busking? powering amps

[adambass15]

hi, im thinking about busking with my band in dublin city centre, im curious to know how a band may power the equipment other than Roland street amps.
I see bands like Mutefish and Keywest with nearly a full rig on grafton street any ideas on how to get power will be appriciated. i will have to power 3 amps all under 20 watts .
thank
Adam

 

[DonnyDanger]

Best way to go is a little power group. With small amps, you'll only need one 16A line to supply power for all of them.

Shouldn't be to expensive, but they can get loud sometimes, you'll need a model that's fairly quiet, thus more expensive i think.

 

[Stick_Player]

I don't "busk", but I have this AND use it from time-to-time. I seem to remember getting about 5-6 hours with a PJB Super Flight Case BG-300 and a Roland RC-50.

http://www.amazon.com/Duracell-DRPP600-Powerpack-Starter-Emergency/dp/B009YR00MI/ref=sr_1_2/186-7508802-6044535?ie=UTF8&qid=1386607177&sr=8-2&keywords=duracell+powerpack+450

 

[Bassmec]

hi, im thinking about busking with my band in dublin city centre, im curious to know how a band may power the equipment other than Roland street amps.
I see bands like Mutefish and Keywest with nearly a full rig on grafton street any ideas on how to get power will be appriciated. i will have to power 3 amps all under 20 watts .
thank
Adam

This is good for Dublin street use with normal back line and smallish PA.
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[Joe Louvar]

hi, im thinking about busking with my band in dublin city centre, im curious to know how a band may power the equipment other than Roland street amps.
I see bands like Mutefish and Keywest with nearly a full rig on grafton street any ideas on how to get power will be appriciated. i will have to power 3 amps all under 20 watts .
thank
Adam

Get a "Pure Sine Wave" Power Inverter and Sealed Gel Batteries.

Here is an online calculator to help you figure out which "Pure Sine" power inverter and batteries "amp hours" you’ll need. http://www.alternate-energy.net/batteryamphours03.html

Use a cable kit, add a smart charger and put it all in a boat/RV battery box.

 

[Joe Louvar]

For example ~

This "pure sine wave" power inverter (http://www.amazon.com/Power-Bright-...=8-1&keywords=Power-Bright-A...=Bright+APS600) - with these two 12V, 20Ah sealed batteries (http://www.amazon.com/PowerStar®-20...1301&sr=8-11&keywords=12V+20Ah+Sealed+Battery) will give your three 20W amps approximately 6+ hours of playing time according to this calculator (http://www.alternate-energy.net/batteryamphours03.html) and you could even add a small PA too.

 

[4-stringB]

Adambass15, It would be much safer to stick with 12v equipment. There is a tonne of it out there. If you can't put together a 12v rig, find out which of your buddies is a techie, and get him to help you.

 

[Phil Smith]

http://www.jazzstudies.us/images/BatteryPoweredSetup.jpg

If you already have a compact cab and a DI box, you can get a car amplifier for $50 or less and the battery costs $20 or less, which means you will shell out $70 or less. Much cheaper than any battery powered amp you can buy off the shelf.

 

[mcnach]

This summer I was in the same position, for busking in Edinburgh.
We ended up buying three Roland Microcubes, for our three guitarists, and I bought from Amazon.co.uk something defined as mini PA.
Search for the QTX QR10PA.
Only £146.
Ignore the crappy wireless mic etc. It works really well with a bass. It's much louder than I ever needed, and the sound is reasonable. I used it mostly with a 3band Stingray, and sometimes a Precision.
Small, light... And the battery lasts a long time. I always used it fully charged, and it never started to sound bad.
Have a look. They do bigger versions too.

 

[selowitch]

Would any mini-PA system plus a DI be a reasonable option for a bassist who would like to add a mic or two plus a guitar for busking with a buddy?

 

[Joe Louvar]

Here is a similar commercial built version of what I was referring to (DIY) building in my above posts.

http://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-802-1...395332641&sr=8-10&keywords=Portable+Powerpack

 

[selowitch]

Here is a similar commercial version of what I was referring to (DIY) building in my above posts.

http://www.amazon.com/Xantrex-802-1...395332641&sr=8-10&keywords=Portable+Powerpack

Could you strap a bass combo on to the top of that thing for transport?

 

[Joe Louvar]

Could you strap a bass combo on to the top of that thing for transport?

I suppose - maybe even ride on it down hills?

Anyway, it will power a whole low volume/powered band - but if you're just a solo act, a little battery powered bass amp would probably be better/easier - IE: Briefcase, Cube, Taxi, etc.

 

[selowitch]

I am leaning toward the PJ Briefcase.

 

[Joe Louvar]

I am leaning toward the PJ Briefcase.

According to the above calculator - the Briefcase should give you a little under an hour of playing time with the biggest battery installed (battery's aren't included with the amp).

 

[selowitch]

According to the above calculator - the Briefcase should give you a little under an hour of playing time with the biggest battery installed (battery's aren't included with the amp).

That's kinda lame. I wonder if you could get a spare battery that you could charge offsite, bring with you and swap out?

 

[Joe Louvar]

That's kinda lame. I wonder if you could get a spare battery that you could charge offsite, bring with you and swap out?

Yep - I don't know of any reason why not.

 

[Nephilymbass]

I had a gig back in the 90s where I needed a battery powered rig. I actually got one of the battery packs like shown above and ran a inexpensive peavey combo.

 

[selowitch]

I already have a really good amp (a MarkBass CMD Mini 121P) that weighs about the same as the Phil Jones Briefcase, so it would be kind of a bummer to buy a second, somewhat expensive amp just for the ability to run on battery power.

Or am I not thinking about this correctly? It seems like the Briefcase has a smaller footprint and so will be a little more comfortable to lug around, but it's still not quite "lightweight." I am considering this for busking in the DC Metro area, and I don't relish the idea of hopping on and off the train with the Briefcase, a bass, and Heaven-knows-what-else in tow.

 

[Joe Louvar]

Yep, if you just get a little inverter and battery - you can use any amp.