gear i will need get to play out?

[ACIDBANDIT]

hey all, would like to start playing out in the next month. what kind of gear am i gonna need for this. i will be playing small local places using an electric guitar /w head & 4x12 cab, synthesizers and drum machines, probably 3 amps at the most. it will be indoors @ my friends pizza shop etc. Will I need a powered mixer? PA's? my budget is around one grand (less is better!)

thanks!
-dave-

 

[Maston Thrust]

You are gonna need a school bus, a avacado and 2 hundred yards of strong twine. and if you are going to sing, a bull horn or a mic and a pa

 

[Richard Monroe]

Acid, the rig you are describing is soooo overkill for what you are talking about. You are talking about monster amps that need to be cranked like a mother to get good sound, and which in many cases, there won't even be room for. Aside from which, you will blow the head off the pizza guy and his customers! Puhleeze, this is not a metal stadium gig. I presume you are singing also. Did I mention you need a cargo van to hold all the gear you won't be able to fit in the room? You aren't going to need more than 400 watts total. That's keyboards, guitars, drums and vox. I do the kind of gigs you are talking about with- a Fender Passport PD250, a VAMP-2, a POD 2.0,
one axe (Les Paul or Telecaster depending on how I feel that day), and a Shure SM7B or a Sennheiser e835 for vox, and my Taylor. I don't use keys or a drum machine, but in the end, the small venues you are talking about cannot support a 1000 watt+ PA and a Marshall stack, either in terms of physical or acoustic space. You need to think much smaller.
If you have to use amps, think 30-60w combo, a good small PA, and a good mic. Good luck.-Richie

 

[mixsit]

One thing to look at for the 'pa' in terms of size and cost efficeincy is how much low frequency stuff goes into it. Small cabs do fine for vocals and such, adding kick/bass=more size.

 

[ACIDBANDIT]

Puhleeze, this is not a metal stadium gig. I presume you are singing also. Did I mention you need a cargo van to hold all the gear you won't be able to fit in the room? You aren't going to need more than 400 watts total. That's keyboards, guitars, drums and vox. I do the kind of gigs you are talking about with- a Fender Passport PD250, a VAMP-2, a POD 2.0,
one axe (Les Paul or Telecaster depending on how I feel that day), and a Shure SM7B or a Sennheiser e835 for vox, and my Taylor. I don't use keys or a drum machine, but in the end, the small venues you are talking about cannot support a 1000 watt+ PA and a Marshall stack, either in terms of physical or acoustic space. You need to think much smaller.
If you have to use amps, think 30-60w combo, a good small PA, and a good mic. Good luck.-Richie

all i have to work with is my marshall head + cab. i'm running all my keys + my drum machine thru a tiny 30w peavey, which also has a MIC input. running 2 synths plus a drum machine thru one tiny amp will probably sound likem crap, i was thinking of just using the peavey for vocals and maybe getting a second amp, either for guitars or keys. i had no intention to buy some kind of "rock your balls out" type of loud PA, i just need something small and simple.

 

[Richard Monroe]

Seriously, I use a Fender Passport PD250. It gives you 4 channels with XLR and line ins, and -10 RCA line ins for a CD player, etc. If you run your axe into the Marshall, the PA would handle everything else and give you 250 watts of relatively flat response with on board reverb and EQ, which you can carry with one hand. 4 channels- 1 vox, 2 synths, and a drum machine. I generally just use the VAMP or POD, with an expression pedal if you want it, right into the PA. A POD or an old J-station and the PD 250 is well within your stated budget. You can sell the 2 sleazy mics that come with it on ebay to cut your losses a little.-Richie

 

[sammz]

I have a conplete P.A. for sale : Mackie,JBL,Crest audio etc....PM me for details.

 

[ACIDBANDIT]

Seriously, I use a Fender Passport PD250. It gives you 4 channels with XLR and line ins, and -10 RCA line ins for a CD player, etc. If you run your axe into the Marshall, the PA would handle everything else and give you 250 watts of relatively flat response with on board reverb and EQ, which you can carry with one hand. 4 channels- 1 vox, 2 synths, and a drum machine.

Richard, thanks for the advice! I will definately check this one out. It's nice to see someone give me some helpful suggestions rather than scolding me!



-dave-

 

[Richard Monroe]

Scoldind? No. That's different than a reality check. Sometimes what you write, you can convey a different message than you think. When someone tells me thry're doing a solo gig in a small venue with a 4X10 cab and a marshall, and they think they can do it with 3 amps, I picture the guy with his *other* amps, say a Mesa Boogie and a Soldano VLO superlead, preparing to unleash death metal destruction on a pizzaria owner. All we want is for your gigs to go well, and for you to get more of them.
Be advised, the Passport comes in 4 versions. The old ones are P150 and P250. The new ones are PD150 and PD250. They are 150 and 250 watts respectively, and the added "D" is for deluxe. The heads are basically the same, but the cabs on the D versions are simply better speakers. The other alternative is to use a mixer and a couple of powered cabs, like the EONS. If you already own a good mixer, that might be a more cost-effective solution. Good luck.-Richie