• From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Topic: LIVE PERFORMANCE AMPS

I loved to have some information about the gear big bands (like Led Zeppelin) use.
I had the luck to be ON STAGE in my "GLORY DAYS", with Neil Young, Foo Fighters, etc...
This is something I saw, but never asked how it works.
You can see a lot of Amp Cabinets maybe 20 on stage, 1 cabinet on another, in fact a wall of sound, or to be specific a wall of cabinets. I noticed at that time Marshall cabinets.
- What is the purpose, and more important: how are they all connected to each other, about Watt, what is the usual Watt amount of such a cabinet, is it like 150 Watt (if you own an amp producing this sound, and you stand just in front of them, they blow you away and just your shoes will still be there). My Fender Cybertwin produces 2x75 Watt, and the volume on 5 they can hear me 100 meter from my house. But this is a COMBO.
- How can they produce that volume or noise, (on a rock festival, and 100.000 people) that is still clear for  people 250 meters from stage. I just noticed, and learned something more about a rack mountable head, I never heard about this expression. Do they connect all these cabinets, and if yes and you use a cabinet 150W connected with another, and another, can we speak about 300 - 500Watt? How do they control this system.
- Do they also connect AMP HEADS, one to another?
I would be very pleased if someone could explain this or post a link.
Thank you all

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • From: Nottingham, UK
  • Registered: 2006-08-08
  • Posts: 690

Re: LIVE PERFORMANCE AMPS

I suspect there will be two answers to that question Phil;

1) In early rock history where PAs were seen as for vocals only, the large rig was indeed to fill a mid-sized venue with sound. Obviously as gigs and venues got bigger this couldn't last.

2) Part of having several amps is that if one cuts out (always possible with tubes) then the guitar star isn't suddenly silent. This applies even when the amps are miked. Clapton started this in Cream using two amps and his guitar cable was split by a simple Y adaptor. Real Clapton fans claim there are some bootleg concert recordings where the level suddenly drops, it's probably one of the amps has died.

Brian May always has a wall of 6/8 Vox AC30s behind him. The Who at Glastonbury this year Townshend was using 4 amps. Triple redundancy!

I would love to know how you wire these stacks up too...

'The sound of the city seems to disappear'
  • Registered: 2007-01-29
  • Posts: 533

Re: LIVE PERFORMANCE AMPS

Those are some great questions. I always wondered how they got sound out on venues like Woodstock. This days an artist can use a much smaller amp and then simply mic it into the sound system...   I bet it was a real challenge daisy chaining all those amps and speakers togather and dealing with the tubes and stuff. Tube amps are great but I remember the old ones humming and tubes constantly going out.

Middleaged Redneck sorta guy who refuses to grow up...passion for music, especially Southern Rock but like bout everything cept Gangsta/Hip Hop. Collect guitars, mandolins, and love to ride Harleys.
  • From: BELGIUM
  • Registered: 2007-01-27
  • Posts: 3,403

Re: LIVE PERFORMANCE AMPS

A big thank you boys.
I believe that I know the "Clapton story" OR was it JIMI HENDRIX?
But it seems that I'm not alone with this question.
As I wrote, you create (NO, Phil Spector not you) a wall of sound.

[color=blue]- GITAARDOCPHIL SAIS: TO CONQUER DEAD, YOU HAVE TO DIE[/color]   AND [color=blue] we are born to die[/color]
- MY GUITAR PLAYS EVERY STYLE = BLUES, ROCK, METAL, so I NEED TO LEARN HOW TO PLAY IT.
[color=blue]Civilization began the first time an angry person cast a word instead of a rock.[/color]

gitaardocphil's Website

  • G S E
  • Senior Member
  • Offline
  • From: Detroit Lakes , Mn , USA
  • Registered: 2008-01-30
  • Posts: 330

Re: LIVE PERFORMANCE AMPS

Hi Doc ,
    First of all let me say that this is the first guitar forum I have found where newbies seem to be wanted .
    Since finding it I have learned a lot and I just had to turn my little brother on to it . He should be logging on soon .
    He is a lead player and our only true " amp head ".
When he saw this one he had to call me and say " Yea
absolutely fer sure ......
    Sometimes I don't really follow what he's talking about
simply because I care less about the amp I'm useing than what comes out of it ,
but I found this little tidbit very interesting.......Thanks

" Just reading the lyrics , it's hard to hear the song , but if the words tug at the heartstrings......it's enough for now........... "