Freddy-Bl00D wrote:
But wont a preamp infront of the combo push the amp too hard? My amp knowledge is really limited (im working on it) but a amp can only go so loud so how much will a preamp do in the 'volume boost' scenario..
It all depends on your amp settings:
- If your amp is set very clean, with lots of headroom, you'll get a volume boost - good for clean solos.
- If your amp is set on the verge, the preamp will push it over the edge to crunchy goodness and probably up the volume a bit too
- If your amp is already distorting, the boost will give you even more drive and distortion, but won't get louder.
- This effectively doubles your number of drive settings out of your amp. With a two channel amp, you end up with four sounds
- You can also use the preamps EQ to give you a bit of a tonal boost to help you jump out of the mix during solos.
It's worth noting that a lot of overdrives can be used in a similar fashion - as more of a volume boost than a drive pedal (or sometimes a bit of both). A lot of the classic overdrives like tubescreamers and the much maligned DS-1 were often used in exactly this way.
