connecting three or more guitars to one amplifier?

[anaksimo]

what gear do I need to achieve this? Would a mixer solve this problem? If a mixer is indeed what I need, what is a good one for about $300? If it is not a mixer than what? I am not quite sure on how to go about doing this right. Basically I just want to have three guitars running into one amp. Any input is appreciated. thanks

[joeysimms]

Why do you want to do that?

[mikeyc]

Are you talking about being able to switch between guitars or having all 3 going into the amp at the same time? I suppose the easiest and cleanest way to do that would be to fashion a 3 into 1 combiner. Or a passive resistance mixer. DOD makes a 4 in/1 out PR mixer for about $35.

[bad_dude_69]

you can find a mackie 1202-vlz pro on ebay for about $300 -- this should take care of all of your mixing needs. you're going to be looking at all sorts of sonic conundrums with 3 guitars vie-ing for presence through one amp if they're all being played at once.

[kayagum]

http://www.lehle.com 3@1 switcher
http://www.voodoolab.com/ Amp Selector- new product, link on bottom page
http://www.frampton.com/framptone.html

You can use most A/B/Y boxes for 2 inputs or outputs (not both).

You don't want to use line mixers or mixing boards- the impedance mismatch will kill your tone.

[Abe]

Seattle's greatest Pop-Punk band Sicko had a song called "80 dollars" about buying a pedal to do just that (the guitarist and the bass player switched back & forth but they had their own guitars...into the same amp.
The song suggests that it didnt go too well. "...and it cost him 80 dooooolars!"

[anaksimo]

to answer the Why would I want to do that? question----actually,i'm not sure why. i got to thinking about micing my drumset up with contact mics. using about three or four. so I am looking for a way to amplify them. I don't own three amps. so in my thinking I figured I could combine them and run them the one amp I do have. so lets scrap the guitar idea and if anyone can answer my question-thanks

[llmonty]

do you mean mic pre amp then? or guitar amp? is this for recording or for amplification?

[anaksimo]

i would be connecting them to a guitar amp. this is for amplification not recording. thanks

[drummerdan]

Seattle's greatest Pop-Punk band Sicko had a song called "80 dollars"...

Chef Boyrudumb is one of my fav albums of all time! "The time has come to talk about the place I work, my name is Ian and I'm a computer dork!"

[jajjguy]

as every high school basement jam veteran knows, using a simple Y-adapter to combine 2 guitars into one amp is a frustrating thing, mainly because the signals from the guitars interact, and cut each other out. so what you need is something that can insulate the signals from each other and change the level of each one individually. sounds like a mixer, eh? i've used my mackie 1202 connected to my stereo many times as an overflow amp, works great.

[Family Hoof]

What type of contact mics? What impedence? Most mics cannot plug directly into a guitar amp until they are converted from low impedence to high (think along the lines of 250 -> 10,000). Most mics also need to be brought up to a usable level and properly interfaced via mic preamps (mic inputs on a mixer). What you want is a small mier with mic inputs like the 1202 suggested. Then get a low to hi imp converter such as the whirlwind little IMP and plug a mono output of the mixer into your guitar amp.

[SKEETER]

I bet you can find one of those old Radio Shack 4 channel DJAY mixers online for a pittance. Most of them had about 4 channels, gains, and a pan pot on each channel. It sounds like an experiment, in which case you don't want to tie a bunch of bucks up in it. I have one of those old mixers here, but it does not belong to me, I repaired it for a neighbor, or I would send it to you.

[matter]

Are you trying to amplify drums or guitars? I got a bit confused in the thread. Are your drums really not LOUD enough? Hit 'em harder! Ha ha jus kiddin'. The contact mics mixed by a mackie feeding a Eon power 15 pointed straight at your head might work. Forget the overheads, unless you've got some graphic EQ's. G'luck anyway.

[object88]

Ignoring the mic impedance issue for a moment, you might look into old of them older Peavey, Fender, or Marshall PA heads, with 4+ inputs.