"Perfect" Cover Band Amp?

[IndyWS6]

Greetings
I have a rack rig and a single 4x12 cabinet that I gig with. I love the tones and the flexibility, but it is a pain in the ass to haul. The band I'm in is playing a lot more often than we thought we would, which has me thinking about a more portable rig. I don't plan on ditching the rack, but it might be nice to have something a little smaller and lighter for the places with postage stamp stages and the back-to-back-to-back nights when your back is aching.

So, what amp would you recommend that would be a good fit for a cover band that plays everything from Matchbox 20 "Push" to "Man in the Box" and "Slither"? (no brutalz, no chugga-chugga). If I went this route I would still be using the 4x12, so I'm looking for a head (50 or 100 watts) and would likely put together a small pedal board as well. Consequently, suggestions on pedals that could be used to make up for anything the amp might lack would also be welcome.

Thanks in advance...

 

[Chris6870]

I don't know if it's perfect but I'm using a Mark IV head. It's small,pretty light. I have a1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 depending on the venue. Three channels cover everything from clean to super hot. R1 and R2 covers the cleans and semi dirty tones pretty well for most of the more mellow stuff. I use a pretty simple pedal board, chorus,delay,overdrive,wah all on a Pedaltrain.

 

[B. Ste]

axe fx, whichever model and your set. Covers pretty much everything....

 

[IndyWS6]

I don't know if it's perfect but I'm using a Mark IV head. It's small,pretty light. I have a1x12, 2x12 or 4x12 depending on the venue. Three channels cover everything from clean to super hot. R1 and R2 covers the cleans and semi dirty tones pretty well for most of the more mellow stuff. I use a pretty simple pedal board, chorus,delay,overdrive,wah all on a Pedaltrain.

Thanks for the suggestion... I see people post about Mark IV heads on here frequently and it gets a little confusing (this year, that year, this serial number range, that serial number range, etc); what would I look for and what could I expect to pay for a "good" Mark IV if I went that route?

Thanks

Other suggestions?

 

[threadkiller]

Exact same situation as me a few months ago. Great sounding rack rig. Real pain to haul around and really most stages were too small for the physical size and too small to really open it up. I'm now using a POD HD500 direct to the board and I couldn't be happier. Lot's of flexibility, easy to use, easy to move and set up, and sounds great. I've always been against modellers and thought I'd never do this, but now I'm sold. For live use, especially in a cover band where flexibility is king, the POD is the way to go. You could get the HD Pro but then you have to buy a foot controller so I'd stick with one of the floor units.

 

[IndyWS6]

axe fx, whichever model and your set. Covers pretty much everything....

Thanks for the suggestion...

The rig I have now has an Eleven Rack in it. I know it's not an Axe, but it is a good substitute. So, an Axe doesn't really make sense for me. I'm looking for options of the half-stack and pedal board variety.

 

[Juggernaut]

Line 6 Vetta II......

 

[IndyWS6]

Exact same situation as me a few months ago. Great sounding rack rig. Real pain to haul around and really most stages were too small for the physical size and too small to really open it up. I'm now using a POD HD500 direct to the board and I couldn't be happier. Lot's of flexibility, easy to use, easy to move and set up, and sounds great. I've always been against modellers and thought I'd never do this, but now I'm sold. For live use, especially in a cover band where flexibility is king, the POD is the way to go. You could get the HD Pro but then you have to buy a foot controller so I'd stick with one of the floor units.

Thanks for the suggestion...

I could always use the Eleven Rack I have in my current rig in a smaller (more portable) rack, and run straight to the board, but I would miss not having a cabinet on stage. We have a great PA and quality monitors, but I just don't like the sound I get on stage without a dedicated guitar cabinet.

 

[IndyWS6]

Line 6 Vetta II......

Thanks for the suggestion...

I'm not very familiar with those, but I'll take a look.

 

[Juggernaut]

IT's a killer amp, tons of tones & FX, and actually sounds REALLY good. If I were to join a cover band, it's the first amp I'd be on the hunt for

 

[mboogman]

Look for an Egnater Mod50. You can swap out modules to suit the set list. Sometimes I wish I still had my head, because yeah, lugging around the giant rack rig is a little cumbersome.

