How Do You Turn A Combo Amp Into A Speaker Cab?

by | Last updated on January 24, 2024

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  1. You can use the line-out speaker jack on your combo amp to connect a speaker cable directly from your combo to the external cabinet.
  2. You can disconnect the speaker and head parts of your combo, and solder a jack onto the head unit cable to connect it an external cabinet.

Can you gig with a combo amp?

Combos are so much easier to deal with, and many are plenty loud enough for live situations. Gig-worthy amps will have either a

single twelve-inch speaker or a pair of twelves

. For many players, a 2×12 combo offers the best compromise between a half stack and a smaller combo.

Can I use an amp head without a cab?

No. Even if your head has a line/headphone out, you still need

a dummy load

. A dummy load provides the necessary load for the output without a speaker cabinet to make the sound. As discussed earlier, every amp needs to meet a load.

Can you use a solid state amp as a cab?

A ‘cab’ refers to a speaker cabinet, so

a solid state amp cannot be a cab

, because it lacks the speakers.

What is a combo amp?

Combos (short for combinations) are

self-contained units containing the amplifier and speaker in one cabinet

. Amps also come in separate head and speaker cabinets. These allow you to use any amp head with virtually any speaker cabinet.

Why are tube amps louder?

Why Low-Wattage Tube Amps are Louder than Solid State Amps

Tube amps are often perceived as being louder than solid state amps and this is

because they actually are

. … Tube amps, on the other hand, faithfully produce between 80% and 90% of their power regardless of the frequencies being produced by your guitar.

Is 20W tube amp loud enough?

A 20-watt guitar amp is pretty loud compared to sounds in the normal world, but

in a band situation, it may not be enough

. … Using a mic and a sound reinforcement system means your little amp can be heard with the rest of the group at band rehearsal and at gigs.

Is 30 watts loud enough for a gig?

According to many people who have been able to organize great gigs and have turned up successful,

30 to 60 watts is enough

. Many guitarists have confessed to have been part of a gig that used less than 10 watts and was still successful. However, the recommended strength of any amp in a gig is not less than 30.

Can you plug a mic into an amp?

Microphones typically have balanced XLR outputs, while guitar amps almost always have unbalanced 1/4′′ Tip-Sleeve inputs. Therefore, to connect a microphone to a guitar amplifier,

we must have an adapter cable to connect the microphone

to the guitar amp.

Can you play bass with a guitar amp?

Yes,

you can plug a bass into a guitar amp

. While guitar amps aren’t designed to handle bass input, it will work. But there is a risk you can damage your guitar amp with a bass at a high volume. … Plugging a bass guitar into an amp is simple as both bass and guitar use the same leads.

Can you run an amplifier without speakers?

As long as the amplifier

has a solid state output stage

, you’re good to go and should not need to connect a speaker load to make use of this feature. Even so, you should consult your manual or just turn the master down if it does not affect the headphone output.

Does a head need a cab?

In order to make that signal audible, the amp must be connected to a speaker. … In a head and cabinet setup, the head is the actual guitar amplifier itself. The cabinet is only a box that houses the speaker or speakers. You can’t use an amp head without a cabinet –

you need both components

.

Can you plug a bass head into a combo amp?

Can You Use an Amp Head With a Combo Amp? In short,

yes

. Combo amps have a speaker cabinet built-in, but many manufactures leave the connection visible on the back panel of the amp.

Can you plug a tube amp into a solid state amp?

Most tube amplifiers have an input impedance of at least 100K Ohms, so they are compatible with most any tube preamp. Most solid state amps have an input impedance of

50K ohms

, so the output impedance of the preamp should be 5,000 ohms or less. … You should refer to the owner’s manual for the amplifier you own.

Can you connect a solid state amp to a cabinet?


You can connect it to a cab

, but not using the line out. You need to disconnect the internal speaker, and connect the cab to the speaker wire coming out of the amp.

How do you connect an amp to a cabinet?

  1. Make sure the amplifier is switched off.
  2. Set the cabinet(s) to mono.
  3. Connect a speaker cable to the loudspeaker output on the amplifier.
  4. Connect the other end of the speaker cable to the corresponding impedance input on the cabinet.

What amp did Kurt Cobain use?

Amplifiers. Apparently Cobain’s preferred amp was a

1960s Fender Twin Reverb

, which he used to record In Utero, as well as MTV Unplugged. He also used a similar amp during the recording of Bleach, though it is unknown if it was the exact same one. He also favoured a Mesa/Boogie Studio .

Do tube amps use a lot of power?

Assuming the amplifiers are 50W per channel, a 100 Watt tube amplifier will use about 150 Watts of energy idling and about 200W at full power. A 100W solid state amp will use about 30 Watts idling and 160W at full power. So in one hour a tube amp uses from 0.15 to 0.25 Kilowatt hours.

Do tube amplifiers really sound better?

Tube amplifiers

sound better because of the euphonic distortions they add to the music

, as well as plenty of other reasons I’ll cover below. … The ways that tubes distort when pushed to the edge are much more musical than the artificial sounds that come from transistor amplifiers when overdriven.

