rhys_wtb

hi guys
i was just wondering (i know it may seem a simple question)
what are the technical differences between a half stack and a combo
cause when i was speaking to a sound technician at a gig ages ago, when my amp was feedbacking life crazy, he told me that stacks suffer less soundback, is this true?

if theirs anything i should know, please let me know

Jesstaa

Combos may get more interference because they're so jammed together, but I doubt it. Other than tube microphonics they're fine. But in my opinion, combos are for pussys, they've never appealed to me, they look small and crappy and I'd much rather carry around a halfstack in 2 parts.

__________________

Grandturk

One hug benefit of a half-stack - or any head + cabinet combination - is the fact that you can swap out individual components very easily. Switch the head, switch the cab, etc. With a combo - yeah, you can change the speaker(s), but that's about it.

That said, there's nothing like carrying your guitar and head into a club and leaving them there unattended in order to go back out to your car for your cab.

thrawn86

If you're referring to modding, I'd beg to differ. You can easily access the head in the combo to work it over. And my combo has an impedence selector and can disconnect the internal speaker, making cab changes as easy as with a head.

__________________
Drivin' faster in my car...
02 DSL 401-Ei's
02 1960b
02 Gibson LP Studio Silver
03 PRS Santana SE
Holy Grail reverb

Originally Posted by J. Robert Oppenheimer
"We knew the world would not be the same."

American Viking

combo or half stack... neither


FULL STACK FOR THE WIN!

__________________
-I'd rather be a good liver than have one...

357mag

You can get a larger sound with a cabinet. A little more depth. But combos are certainly great amps. Carrying around a stack of amps when a combo can get the job done is a testament to the player's intelligence.

thrawn86

The Sailor from Greenland has it again!!!

__________________
Drivin' faster in my car...
02 DSL 401-Ei's
02 1960b
02 Gibson LP Studio Silver
03 PRS Santana SE
Holy Grail reverb

Originally Posted by J. Robert Oppenheimer
"We knew the world would not be the same."

Gtrman58

I agree with this statement. Bigger sound with a closed back cab. The sound disapates differently with a combo. Not that I have anything against them.
I own several.

The 4-12 closed cab throws the sound better in front of its self as oposed to the sound getting out all around a combo. Lots of tricks to combat this though. A good tech/sound man can pretty much give you what ever you are looking as well as a players intelligence but if everyone else has a half stack.....
it really depends what you are looking for. kind of music you play. Lots of variables here.

__________________
2009 JCM 2000 Dsl 100 MLB MC412A
1951 Fender Deluxe
2006 Hot Rod Deluxe
1995 Blues Junior
1994 Blues Deville
Vox Path Finder
1982 Legend A 30

1980 Gibson Herritage Cherry Sunburst Standard
1980 Explorer White with gold HW
2000 52 Telecaster USA RI
1983 57 Strat LH USA RI
2003 57 Strat USA RI
1960 Silvertone Danelectro
1994 Fender P-bass 68 RI
Acoustic guitars....not enough space to list !!!!!

Grandturk

No, I didn't mean modding, and yes, most combos have a jack for their internal and additional jacks for external cabinets.

Yeah, sure you can hook up your combo to a 4x12, but then you have to carry a combo and a 4x12 around.

Grandturk

Including, what kind of combo you're talking about - 1x12, 2x12, 4x10 etc...

00jett

Ive owned 3 Marshall combos and 1 half stack. There is no comparison.. That Marshall sound IS from a closed back 4x12. Open back just doesn't treat the low end the same (its science, not my opinion) or for that matter any frequencies. As far a controlling feedback and other noises goes heads and cabs seem to be the better option for being less prone to noise issues due to the way they are built. I love some combos, but nothing quite sounds like a Marshall half stack. IMO

Keefoman

The combo has the obvious advantage that you carry both the amp and speaker in one unit. If needed, hook up a cab to the combo and and you get the advantages of the stack as well.

__________________
www.myspace.com/auduneggen

Ken

Live the stack rules. It pushes a lot more air and live they sound big and dangerous and it's nice to use the stack as a monitor.

Recording is backwards though....I like combos. They often sound small and tinny live in a loud band but recorded they sound airy and huge. Of course you could mic a combo through the PA but in small rooms where 50 watts is plenty I prefer a stack. And should I ever play a big room, 2 stacks!

