I tried to find info on this complicated idea I thought of last night, but couldn't. So if it does exist, tell me.

I was thinking about amps last night and thought about a twin amp with "Speaker Splitting", as I called it. Sort of like coil splitting, but with an amp, so 2 guitarists can play on it at once. There would be 2 inputs and a 4 way switch.

First setting: Solo Twin. Uses the first input and both speakers and both channels.
Second setting: Solo 1. Uses the first input and only 1 speaker for reduced noise and uses both channels. (sort of like a practice amp, but with more versatility)
Third setting: Solo 2: Just like Solo 1, but on a different speaker.
Fourth setting: Duet: Uses both inputs, activates both channes, and splits the speakers. Both channels have separate options like separate reverbs, gains, and all of the other settings.

Just sort of an idea. I'm not quite sure how it came to me. I just thought of it randomly.

Tell me what you think.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Hi Buxom. Not precisely what you are suggesting, but another version of speaker splitting: Joe Bonamassa uses two 4x12 speaker cabs into which he runs four amps. Each amp goes to a vertical pair of speakers. One amp (the Marshall) is always on, giving his core tone. Then he mixes that sound with one of the other three, via a three-way foot switch to choose between them.

So he's blending cleaner and dirtier amps sounds via dedicated pairs of speakers.

When I first heard about it I thought that was absurdly over the top. That is, until I stood about 12 feet in front of that rig one night in a small 400 capacity venue and heard the sound coming straight off the backline, sans PA. I'm here to tell you it was the best live guitar tone I've ever heard in my life bar none. And I've heard a lot.

I've also heard Joe many times since, and while he always sounds good he's never again quite scaled the mountain peak of that first gig, to my ears...

Anyhow. That's the deluxe approach to bi-amping - which whatever the wiring is essentially what you're talking about. Lotta people do it: not so unusual. Even some multi-FX units these days emulate the sound of multiple amps and drivers simultaneously on. It's a reasonable method.

Cheers - C

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Ohh thanks. That gives me an idea to experiment with my cab. It has 2 ports and 4 speakers, so I could get 2 heads and split em. But I was talking about in a one piece amp. If I had money to burn, I'd buy a Frontman 212R and try to get it to work. I've thought of many inventions over my 15 years of life and this one is the only one that seems to be practical.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Buxum: Go for it! If necessity is the Mother of Invention, surely creativity is it's Daddy.

What the heck it's fun to experiment. While not exactly on the same scale as your project, when I was a kid, with an acoustic guitar and no amp, I mic-ed my guitar through the mouthpiece of an old rotary dial telephone, wired into my record player.

Keep us posted.



Ceri: do you happen to know what is other three amps were?

I don't have $300 for a 212R. I certainly wouldn't want to mess it up either. Maybe Fender could make this happen, considering they are worth billions.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

I'd still like to know if anyone could tell me how to do this.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Effectively, you'd need two amps in one chassis. Simple as that.

The hard part would be condensing the actual amplifier section into a part small enough to fit with another, plus, say, 2x12" speakers in one cabinet. Interesting idea.

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'01 American Deluxe HSS Strat.
'87 Japan HSS Strat.
'11 Custom Shop FMT HSS Strat.

"Without music, time is just a bunch of boring production deadlines and dates by which bills must be paid."

I just want to do it so my friends and I don't have to move my or their amps around to play together. But I don't have the money or the smarts.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Sounds to me like you have plenty of smarts. Get all your ideas down on paper. As you're ready present them to the right person, and the magic of creation will come together. Good luck with your thinking and don't give up on any of your ideas.
----Danny,

Maybe some Fender officials should read this.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

I'd still like some opinions on it. Would anyone buy one?

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

A few years ago, Line 6 made an amp called the Duoverb. It purportedly allowed the user to blend two totally distinct amps (much like your idea). I don't know if it allowed two players at once, but it did work as advertised...as much as any digital modeling amp works (some I like, some are poo).

You could buy two rackmounted power amps (I know Marshall makes such an animal) and put those into a halved speaker cab; that would work the same way, with less space and weight...but the cost wouldn't fit your budget.

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Good Vibes To Y'all!



Screamin' Armadillos
Texas Roadhouse Music
Guitar/Slide Guitar/Harp/Vocals

My budget of $0 currently lol.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic

Back in the 60's and early 70's a lot of us used to plug into a two channel Fender or another makers amps. You don't see alot of two channel amps anymore but the reissue Deluxe Reverb and Twin Reverb have two channels and you can plug two guitars in it with separate volume controls. So just find a two channel amp. Even better, a couple of cheap amps, don't be lazy.

Really? Wow. My idea is useless.

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1984 Squier Contemporary Stratocaster
1986 Peavey Envoy 110
1967 Kingston Acoustic