OK; I'd like to float this idea by you. Please let me know if it's not a good idea.

I had a TRRI for a while and I absolutely loved it. Weight aside, it was the perfect amp for me. To make it lighter for club gigs, I removed the two inside 6L6 tubes and one of the speakers. It was still quite heavy though, which is why I sold it. Now, I have a DRRI and it's a great amp for small club gigs. Much easier to carry! For larger club gigs and outdoor gigs that we play in the summer, many of which don't have a PA (neither does the band), the DRRI breaks up too much at higher volumes.

Also, I really like the Jensen C-12K speakers, which were in my TRRI and is in my DRRI.

So, that's the preliminaries to my idea. Now, I have a 1x12 cab that I'm thinking about getting a C-12K speaker for. Then, my idea is to use my DRRI for the larger gigs that don't have a PA, keep it at the lower clean volume, mic it with my Shure SM57, and run it through my Crate PowerBlock into the 1x12 cab.

It wouldn't really be a lot of extra stuff to carry and it would set up easily on stage. This solution would only require buying the C12K. In tight situations, I could have the DRRI at the bottom of my amp stand and the 1x12 cab with the PowerBlock on top. Ultimately, I'm hoping that the great DRRI tone would come through the PowerBlock, but at a louder volume.

I've been looking at larger Fender amps, but not as large as a TRRI. A silver-face Vibrolux is probably the best option that I've considered, but this new idea for using my DRRI just occurred to me and I'm not sure whether or not it's worth pursuing. As a side note, Quilter amps are great and I understand their attraction, but I'm looking to stay with Fender tube amps, at least for now.

Thanks!

">> I would think you are going to have really gnarly feedback issues if you try that. <<"

Good point. I hadn't thought of that.

I tried a DRRI when I first started playing in a band. Didn't work out for me either. No headroom past 4 on the volume and like you've said, you don't always have the luxury of micing through a PA.

So, I went to a Hot Rod DeVille 4/10. I was happy with the tone but NOT the additional weight. Next came a Showman head with a 15 inch neo speaker cab. Better, but the head alone felt like I was transporting a half pallet of bricks. So, my current solution is a Quilter 101 mini head paired with my 15" neo cab. The whole setup weighs somewhere around 25 lbs and can get as loud as I need it to.

I know that you are looking at Fender tube amps, and if nothing else will do then you are always going to have to deal with weight issues. Replacing speakers with neos will help but only so much. If it weren't for weight, I agree that a Twin Reverb would be my ideal amp, but with portability being my number one priority, it's not happening.

There are lots of weight friendly amps out there - just maybe not the tube amps that you prefer and you may or may not be willing to compromise. Best of luck on finding the right solution.

TomH wrote:

As a side note, Quilter amps are great and I understand their attraction, but I'm looking to stay with Fender tube amps, at least for now.

Understand and apologize for adding this but:
A Quilter solved this problem for me and my bandmate.
We love our Princeton Reverbs and they work great for the small clubs but not for outdoor, larger gigs.
The Quilter solved this and since we already had additional speaker cabs as you do it was an easy, affordable, portable fix.

Or, perhaps a Pro Reverb for you?

Cheers,
Jeff

http://www.facebook.com/CrazyAcesMusic
http://www.youtube.com/user/crazyacesrock
http://www.reverbnation.com/crazyacesmusic

Just want to say thanks for the comments. Good things to think about. I should have mentioned that I also have an Ampeg SJ-12R 50 watt tube amp. It's a reissue from the 80's that I bought cheap on Craigslist and I've never considered it for gigging. I did replace the speaker on the Ampeg with a Warehouse speaker. It sounds excellent and uses 6L6 tubes, but it doesn't sound quite like a Fender, which is why I came up with the idea of using the PowerBlock as a personal PA for the DRRI. Anyway, I use an outboard reverb. So, the crappy reverb on the Ampeg isn't an issue. For now, I think I'm going to use it for the larger and the outdoor gigs. Down the road, I might be considering a Quilter. Being what it is, the Ampeg could fail at some point. We'll see. I don't know how they did it, but the 50 watt tube Ampeg is lighter than my 22 watt DRRI, and it has lots of clean headroom.

Thanks again for some good options to keep thinking about!

Last edited: Jan 16, 2018 15:56:08

psychonaut wrote:

You could slave it. If you use some sort of load box, a Weber attenuator for example, you could run the speaker out from the deluxe as a line level signal into the powerblock. This will get you the deluxe tone amplified by the powerblock and no feedback or other issues.

You might hook a direct box like a Whirlwind HotBox to the output of the small amp, set to line level driving the large slave amp. The speaker will still need to be in circuit but will be inaudible beside the high sound pressure levels of the slave.

Squink Out!

">> Fender have a twin with neo ... <<"

Since I sold my Twin, I'm hesitant to buy another one; however, lighter speakers, or a speaker (if running at half wattage), is still tempting.

">> You could slave it. If you use some sort of load box, a Weber attenuator for example ... <<"
">> You might hook a direct box like a Whirlwind HotBox to the output of the small amp ... <<"

I suppose these would work. Seems a bit like plugging directly into a PA though; however, it's something I might test down the road.

">> Why don't you just use the Crate with the 1x12" cab <<"

I've actually done that before with a 1x15 JBL cab that I used to have. It sounded fine, but not great. A Quilter, at some point, might sound better; however, this is definitely a workable solution, especially with my outboard reverb adding some tube warmth to the mix.

Like I said, I currently plan on using my Ampeg SJ-12R until I decide on something better. I plugged the Ampeg in last night and was surprised at how good it sounds. Not really a Fender sound, but it has a distinct Ampeg sound that's pretty cool. Plus, since I play a non-Fender guitar, a sunburst Mosrite, it looks pretty cool next to the Ampeg and, with the Mosrite, the Ampeg doesn't look sacrilegious -- just kidding -- sorta Well, at least the reverb unit is Fender

All good suggestions!

Surfer Rex is playing at the Tiki Underground in Hudson, near Akron, on Feb. 10. It's a noisy bar and I'm thinking about using the Ampeg instead of the DRRI. Or, maybe one of the solutions already mentioned. Regardless, I'll let you know how it works!

Last edited: Jan 17, 2018 09:43:07

">> You'll find the sound challenging at the Tiki. Our biggest problem being the ring from the snare and cymbals. If your drummer can keep it down the DRRI should do fine. I never play too loud there. Use the tilts on the DRRI if you have them so you can hear yourself clearly. It's not an easy room to play.

—
The Kahuna Kings <<"

Thanks Dave! I know that the Kahuna Kings have played more than once at Tiki Underground. So, you're definitely the one to know! Our drummer is loud, but we can talk with him about how to get the best mix. I would think that the DRRI along with the Tremolux that Jerry has should be sufficient.

Last edited: Jan 17, 2018 12:09:22

If you like the sound of a Deluxe Reverb, but just need more, you could look into a Bad Cat Unleashed. Just plug the speaker out of the DRR into the input of the Unleashed. Then go out from the Unleashed into the stock speaker. Boom. Instant 100 watt Deluxe Reverb.
https://www.badcatamps.com/bad-cat-amplifier-parts-and-accessories/unleash-v2-attenuator-re-amplifier

A good choice!