Ken

rhys_wtb

im saying for example 2x12

i own a combo at the moment, and it feedbacks like theirs no tomorrow

do half stacks suffer less feedback problems then combos then?

nofearfactor

Half stacks or go home. But then just like Mr Viking put it,full stacks win. Even though I set my 2 4x12s up side by side.

Ive only owned one combo my entire life and still have it. A 5150 combo. The thing I worry about the most is same as when seeing heads on top of cabs and not in a shockmount rack- the tubes vibrating from the speakers. Other than that just maybe a little difference in sound projection. My 5150 combo sounds slightly different than my 5150 head/cab setup.

__________________
myspace- http://www.myspace.com/nofearfactor
some gear pics- http://community.webshots.com/album/...ecurity=QbSaeN

rhys_wtb

visually i prefer the site of a half stack, and if i had more money, a full stack

the reason i asked the question mainly was for better sound quality, as i would get a half stack if it meant the sound would be better

hopefully by jan ill have one sitting in my house ;D

JohnH

No doubt 1/2 and full stacks for the total Marshal experience. Also, technically, most combos are just head chassis upside down in a speaker box. Its the wrong way up for heat and the tubes cook themsleves!

But theres something intimate and direct about jamming blues on a juicy all-tube combo. Also, if you play rockabilly on a full stack, you just look silly!

John

__________________
DSL401
8412 cab
Crate Powerblock
1 x 12 Vintage 30 cab
'76 Shergold Masquerader
'93 Les Paul Studio
'83 Roadstar

Sir Don

I find the sound of my combo to be too 'flabby' for me. What I have done in the past is hook up a 2x12 with vintage 30's to it which seems to give it a more gutsy sound but that really defeats the purpose so I just use a head and one or two cabs instead. Of all my amps the combo is the one I least play. Maybe I should dig it out again and fire it up!

__________________
My gear:

2204, 2210, 2555, 9005, 1959, 5005, 4103, 2100, TSL100

www.myspace.com/rockthebosss

TPR

Well, as Bob says on the eurotubes site, combos are a torture chamber for tubes because the tubes are pounded by the back waves from the speaker(s). I imagine the higher incidence of feedback is from open back cabinet, but I could be wrong about that.

__________________
The awesome tone coming out of my amp almost makes up for my inability to play.

gtr1963

it really depends on what you want. I'd try both combo and head + 4x12 and see which one you like. It's YOUR ears that will decide. I wouldn't get a 4x12 and head just for the sake of getting one IF a combo will do the job for you. That being said, I used a crate combo for years. I wasn't crazy about the sound(even though it has a 12" EV in it) but it was 150 watt combo and could match pretty much any stack out there in volume.

I eventually got a marshall 4x12 and used the crate as a head and this IMPROVED the sound dramatically... mainly due to the celestions in the 4x12. I personally was going for the sound.. not particularly the volume.

Later on I got a JCM900 head to go with my cab and just went stereo out of my fx(boss gt6) to get a stereo sound--Marshall head and 4x12 on one side and a 150watt 1 speaker combo on the other.

Because I didn't like the 'sound' of my crate combo, but needed it for convenience--I eventually got another Marshall(Park) 4x12 with G12-L speakers(similiar to greenbacks) and hooked my combo up to this cab and so thus am pushing 2 4x12 celestion cabs in stereo. A MUCH MUCH better sound now....

I say try both types out and let your ears decide..not your eyes... So many guitarists want a head and 4x12 to impress everyone but you really only need that kind of equipment if your playing clubs or venues. A powerful combo will do almost (and I stress..ALMOST) give you the same sound.

A while back at a music store here locally in the Birmingham AL area, I saw a guitar playing through a Mesa 2x12 combo and he had it cranked.. the sound, all tube sound was just as loud as I have ever heard...and sonically.. it sounded great....

Good luck on your search... remember let your EARS decide....

Andy

__________________
guitars:
85 Kramer Baretta mutt (Custom) w/Original Floyd
Kramer FR404S/D Baretta w/Dimarzio Tone Zone
Ibanez Acoustic

Amps:
Marshall JCM 900 4100DR Head
2 Marshall 1960 4x12 slants
Crate GS 150 150 watt combo

Effects:
Boss GT-6
Crybaby Wah
BBE Sonic Maximizer 362(rack)
Furman Power conditioner(rack)

LesBalls

I have some Marshall combo amps that I love, but they always sound better through a 4x12 cab.

Marshall combos are awesome, but, when I think of Marshall, I definitely think half stack or full stack.

