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Equipment dilemma...what would do?

Personal mini-PA for bass and harp, or seperates

  • mini-PA

    Votes: 1 25.0%

  • seperate amps for both bass and harp

    Votes: 3 75.0%

  • keep the BigAzz PA...make ears bleed

    Votes: 0 0.0%
  • Total voters
    4
Hamish MacCleod

Hamish MacCleod

Supporting Member
Jul 13, 2014
732
923
South America
#1
Okay, so I used to have a club and I still have a Carvin PA system with a 218 sub, two 215's, two 15" monitors, a 24 channel mixing board, two 2000 watt amps and one 3000 watt amp, mics and cables. My personal rig consists of an Acoustic 370 head and Acoustic 106 cab (215). Recently I have started playing harmonica as well as bass.

My dilemma is this: keep the 370 and 106 as my bass rig and get a stand alone harp amp and sell the PA. Or, part out most of the PA, keeping one amp and getting a smaller mixer and some smaller PA speakers then running both my bass and harp direct to the smaller, personal PA?

I like the Acoustic sound but I also like the sound of the Ampeg B15. The Fender Bassman amp is popular with many blues harp players so if I do a mini-PA I would likely use a Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe for my bass and a Tech 21 Blonde for the harp.

What would be good, smaller mini-PA speakers that will handle the sound requirements of both instruments? And no, I absolutely will not keep the entire 7000 watt PA for personal use.
Thanks for reading,
Rondo
 
#4
May as well keep the bass rig if you like it. Add in a small harp amp and a decent mic. I'm thinking vintage Premier /Sano / Valco / Harmony - something in the 12 to 15 watt range if you like it real Chicago, dropping down in watts for the overdrive takes you to champ territory...

If you're more Charlie Musselwhite, then a Bassman and small box 2 x12 just wtch that volume control...

Dump the big rig, get a small decent mixer and a set of decent powered speaksfor your pa needs, when and if you have pa needs.
 
#8
How do you hook up the Blonde for Harp? In the effects loop on the desk? Or do you run the mic lead straight into it?

I often use a QSC K12 for Bass witha VT Bass Deluxe. The K12 is a dual input powered speaker. On small stages I will often run my monitor mix into the 2nd input so I don't need a wedge also.

Are you using this purely for stage monitoring, or is it for your harp and Bass to be heard in a small venue also?

If it's purely for monitoring, The other option is to use 1 of your existing powered cabs, with a Yamaha MG06 desk. I use one of these units to run my IEM. I combine my vocal, Bass, an Ambient mic and a FOH line.
 
Last edited:
#9
Rock,
Use a high impedence mic strait into the Tech21 Blonde. If I were to use some of the equipment I already have I would look at running a small mixer, amp, and use a VT Bass Deluxe for bass and the Blonde for harp. However, that's dragging around a bunch of gear. I'm leaning towards getting a small tube amp for harp or a small solid state and using the Blonde to emulate various Fender tones. My PA speakers are not powered I run 3 amps on it, much too large for my current needs. The goal is to be heard, especially if there is no PA support.
Rondo
 
#11
rondodunbar said:
Lots of harp players are are using modeling guitar pedals and solid state amps now which is why I was thinking of the Tech21 Blonde and perhaps the Tech21 Power Engine.
Click to expand...
.

not around these parts. the harp guys here all get warm inside from old funky tube amps... if they can afford them. if not they buy a Fender Pro Jr. The big boys use Harp Kings.
 
#12
I guess it depends where you are 4Mal. Here I'm seeing some tube gear but more and more things like a HarpAttack driving solid state amps or the above mentioned modeling pedal. If I could trade some of my PA gear for a '59 Bass man (even the reissue) that'd be sweet but I don't see that hapenning. :-)
Rondo
 
#13
this guy "goggles pisano" who plays harmonica on the cleveland blues scene plays through a princeton reverb amp. He uses that standard harmonica mic with the volume control by the looks of it. The amp is bright orange, don't know if that's a particular kind or just custom tolex. His tone is amazing.
 
#14
rondodunbar said:
Okay, so I used to have a club and I still have a Carvin PA system with a 218 sub, two 215's, two 15" monitors, a 24 channel mixing board, two 2000 watt amps and one 3000 watt amp, mics and cables. My personal rig consists of an Acoustic 370 head and Acoustic 106 cab (215). Recently I have started playing harmonica as well as bass.

My dilemma is this: keep the 370 and 106 as my bass rig and get a stand alone harp amp and sell the PA. Or, part out most of the PA, keeping one amp and getting a smaller mixer and some smaller PA speakers then running both my bass and harp direct to the smaller, personal PA?

I like the Acoustic sound but I also like the sound of the Ampeg B15. The Fender Bassman amp is popular with many blues harp players so if I do a mini-PA I would likely use a Tech 21 VT Bass Deluxe for my bass and a Tech 21 Blonde for the harp.

What would be good, smaller mini-PA speakers that will handle the sound requirements of both instruments? And no, I absolutely will not keep the entire 7000 watt PA for personal use.
Thanks for reading,
Rondo
Click to expand...
My semi-acoustic trio goes straight to a Mackie ProFX12 mixer and then to either JBL PRX612s or PRX715s. We're very happy with the sound. We're two acoustic guitars and an electric bass. I run my bass through either a Radial J48 or my minimal pedal board which is four MXR pedals ending with an M81 Bass Preamp. We can load in and set up in 20 to 25 minutes, including monitors. The PRX715s weigh 47 pounds each, and they're the heaviest thing to lug.

After years of hauling EAW mains and subs with the requisite racks of amps and effects, I am unconcerned with any nominal loss of sound quality by going with all powered cabs. I don't know how this arrangement would suit you, but it's just a thought.
 

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