Back Up Amp when Gigging ?

Ronnie Robinson · Post by **Ronnie Robinson** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:05 am

What back up amp do we use when gigging ? Is it a cheapo just in case of emergencies or a decent amp in its own right ? If u dont have a backup do u have a contingency if your amp breaks down ? Or do u just keep your fingers crossed !

Jacco428 · Post by **Jacco428** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 9:59 am

I just keep my fingers crossed

Usually there's always some kind of amp available were I play, so there's no real need for me to bring my own backup.
But when i get my AD5, I think i will just take that one as a backup. Have to mic my amp anyway.

adamskiuk · Post by **adamskiuk** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:30 am

I've always had a backup amp which is good enough to gig with i.e. rocker 30 or previously AD15. Sadly i sold both and have my RV50c now so i'm banking on the valve failure fuses for now. reckon I will try and save for a vox ac15cc and have a backup and 2 different sounding amps for the studio. I've heard of folk taking along a TT as a backup for their AD30 heads etc which would be a great backup. Always pays to be prepared

plus its an excuse to buy MORE gear!!!

Le Chat Noir · Post by **Le Chat Noir** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 10:45 am

I'm currently weighing up a Tiny Terror as backup to my AD30TC. I've heard they aren't really soundalikes, but the TT certainly fits the bill of being small and portable and Orange! It'd be great to know it's snuggled in a corner of your car/van, waiting for the call when the inevitable strikes and you need to employ a backup.

ESBlonde · Post by **ESBlonde** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:41 am

Backup Amp No.
Spare fuses, one output valve, one input valve, a tool kit and a spare fused mains lead.

Once I had to run pedals into the PA but in 29 years thats just once! Cheaper and lighter to carry likely spares.

Hywel87 · Post by **Hywel87** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 11:55 am

I have a jcm800 that I use as a backup to my orange. Bit over the top some might say, but I can't bring myself to sell it, it sounds amazing.

Le Chat Noir · Post by **Le Chat Noir** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:08 pm

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Hywel87
 I have a jcm800 that I use as a backup to my orange. Bit over the top some might say, but I can't bring myself to sell it, it sounds amazing.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Do you actually lug it to every gig though?

riffmonster · Post by **riffmonster** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:23 pm

I don't bother with a back-up amp any more.

I've only once had a problem - so I plugged into the PA direct. It worked OK.

That's once in 25 years or so, but it wouldn't bother me to do that again. If I was a 'pro' on the road I'd probably take a duplicate as a back-up.

hamfist · Post by **hamfist** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 12:24 pm

I have a Roland cube 60 combo I stick in the car, going to every gig and rehearsal. If my main amp goes down, and I can't sort it out, I'll hook the Cube up to run through my 4x12 - sounds half decent. I've never had an amp failure at a gig in 20 years though - someone must be watching over me !
I don't see the point of not having a backup, unless money is so tight that it really is financially out of the question.
A great evening would be completely ruined if your amp went down and you had no plan B. If you always have a decent PA, then there are even various pedal backups that you can bring, to play straight into the PA.

theinteriorleague · Post by **theinteriorleague** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:20 pm

I know a lot of guys picked up those crate power blocks for a cheap backup. When Deerhoof opened for Flaming Lips, John was gigging his.

A backup is a must...a band taking 10+ minutes of stage time to change tubes/fuses kills the joy of a show, unless you got like a Mitch Hedberg or clown bending balloons into animal shapes to fill the void.

Hywel87 · Post by **Hywel87** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:29 pm

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Le Chat Noir
 <blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by Hywel87
 I have a jcm800 that I use as a backup to my orange. Bit over the top some might say, but I can't bring myself to sell it, it sounds amazing.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Do you actually lug it to every gig though?
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">

Not to local shows, there are always other amps to borrow, but it's not a big hassle just sticking an extra flight case in the van to go on tour though.

Orphin · Post by **Orphin** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:42 pm

With an amp like the Matamp 1224, a backup isn't needed.

But if I would brought one anyway which would be kind of stupid, it would be the Marshall 2061X. So I guess we would call that a "decent" amp.

Aslan · Post by **Aslan** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 1:43 pm

You have to have a backup plan if your playing for money or else you won't get paid or ask back in the future. I have two backup plans:

1) A Tech21 Trademark 60, I know it's solidstate (no warm time)but they sound pretty good (60 watts)and have a direct XLR out and great reverb, two channels and are light weight. After I set up my Orange amp I set up the TM60 into an extra channel of the PA and have the volume set so all I have to do is plug into it so I ready to go, I used to be so obsessive that I had an A/B box so I could just hit a button and then be good to go.

2) If #1 fails, I carry a Visual Sound Route 66 pedal that is a compressor and Tube screamer built into one pedal, I plug this straight into the PA board and since the compressor part has a tone control you can get a pretty good sound and OD part gives you a lead sound to work with.

I know that this sounds like overkill but the people who are paying you expect a certain level of quality and if you deliver in spite of technical difficulties, you will be asked back to play in the future and the crowd will appreciate your professional attitude. I always take 2 or 3 guitars with me in case a string breaks or something else goes wrong so I can just pick another one up and go right on.

Knuckle Bones · Post by **Knuckle Bones** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:22 pm

When I was on the road a lot I took my AD30, AD140 and RV50. Depending on my mood before the show I'd pic the one I felt like hearing that night. That one sat on top of the full stack. I'd put the back up behind the stack. So my back up was always another Orange head. Never had to use a back up though.

a.hun · Post by **a.hun** » Fri Jun 13, 2008 2:39 pm

<blockquote id="quote">quote:<hr height="1" noshade id="quote">Originally posted by theinteriorleague
 I know a lot of guys picked up those crate power blocks for a cheap backup. When Deerhoof opened for Flaming Lips, John was gigging his.

A backup is a must...a band taking 10+ minutes of stage time to change tubes/fuses kills the joy of a show, unless you got like a Mitch Hedberg or clown bending balloons into animal shapes to fill the void.
<hr height="1" noshade id="quote"></blockquote id="quote">I really wish I'd picked one of those up before they stopped making them. At first I thought they were probably rubbish, but then realised they are actually very clever amps which I could even have used as a 150w backup bass amp. I love valve amps but there is some good solid state gear out there. For a backup amp something like the Power Block would be near perfect for most situations, especially being so light and portable.

Playing bass I rarely had an amp as backup for my Orange, and happily never needed one either. But I'd usually have some sort of device I could plug direct to PA if needed. Could be an Award Session JD10 pedal, a POD, or just an ordinary DI box. After all a passable sound is way better than no sound.

NDH(TT)

Back Up Amp when Gigging ?

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