut down from
the heat. Your best bet
is to try to get them in
the shade, perhaps in the
side stage if need be. This
may not be ideal for your
performance but it’s better
that having your amp crap
out mid-show. Though I
usually leave a tube amp
on standby from soundcheck,
I shut her down
during hot, sunny shows.