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What makes a good backup to a gig?


Bassified

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Not really a backup amp, but more of a pedal/modeler or some sort. I'm looking for a light back up. I was thinking of the SansAmp GT2 through PA as a backup if my tubes fail, but what difference would a pedal/modeler through PA do?

 

For example:

 

SansAmp GT2 through PA

 

VS

 

Line 6 Podxt Live! through PA

 

VS

 

Pedal (ie. Guvnor) through PA

 

Which gets better results for tone? Not versatility....because obviously the modeler has everything. But as far as a few decent tones to get you by a gig if your main rig fails.

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I was wondering this same thing. People who are playing small clubs, or are doing short sets to open for a bigger band, holla back. Are you bringing a backup? Is it another amp, a modeler, sansamp, no backup at all? How do you set it up? Do you take that rig through the soundcheck too? What about monitors?

To answer your specific question, you'll be pretty happy with a some flavor of PODxt through the PA. I have gigged with an xt pro, and it takes my entire board pretty well, with the exception of the SHO.

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nah i just use my pedalboard and my pro jr. My backup rig would be a spare set of tubes and my keeley bd2 in my backpack hehe. Worst case scenario, my singer plays acoustic and i play his electric rig. Thats NEVER happened tho, and i've never had my rig go down on me. (knock on wood)

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Originally posted by wacopacco

nah i just use my pedalboard and my pro jr. My backup rig would be a spare set of tubes and my keeley bd2 in my backpack hehe. Worst case scenario, my singer plays acoustic and i play his electric rig. Thats NEVER happened tho, and i've never had my rig go down on me. (knock on wood)

So if your rig went down, you'd take the time to replace the tubes?

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Originally posted by hbar

So if your rig went down, you'd take the time to replace the tubes?

if it was a power tube then yes, takes maybe 2 minutes max. If it was a preamp tube then no. i'd look for another option. Again i've never giged with a backup in the 7 years i've been playing out professionally.

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THe cheapest and easiest backup I've found is a Behringer GI100 direct box, with a built-in cab simulator. I bought it so I could use it at church for both bass and guitar, and the more I use it, the more uses I find for it. $30 US.

Normal:
guitar or bass -> pedalboard -> amp head ->
GI100 -> speaker cab
|
PA

Backup:
guitar or bass -> pedalboard -> GI100 -> PA

Very transparent with the cab sim off, and the cab sim is halfway decent, as cab sims go, IMO.

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When this happen i just use my guitar and my pedalboard, first i put the TC Electronics SCF preamp around 8, my guitar has a piezo so for the clean sound i mix the piezo and the magnetics pickups, and when i need overdrive, crunch i use the magnetics with the fulltone fulldrive 2, and that's it...and i can get almost the same tone that my mesa DC-5 delivers, of course with less headroom and power.:thu:

 

In my pedalboard i have this:

 

Boss DD-6

Line 6, DL4

Ibanez DE-7

TC Electronics SCF (Stereo Chorus Flanger)

Boss PH-3

Vox Wah (Modifed by Rudy Pensa)

Fulltone Fulldrive 2

Copilot Effects Boost-Fuzz

Boss RC-2

Roland GR-33 Synth

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I have a backup amp, but I also have a Sansamp GT-2 on my board. That's easier than a modeler because I can still use all my pedals the same way. No need to worry about presets. I just put the GT-2 at the end of the chain and plug it into the PA.

Not ideal but would get through a gig.

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Originally posted by wacopacco

if it was a power tube then yes, takes maybe 2 minutes max. If it was a preamp tube then no. i'd look for another option. Again i've never giged with a backup in the 7 years i've been playing out professionally.

 

 

If it was something else, you'd be screwed. I had a jack go bad a few weeks ago which made the amp worthless. Never lost a tube on stage.

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Originally posted by GCDEF

If it was something else, you'd be screwed. I had a jack go bad a few weeks ago which made the amp worthless. Never lost a tube on stage.

theres countless things that 'could' go wrong at a gig, you cant have a backup for everything can you? I'll definately look into the beringer sansamp copy as a backup, that seems like a good idea. But again, i've never had an issue, i take great care of my gear and i test everything before i take it out. I definately put it through it's paces. It is however better to be safe than sorry. This thread has me worried:(

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Originally posted by Bassified

Yeah man...baclk up stuff iis important.


The SansAmp is pretty cool, but is there anything else cheaper and works well?


Because in the end of the day, it's still a backup so something that is good is enough right?

Anything *better* than a sansamp means more real estate, more effort to set up, and more effort to haul around.

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I don't play out with backups. If I've ever had a problem, there's almost always someone there willing to lend you an amp or a guitar. It may be foolish, but I could never afford to bring a backup. I'm about to score an old Peavey Renown combo for free, so I guess I'll start bringing it to gigs just in case.

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um, a Smokey amp can do the backup job just fine.

you wont find much smaller, or easier to operate.

the lacking of an fx loop may bother some, but if one's rig has already died, all bets are off anyways. just plug your amp's spkr(s) into the smokey, mic it thru the PA, and continue as normal.

fits in a shirt/jacket pocket, and with proper speaker placement, can be heard even on a loud stage.



sort of a no-brainer, imho.

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Been gigging a classic 50 head for 6 years. Its pretty beat, never bring a backup. No problems yet (the thing seems bulletproof). If i did though, i'd probably get one of those behringer direct boxes, and run my board through that to the PA. Seems like a cheap and effective solution.

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