What’s the difference between a combo amp and a head & cab?
Let’s start with the basics. To make the right choice, you need to know the difference between a combo and a head & cab setup.
How does a head & cab work?
As you may have guessed, a guitar head & cab is a two-piece rig. The head part determines your guitar tone and the amount of power you can deliver to your output. The cab (cabinet) is simply a passive speaker or set of speakers designed to receive the powered signal from an amplifier.
As with any musical gear, there are plenty of types of guitar heads and cabinets to choose from. Different heads offer different tones, levels of control, power outputs (wattage) and connectivity options. Guitar cabs also come in different shapes and sizes; different speaker varieties, number of speakers, even wood types.
Guitar amp heads generally connect to cabinets using speaker cables. Speaker cables have 1/4” jack connections and are built to carry stronger signals than regular jack cables (like your guitar lead). Heads and cabs are matched up by impedance, measured in ohms. Impedance is the level of resistance a speaker offers to an input signal; amp impedance is generally 4, 8 or 16 ohms.
Why Choose a Head & Cab Setup?
Heads & cabs offer modular freedom and serious tone-shaping possibilities. Loved by old-school players, purists and tone-chasers.
Benefits:
- Mix and match heads and cabs for custom rigs
- Upgrade one piece at a time (e.g., just get a new cab)
- Often louder – ideal for big gigs and rehearsals
- Easier transport in some cases – carry head and cab separately
- Classic look and stage presence – stacks just look the part
A head and cab setup is versatile in that it can be switched around easily. You can generally use your head with any cab (as long as the impedance matches up), and vice versa.
You choices are endless with a head and cab setup, meaning that whatever your sound or style preferences, there’s a head and cab combination to perfectly fit you, with the potential to easily upgrade or swap out one piece at a time.
Head and cab rigs also tend to pump out more volume. This isn’t always the case, but heads tend to have a better power capacity (wattage) and larger cabs naturally make more noise. Finally, heads & cabs look awesome – there’s no denying the classic look and cool-ness of a full stack on stage.
Iconic Head & Cab Rigs:
- Marshall JCM800 + 1960A Cab – Used by Slash, Zakk Wylde, countless others
- Orange Rockerverb + PPC212 – Thick British gain, modern bite
- EVH 5150III Head + Cab – Amp head built for high-gain legends
- Soldano SLO-100 + 4×12 – Boutique high-wattage perfection
Guitar Amplifier Heads
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Guitar Amplifier Speaker Cabinets
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Combo Amps
As the term ‘combo’ may suggest, this is the combination of the head and cab components into an all-in-one amplifier. It’s essentially an identical setup to a stack, but both parts are built into one plug-and-play unit.
This means much less setting up and no worrying about impedance, as the work has already been done for you. You can rock up to any show, rehearsal or session with a guarantee that you’ll have exactly the sound that you need.
Why Choose a Combo Amp?
Combo amps are ideal for home players, gigging musicians, and anyone who wants a quick, simple setup.
Benefits:
- Plug in and play – no matching cables, ohms, or cabs
- Easy to transport – especially for rehearsals or home use
- Perfect speaker match – designed by the manufacturer
- Onstage monitor use – just tilt and go
- Expandable – many combos let you connect extra cabs
(below) The Fender Hot Rod Deluxe is among the most popular gigging amps in the world, but it’s undeniably heavy.
One great bonus of combos is that the speakers have already been matched to the amplifier by the manufacturer. This means that the cabinet is already voiced in a way that suits the amp’s tone, so you’ll have a great sound right away.
Combos are also popular for on-stage monitoring. If you don’t have wedge or in-ear monitors on stage, you can simply tilt your combo amp slightly so that it’s pointing towards you. This allows you to hear yourself clearly without affecting sound. It’d be difficult to tilt a head & cab in the same way.
Finally, combo amps can often be expanded with extra cabs if you need more volume or a broader sound. This is dependent on the output/connectivity options on your amp, but it’s a useful thing to bear in mind!
Most Popular Combo Amps in 2025:
- Boss Katana Gen-3 – Studio-ready modelling amp with gigging power
- Positive Grid Spark 40 / Spark Mini – Ultimate home practice solution
- Fender ’65 Deluxe Reverb – Legendary clean tone and the ultimate ‘pedal platform’ combo
- Marshall DSL40CR – Classic British crunch, reverb, and plenty of headroom
- Line 6 Spider V – Affordable digital amp with tons of effects
- Mesa Boogie Mk 5:35 – Pro-level tone in a compact valve combo
Electric Guitar Combo Amplifiers
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What about Bass?
Firstly, it’s far more common to find a solid-state bass amp than a valve bass amp. This means that bass amps (heads in particular) tend to be a little lighter and more compact than many guitar amp heads. As a bassist, you also have the option of DI-ing straight from your amp, which in some cases negates the need for a speaker cabinet at all. It simply depends on your tonal preference and your circumstances.
Many gigging basses opt for a compact head and cabinet, often travelling with just the head. If you mostly play at home or in the studio, a combo provides adequate volume and tone without you having to worry about transport!
Bonus: Cab Simulators & Loadboxes
Want real amp tone without a speaker cab? Use a cab simulator + loadbox.
- Cab sim = pedal or processor that mimics speaker tone
- Loadbox = safely absorbs your amp’s power and sends a line-level signal
Top loadbox picks:
- Two Notes Torpedo Captor X
- Universal Audio OX Amp Top Box
Perfect for silent recording, fly rigs, and tone consistency.
Attenuators & Loadboxes
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