Football stadium gig

[6bassist9]

Anyone have some experience playing bass guitar in a marching band? I could really use some help finding the right amount of power to use. For those that know what this means we have a 2a rated but closer to a 3a size band. This is a high school marching band but we often times compete in stadiums equivalent to college sized ones if not real college stadiums.

[Stinsok]

My son's band used a Fender Bassman 200. Worked perfectly.

[6bassist9]

Sweet how big was the band, do you know?

[HolmeBass]

I did in high school, my senior year the tuba section got small enough that my band director switched me from tuba to electric bass. Got a freshman drummer to push the amp around on a cart. I just used the school's Fender Bassman amp, it was really old (this was 1981, too, it was old *then*). You don't need all that much amp, you don't want to drown out the tubas and other low brass, just buttress them down low. I'd say 300 to 500 watts would be plenty. Discuss with your band director whether he wants a hi-fi tone or an old school tone, like when you're marching and the drummers are playing cadences, does he want you jamming some funk lines? Slapping? Then you might want a more hi-fi modern tone. If he only wants you playing along with the winds/low brass, then probably an old-school tone, with few highs, is what would fit better.

[Stinsok]

I think it's a 3A band. At band competitions I have seen many combo amps (Peavey TNT, etc.) that were just fine.

[staindbass]

wow. thats cool. but to be heard/felt in the audience with no walls for reinforcement may take huge amounts of power and speakers. (and a long extension cord

[Stinsok]

It's heard, not felt though. In this case, the amp was powered by a car battery/power inverter.

[HolmeBass]

Originally Posted by staindbass

wow. thats cool. but to be heard/felt in the audience with no walls for reinforcement may take huge amounts of power and speakers. (and a long extension cord

Haha Johnny, I think you're used to generating just a bit more volume when playing a stadium than the average marching band can muster!

The car battery/power inverter is the way to go, that's the way we did it too. To power your stadium rig Johnny it would probably take a bank of deep cycle marine batteries, probably on their own cart.

[dhomer]

First thing I'd do is go wireless. Have a large enough rig in a stationary location to handle everything,,

[6bassist9]

Hmmm wireless..... U think connection could stay consistent a football field away if I were to say march an electric bass instead of stay in the pit? (is that a universal term cause if not it's what our band uses for sideline percussion

[SurferJoe46]

I've run my wireless at about 125 feet - and the only thing I don't like is the delay from when you hit a note and you actually hear it. Sound travels pretty slow when you're trying to stay on beat - but it can be done with some intense listening and anticipation.

Maybe you can run a nice fat Gigawatt amp on the sidelines and DI into the PA system? Could be sweet!

[dsanders]

Originally Posted by SurferJoe46

I've run my wireless at about 125 feet - and the only thing I don't like is the delay from when you hit a note and you actually hear it. Sound travels pretty slow when you're trying to stay on beat - but it can be done with some intense listening and anticipation.

Maybe you can run a nice fat Gigawatt amp on the sidelines and DI into the PA system? Could be sweet!

Or a wireless in ear setup. I've always preferred in ears on larger stages. Johnny can attest, the larger the room the more rig you need to really feel or hear your rig. Of course everything varies. I've played outdoors with a pair of 810s and relied on my in ears to hear the bass and the pa subs under the stage to feel it. Even though my rig was krankin it was more or less just eye candy.

[6bassist9]

200 watt head with 80 watt cab both at 8 ohms is what I have provided by the skool. I'm thinkin nowhere near big enough?