flourescent lights...and guitars

lesterpaul

lesterpaul

New member
rythym players basement is getting wired so we can move our practices there...he's doing it up in flourescent lights i play a tele and he plays a LP with p90's how big a problem are these going to be with each other (lights and single coils that is) and i play tube amps if this matters ...any other problems that may arise .... :confused:
 
the most simple solution:

get a $5,- 300w halogen spot, point it to the roof and turn off the overhead light :-)

problem solved?
alfred
 
It's going to hum, but for practicing I wouldn't really worry too much. If you're wearing earplugs (which you should), you won't even notice.
 
Just for the sake of vibe, I would put in track lights with mini spots instead. They can give you plenty of light to work and play, but focused where you need it instead of ambient. When I painted my studio and put in dramatic lighting, it had a noticeable effect on my desire to be in there. I feel more creative. Everyone who's come over to jam or record in there has said the same thing - it's a very creative space with a good vibe.
 
dirtythermos said:
Just for the sake of vibe, I would put in track lights with mini spots instead. They can give you plenty of light to work and play, but focused where you need it instead of ambient. When I painted my studio and put in dramatic lighting, it had a noticeable effect on my desire to be in there. I feel more creative. Everyone who's come over to jam or record in there has said the same thing - it's a very creative space with a good vibe.
Click to expand...
WORD. Mood lighting helps a ton. Here at work (game company) we have track lighting in my office and it makes it feel like a gallery at night.
 
The flourescents will be very noisy......I've got them in my basement :(

I'm going to do away with them as soon as my "studio" gets off of the gound.

QUESTION: What about the flourescent lights that screw into a regular incandecent fixture........Are they noisy as well?? (I've not had any experience with them yet.)

Thanks,
Rick
 
WERNER 1 said:
The flourescents will be very noisy......I've got them in my basement :(

I'm going to do away with them as soon as my "studio" gets off of the gound.

QUESTION: What about the flourescent lights that screw into a regular incandecent fixture........Are they noisy as well?? (I've not had any experience with them yet.)

Thanks,
Rick
Click to expand...

I have a couple of those around the house, and I haven't noticed any noise.
 
WERNER 1 said:
What about the flourescent lights that screw into a regular incandecent fixture........Are they noisy as well??
Click to expand...

Yes, absolutely. Not as bad, but definitely noisy. I tried them in my studio and had to go back to incandescents.
 
-=¤willhaven¤=- said:
WORD. Mood lighting helps a ton. Here at work (game company) we have track lighting in my office and it makes it feel like a gallery at night.
Click to expand...

I've got a bright light in a ceiling fixture for being able to see well when setting stuff up, but there's an assortment of white Xmas tree lights, table lamps, and low wattage floods bounced off the ceiling in my studio for ambiance while playing. Over my mixing board I have hung gelled clip lights.

Fluorescents? Gag me! Like, whatEVer...
 
Fluorescent lights...YUCK! They definitly kill the mood. Not to mention, sucking the inspiration out of your cerebral cortex. Make sure to have good shielding in your guitar. Wear a tin foil hat and just in case...stuff some down your crotch too.
 
dirtythermos said:
Just for the sake of vibe, I would put in track lights with mini spots instead. They can give you plenty of light to work and play, but focused where you need it instead of ambient. When I painted my studio and put in dramatic lighting, it had a noticeable effect on my desire to be in there. I feel more creative. Everyone who's come over to jam or record in there has said the same thing - it's a very creative space with a good vibe.
Click to expand...

exactly.
they've got some pretty swank lights and stuff at Lowe's and Home Depot that are vary cheap. You should check them out!
 
For practicing, they are mostly irrelevent. But for recording, flourescent lights are right out. Turn them off!! And don't use dimmers.-Richie
 
I have fluorescents in my shop and have been doing some guitar / amp work in there. Bad combination. These are el cheapo hanging overheads, so they can go out with the next truckload of junk - I'll give 'em to a buddy who works on cars in his garage. In come the little tracks.

In my garage, I snagged some (free) commercial salvage overhead floods - 6 or 7 of them, when a company went to a high tech lighting system. These suckers nest in between the roof trusses and are wired to a couple of switches, depending on how much light I need. The are fabulous and quiet. Only problem is that they get hot, so if you do recessed lighting, be careful about ventilation. But commercial electrical salvage is there for the taking. Wicked good stuff that you can keep out of the dump.
 
Richard Monroe said:
For practicing, they are mostly irrelevent. But for recording, flourescent lights are right out. Turn them off!! And don't use dimmers.-Richie
Click to expand...
AMEN!!! Do NOT use dimmers!!!!!!!!! For some reason, the guy running the lightboard up at my church has this thing for dimming the lights just enough for them to not be at full brightness, but not enough to really make any noticeable difference in the atmosphere. What it DOES make a difference in is my strat's pickups. As soon as he starts to drop the light faders, if my strat is on one of the isolated pickups, we are immediately greeted by a quite unharmonious buzz. And everyone always looks at me like "what the heck are you doing???"
 
How about some real fire to light your way. the flames flickering, shadows dancing on the wall. maybe some torches behind the drummer. skulls would be optional. now that would set the mood, and possibily the house on fire.

sorry, i just felt the need to type something completely stupid and irrevelant to lighten things up a little bit. :)

my oppologies
yep
 
Mood aside, you can use fluorescent lights if you install ones that have electronic (as opposed to magnetic) ballasts. I don't know what the cheap ones at Home Depot are, or if they sell them with electronic ballasts.

Electronic ballasts operate at a frequency at 20,000 Hz or above vs. magnetic (also called electromagnetic) which operate at 60 Hz.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top