 

[IndyWS6]

Look for an Egnater Mod50. You can swap out modules to suit the set list. Sometimes I wish I still had my head, because yeah, lugging around the giant rack rig is a little cumbersome.

Thanks for the suggestion...

I think I'd like something a little more traditional. A half-stack and pedal board sort of an approach...

 

[Badronald]

JTM45.
Small, light, clean. A few pedals (delay, chorus, boost, boost) and your done. Perfect tone.

 

[IndyWS6]

JTM45.
Small, light, clean. A few pedals (delay, chorus, boost, boost) and your done. Perfect tone.

Thanks for the suggestion...

That's a single-channel, isn't it? What would you do for songs that require a "real" clean? Turn off the boost(s) and roll back the volume?

 

[threadkiller]

Exact same situation as me a few months ago. Great sounding rack rig. Real pain to haul around and really most stages were too small for the physical size and too small to really open it up. I'm now using a POD HD500 direct to the board and I couldn't be happier. Lot's of flexibility, easy to use, easy to move and set up, and sounds great. I've always been against modellers and thought I'd never do this, but now I'm sold. For live use, especially in a cover band where flexibility is king, the POD is the way to go. You could get the HD Pro but then you have to buy a foot controller so I'd stick with one of the floor units.

Thanks for the suggestion...

I could always use the Eleven Rack I have in my current rig in a smaller (more portable) rack, and run straight to the board, but I would miss not having a cabinet on stage. We have a great PA and quality monitors, but I just don't like the sound I get on stage without a dedicated guitar cabinet.

Agree, it is a compromise. I mostly did this because the vocalists were complaining about the stage volume so getting a cab off the stage was the goal. I run the POD to the board but instead of monitoring with a wedge I have a little princeton reverb that I use as a monitor. It sounds better to me than the PA wedges.

 

[ronjhoser]

I just spent some time playing with a Mesa Royal Atlantic and it could really cover some ground. Cleans were as clean as you could want. Low ch was in the brownish territory and Hi was a nice boogie meets hot rod marshall flavor. Nice reverb on board, too. Worth checking out...

 

[IndyWS6]

I just spent some time playing with a Mesa Royal Atlantic and it could really cover some ground. Cleans were as clean as you could want. Low ch was in the brownish territory and Hi was a nice boogie meets hot rod marshall flavor. Nice reverb on board, too. Worth checking out...

Thanks for the suggestion...

I've seen that amp pop-up on here more often lately and it has me a little curious. I may need to take a trip to the music store for a test drive.

 

[IndyWS6]

Exact same situation as me a few months ago. Great sounding rack rig. Real pain to haul around and really most stages were too small for the physical size and too small to really open it up. I'm now using a POD HD500 direct to the board and I couldn't be happier. Lot's of flexibility, easy to use, easy to move and set up, and sounds great. I've always been against modellers and thought I'd never do this, but now I'm sold. For live use, especially in a cover band where flexibility is king, the POD is the way to go. You could get the HD Pro but then you have to buy a foot controller so I'd stick with one of the floor units.

Thanks for the suggestion...

I could always use the Eleven Rack I have in my current rig in a smaller (more portable) rack, and run straight to the board, but I would miss not having a cabinet on stage. We have a great PA and quality monitors, but I just don't like the sound I get on stage without a dedicated guitar cabinet.

Agree, it is a compromise. I mostly did this because the vocalists were complaining about the stage volume so getting a cab off the stage was the goal. I run the POD to the board but instead of monitoring with a wedge I have a little princeton reverb that I use as a monitor. It sounds better to me than the PA wedges.

I've thought about that, too. I have a combo amp that I use at the rehearsal space and I've considered using it on a stand as a monitor. That approach could also work if I ran the Eleven Rack (or other modeler) straight to the PA...

 

[Reiep]

For versatility, I'd say Pod HD500 + DT50.

 

[LP Freak]

PT100. 3 great channels and a top notch loop. Clean, rhythm, and solo. You can pull off most anything your looking for with this amp. It takes pedals well too. If you're looking for something cheaper.....go with a JVM.