# running two amps at once



## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

how do you do this. ive made some google searches but it seems many people disagree on certain ways to do it. how have you done it and how exactly do you do it?


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## Jeff Flowerday (Jan 23, 2006)

Radial makes a couple different types of aby boxes. You want to make sure to get something that has an isolation transformer and phase switch.

http://www.tonebone.com/re-bigshot-aby.htm

or 

http://www.tonebone.com/tb-switchbone.htm


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## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

ah excellent. thank you!


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## torndownunit (May 14, 2006)

Some amps that have 2 inputs, you can just run a patch cord from the second input into another amp. I do this with my old Fender amps.


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## sysexguy (Mar 5, 2006)

Hi Sesroh, if you want both amps to perform at their best, you'll want this:

Lehle P-Split 
Lehle P-Split stands for "passive splitting" with maximum signal fidelity. One instrument can be routed to two amplifiers simultaneously. Output A is electrically isolated from Output B by the Lehle LTHZ high end transformer – so ground loops are excluded from the start. In addition, the Lehle P-Split also features a gold-plated-contact phase-reversing and ground switch. 

http://www.diffusion-audio.com/store/cart.php?target=product&product_id=16243 

SPAM I AM, my company distributes these....but since this is exactly what does the trick, I felt it is worth mentioning.

Andy


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## Wild Bill (May 3, 2006)

sysexguy said:


> Hi Sesroh, if you want both amps to perform at their best, you'll want this:
> 
> Lehle P-Split
> Lehle P-Split stands for "passive splitting" with maximum signal fidelity. One instrument can be routed to two amplifiers simultaneously. Output A is electrically isolated from Output B by the Lehle LTHZ high end transformer – so ground loops are excluded from the start. In addition, the Lehle P-Split also features a gold-plated-contact phase-reversing and ground switch.
> ...


This sounds like a great product! Techies have known for years that simply daisychaining amps through extra input jacks can cause problems. You can usually get away with one or two extras but what can happen is that one amp will get grumpy about the funny input load and start to oscillate, often at a frequency too high to hear but still driving the amps to full power and maybe burnout. Since the amps are daisychained they ALL react to the oscillation!

A device that provides true A/B isolation prevents all such problems.
:rockon:


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## Hamm Guitars (Jan 12, 2007)

A DI box will do the same thing. A pair of them would work best though (probably cheaper than an ABY splitter as well).

Plug your guitar signal into the DI and out through the paralell output into amp 1. Use a female XLR to female XLR to connect the two DIs together and run a 1/4 inch cable to amp 2 from DI 2.

You could forgo the second DI and just use pins 1 and 2 off of the XLR, but the impedance will be 600 ohms or so.

Amp 1 will be 'un-coloured' and amp 2 will be 'coloured by the transformer(s).

Alternately you can just look up a hammond isolation transformer and roll your own.


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## Michelle (Aug 21, 2006)

Hey Sesroh; 'Horses' backwards huh. :smile: (No, I'm not dyslexic, just left-handed)

I'm running two amps now but I have a bal/unbal output on one head so it's just a matter of patching from that o/p to the i/p of the slave, luckily, the PRO has a ground lift on the o/p. Trying to gang them together with effects or otherwise would produce an unacceptable hum.

IF you do get a hum and you don't have a lift, possibly disconnecting the grd on one end of the patch cord that connects the two might get rid of it.

Have a rockin' weekend!


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## jcayer (Mar 25, 2007)

Hi,

I plug two amps using my stereo chorus pedal outputs... Both amps works either with the chorus on or off. 

Easy :smile:


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## sesroh (Sep 5, 2006)

ahah seems there are a few different ways to do it. thanks people. as for my user name being horses backwards, i am not a farmer or anything like that, just an indie kid. ahaha. it's simply to do with the last band I was in, but I am in the process of getting another together.

back to the two amps at once, I guess it would be best to buy one of those aby boxes. you think any shops around here carry them?


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## Gunny (Feb 21, 2006)

It's been a few years since I was in Guelph, but that shop downtown should have it. Can't remember the store name after all this time. If not, the stores in Kitchener will. That's not too far away. eBay is an option.


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## sysexguy (Mar 5, 2006)

Not to repeat myself, but an ABY will not be the best tool for the job. Call Scott (close, he's in Brantford) at Axe and You Shall Receive and he'll hook you up with a P Split http://axeandyoushallreceive.com/

Andy


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## sh333 (Apr 6, 2006)

Howdy,

I have dealt with this predicament numerous times and as Andy stated, the Lehle stuff is by far the best non-custom solution I have used. The P-split is the cheapest and easiest, but doesn't allow you to choose what amp is on or off via Footswitch.

If it were simply a wet-dry stereo rig you wanted then a P-split and Volume pedal would do nicely. If you want to be able to choose Amp A or Amp B on their own or be able to choose to run A and B together then the Pedal to get would be the Lehle Dual. I have one here in stock if you want to check it out in person.

