Amp Question

[MJG]

My Fender amp has a headphone jack?  My stupid question is...  Can it be used as a line out to a PA?

[unclrob]

NO.You might want to look into a direct box.

[MJG]

Thanks Unclrob...

But this is for my electric guitar.  I've always mic'd the amp and thought it would be more convenient to have a line out.  How do I rig up a DI so I don't have to mic it?  Dumb question number two.

Thanks again,

[unclrob]

Mike most direct boxes can use the ext speaker line out.What you do is go from your speaker jack out  to your  board.A mic always works best but sometime's you can't do it that way.If this makes no sence call me I'm really bad at this typing thing.

[ronmac]

MJG,

You may want to look at a Behringer DI-100 direct box. It is an active box so you will need to power it with a 9 volt battery or the phantom power from the PA.

I know a lot of people don't hold this brand in high regard but this product is very good. I own 3 of them and have been using them for the past 3 years and have never had a complaint from any of my clients (including myself). They are also not very expensive.

The nice thing about this box is that it has 2 attenuator switches that can be used dpending on the signal. If you were to plug your guitar directly into the DI you would not engage the attenuators. Using it between your headphone out and the PA you can engage one of the attenuators. If you were to connect to your speaker out you would engage both attenuators. Very versatile.

Ron

[MJG]

Thanks Ron...great reply.  Will mic'ing still be the best sound solution?  Do you lose something when you go direct?  I would imagine so.  But there are times where I may need to.

[ronmac]

The best way is hard to define... and then, it depends....


Put another way, selecting an electric guitar/amp combination is not unlike selecting an acoustic for a sound style. It always pays to experiment, but the ages have taught us that it is easier to get certain sound styles from certain combinations.

If you have a tube amp where you want that slightly compressed, crunchy and very dynamic sound, then micing is the best way to go. The tube amp and speaker are voiced to a select band of frequencies (similar to how an acoustic guitar is voiced) that suit the limited range and tonal characteristics of an electric guitar. If you remove one of these components from the recording chain, say the speaker, you will alter the frequency curve that your recording system hears ie. a different tone shape.

If you record an acoustic guitar using the internal electronics you will get a different sound from micing the guitar body. Think of the internal system as the electronics and the body as the speaker. One may be better than the other. It depends...

Ron

[MJG]

Thanks again Ron...

Great answer