How do I know what amp to get for car speakers?

For your speakers, use an

amplifier whose top RMS output per channel is no higher than each speaker’s top RMS rating

. For your amplifier, get speakers with top RMS ratings that are equal to or higher than each amp channel’s top RMS output.

Are tube amps worth it?

In many cases, tube amps do not require the amount of maintenance that they have a reputation for. As long as you properly take care of your gear, owning a tube amp

is simple and very well worth it for the tone

.

Is a 5 watt tube amp loud?

All 5-watt tube

amps will be louder than others

, some candidates maybe loud enough for a potentially gigging and rehearsing without any additional cabinets. However, If you own a low wattage amp you like the sound of but want to squeeze more volume out of it.

How many watts is good for speakers?

The best wattage for the home speaker is

between 15 and 30 watts

. Most homeowners find 20 watts sufficient enough. A speaker for larger gatherings can be 50 watts or 100 watts. Such high power will not be ideal for home use.

Is a Marshall DSL 20 Loud enough?

The

DSL20 can be plenty loud

– if you aren’t going for a heavily distorted sound. The more gain you start adding the more your volume is going to be perceivably lower. A Blues Jr. playing pop/rock is excellent and much louder than you may realize (same with the DSL20).

Are 300w speakers loud?

The 300w sound bar has an extra speaker in the middle and with the wattage,

it is definitely louder and clearer

than the 120w. … Clearly the 300 watt will give you much fuller and louder sound, but also the 300 watt system does not buzz when cranked up high.

How big of an amp do I need to play live?

If you’re looking for an amp to perform live with, you should consider a larger amp

(12-15”)

that is 50 watts. If you’re planning to play in large venues, you can go for a higher power amp that’s at least 100 watts.

What amp is best for vocals?


Fender Acoustasonic 40

– Best Overall

The Fender Acoustasonic 40 is our number pick and is the best model for anyone looking to get the best value from their portable acoustic amp. It is a compact model that comes in handy when playing in small venues and can be easily moved from gig to gig.

Can you use a bass amp for vocals?

In short, yes.

You can run vocals through a bass amp

. A microphone can be plugged into a bass amp, and you can sing through it without any potential damage. However, the vocals will not sound great because bass amps cannot play most of the mids and high frequencies of the vocals.

Is bass easier than guitar?

Physically speaking,

the bass is harder to handle than a guitar

. It has a longer neck, thicker and heavier strings and requires more finger strength to fret the notes correctly. The bass is also a weightier instrument overall and some musicians find it more difficult (especially on their backs) to play.

How loud is the Orange TH30?

Orange TH30

Between its GREAT clean channel and its equally GREAT dirty channel I can not find fault with it. With the ability to go from an

extremely LOUD 30 watts down to 15 and finally to 7 watts

it is a true bedroom to stage amp.

How many watts does a tube amp need to gig?

The number of watts you need to gigging in a club or bar that holds around 50-100 people is usually around

20 watts

for a tube amp, and 40 watts for a solid state amp.

Can I plug an electric guitar into a bass amp?


You can plug your guitar into a bass amp

and not have to worry about any potential damage to any of the gear involved. A bass amplifier isn’t necessarily designed to create more bass as much as it is an inherent characteristic of using a larger speaker. … Both amps and speakers impart their own “sound” to the instrument.

Can I play bass without an amp?


Bass guitar

can be played without an amplifier in a number of different ways. If you’re just trying to hear it yourself, guitar headphones or a small bathroom with good acoustics should work. If you want to play in the open, your computer or an effects pedal can double as an amplifier of sorts.

How do I connect my amp to my mixer speakers?

  1. Turn off and unplug both the mixer and the amplifier to prevent a short circuit while connecting the two components. …
  2. Connect the plugs on one end of the stereo cable to the Audio OUT jacks on the mixer, typically located along the back edge of the component.

Does a mixer need an amplifier?

Is a DJ mixer an amplifier? No, a DJ mixer controls how much of which audio signals from the various possible inputs are sent to the speakers. An amplifier takes the relatively weak signal that comes out of the mixer (about one tenth of a watt) and

amplifies it

to the hundreds of watts needed to power loudspeakers.

Why are amp heads so expensive?

a

lot more designing, research, and testing

(ie. money) goes into making the amp part than the speakers which are usually manufactured by speaker companies. Bureaucrats gonna crat.

Are Zilla Cabs good?

Zilla cabs offer

high build quality

, excellent value for money, versatile sounds and a wide variety of custom options and looks. The speakers you choose to inhabit your cabs will determine the musical styles in which the cabinets work best.

Do amp cabinets make a difference?

Cabs have a huge effect on tone. In fact, according to the December issue of Premier Guitar, speakers/cabs can be as important as the amplifier you are using. However, don’

t go strictly by price

, as some cabs are better than more expensive ones, without getting too specific.

Charlene Dyck
Author
Charlene Dyck
Charlene is a software developer and technology expert with a degree in computer science. She has worked for major tech companies and has a keen understanding of how computers and electronics work. Sarah is also an advocate for digital privacy and security.