A cab and many heads....

Greetings all,

[br]I have a query and wondered if anyone has any thoughts on it. I am getting back into my guitar playing after stopping in my early thirties. I am closer to fifty now and recently bought some gear over the space of a few months. I have a Gretsch Electromatic and Fender Strat and a few pedals(drive, 2x Fuzz, SubN'Up and a Zoom 70-CDR) . I don’t think I'll be playing gigs any time soon but a jam session with some friends may be on the cards.

[br]I am thinking about swapping my amplifier for something different and came up with an idea. I currently have a Blackstar HT Studio 20 combo. I really like it, but I love the look of an head and cab. I also like the sounds of Orange, Vox, Marshall, etc

[br]I was thinking about buying a nice generic cab, likely to be a Zilla cab 1x12. Then I could get a main head like the Marshall DSL 20 pr the Fender Bassbreaker 007(or 15) and then i could a few of the smaller heads that would cover me when I want to have a specific sound like the Orange Micro Terror or the Vox MS50's. If I picked the fender as the main amp I could get the new DSL1hr to cover those Marshall tones.

I know they wont be too loud but its mainly for the bedroom so not really an issue. If i do jam or play a small gig then the cab and main head would be loud enough to get over the drummer.

[br]Has anyone done something like this? Any thoughts would be appriecated!

Those Zilla cabs you mentioned are incredible! I bought one of their Fatboy 2x12 cabs and it is easily the best sounding cab I have ever played through.

I also used to own one of the orange micro terror heads you mentioned and through a proper cab they are very usable.

I currently have a 5w valve head I use in the house and for any bluesy stuff I play and a 50w valve head I use for when I play with my band so your idea of having one really nice cab and a few heads to chose from will definitely give you plenty of tonal options, the only other thing I would consider is a speaker soak or attenuator so you are able to find the sweet spot on the amp head and then bring the volume down using the attenuator/speaker soak.

Thanks for the advice.

Just saw Mashall have release a line of amps:the Origin's. Looks great, you can reduce the wattage. Making my decisions harder......

You have so many combinations that you like, have you considered a Fractal or Kemper Profiler? I keep seeing these more and more at live shows. 200 amps in one.

I would keep your combo and get a profiler for sonic experiements.

https://www.fractalaudio.com/iii/

https://www.kemper-amps.com/

Here are 2 videos where experts could not tell the difference between a Kemper and a tube amp.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=INJ_H5PiuTE

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ArYxQGBemfA

If you do go the traditional route, Radial has a unit that can switch between multiple heads going into a single cabinet. For some reason I cannot remember which one it was on their website.

http://www.radialeng.com/

Sorry @seay.james missed your reply.

the are both really cool but just too expence, well over a grand each.

In the end I couldn't decide so I bought a Vox AC4 c1-12, which is good for home use. However looking again.......does the search for the right tone ever stop?????

I have sold the Vox and off this morning to pick up a Fender Bassbreaker 007 Head and matching cab. Can't wait to try with the new Boos BD2 and Jimi Fuzz Face......