Amps in Stereo...ABY Switch or more too it?

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Anxiety Serum

Anxiety Serum

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Before I decide if I want to sell my old amp (Mark V 25), I am tempted to try and run it in Stereo with the new one (VH2). Is it as simple as getting an ABY switch, plugging in to both amps and rockin out in stereo? Or am I barking up the wrong tree and getting into more gear, lots of tinkering, and a lot of time?

Sounds like Lehle Little Dual II, Radial Switchers and Fulltone Trupath are recommend options when reading other posts.

Anyone tried the Orange Amp Detonator? Its buffered and has a Phase switch. And only $135.

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/AmpDeton--orange-amp-detonator-buffered-a-by-switcher
 
Yes, you can just run em through an aby pedal. It is badass and after running two amps you will never go back to one. I've been doing it for years and run 3 now, massive tone.

I use a fulltone aby for my deliverance and c+ and run the 3rd amp out of a chorus pedal from my c+ so the preamp goes into amp 3 as well. It's awesome, I'd never go back to a single amp but I dont gig anymore either.
 
A buffered ABY helps a lot, unless you use a good buffer right before it. An ABY and the split sucks more tone than usual if it's not buffered. Most of your choices are active ABYs.

If you want a true stereo rig, you gotta split up front into both inputs. You can run out if one into the other, but that just makes the other a slave to the first preamp. I'll do that when my other guitarist doesn't show up to practice, and run my line out into his effects return and play 2 full stacks. That's not really stereo though, because it's one guitar tone (in my case same tube type and speakers).

Another mistake is dialing both amps in to sound good on their own. If you have two mid-heavy amps, they sum to be a mid-heavy mess. If you accentuate the individual characteristics of each amp, they will complement each other. Maybe crank the mids on one and scoop the other, or dial in brighter tones on one and darker tones on the other. I always liked a British voiced amp and a Mesa run together to get the mids from EL34s and the bottom end and sizzle of a Rectifier. The more different the amps are, the more success.
 
Since you're using different multi channel amps I'd definitely recommend a splitter with ground lift and phase switching. Lehle is the best imo. But the radial stuff is great too. I use a radial shotgun and it works great but splits up to 4 amps. The bigshot is cheaper and works well to split 2 amps and ground lift but the iso transformer sucks tone. The twin cities is the active version of aby from radial but I have never used one. Lehle psplit, dual sgos that I have used are great products but pricey. I used a voodoo lab amp switcher before which also worked well.
 
Running an ABY is the way to go, Lehle is great but you can buy cheaper clones that will save you some cash and do the job. If you are playing out get the real deal...but if you are a home jammer you can try some cheaper alternatives that work just fine. I have a cheap Chinese clone of the Fender ABY that was 25 bucks. Works fine...I've owned the Lehle and the Radial Bones. What's also interesting is, when you experiment with pedal placement it will change your tone(the true bypass/non true bypass nature of your pedals affect this). For example: My 72 Trem is double boosted...I usually have an 80s SD1 after the second boost in my chain because I'll use it to boost my 2205. If I take the SD1 out of the chain, my 72 gets a bit 'overwhelmed' where it muds up a bit. But with the SD1 off, but in the chain it's perfect. So for me I need that pedal, set off, in my chain to get the tone right in my JMP.
 
Racerxrated said:
Running an ABY is the way to go, Lehle is great but you can buy cheaper clones that will save you some cash and do the job. If you are playing out get the real deal...but if you are a home jammer you can try some cheaper alternatives that work just fine. I have a cheap Chinese clone of the Fender ABY that was 25 bucks. Works fine...I've owned the Lehle and the Radial Bones. What's also interesting is, when you experiment with pedal placement it will change your tone(the true bypass/non true bypass nature of your pedals affect this). For example: My 72 Trem is double boosted...I usually have an 80s SD1 after the second boost in my chain because I'll use it to boost my 2205. If I take the SD1 out of the chain, my 72 gets a bit 'overwhelmed' where it muds up a bit. But with the SD1 off, but in the chain it's perfect. So for me I need that pedal, set off, in my chain to get the tone right in my JMP.
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I think I saw yours or someone else post about a cheaper Chinese clone, but never saw what it was or where one can get it. Any suggestions.

