What's better than using an amp in 4cm?

[ricksteruk]

Using TWO amps in 4cm  :P

 

I've just had a thoroughly awesome couple of hours running both my H&K switchblade and my old Award Session Sessionette 75 combo in 4cm.

 

I was going to sell the Session amp, and thought I'd better try it out to check it was still working 100%.  So I plugged in my guitar and had a try.. yep it still worked.  Sounded good actually..  TOO GOOD!  It's a solid state amp and the dirty channel has got a FET gain stage.  Sounds a little bit like a heavy fuzz when dialled to high gain.

 

Then I tried with my Helix which was already set up in 4cm with my H&K Switchblade as usual.  I just took a jack from the Helix's Right 1/4 in out and plugged it into the Session's FX Return socket.  Sounded great!  No Hum thank goodness.  Surprisingly the Session's solid state power section and old Celestion speaker actually had a slightly warmer sound than the tube H&K's.  Not a lot in it though, they sounded very similar tonally... good enough to use as a stereo set up for gigs :D  The Sessionette is so small it's gonna be no bother to add to the load in.

 

Hmm....   methinks I'd better cancel the eBay listing quick.

 

Now I wonder.. what will happen if I try it in 4cm with the Helix as well?

 

Firstly.. it works! No Hum - crystal clear sound.. amazing for a piece of kit from circa 1990.  FX loops were just starting to become common on amps around then.  Two amps both in 4cm and no ground loops.. Magic.

 

Using the Session clean channel along with it's bright spring reverb I can get some pretty good Fender ish sounds.

 

The final chapter in this saga is running the Session on it's dirt channel in a Send/Return loop followed by the H&K in a Send/Return loop.  Shall I just say that it is very exciting :)  Kind of like having a Fuzz Face or a Big Muff in front of a tube amp.

 

All I need to do now is make a cable to go from the Helix Ext amp socket to the Session weird 5 pin DIN socket to see if I can switch Session amp channels and Reverb from the Helix... I have a good feeling it might actually work too.

 

All this would not really be possible without the Helix.. what a amazing piece of kit it is.

[DarrellM5]

Sounds good. Now you should try running both amps at the same time. There's a template for doing it called 7 cable method or 8 cable method; something like that.

[vmoncebaiz]

Glad that worked out for you.  Almost every time I sell extra gear I end up regretting it. But on the other hand you end up hoarding gear you never use.  

 

If you are not into making your own cables for the 1/4" to 5 pin connectors Voodoo Labs can make them, although it's $40 a cable.  I ran into the same thing when I was trying Helix with the PRS Archon.

[ricksteruk]

Sounds good. Now you should try running both amps at the same time. There's a template for doing it called 7 cable method or 8 cable method; something like that.

 

Yeah - I was using both at the same time - both preamps stacked serially then going into stereo delay /  reverb and into both power amps in stereo...  but of course there are are other options too.. I could make a split and have each amp on a separate path and then a few fx after and then out into separate outs so that each preamp only feeds one power amp... could be it's own power amp - or could be the one of the other amp!!  One could be clean - one could be dirty...  so many choices.   Helix can handle it all :)