Put My "power sensitive" amp back in my rig for the WRONG gig...

[Nate74]

I'd been using a QSC PLX1804 in my "big" rig for a while, but after have no success at selling a Stewart World 2.1 for what I thought it was worth, I decided to put it back in my rack for an outdoor gig this past Saturday night.

We were setup on a 3' riser type stage running off a 200' AC line that was connected to what we were told was "plenty of power."

I actually much preferred the sound I was getting with the Stewart over the QSC, but have never been happy with the 45 seconds the Stewart takes to power up. It's usually never an issue since I power up the amp when I set up and then power it down at the end of the night.

(you probably see where this is going)

So Saturday night about halfway through the second song of our 14 song set, the power goes out. I see a guy go running up the hill behind the stage and about 20 seconds later the power comes back on. My Fuhrman and SWR preamp both are back and ready to rock so my DI through the PA is good to go, but there's zero stage volume with my Stewart taking its sweet time to power up. 45 seconds later (right after that song ended), the Stewart finishes its hair and makeup and is back.

This happend once more before our road manager went over and unplugged all but two spotlights, the smoke machine, and the little disco globe thing. That put us under what ever the circuit amp size was and we finished the set just fine.

It was a pretty casual gig so it wasn't a really big deal, but it did make me giggle when I thought about how long that Stewart had sat in our PA rack unused...

[Dekker]

If you really like the tone and don't want to do without, consider a computer UPS (uninterruptible power supply).

The trick is to test it before you gig with it, and make sure it is rated to your required wattage. I tested one out during a jam/practice session, and got approximately 1.5h at gig volumes (have to wear plugs).

If you're just needing to cover approximately 5 minutes without power, it might keep you going. The only caveat is that it's all good for you, but your bandmates are still silent Of course, you can just bust into a drum and bass solo...

Another caveat: they are usually 50lbs and up...

[modulusman]

This is why the first thing I do at any gig is check the power. If the idiots in charge are using extension cords running off to god knows where then you know you're in for a long night.

[Nate74]

Originally Posted by modulusman

This is why the first thing I do at any gig is check the power. If the idiots in charge are using extension cords running off to god knows where then you know you're in for a long night.

Yeah, this was a charity thing put on by folks whose hearts were in the right place, even if their understanding of current draw wasn't.

My current company is big into UPS's so maybe I'll talk to some of the engineers here about options, especially if it gets me a 5 minute bass solo