Sgt. Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 How is it done? I have a question that I'm wondering about: How do you 'chain' amp heads together? Can you link more than one amp head together through the effects loop, the preamp out and power amp in? Can it be done? Does it ruin or blow up amps that way? Can you get more power by chaining two or more amp heads together? Do the amp heads have to be the same to do it? For example, I have the Ibanez TSA15w head and if I connected it to another TSA15w head by the effects loop 'send' on amp one to the effects loop 'return' on the second? Would that produce 30 watts instead of 15? I'm never quite sure when I see large stage setups with multiple amps that seem to be connected together. Chaining the amps together is different from 'jumpering' where you can get a little bit boost by using both inputs on a Fender combo. I think I blew up a 5w Fender Champion 600 trying to 'add' it to the TSA15 head for more power. Is this just retarded? The problem I have with the TSA15w tube head is that it isn't powerful enough to blow your ears off. It just gets there, useable volume at full power, which I think isn't always beneficial especially when the pickups on the guitar are hot. Full volume isn't the sweet spot. Of course idiots in a bar just want to be blown away by power and can't appreciate fine nuances of a low power amp in that environment. 15w is just great for apt. recording, keeps my neighbours from beating down my door with noise complaints. In regard to power and amplifiers, it is just a never ending quest for something new, something more powerful, something better than the next guy. It never ends and you're never satisfied. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ryan H Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 If you use go from the send of one amp to the return of another, you aren't going to get any more power. You'd be sending the signal from the Preamp of the first amp to the Power amp of the second one. You'd effectively have two preamps going into one power amp. Don't know if that would damage anything, but I think theoretically it could give you an extra EQ section and the gain from the first amp... But don't trust me, I don't know anything. All speculation. -Ryan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AXE® Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Never tried it. I do run 2 or 4 heads simultaneously with a Radial AB-Y splitter. 400 watts of dimed Marshall is a religious experience, Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
slavestate Posted November 7, 2012 Share Posted November 7, 2012 Never tried it. I do run 2 or 4 heads simultaneously with a Radial AB-Y splitter. 400 watts of dimed Marshall is a religious experience, With what the OP is trying to do, a AB-Y splitter would be the best option. I was running two identical amplifiers that didn't have a "slave" or "line-out" jack and it worked wonderfully. I was using the 'A' amp as my clean/delay pushing 50 watts RMS while the 'B' amp was my overdrive/delay pushing 50 watts RMS, both through two 6x10's at a combined 100 watts. It was glorious. If you have a Stereo 4x12 or 2x12 cabinet you could split the speakers up so that both amps push one cabinet. I would recommend this option for what you're trying to do. Some amplifiers will have a "line-out" jack that is able to be run through a power amp for more wattage. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bonzoboy Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I've always "daisy-chained" amps by plugging into an input in the first amp of the chain and just ran patch cords from another input in the amp to an input in the next amp and then ran another cord from yet another input into a 3rd amp and so on.I have "daisy-chained" as many as 6 amps together with no ill effects,just fuller sound. BTW:This only works with amps having 2 or more inputs. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Buxom Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 Just carefully look at Johnny Ramone's live setup and copy it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted November 8, 2012 Share Posted November 8, 2012 I'm a huge fan of using a stereo delay pedal to engage two amps. that said, I also use an aby splitter and that enables to run my tree amps simultaneously.. line into to the pedal board, delay is the last one in the chaine, (Line 6DL4) stereo out, one to my Goldtone GA30RVS 2x12, and the other to the aby, from the aby one goes into my Marshall 2x12 combo+2x12 cab and one into my HR Deville 4x10, aby set to run both outputs. The resulting tones are some what crushing...! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 I've always "daisy-chained" amps by plugging into an input in the first amp of the chain and just ran patch cords from another input in the amp to an input in the next amp and then ran another cord from yet another input into a 3rd amp and so on.I have "daisy-chained" as many as 6 amps together with no ill effects,just fuller sound. BTW:This only works with amps having 2 or more inputs. Ahh that's what I was wondering using a second 'input' to chain amps together. Like Fender type combo amps with two inputs you can use the second input as an 'output' to another amp? I'm guessing the power isn't doubled but the preamp stage is, so advantage is like getting more preamp staging? You don't double power by chaining two amps together, right? These are things that most instruction manuals don't explain! Yeah, I used to 'jumper' a Fender Deluxe 85 by plugging the guitar in one output and running another patch from the preamp out into the second output, it's a bit of boost. The trouble comes when you try and connect amps together in hopes of increasing the power output! The speaker output of one amp into the input of another, somethin's gonna blow. hahhaha Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sgt. Posted November 9, 2012 Author Share Posted November 9, 2012 I'm a huge fan of using a stereo delay pedal to engage two amps. that said, I also use an aby splitter and that enables to run my tree amps simultaneously.. line into to the pedal board, delay is the last one in the chaine, (Line 6DL4) stereo out, one to my Goldtone GA30RVS 2x12, and the other to the aby, from the aby one goes into my Marshall 2x12 combo+2x12 cab and one into my HR Deville 4x10, aby set to run both outputs. The resulting tones are some what crushing...! yeah, i get the stereo pedal use too. Behringer pedals are mostly stereo and I've used the main backline as the Ibanez TSA15 with stereo cabs and supplemented the power output with a Behringer 200w powered speaker running from the stereo pedal. I don't know whether the powered speaker gets the advantage of the tube head's preamp as the effects are running through the fx loop? The Ibanez instruction manual says little about things such as this other than the the return on the fx loop is another clean input. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RaysEpiphone Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I'd go with a Stomp Box or Rack Processor with mulit outs connected to your individual amp input's. The thing about Y cable's is that they can some times induce noise or loss of signal. This I have experienced first hand so if you want to do it with bare amp's, I'd say get a splitter with good transformer's, Jensen being the best. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kidblast Posted November 9, 2012 Share Posted November 9, 2012 I'd go with a Stomp Box or Rack Processor with mulit outs connected to your individual amp input's. The thing about Y cable's is that they can some times induce noise or loss of signal. This I have experienced first hand so if you want to do it with bare amp's, I'd say get a splitter with good transformer's, Jensen being the best. Hey Ray,, So we're not talking about a Y cable, this is a box that runs off a battery and has a few foot switches with inputs/outputs. from makers like Morely and Radial for example... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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