Head or combo?

Which do you guys recommend with the Electradyne? Some places we will play are down city streets where you have a long narrow stairway to climb. I was thinking the head with my small THS 212 for gigs like that! A 72 lb combo up those narrow stairways and long hauls through the city will be a pain. So, I have two big 212 cabs, a Stone Age and Bogner and then the little 42 lb THD for smaller gigs. Maybe that is better than the combo.....
I thought a combo and extensiojn cab could be cool but that is as heavy as me taking a cab and head.

Nice thing about the THD 212 is you get a 212 that is as big and about the same weight as most 112 cabs!

Which speaker do you guys think works best with the ED? The stock Mesa 90 or V30?

Right now with my PWE Event Horizon and Bogner Shiva, I have two great cabs, a Bogner with V30s and a Stone Age with WGS Invaders which are Greenback type speakers. I was thinking of gettingthe ED head so I could use it with these cabs but now I am thinking of the combo and eventually the Electradyne extension 112.

If I did that, I would sell my THD 212 cab.

One problem with small cabinets is they are hard to hear on stage!

With a head I would highly recommend a 27" cab with a C90 - a beast of a sound! My combo was a 27" and it sounded HUGE!
That said I currently have a small Dyne head with a 23" cab and I think it sounds killer.

The Dyne forces it will on pedals and cabs...

I go head every time. The combos are crazy heavy. And you can change out the sound with different cabs. Right now I am still in love with the Dyne through a 4x10.

One thing that works really well for me at gigs is to keep the head on my rack nearby on stage, and set up a cabinet on each side of the stage farther behind. It makes it very easy to hear the guitar from anywhere on the stage without making it too loud. And the amp is close by for tweeking and electrical connections to the rack. Here's an example (medium cab width):

Typically I say head to but in this case, it makes sense for me to grab a combo. In the city it is impossible for me to take one trip from my car to the gig and up narrow, tight stairs with a head, cab, effects and guitar! No way, combo seems better bet. And if I am going combo, some friends are saying the Express 25 nad Express 50 are better sounding than the Electradyne!

rabidinus, what are you talking about? Mesa makes different size ED cabs?

You guys have to understand, for some gigs, it will be amp, effects and guitar, period. That means combo, guitar and effects, period.

Was going to suggest maybe the combo for you. A head and cab is usually a little easier to carry, but still weighs more than than just the combo and takes both hands :mrgreen: I really liked the 1x12" combo and would have bought one, but at the end of the day I'd rather look after my back.

I have an Express 5:25 for when times when it is to difficult use the bigger rigs and I can carry the amp, guitar, amp stand and cables all in one go. Have to say, though the Express has nothing on the ED tone wise and it never gets used at home. I have considered trading the Express for a TA30, but really after already having had 3 EL84 amps I have learnt that I just don't like those little bottles.

When you only have two hands, as most of us do.....a combo is much easier regardless of weight. There is no way for me to carry a head, cab, pedalboard and guitar....when I only have one trip from car to stage through city streets and narrow stairwells.

I think I will still get the head and keep my killer THD 212 cabinet and then maybe just grab a cheap, light weight combo for those rare cases I may NEED it.

rabidinus, what are you talking about? Mesa makes different size ED cabs?

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They used to. I bought my cab used and it is 23".

I use a hand truck (dolly) with flexible ropes to hold the gear on if I have to carry the stuff a ways.

One thing people seem to forget about the Electra dyne is that it is not designed well for the club player or bar player. It is better for pro musiciands playing large stages. Which is odd since my 20th Ann Bogner Shiva and PWE Event Horizons sound amazing at ANY volume - well designed master circuits and the PWE even has a built in attenuator! The ED will not work for most local clubs and bars where the sound guy will kill your volume.

rabidinus said:

rabidinus, what are you talking about? Mesa makes different size ED cabs?

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They used to. I bought my cab used and it is 23".

I use a hand truck (dolly) with flexible ropes to hold the gear on if I have to carry the stuff a ways.

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I am not lugging all that stuff through the city and up a narrow stairwell to a coffee house where they almost require a combo! LOL. I might grab a used EGnater Tweaker 15 for those gigs.

Wow! I just meant around the corner or something! :lol:

papersoul said:

One thing people seem to forget about the Electra dyne is that it is not designed well for the club player or bar player. It is better for pro musiciands playing large stages. Which is odd since my 20th Ann Bogner Shiva and PWE Event Horizons sound amazing at ANY volume - well designed master circuits and the PWE even has a built in attenuator! The ED will not work for most local clubs and bars where the sound guy will kill your volume.

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Really?? I find I can get great tones at reasonable volumes with my 27' 1 x 12. The 2 x 12 I have works fine once there is a drummer!!!

papersoul said:

One thing people seem to forget about the Electra dyne is that it is not designed well for the club player or bar player. It is better for pro musiciands playing large stages.

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Seem to forget ? Having owned my ED for a good long time, it shines for any live work.

J.J said:

Seem to forget ? Having owned my ED for a good long time, it shines for any live work.

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I DEFINITELY have a preference for my recto for recorded rhythm tones but the Electra Dyne is the amp I'll play almost every day. The Electra Dyne simply SOUNDS so much heavier live than it sounds recorded. That being said, It is used for lead / solos / clean / lower gain crunch and lighter stuff. So I guess it is my go to amp 90% of the time!

I play mine at practice and small gigs and it kicks butt.

I don't know about having to take one trip across a city, but I have a dolly that makes it easy to transport everything. Stairs are always a pain, but I doubt I could get a combo, guitar and FX up stairs in one trip. Not if I wanted them in one piece at the top.