I am just a home jammer.
 
Radial Twin City works great! Polarity & Ground lift features are nice. I only intended to dabble in dual amp set-ups and got hooked. Friedman board with integrated power supply and buffer bay. Everything on the right of the board goes into the front of the amps (don’t use OD with my amps), and all the stereo ambient Fx split into the loops. Very addicting!

1643473952378.jpeg
 
IIBornotIIB said:
Radial Twin City works great! Polarity & Ground lift features are nice. I only intended to dabble in dual amp set-ups and got hooked. Friedman board with integrated power supply and buffer bay. Everything on the right of the board goes into the front of the amps (don’t use OD with my amps), and all the stereo ambient Fx split into the loops. Very addicting!

View attachment 105607
Click to expand...
Nice looking board.

So do you go to the Twin city first with the pre-loop affects on the right (using pre loop stuff only on one amp) or do you run guitar into those then into the Twin City so the FX are going to both amps?

And do you go into both Amps loops with the stuff on the left?
 
RaceU4her said:
here is what the mimiq does since ive never seen a proper demo.. this is my guitar into the mimiq going to two amps, one is panned hard right and the other hard left. you can hear at the start the boring "mono" signal which would be like a regular aby box and then what the mimiq does when i turn it on

https://app.box.com/embed/s/u375gwjixecwx1sbwqqnpirt4gvefypl
Click to expand...
Thanks for that. I always got the concept, but never heard it split in headphones before today. That thing works.
 
RaceU4her said:
here is what the mimiq does since ive never seen a proper demo.. this is my guitar into the mimiq going to two amps, one is panned hard right and the other hard left. you can hear at the start the boring "mono" signal which would be like a regular aby box and then what the mimiq does when i turn it on

https://app.box.com/embed/s/u375gwjixecwx1sbwqqnpirt4gvefypl
Click to expand...
Thanks that definitely fattens things up. Like the riff too.

Just a bit confused how its different or similar to ABY pedal. You plug into the Mono jack on right with your guitar and then two chords out on the left, one to each amp?

But it doesn't let you switch between amps right? In that set up its just two amps always on with some pedal FX either on or off? Am I thinking about that right?
 
Anxiety Serum said:
Nice looking board.

So do you go to the Twin city first with the pre-loop affects on the right (using pre loop stuff only on one amp) or do you run guitar into those then into the Twin City so the FX are going to both amps?

And do you go into both Amps loops with the stuff on the left?
Click to expand...
Yes… Go into the front end of each amp with the right side of the board - gates, comp & volume pedal run thru Twin City. The left side of the board runs stereo (except ParaEQ goes only to one) into each of the Fx loops.
 
There is more than one way to get the stereo image though. I run the shotgun to the front of three amps. Then I have an eventide h9 max in stereo through the loop of two of my amps. I get a stereo image on the wet amps and keep the third as my dry amp. Sound glorious.
 
Anxiety Serum said:
Thanks that definitely fattens things up. Like the riff too.

Just a bit confused how its different or similar to ABY pedal. You plug into the Mono jack on right with your guitar and then two chords out on the left, one to each amp?

But it doesn't let you switch between amps right? In that set up its just two amps always on with some pedal FX either on or off? Am I thinking about that right?
Click to expand...

a regular aby sends the same signal to both amps, the mimiq alters one of the signals to "mimiq" the nuances of laying down two tracks so its kind of like jamming with yourself as the second guitar player when its on. basically it lets you double track with one take. you cant switch between amps though
 
I just talked to my guitarist about this. He runs a stereo rig through the Helix. There is a block under modulation called Double Take that does the same thing. I'm going to have him try it through his Helix for a better stereo image (even though he's panned to one side in my mix). Through his ears and FOH, it would be like two tracks.
 
RaceU4her said:
a regular aby sends the same signal to both amps, the mimiq alters one of the signals to "mimiq" the nuances of laying down two tracks so its kind of like jamming with yourself as the second guitar player when its on. basically it lets you double track with one take. you cant switch between amps though
Click to expand...
It definitely adds some tone. Maybe I need both it and a switcher.
 
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