L2 as a gigging amp

[oehman]

With prices dropping on the stage source speakers, I'm comparing options of the Hd500x with the Dt25 or using an L2m as a stage amp. Would be nice to get the great electric mode tones and then be able to switch to acoustic on the Variax and get those tones as well.

 

But if you need to send a feed to the house mixer, I've heard others say that it's best to run the L2 in PA mode and run the line out to the house mixer. In that case, don't you lose a lot of the 'amp feel' on stage of running the L2 in electric guitar mode? Might as well just use any FRFR speaker on stage if that's the case.

 

The nice thing about the DT25 is that it has the line out with cab simulation so you get a nice sound going to the house mixer. But the L2 doesn't do that, correct?

 

Would like to hear how others have used their L2 as a guitar amp live.

 

Thanks

[maxnew40]

I use the L2 as my amp on stage now. The POD is set for Studio/Direct and the L2 for reference/P.A. connected via the L6 Link. All you need to do to send your tone to the P.A. is to run a cable from the POD to a P.A. Channel. If your P.A. is not as flat as the L2 you will probably need to adjust the EQ controls on the mixer channel.

 

-Max

[litesnsirens]

I don't use an amp at all onstage and just run direct to PA which by the way consists of L3t's and L3s's with the M20d mixer.  I also use in ear monitors so for me if I can get a tone that sounds good in headphones and out front, I'm good to go.  But  I agree with Max, essentially it comes down to either running studio direct from the L2 and using the speaker sim from your HD500X, or using the speaker sim generated from the DT25.  Either way front of house is getting a speaker sim.  I personally find since I don't use an amp but am running directly to stagesource speakers, I can build my tones through the stage source at home and I'm confident that is the tone the audience is going to hear.  I get the amp feel through judicious tweaking which was painstaking at first but once you find a few combinations that work, it makes any patches you come up with later pretty quick.

[zaphodboy]

I use am L3 as a stage amp. I run it in PA mode using full amp models from the POD which for the most part I prefer than running Electric Guitar mode with PRE models (there are one or two exceptions). I agree with litesnsirens about tone building too. It's pretty easy to dial in a tone at bedroom volumes and, with only minor EQ tweakage, convert to stage volume. For me the beauty of the Stagesource over DT is its versatility. I can get killer guitar tones using PA mode (and occasionally Guitar mode) and fantastic acoustic tones using the JTV.

 

A lot is made about feeling disconnected from your sound on stage when running FRFR but I have never found it to be an issue.

[maxnew40]

I am with Zaphod, I don't get any disconnected feeling playing through the L2m speaker with the HD500. Before I bought the L2m I was running my HD500 into the power amp of a Line6 Spider Valve then into a 2 X12 speaker cab. It sounded pretty good, but I think using the L2m sounds even better to me.

 

-Max

[oehman]

So if most L2/L3 owners are running in Pa mode, I'm wondering if there's any real advantage over just using an ElectroVoice ZLX12p as an 'amp' for the HD500.

I use the EV as a PA main. I'll have to put it on the floor and see how it compares to the DT25.

[zaphodboy]

I would say 80-90% of my patches are in p.a. mode using full amp models with the other 20% being a mix between acoustic patches in acoustic guitar mode, and PRE amp models in electric guitar mode. The Stagesource is just that little bit more versatile when used with a POD HD and JTV than a regular FRFR speaker. If you have no real need of acoustic tones there is probably not that much difference (the acoustic patches sound amazing though!) .