They are not cheap but I believe they are the best esp. in the price range.


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## Budda (May 29, 2007)

sorry for the thread jack, but i was wondering:

would i be able to slave my traynor YCV80 from my peavey JSX? the YCV80's cleans are the best i've heard, and the crunch from the JSX suits what i play the best.

or i could AB/Y, but that's money i dont have.


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## Mooh (Mar 7, 2007)

The Radial Bigshot ABY pedal has worked very well for me in both my bass and guitar rigs. $70 or so at Long and McQuade a year or so ago. Passive, 180degree polarity reverse switch, ground lift, tuner output, switchable ISO for internal transformer on second output, and it's Cdn made.

Fwiw.

Peace, Mooh.


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## buckaroobanzai (Feb 2, 2006)

I'm using an inexpensive A/B/Y box from Apex that I got for $40 from L&McQ.

It runs into a pedal chain & Roland JC-60 on one side and a Classic 30 on the other. No hum issues in my case, you might want to try the cheap route first.

The Lehle and Radial stuff's kinda expensive ( but I'm sure they're better quality than what I'm using.)

(Edit having read more of the thread....never mind.....


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## Chito (Feb 17, 2006)

Mooh said:


> The Radial Bigshot ABY pedal has worked very well for me in both my bass and guitar rigs. $70 or so at Long and McQuade a year or so ago. Passive, 180degree polarity reverse switch, ground lift, tuner output, switchable ISO for internal transformer on second output, and it's Cdn made.
> 
> Fwiw.
> 
> Peace, Mooh.


+1 I have ran 2 amps through the Radial Bigshot and it also worked well for me.


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## overdriven1 (May 6, 2007)

*Radial Bigshot ABY*

This is the aby switch I use and it has worked very well for me, I run a Traynor YCS 50 and a Laney AOR 30, I haven't decided yet what configuration I want to use but this aby gives me many choices. The manual suggests using a boost before the aby switch because your guitar signal is split, I run a Tech 21 DoubleDrive right before the switch to boost when using both amps at once or off when only a/b mode is used.
Both Amps At Oncelofu What an incredible sound, very full and...and...
good.
I'm still trying combinations of these two amps with a variety of nice results and the Radial Bigshot was fairly cheap too, something like $79.00, also deals with the hum associated from two tube amps hooked up together, this is a very good pedal, Imho!:smilie_flagge17:


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## zontar (Oct 25, 2007)

jcayer said:


> Hi,
> 
> I plug two amps using my stereo chorus pedal outputs... Both amps works either with the chorus on or off.
> 
> Easy :smile:


I've done the same thing with my stereo echo.
And with a simple adjustment on the echo I can play through both amps or just one. I also put effects after the echo and can can play with a clean sound and a distorted/phased/flanged, etc echo--or vice versa.


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## devnulljp (Mar 18, 2008)

sesroh said:


> back to the two amps at once, I guess it would be best to buy one of those aby boxes. you think any shops around here carry them?


Axe and you Shall Receive carries the Lehle stuff.

I run in stereo from a Dimension-C stereo chorus though, and that works well.


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## a Pack of Wolves (Sep 5, 2007)

this will seem so simply it's stupid

i use an ernie ball jr. stereo volume pedal


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## Alex (Feb 11, 2006)

I used a Tonebone switchbone with great success with a .Marshall 2061X and a low powered Fender Twin....it's a little more $$$ but the boost function on the unit is incredible and was as good as my RC booster for adding hair...

I'm not using mine(i sold the rig) so if your looking, PM me. Cheers.


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## Peter (Mar 25, 2008)

Just to make sure I'm understanding this, if I'm just daisy-chaining one amp into another I probably won't end up blowing it up due to the oscillation thing that was discussed a bit earlier in the thread?

I run an old Marshall Valvestate 8080 into a newer Valvestate V65R via the (non powered) line out on the 8080 into the input on the V65R right now.


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## randallflash (Apr 20, 2008)

*morley*

try a morley there cheep.


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## cbrown0019 (Jan 28, 2008)

I'm using the George lynch tripler right now with no problems

http://www.morleypedals.com/dtripler.html


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## JSX/6505 (Nov 18, 2007)

Budda said:


> sorry for the thread jack, but i was wondering:
> 
> would i be able to slave my traynor YCV80 from my peavey JSX? the YCV80's cleans are the best i've heard, and the crunch from the JSX suits what i play the best.
> 
> or i could AB/Y, but that's money i dont have.


Budda, I just bought a Signalflex A/B box for $24. 
1 input for you guitar, 2 inputs for two amps. I button operation. No power supply needed. Plug your JSX into one jack and the Traynor into the other. Way easier than connecting the two amps together.


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