On-pedalboard poweramps

[thedarkvector]

I'm looking to shrink down my live rig to only a cab+pedalboard, and from what I could gather the only options for poweramps that fit on a pedalboard are the seymour duncan powertages (100/170/200) and the orange pedal baby, but that one seems a bit large for a regular pedalboard.

Are there any other options out there? or is it just rack-based stuff?

 

[nerdywhale]

I use a Quilter mini head which sounds great, and they also have pedalboard sized units that I assume also sound great.

SuperBlock US

The SuperBlock US packs three vintage amplifiers into the most extensible system you can fit on your pedalboard. Featuring 57 Tweed, 61 Blonde, and 65 Blackface voicings, the SuperBlock US has all of your classic California amp needs covered. For the first time, we are excited to offer all of...

www.quilterlabs.com

I’ve also been quite interested in Temple Audio pedalboards and mods since I discovered (through a post here) their amp mod.

AMP MOD | templeaudio.com

www.templeaudio.com

You could put together a tidy little board with this and their mini Cioks power supply, and depending on the size of the board, an interface as well.

 

[thedarkvector]

Huh, these are interesting, though I'm not sure how neutral these amps are, I'm already running dsp on my board, and the temple audio mod says it has "real amp feel" which I'm not sure I'd want. Same thing for the quilters, as these seem more like actual guitar/bass amps than more neutral poweramps

 

[ExMachina]

These always intrigued me https://shop.ritteramps.de/en/guitar-board-amps/27-guitar-board-amp-280.html

 

[Kosthrash]

Laney Amplification - Since 1967

Laney is the signature of high quality British guitar and bass amplifiers. When Lyndon Laney needed an amp for his band in 1966, little did he know that the amp he made was the start of a long journey, a journey spanning over 50 years and every continent on the planet.

www.laney.co.uk

 

[Choop]

Just looking quick I found this Carvin that I was previously unaware of:

MACH100 100W (50W/50W) Stereo Pedal Amplifier

The Carvin MACH100 100W Stereo Guitar Pedal Amplifier is designed for guitarists who want a high output 100W pedal amplifier that fits right on the pedal board.

carvinaudio.com

It has a big honkin' power supply that you'd need to lug around though lol.

The Duncan PS200 seems the best to me in terms of power-to-size, and has decent tone controls built in. It is however kind of pricey, and a 170 would probably work just as well.

 

[Soya]

ISP stealth pro is another good option, I was happy with mine and it's tiny (minus the power brick of course).

 

[CanserDYI]

I highly suggest a Powerstage, my live rig lately has just been a helix into Powerstage into cab. Very simple and sounds awesome.

 

[ATRguitar91]

To me, all the guitar based solutions are over priced for what you get. If you're using a modeller and don't need any tone controls, one of these these is all you need.

These little Hifi amps are tiny, cheap, and super transparent. I ABed mine next to my Crown XLS, and could barely tell the difference. All you need is a banana plug to 1/4 adapter.

 

[Rubbishplayer]

Just curious...

To me, all the guitar based solutions are over priced for what you get. If you're using a modeller and don't need any tone controls, one of these these is all you need.

These little Hifi amps are tiny, cheap, and super transparent. I ABed mine next to my Crown XLS, and could barely tell the difference. All you need is a banana plug to 1/4 adapter.

Is that 100w really 2 x 50w peak, 2 x 20w RMS? Also couldn't see the size of the transformer...

 

[ATRguitar91]

Just curious...

Is that 100w really 2 x 50w peak, 2 x 20w RMS? Also couldn't see the size of the transformer...

It's mono, so it should be able to deliver 100w RMS at 4ohms, probably closer to 50w real world. I believe it says in the description what the amp board used is, so you should be able to look up the bare board.

I haven't done a full gig with mine, but I've played it for about 15-20 minutes at what I'd consider show volumes (with pa support) and it held up fine. Didn't overheat or feel that hot to the touch. And it does get loud, I never had mine past noon on the volume without any noticeable distortion. Wasn't comfortable pushing past that without hearing protection.

Would it hang with a loud drummer in a small room? Possibly, I haven't been able to test that. But for 30 it's worth a try, you can find em even cheaper on AliExpress, and there larger ones that have more powerful amps.

