Amp for High School Marching Band

[Melvin7822]

When I was in marching band, I played through a 300 watt Peavey keyboard amp. It had a single 15 and a tweeter. I was plenty loud. You could hear me from across the field.

+1 on the amp cart, DC-AC converter, and nautical battery. It is almost a must.

 

[Melvin7822]

If they had the gear back then that they do now, I would go with a Markbass LMII and either a Schroeder 1212L or 410L. Plus Schroeder has that nice Rhino covering.

 

[Dr Stankface]

I played in my high school marching band for 3 years and here's the thing. You're not going to get the tone you want out there. You're playing football stadiums where the sound is bouncing EVERYWHERE while trying to lock in with the rest of the band.

I wouldn't spend any SERIOUS money on a new rig for a marching band gig. I used a Peavey TNT 115 (I didn't care for the tone but it got the job done).

Really though, with humidity and the lack of tone control, don't drop alot of cash.

 

[Vin_MM_Sabre_79]

How do you march with a bass rig??
You'd need get a really long extension cord.

made me think of this

(.. the cello in a marching band scene is about 4 minutes in. Classic)

 

[WalterBush]

When I was in marching band, I played through a 300 watt Peavey keyboard amp. It had a single 15 and a tweeter. I was plenty loud. You could hear me from across the field.

+1 on the amp cart, DC-AC converter, and nautical battery. It is almost a must.

+1 on that +1. I played bass in my high school marching band, parades included, 'cause of that cart. Just had a band aide push it next to me.

We used a Peavey TNT 180, and the school's '68 reissue J-bass. You could hear me fine alongside a 120 piece marching band. Just a matter of listening to what the band director says is too loud or too soft.

 

[Melvin7822]

How do you march with a bass rig??
You'd need get a really long extension cord.

made me think of this

(.. the cello in a marching band scene is about 4 minutes in. Classic)

I didn't march with it. I played it in the pit.

 

[fdeck]

When I was in high school, I played electric bass in the marching band. That was in 1979. At the time, it was a gimmick that was going through the schools in my area. The amp was a Traynor tube head with IIRC two 6CA7's, whatever that adds up to in terms of power. It was on top of a Traynor 18" folded horn cab. This got put on a cart with a car battery and an inverter. I am not sure how much current is drawn by tube filaments, but I can't imagine it was the most battery-savvy arrangement.

I didn't play in the rain, and as a result, I didn't play more than once or twice. It was not a competitive marching band.

IMHO if you have to run on battery power, skip the inverter and just connect a car power amp directly to the battery. Use something like a SansAmp for the preamp.

+1 on building a Bill F cab. In fact, I imagine that a folded horn would have the added advantage of protecting the driver from the elements.

 

[McHack]

My daughter's band has a bass player slot, but it's not always filled... THIS year its empty, as the kid that WAS doing it graduated last year. Our bass player never marched & stood near the percussion pit. I can't imagine any bass player EVER marching.

Anyway, our former bass player used a Line6 Combo, & assume he was satisfied with it. He was pretty happy when he got it. Our band performs w/ a FULL orchestral percussion section, so, throwing a combo amp on the back of the trailer for performance setup is really no big deal.

They has a small quiet generator, in case on-field power was not available. Above all else, its gotta be VERY portable.

 

[Crockettnj]

I wouldn't spend any SERIOUS money on a new rig for a marching band gig. I used a Peavey TNT 115 (I didn't care for the tone but it got the job done).

Really though, with humidity and the lack of tone control, don't drop alot of cash.

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I agree with this advice. If you are outside on a large field, you arent going to get deep full bass that you expect when in a small practice room. I wouldnt bother trying. Go for something tough and that will bark out your midrange to give the essense of your bass. You arent going to get real lows unless you go nuts, in which case it's going to look odd next to the marching band.

small, loud, cut the lows even. (Quads) neo avatar 210 or something to that effect.

 

[BBMS]

This works pretty well:

 

[mjolnir]

Whoa... I had no idea there were so many marching bassists...

I did this when I was in high school my senior year, had almost the same setup as one of the other posters: Peavey TNT 115, DC-AC Converter, nautical battery, and I used the school's old peavey bass.

The TNT 115 definitely did the job. As an earlier poster stated, there's no point worrying much about tone playing a football stadium, and Peaveys are tanks.

Course, the downside is that amp weighs something like 80 pounds, I think...

Hey Johnny, which part of South Texas we talking? Anywhere around the Houston area?

 

[seamonkey]

IMHO if you have to run on battery power, skip the inverter and just connect a car power amp directly to the battery. Use something like a SansAmp for the preamp.

+1 on building a Bill F cab. In fact, I imagine that a folded horn would have the added advantage of protecting the driver from the elements.

+1 on both of these.

I've been looking into battery powered options and it looks like the Pioneer PRS-D2000T is a pretty good full-range car amp. Using ICE Class-D modules batteries will last. It puts out > 500W.
Link Removed
Going rate is about $200

To plug it in, and also to charge the batteries use an IOTA switching charger. Like:
Link Removed
Going rate is about $160
These are clean enough, even without a battery to make Hamm operators happy. Pick an amperage rating to match the battery or how loud you want to get when plugged in.

