small PA system for guitar rig?

[mixmkr]

I've got a new gig at a church playing guitar. It is a fairly large church in a room for about 500 people. There is a decent sound system, but ONLY the mics for the vocalists (about 10) and the keyboards(and sequencers, etc.) are run thru the PA. (the keyboards are far more the dominant instrument and play pretty much thru the whole service). The bass, drums and guitar will only be heard thru the stage amps.

I will be using an acoustic guitar, a strat thru a J-station/POD, and another guitar thru a Roland GR33.

My question; ..wadda you think about using a small PA?.... for a full range sound, VS using a guitar amp. I want to run stereo, and need the full range sound for the guitar synth and the acoustic. I also really prefer using something like the J-station too for the variety it offers and am satisfied with the sound I get with it also.
Has/does anyone else use a PA for a situation like this over using a guitar amp? My guitar synth pretty much sounds pretty poor thru just my regular amps, ...and pretty much the same for the J-station/POD.

I'm talking about a pair of full range PA speakers, a small 100 watt amp and a little mini mixer...or a small powered mixer. I don't need to worry about carrying this stuff around as I will set it up and leave it. Running thru the main PA at this point is NOT preferred, as with the keys and ALL the vocal mics, I feel that is about what it can handle ....and I'd actually prefer NOT to send a stereo signal at this point too, from the stage.

wadda ya all thnk?

[darknailblue]

That's an interesting idea. What I would do in your situation, is buy an acoustic guitar amplifier, which is more similar to a PA than an electric guitar amplifier. That way, you could mic (or use a pickup ) for your acoustic, and then run everything else into the amp.

~darknail

[mixmkr]

I've thought about an acoustic guitar amp... but...

1. I want to run this rig in stereo, and potentially split the speakers apart a fair distance

2. I don't think an acoustic amp would allow 2-3 STEREO imputs without some sort of mini mixer

3. Looking at prices, it seems I could come up with a small PA for approx the same price, and end up using the components in other situations if needed

4. I already own TOOOO many guitar amps, and buy an acoustic amp would only add to the pile.

thanks for the thoughts, however.

[Tadpui]

When I hear "small PA", I always think of the Fender Passport. I'm not sure if they're powerful enough to do what you want, though ( I think they come in 150-250W versions, which is next to nothing when you're talking PA equipment). But it would be easy to transport if you need to move your rig in/out each Sunday.

[Echelon]

I think what you're asking makes sense. I would probably do something very similar in your case, but why is it that only the keys and vocals go through the main PA?

[mixmkr]

Originally Posted by Echelon

I think what you're asking makes sense. I would probably do something very similar in your case, but why is it that only the keys and vocals go through the main PA?

for a couple reasons...

the PA isn't really big enough, speaker wize, to deal with drums and bass, and at that point, would probably be getting too loud. However, for the vocals and keys, it is just fine.

The keyboard player plays thruout the service much more than the other musicians, and basically is the music director, and has enough keys, sequencers and stuff that it is actually easier for him to control them but not have to deal with a mix.

and therefore, at this point, since there aren't feedback problems on the monitors or anything, blending with the stage sound and the PA isn't that tough.

Potentially down the line, that may change, but for now, I don't really have the say so to say...hey, mic it all.

[Richard Monroe]

I do almost exactly what you are talking about, with a Fender Passport PD250.
250 watts beats the hell out of 100. Note that there are 4 versions- P150/250 and PD150/250. The heads are basically the same, but the speaker cabs in the PD (deluxe) versions are way better. It's a solid little PA. The electric goes through VAMP II to the head, and acoustic goes straight in. I use Shure SM7B for vocals, and the rig works very well for a solo act. The cabs also have studio applications for wicked clean guitar. The 150 comes with 1 Fender P51 mic, the 250's with 2. They are rebadged AKG cheapies. What the hell? I sold one on ebay for $45 to cut my losses, and kept the other for a talkback mic, because it's the only mic I own with an on/off switch.- Richie

[YeshuasFan]

There is one glaring defect in the Fender Passport: it has no real EQ controls to speak of. It has a "tone" control on each of the mono/mic channels. The master EQ is 2-band: bass and treble. I used one for three years and gladly traded it for the Peavey Escort 2000 when the latter became available. The Peavey has two-band EQ per channel (5 channels) and a 5-band master EQ section. Granted, it only has 150 watts RMS so it's only fair to compare it to the Passport 150 power wise. The PV also includes speaker stands in the price + the PV has wheels which make it somewhat easier to transport than the Fender units.
Soundwise, I think the PV is superior as well. When I used the Fender, it was a constant battle to achieve clarity on vocals. I've never had that complaint with the PV.
P.S. If you get the Fender, be sure to wear a back brace when loading/unloading. That is one heavy mother to lift in and out of the back of a vehicle or truck across a parking lot.