Mark V, Cobra, AND 5150? STUPID?

[steveanders86-f.7Ax]

I recently bought a Mark V about a week ago and have had very little time to actually play it due to one reason or another. I am trying to get back into a band after years of hiatus (metal, rock, blues, indie ) and want a versatile amp which I feel like I got with the Mark V but I just want more amps. I used to own both the Cobra and the 5150 years ago and have been gas'ing for them as well and want to pull the trigger on both of them (if i find the right price). Am i going insane? I feel like I'm going insane. I'm an old HCAF senior poster (steveanders86) but at some point my moniker got lost and now I'm "steveanders86-f.7Ax" or something crazy and all of my posts are lost. Anyways, talk me into either buying them or not buying them haha. Miss you guys

 

-Steve

[t_e_l_e]

if you have the space to store and the money to spend, why not?

at least 5 of my 11 guitars do not get any play time, of my 4 tube amps, 2 are just getting dust (i think one is also broken)

 

who am i to judge?

 

do you really need them? will you play all 3 at once, or each at a different place so you do need to lug one around? all questions you need to answer yourself

 

oh and welcome back

 

[WRGKMC]

I own like 6 big amps and three bass rigs. I mainly use them in the studio these days and typically pair them up and use stereo effects when recording.

 

I have used pairs of amps playing out live too. Its not that I necessarily need to have things loud but I like a big footprint, which means there is a larger wall of sound instead of one small speaker. Its like having a big dog vs a tiny chiwawa. You know its a small dog no matter how loud it is when the chiwawa barks. The deeper tone of a big dog tells you its size. same thing with amps.

 

You can definitely use more then one amp and only haul one at smaller gigs when you know the stage will be cramped, which is likely the biggest factor. You get stuck is some cramped corner of some cruddy club you're playing. Doesn't make sense to haul the big rig. Neither does the pay half the time.

 

Many times you play 4 sets from 9 till 2 in the morning for chump change. Then you have to pack it up and hall two amps instead of one? I did it when I knew it was worth the effort. After awhile when you start waking up feeling like you been steamrolled the night before and have to do it again that next night, you may wind up loosing that gas quickly.

 

Age does catch up with you too. you don't play as well after moving butt loads of gear. You need to evaluate weather its the sound quality - or the charisma and playing performance that's turning the audience on. Personally I've always leaned towards the playing being more important. Most customers have tin ears and either feel the music or let the visual performance motivate them.

 

Its like watching a band play where all the musicians stand there like zombies. The music may be great but its as entertaining as watching the grass grow. I'd rather have more energy to burn on stage entertaining the people which means having some spring in your steps. If I can get by with one amp doing that job it simply makes it easier to retain that energy when you're playing out every night. Of course that means keeping pace with the other band members too. If your amp sounds like a Chiwawa yapping compared to some Great Dane barking you know you will be masked and simply playing air guitar when you play out.

 

Getting a nice balance with the other players is the key no matter what size amps you use, not the loudness. If you combine two footprints one large and one small, it can sound pretty oddball is your sound system and monitors cant make up the difference. The actual type of amps and cabs used can also be fairly important too.

 

You have to divvy up the frequency zones the two guitarists use. If one's brighter, the other cant use the same brightness or you wind up in a loudness war trying to hear yourself play. If you have say a Fender and another Marshall, the two produce different frequency curves and can easily coexist in the same mix with minimal masking. each can be heard independently because the amps tone stacks and drive gains are different.

 

When you combine amps you do have to take frequency masking into consideration playing with others.

When I play out with others and I know what amp they're using I'll typically choose an amp that has a different range of tones then theirs. Then if I play rhythm or lead I'll always be able to hear myself and have unique tones that add to a mix not overload it with more of the same.

[DeepEnd]

You say your Mark V is versatile, meaning you don't need another amp to get the sound(s) you want. You didn't specify head or combo but the current Mark V combo weighs 80 lbs. That's enough gear to carry. A single backup is fine but you don't really need two more amps. Plus, frankly, I'm cheap, but it's your money and your back.