Anybody out there running their FM3 through a ss pwr amp and guitar cab(s)?

[joegold]

If so, can you please post some pics of your rig?
I never acclimatized myself to playing live through FRFR monitors and always play live through real guitar cabs.
I may be moving from an AFXII to an FM3 or FM9 in the near future and I'm having trouble visualizing how I'm going to make it all work.
I really don't like the idea of putting my pwr amp on the floor with the FM3.
And I don't like the idea of running a long t/s cable from the floor to a pwr amp located behind me with my cab.
Obviously, the simplest thing is to use an FRFR monitor even though that still will involve running a t/s cable or two across several feet which is not ideal for optimal signal integrity.
But with good cables, it's not a real issue.
Still...
How are you guitar-cabs-FM3-players setting things up?
[Getting an AFXIII would solve all these issues for me of course.
But I've got a few reasons why I don't really want to go that way.]

 

[jetdriver1775]

I have two options. Either a Marshall 412 cab with Seymour Duncan PS170, or a powered Friedman ASM12 FRFR. The amp & cab option is nice for louder gigs or when playing outdoors. I set the PS170 on to the 412 cab, which is kinda like a table top anyway. It’s a convenient place for extra picks, bottled water etc. I don’t mind running a single cable back there and there’s no perceived loss of ‘signal integrity’. I’d rather use a short speaker cable and leave the lower amp sitting on top my cab, and a long TS cable to my board then the opposite.

 

[tobafett]

When I had a FM3, and now with my FM9, I have two setups that I use with a power amp and a cab.

1. SD PS 170 on my pedalboard - with a 16 AWG speaker cable going to the cabinet. Works great, no issue with loss of signal integrity. Gauge and "quality" of speaker wire is a lot of snake oil IMO. (Of course, depending on the total length of the run and the wattage being sent) Open up a cab from Marshall, or most manufacturers and see what gauge is in there.

2. Fryette LXII in a 4 space rack sitting on the cab. Humbuster cable from FM9 to amp. Also works great, no issue with loss of signal integrity.

I really love the LXII, but it also adds another piece of gear to move around. I find it superior to the PS 170, but in a full band mix? I doubt most people would be able to tell the difference.

 

[joegold]

So we can use humbuster cables even if it's not for the 4-cable method and they will still help with capacitance loss due to long cables?
I never realized that.
Thanks.
That solves my major misgiving.
So would using a pedal board based pwr amp, but I don't want to do that.

Can humbuster cables be used between a passive guitar and the input to a preamp too, with the same results for long cable runs?

 

[tobafett]

Can humbuster cables be used between a passive guitar and the input to a preamp too, with the same results for long cable runs?

I do not believe you would get any benefits from doing so, but I could be wrong. In fact, I have used a standard TS cable with good results from the FM unit to the power amp as well. I just happened to have hum buster lying around so I used it - given all the potential interference on a stage.

 

[boyedav]

That's how I used to run my FM9. Power, wireless receiver/batteries all in the floor board.

I'd had a 2u power amp and power condition in a small rack, on top of a Mojotone vertical 2x12. All I'd have to do is run an XLR from the FM to the rack. Easy peasy, and it worked great. Remove covers, plug into power, plug in XLR, done.

 

[joegold]

I do not believe you would get any benefits from doing so, but I could be wrong. In fact, I have used a standard TS cable with good results from the FM unit to the power amp as well. I just happened to have hum buster lying around so I used it - given all the potential interference on a stage.

Oh. OK.

 

[boyedav]

So we can use humbuster cables even if it's not for the 4-cable method and they will still help with capacitance loss due to long cables?
I never realized that.
Thanks.
That solves my major misgiving.
So would using a pedal board based pwr amp, but I don't want to do that.

Can humbuster cables be used between a passive guitar and the input to a preamp too, with the same results for long cable runs?

I'm not sure how much the humbuster cables are designed to address loss, so much as ground loops. Where loss becomes a factor is when you've got high impedance running over longer lengths. The FM has low impedance balanced output, so if you're power amp has a balanced input with a higher input impedance, cable length isn't going to be a big deal. It's precisely why mic cables can be so long. Both XLR and TRS can run balanced, low-z signals. The electrons don't care what kind of connector they're going through.

 

[joegold]

That's how I used to run my FM9. Power, wireless receiver/batteries all in the floor board.

I'd had a 2u power amp and power condition in a small rack, on top of a Mojotone verical 2x12. All I'd have to do is run an XLR from the FM to the rack. Easy peasy, and it worked great. Remove covers, plug into power, plug in XLR, done.

I wasn't even thinking about XLR cables because with my AFXII I only use the 1/4" Out 2 jacks for my guitar cab feed and have the Out 1 XLRs dedicated for when I use FRFR. So, thanks!
My current pwr amp does have Neutrik jacks so I could use XLR cables.
How many pairs of XLR Outs are there on the FM3 and/or the FM9?
More than 1?

 

[joegold]

I wasn't even thinking about XLR cables because with my AFXII I only use the 1/4" Out 2 jacks for my guitar cab feed and have the Out 1 XLRs dedicated for when I use FRFR. So, thanks!
My current pwr amp does have Neutrik jacks so I could use XLR cables.
How many pairs of XLR Outs are there on the FM3 and/or the FM9?
More than 1?

I should just realize that with this tech, there is always a way.
Thanks all.

 

[joegold]

I wasn't even thinking about XLR cables because with my AFXII I only use the 1/4" Out 2 jacks for my guitar cab feed and have the Out 1 XLRs dedicated for when I use FRFR. So, thanks!
My current pwr amp does have Neutrik jacks so I could use XLR cables.
How many pairs of XLR Outs are there on the FM3 and/or the FM9?
More than 1?

OK. I see that there is one pair of XLR outs as well as one pair of balanced 1/4" outs on the FM3 and an extra pairs of balanced 1/4" outs on the FM9.
All good.

 

[Luut]

This is my setup. I can handle all situations. Right now she is connected to my mixer. You can imagine that the box is behind me on stage and I switch with the Voes midi controller.
I connect the SD directly to my Mesa cabinet . What I usually do.
No problem with beer flying in front of my rig.

 

[Rex]

Can humbuster cables be used between a passive guitar and the input to a preamp too, with the same results for long cable runs?

No. Well, yes, you can use a Humbuster cable for that if the actual jacks are atlas, but you won’t get any humbusting effect from it. For that to work, you need an Output jack that has Humbuster circuitry built in. Your guitar doesn’t have that.

 

[Luut]

Oh yeah,
I mounted a humbuster cable from output 2 to the output 2 on the connection panel of the box. From there I go to the installation with a normal cable. Also in a 4C method. works fine for me.

So it's just a short humbuster cable. But that goes perfectly fine.

 

[MikeDV]

No pic right now -
Home: FM3 into Rocktron Velocity 300 into two Bogner cubes, no speaker sims, stereo.
Gigs: FM3 into the FX return of a Boss Nextone Artist combo 112, no speaker sims, mono.
I use output 2 with 1/4" cables for both, mono or stereo.
I use output 1 XLR out mono to FOH or my PA at home, with various speaker sim blocks.
Awesome.