What power amp are some using for live settings, solid state or a tube power amp? Currently using a Seymour Duncan powerstage 170. Thinking of getting a tube power amp and would it be that much different?
I use two Powerstage 700 amps. One for each cab and so I can tune them individually.
Hereās a video Ola Englund made about power amps with a QC that went up today- https://youtu.be/EBbTIzBbUbQ?si=qvvqPoh3xgldm6TG
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Thanks Brother!!
Iām using an Orange Pedal Baby 100 (solid state Class AB) and itās great.
If you want to go with a tube power ampā¦ Users who have the Fryette Power Station tend to rave about it.
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Dave Mustaine uses the same setupā¦Hmmmmm very coolš¤š¼
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I recently bought an power amp from Ritter Amplification with either 140 W mono, 280 W (bridged) or 2 x 140 W stereo. I use it with a normal guitar cab using only an amp modell and no cab IR. At home it sounds great, I will see how it sound in a band context. You can see it here: Guitar Board Amp SHP
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Iām a happy H&K Stompman user. Itās a complete amp BUT you can also use only the poweramp section and the Spirit technology does some kind of magic to the tone making it sound really close to a Tube Power Amp.
Itās tiny, non too pricey.
I suggest it
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I rolled my own and run it with a 12" Jensen N12D.
IcePower 200 watt mono class D amp:
I got this idea for this from Mystic38ās very detailed thread in the Fractal forum:
This was an easy assembly and can be done without any soldering if you choose the screw type XLR connector with the case. The case comes with everything you need to mount the amplifier board, on/off switch, LED, XLR input connector, banana/screw type speaker connectors and all wires with connectors except the jumper to disable the audio signal auto standby/on. I bought an IEC power cable and the jumper from Parts Express. The amp came in around $275. Itās as quiet as a church mouse at idle but crazy loud at 4 ohms.
Warning! The balanced speaker outputs are both āhotā with a common-mode DC level equal to Vp/2. Shorting one of the terminals to ground will cause irreparable damage to the amplifier module. Plug your speaker(s) in before powering it on.
Amp:
Case:
193 mm ( 7.59ā ) wide x 78 mm ( 3.07ā) High x 191 mm ( 7.51ā ) deep
Jumper to disable auto standby/on:
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Nice work! I appreciate a good DIYer. So, youāre happy with the sound? What kind of speaker(S) are you running, guitar, FRFR?
I built a 1 X 12" open back cab with a Jensen N12D N12D | Jensen Loudspeakers The combination sounds fantastic in my opinion.
Open back speaker cabinet built from a bee box hive body:
The Bee Box was a fun project. I rounded the outside corners and made a jig to cut the speaker hole with a router. Some basic wood working skills are helpful. It comes with dovetail corners for easy assembly. I made a speaker baffle and two pieces for the back using Ā½ā plywood, stained and varnished everything. The hive body is a good size open back cabinet for the Jensen N12D (19-7/8ā x 16-1/4ā x 9-5/8ā). I went with the N12D because it was on sale, itās available in 4 ohms and gets good reviews. Itās not a popular as the Ce;lestion F12. I bought the speaker, feet, grill cloth, handle and jack plate from Antique Electronic Supply. The speaker cabinet came to around $200.
The outcome sounds absolutely fantastic with both my Quad Cortex and Tonex pedal! The IcePower amp wants to see a balance input so I use the Tonex pedal with a direct box.
Bee box:
Speaker
Very creative, bluzdog! Thatās a nice looking cab. What gave you the idea to use a bee hive kit? The N12D is an interesting driver, somewhere between a guitar speaker and an FRFR. The response shows output up to about 12khz, then a sharp drop-off. Are you using cab blocks in your presets? Since most guitar cabs donāt have much output above 5-6khz, the N12D could certainly be used as an FRFR for electric but itās probably not extended enough for acoustic presets. With a 98db @ 1w rating, itās efficient enough to give good output from your 100w power amp. Anyway, I applaud your DIY efforts. Well done!
Thanks for the kind words Pete. I stumbled across the bee box idea going down the diy rabbit hole. Iām only running electric guitar through the QC at this point with a cab block and the global EQ set to low pass at 5kish. I have a 4 ohm N12D so the amp should be pushing 200 watts. The only caveat is the only volume control I have is on the QC.
Oops, yes, 200 watts. 
Has using the QCās volume control been a problem? You probably have to run that knob pretty low for bedroom practice. Some of those Parts Express kits offer add-ons, such as a volume control. Youāve probably already looked into it.
Using the QC attenuator knob isnāt as bad as I thought it would be but I do prefer the sound when itās louder. Fortunately the QC volume knob is assignable to pairs of outputs. I havenāt found a better solution yet, I think adding a volume pot at the power amp line input messes with the impedance. Iām still researching options and welcome to any input.
There are a couple of volume control questions under the Q&A tab of the ampās product page. One reply mentions using a 100K pot on the āpreamp inputā with no real details past that, but it sounds like it can be done. If itās inserted at the input, it probably wouldnāt affect the noise generated by the amp, if thatās your concern. Do you find that your rig is noisy when the volume of the QC is turned down?
Itās been quiet as a church mouse at any volume. I found some info that recommended a pot that is 1/2 the value of the input impedance. The input impedance is 10k so that would suggest 5k.
Since noise isnāt a problem and the QCās knob goes all the way to zero, why worry? 
I not worried at all, Iām definitely happy with how it sounds. Itās pretty close to what I get out of my Dynaudio BM5A monitors plugged in to an Audient Nero monitor controller which is pretty close to what I get out of my tube amps. Itās more of a curiosity thing. When I get done with my current project Iāll pick up a couple of pots, breadboard them and do a some tests.
You peaked my interest about running an acoustic guitar through that speaker. I have an Audio Sprockets Tone Dexter that I usually run straight in to a pa. Iāll take it for a spin with an old Martin D35.
Hey, Iām still wondering what advantages you see in using a power amp onstage?
Why do you prefer it?
Iām asking, because I tried a couple of times using my QC with my engl tube amp and its 2x12 box, but ended up much happier with the sound of the quad cortex coming from my stage monitor only. By doing this, I am also under the impression of having more control over the sound that is going to FOH.
Also the advantage of not having to carry an amp and its box is quite a quality of life improvement
Iām saying this as a professional guitarist that has been playing tube amps for over 15 years.