4x12 cabinets just sound bigger and more spacious.

Richman1

You are absolutly correct on that.....A head and a cab is pro , and combos are not.. I had a DSL 401, and it sounded real good,but you got to run it thru a cab to get the real marshall sound. The DSL50/100 or JCM800 or any Marshall head for that matter will make you glad you swiched from a combo amp....

__________________
DSL-50
DSL-50
1960AC
1960BV
1960A
1984 Jackson RR Custom
2006 Les Paul Classic

rhys_wtb

thanks for the help guys

cause i have an idea what i want to get for my first stack setup

TSL 60 head + 2x12 cab (reasons are finances and space, otherwise i would get a 4x12)

at the moment, im starting out with me band, we have played a few gigs now, were all only 17, but pretty decent for a band going since june this year

WTB on MySpace Music - Free Streaming MP3s, Pictures & Music Downloads

got a few very rough demoes on here, if you got the time to give em a listen
im the lead guitar in all songs

Gtrman58

Rhys, I am still kinda curious why you are getting feedback with your current combo set up. Could you be more specific as to what you have and what you are running though it? OD pedal, Eq, hollowbody guitar.....running everything through the monitors?.....all potential feedback problems. You could run out and buy the best half stack money could buy have the same problem.

What are you currently using now. Be specific!

Bob

__________________
2009 JCM 2000 Dsl 100 MLB MC412A
1951 Fender Deluxe
2006 Hot Rod Deluxe
1995 Blues Junior
1994 Blues Deville
Vox Path Finder
1982 Legend A 30

1980 Gibson Herritage Cherry Sunburst Standard
1980 Explorer White with gold HW
2000 52 Telecaster USA RI
1983 57 Strat LH USA RI
2003 57 Strat USA RI
1960 Silvertone Danelectro
1994 Fender P-bass 68 RI
Acoustic guitars....not enough space to list !!!!!

D.Dailey

Interesting Question???
I run two different heads, 100 Watt DSL & 45 Watt Traynor, and two different combos, 60 Watt Fender 4x10 Tweed DeVille, & a 15 Watt? Blues Junior..
Three different cab configurations..
4x12 Marshall angled, and a small 2x12 Ampeg cabs with V30's.
An old but stock Marshal 4x10 Cab.
Each have there own qualitys..
Each has its own resonance!
Each acts very diffrent, depending on how its pushed..
Its sort of like DNA.
We all share about 95% of the same stuff with many mammals..
But its the 5% that makes up the difference...
Ape vs. Man: Volatile DNA?

Something I come across the other night, when browsing the used section of a nice guitar shop about 100 miles from me..
http://elderly.com/vintage/names/mes...-130U-8796.htm

woodddj

i had a head and cab, now i only use combo's. i have the same problem with feedback from both at high vol. but i know what my problem is. its called only useing a 10ft cord in a 10x10 room. try getting a longer cord and put some distance between you and your amp.

__________________
AVT50X and AVT20X MG15MSII

Australian

You can find some good 2x12 cabs. My JCM800 1936 sounds better than the newer one I have.
My Ulbrick 2x12 has a big sound great sound and has been designed to be similar to a 4x12 sound.
But Quads are what Marshall is all about.

__________________
410h;410c;205h;RR1959;2203;2205.
JCM 900 1960;JCM800 1960;1960AHW;
1960Classic;1960BW;
JCM800 1936 v30's;1936 G12T-75'3.

rhys_wtb

i use a gibson les paul studio
running that through a marshall avt 275
no pedals, just the guitar and amp

rhys_wtb

i think i may try that, didnt even think about that, cheers
tbh, the cord i use at the moment is some cheap shitty one you can buy from the rehearsal place i go to at the moment

willwallner

I have a question regarding Full stack Vs Half Stack

When I run my JCM 800 2204 through 2 cabs, to me the sound coming from the speakers is weaker than if I run it through 1 cab. When my one of the cabs in my full stack gets mic'd up through the PA it doesn't sound as good to me as when I mic up the same cab but as a half stack. It should sound the same as they mic the same speaker each time but to me it sounds weaker through the PA when I use 2 cabs. My solution to this is to split the signal and run two JCM 800 2204 heads with each going to just one cab. Has anyone else noticed this or am is just in my head?

__________________
Check me out www.myspace.com/willwallner
Also check out my 80's Hard Rock Cover Band www.myspace.com/cliquerockband