Backline (stage)

The term backline is used in popular music and sound reinforcement system contexts to refer to electronic audio amplification equipment and speaker enclosures that are placed behind the band or the rhythm section on stage, including amplifiers and speaker cabinets for guitars, bass guitars and keyboards. In the US and Canada, the term has expanded to include many of the musical instruments that the rhythm section musicians play, including pianos, Hammond organs, drum kits and various percussion instruments such as congas and bongos.

The type of backline equipment varies according to the style of music played in a venue or performance space. A heavy metal music club will typically have a large, powerful Marshall guitar stack. In contrast, a blues or country music bar will typically have a Fender Bassman or other traditional "tweed" guitar amplifier. A jazz club usually has a grand piano for jazz pianists. For bass players, a small jazz club may have a mid-sized, moderately powered "combo" amp, which includes the power amplifier and one or more speakers in a wooden cabinet; a rock nightclub may have a large, powerful "bass stack", which pairs a power amplifier with one or two big speaker cabinets.

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