Cheap Stage Lighting Solutions?

[::::BASSIST::::]

Occasionally my band runs into a situation where the lighting is pretty bad and we are playing in the near dark... including the front man.

I'm looking for a cheap and portable lighting solution.

Any ideas?

[skidrawk]

cheapest solution? book gigs that have an existing light rig and have a friend run it.

hope this helps.

[spaz21387]

or get some of those work lights from harbour freight they shouldnt be more then 10 to 20 dollars

[hrodbert696]

How cheap is cheap?

Amazon.com: Mobile Lighting System: Musical Instruments

Just one set won't be beautiful, but it'll throw light on the stage so you can see what's going on for less than the price of a Squier Affinity. You should be able to rent a fuller light rig if you want, price would depend on how much you get.

[::::BASSIST::::]

^That looks about right. Thanks.

I am not sure I am happy with the stability of that stand however.

[s_mcsleazy]

the evens stick 2 lights on a old pair of mic stands. dunno if thats a help

[Frankjohnson]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

^That looks about right. Thanks.

I am not sure I am happy with the stability of that stand however.

We have two of those.....about 130 shows on them, they were 5-10 years old when the drummer got them. as long as you dont' put them somewhere stupid, they should be fine.

[geoff_in_nc]

Where would you consider "stupid"? In customers or band members way? Are they powerful enough that they could be a fire hazard near certain materials? I know nothing about setting up my own lights so I don't know what I don't know yet...

[TC2112]

These guys usually have some deals

½ Off Sale! – DJ Equipment – DJ Systems -DJ Lights - Mirror Balls – Fog Machines

[ggunn]

Clip lights with colored floods?

[bound'n'blocked]

Anybody ever do the ol' coffee can light rig? Cut a hole n a large coffee can and mount a light socket in there. Run the socket's wire to a swtch or a rheostat and then on to your power source. Colored bulbs and there you go!

That was the first light rig I ever ran about twenty five years ago. That and dry ice fog and pyros when you could do them in clubs.

BnB

[seanm]

We always rent lights. It just doesn't seem worthwhile to invest in lights for the few times we need them.

That said, that amazon.com light system is dirt cheap. I think we rent two sets of 4 led lights with controller for about $60. So they would pay for themselves in only 6 gigs.

[gjbassist]

My band played a bar last weekend that had some lights already set up by the house band. They had one of these flat panel LED bank lights and it was great! Almost as bright as our four PAR can set up and put out no heat! I am wanting to get a couple and replace our existing lighting.

Chauvet COLORpalette DMX LED Color Bank System: Shop Pro Audio & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend

[crack-boom]

On a tour I just went on we carried around a bunch of these lights.



They were cheap as chips, and did a decent job of getting light around. We had 4 on the stands provided, and 4 that we put onto bases and had on the floor. Wasn't anything like having a good dimmer and light set up, but was enough to be seen.

Just spray the yellow stands black and you're good to go.

[::::BASSIST::::]

Originally Posted by gjbassist

My band played a bar last weekend that had some lights already set up by the house band. They had one of these flat panel LED bank lights and it was great! Almost as bright as our four PAR can set up and put out no heat! I am wanting to get a couple and replace our existing lighting.

Chauvet COLORpalette DMX LED Color Bank System: Shop Pro Audio & Other Musical Instruments | Musician's Friend

So those come with stands right?

[::::BASSIST::::]

Originally Posted by crack-boom

On a tour I just went on we carried around a bunch of these lights.



They were cheap as chips, and did a decent job of getting light around. We had 4 on the stands provided, and 4 that we put onto bases and had on the floor. Wasn't anything like having a good dimmer and light set up, but was enough to be seen.

Just spray the yellow stands black and you're good to go.

I am considering this sort of thing. Do you find them too bright?

[gjbassist]

Originally Posted by ::::BASSIST::::

So those come with stands right?

No but stands are cheap! You should be able to find used stands on Craig's List. The LED's are light enough that you wouldn't need a very heavy duty stand. You could probably convert a photographic lighting stand to hold it very easily.

Those work lights that crack-boom posted are going to be very bright and very hot!!!

[::::BASSIST::::]

Originally Posted by bound'n'blocked

Anybody ever do the ol' coffee can light rig? Cut a hole n a large coffee can and mount a light socket in there. Run the socket's wire to a swtch or a rheostat and then on to your power source. Colored bulbs and there you go!

That was the first light rig I ever ran about twenty five years ago. That and dry ice fog and pyros when you could do them in clubs.

BnB

This sounds VERY interesting!

Any links to this sort of thing?

[Bard2dbone]

Originally Posted by bound'n'blocked

Anybody ever do the ol' coffee can light rig? Cut a hole n a large coffee can and mount a light socket in there. Run the socket's wire to a swtch or a rheostat and then on to your power source. Colored bulbs and there you go!

That was the first light rig I ever ran about twenty five years ago. That and dry ice fog and pyros when you could do them in clubs.

BnB

I'm flashing back to the way we did it back in the early '80's.

A friend had a huge barn that we tricked out into being a cool venue.

He had about a million milk cates. Yes. That was ilegal. But common as hell. A solid one crate tall layer 16' x 24' or so with plywood on top became the stage. Then in the middle back of that, we made a drum riser, 8' x 8' and three feet tall. It had a three crate tall wall around the outside and sawhorses in the middle, with steel banding to keep it from coming apart. Inside we had a dry ice smoke set up and a strobe light that was set to trigger with the kick drum and a four color rotating gel in front of the strobe. The drums were a chrome set with lights shining on them through similar rotating color gels.

The main lights were quite a bit like what BnB descibed.

We also had a leveling laser from a construction site, shining onto a mirror glued on a speaker cone and reflecting up onto a screen behind the stage. And incredibly dangeous homemade flash pots. And an overhead projector that my girlfriend used to project whatever images she had handy on the wall behind the drummer. Or colored oils in a petri dish.

[mrpackerguy]

We got the new flat panel LEDs from cheaplights.com and they have worked out great. Set up time cut more than 1/2.