This and a BFM cabinet and you will be plenty loud, accurate, and lightweight (depending on the batteries). And you can keep the amp for the car sound system.

 

[Vin_MM_Sabre_79]

I didn't march with it. I played it in the pit.

-joking

 

[Rockman]

Cabs considered so far:
Schroeder 210112 (103 dB with 1 watt@ 1 meter)
SWR 8x8 Henry (heard & roadie-ed Amy's of Clatter in Houston)
Avatars(except not sure of the the B string response)

Keep 'em coming.....

Listen to me. I have experience in marching band, four years highschool, one drum corp. DONT GET ANYTHING NICE! Marching band RUINS TOTALS DEMOLISHES ANNIHLATES use what words you want, but it will make your regret spending that money. Low b?! The first note someone learns on tuba is b flat, most shows are around there and lower. From hearing these marching shows that do have bass, it covers everything up. Sorry that this is off topic, but electric instruments in marching bands is a pet peeve of mine. But an 810 is too big, unless you lay it on its side. The band needs a clear view at all times, nothing that could block it. A 410 would be as big as you should go, and truth be told, ive never seen anything bigger than that at a show. The avatar is a good choice with linex because of the durability, and it will cover your lows. Dont worry about sound quality, worry about the durability. In high school the indoor percussion(just pit and drumline) used the schools' amps and broke both of them.
Trust me, the bass is background to the extreme, it should not cover up, or be boomy. Especially since it will be difficult to cut off exactly when the winds do, which is really what makes or breaks a band.

 

[Johnny Crab]

This works pretty well:

NICE!
Like to have that pointing out the side door of wifey's conversion van when a kabooom-booom car(those boneheads who insist on sharing garbage bass with the world from their vehicle) pulls up next to me! Seriously though, that would be a bit much for this band. A full college band or "big city" HS band ....yeah. Escambia? Got relatives there and both in the music field(UWF, FBC, & the local HS).

I did this when I was in high school my senior year, had almost the same setup as one of the other posters: Peavey TNT 115, DC-AC Converter, nautical battery, and I used the school's old peavey bass.

The TNT 115 definitely did the job. As an earlier poster stated, there's no point worrying much about tone playing a football stadium, and Peaveys are tanks.

Course, the downside is that amp weighs something like 80 pounds, I think...

Hey Johnny, which part of South Texas we talking? Anywhere around the Houston area?

Seen the Peavey at a few competitions last year too. That one is on the "maybe" list. Weight isn't too big an issue(they carry other heavy things) except when parade time comes and somebody(s)'s gotta pull the cart.

We're about 100 miles outside of H-Town.

If Saturday holds up as a decent, although WARM, day...we may hit the stadium with a few "test rigs"(keyboard amp with 15", 5" mid, tweeter, a Peavey loaner, etc.). The school(band boosters) already sprung for the $$$$ battery and inverter(hope someone did the math cause they ain't asked me to run the numbers).

 

[BBMS]

Low b?! The first note someone learns on tuba is b flat, most shows are around there and lower. From hearing these marching shows that do have bass, it covers everything up.

The electric bass sounds an octave lower than written pitch.

 

[GreyBeard]

I'm a HS band director and I've used a few different rigs. The best I've used is a 200 Watt Yorkville with 1x15 speaker. We use a Jell battery pack and strap both of them onto a a 4 wheel wagon with blow up tires. I also insist on using a wireless (AT) That elliminates most of the shock hazzard. This year I'm marching the bass player in formation. I've put a set of head phones with a head phone amp lined out of the bass and daisy chained into the wireless transmitter. The amp sits on the sideline facing the band. We haven't had a chance to try this rig yet. The size of the amp is truly dependent on the size of the band. If you're trying to play with a 100 piece band with a lot of brass then you'll need at least a 4x10 or 2x15 with enough power to push it. (400 watts or more) My band is using 50 winds with 2 tubas so 1x15 and 200 watts is plenty. It's all about balance and the bass guitar really supports things on the field. I love the sound and what it adds.

 

[Visirale]

No offense but all these suggestions are ridiculously overkill. It's going to be primarily played outside in less than prime conditions. After a hot and sweaty game he's not exactly going to be treating this like it's his pride and joy (Believe me, I played bass in marching band when I was in HS). My band was one of the biggest in the state... 300 with 215 instrumentalists. I had a hartke kickback 12 and could never turn it up past 4 without completely being too loud.

Anything larger than that and you're just wasting power/money.

 

[vtwo]

http://www.carvin.com/products/single.php?ItemNumber=BR610&CID=BA

 

[KeithBMI]

I played in my high school marching band for 3 years and here's the thing. You're not going to get the tone you want out there. You're playing football stadiums where the sound is bouncing EVERYWHERE while trying to lock in with the rest of the band.

I wouldn't spend any SERIOUS money on a new rig for a marching band gig. I used a Peavey TNT 115 (I didn't care for the tone but it got the job done).

Really though, with humidity and the lack of tone control, don't drop alot of cash.

Agreed. I used the school's Peavey because I didn't want to risk my Ampeg stuff.

Go with a big Peavey setup and set it to "plug and play" position. If you're like my school... you have to be out on the field and setup in less than 30 seconds while the band is marching out.