I have a pedalboard rig with this and an HX Stomp, and I'm able to power it all off of a Strymon Ojai, which is super convenient. Send a main out to FOH, and then this powering a cab for some stage sound.

 

[Bearitone]

I’ve tried a bunch and the pedalbaby 100 was my favorite. Gets stupid loud and sounded better than the PowerStage.

That said, this was years ago and the one I actually want to try next is the BlackStar Amped 1

Sounds great in this comparison around 16:30

 

[Rubbishplayer]

It's mono, so it should be able to deliver 100w RMS at 4ohms, probably closer to 50w real world. I believe it says in the description what the amp board used is, so you should be able to look up the bare board.

I haven't done a full gig with mine, but I've played it for about 15-20 minutes at what I'd consider show volumes (with pa support) and it held up fine. Didn't overheat or feel that hot to the touch. And it does get loud, I never had mine past noon on the volume without any noticeable distortion. Wasn't comfortable pushing past that without hearing protection.

Would it hang with a loud drummer in a small room? Possibly, I haven't been able to test that. But for 30 it's worth a try, you can find em even cheaper on AliExpress, and there larger ones that have more powerful amps.

I have a pedalboard rig with this and an HX Stomp, and I'm able to power it all off of a Strymon Ojai, which is super convenient. Send a main out to FOH, and then this powering a cab for some stage sound.

So you know it's 100w RMS (NOT peak) @ 4 ohms, or you're just guessing?

I'm actually more annoyed at not noticing the brandname: Nobsound...

 

[ATRguitar91]

So you know it's 100w RMS (NOT peak) @ 4 ohms, or you're just guessing?

I'm actually more annoyed at not noticing the brandname: Nobsound...

They don't say in the manual, just says 100w at 4ohms with a 24v power supply. I just know I run mine at 18v 8 ohms and it gets plenty loud.

The chip amp they use is a TPA3116D2.

You can spend more than 10x on a Powerstage for almost the same thing with EQ controls. That's goofy to me when you can get a Crown XLS used for half that. For a pedalboard rig, these little hifi amps are good enough for me.

 

[Rubbishplayer]

They don't say in the manual, just says 100w at 4ohms with a 24v power supply. I just know I run mine at 18v 8 ohms and it gets plenty loud.

The chip amp they use is a TPA3116D2.

You can spend more than 10x on a Powerstage for almost the same thing with EQ controls. That's goofy to me when you can get a Crown XLS used for half that. For a pedalboard rig, these little hifi amps are good enough for me.

Well I guess that's my point. Not knocking your solution per se, as it may definitely fit some use cases, but in the solid state power amp world, you get what you pay for.

Checking the spec shows it's 100w peak, not RMS. Also there are physical limits to the performance - especially in responsiveness and dynamic range - when one does not have a power supply that can provide the current needed to deliver sufficient power to drive concert cabs.

 

[ATRguitar91]

Well I guess that's my point. Not knocking your solution per se, as it may definitely fit some use cases, but in the solid state power amp world, you get what you pay for.

Checking the spec shows it's 100w peak, not RMS. Also there are physical limits to the performance - especially in responsiveness and dynamic range - when one does not have a power supply that can provide the current needed to deliver sufficient power to drive concert cabs.

Sure, they're not a perfect solution by any stretch. For a pedalboard rig with a modeller, I think they're just right to get some stage sound. I also have a good power supply I'm using with it that probably helps.

I had a Quilter Microblock before that was loud but colored the sound way too much, and I couldn't stomach paying $400 for a Powerstage when they're doing a version of what these hifi amps are: slapping an off the shelf class D chip amp into an enclosure.

 

[Shask]

Sure, they're not a perfect solution by any stretch. For a pedalboard rig with a modeller, I think they're just right to get some stage sound. I also have a good power supply I'm using with it that probably helps.

I had a Quilter Microblock before that was loud but colored the sound way too much, and I couldn't stomach paying $400 for a Powerstage when they're doing a version of what these hifi amps are: slapping an off the shelf class D chip amp into an enclosure.

The SD Powerstage just uses an ICEPower amp board in an enclosure.

You could make something similar easily by buying an ICEPower amp board and buying something like these Ghent Audio boxes to stick it in.

ICEpower ASC series

ICEpower ASC series,Case-kit for ICEpower

ghentaudio.com