Enjoy the benefits of a premium membership!
Upgrade Account
-
TalkBass has been independent since 1998. Add your voice.
Create a free account to reply to discussions, view embedded media, and browse with fewer display ads.
Join free Log in
Want zero display ads or expanded classifieds tools? Compare plans.
Good battery powered amp?
- Thread starter Neil_G
- Start date
Sorry for being a n00b at bass amps, but what exactly does that do? I know that I should know, but my knowledge is rather (very) limited about this stuff.
Taken directly from the site. Im inquisitive though. The single biggest seller? I havent ever even heard of them.
I'm looking for a decent battery powered amp that can handle being moved around a fair amount (busking, or street-performing) and is loud enough to be heard when playing a drummer with a small kit and saxophonist. Any and all suggestions welcome, although I would like to keep it at around $50 max. Thanks!
EDIT: Price is up to around $200, so that should be more manageable.
Hi Neil_G.
A $200 USD battery-powered bass amp which is loud enough for busking?
The more powerful of Traynor's two battery-powered busking amps, the 50 Watt, 10" woofer-equipped Traynor TVM50 comes close to your price range, but it's not a bass amp per se. (Traynor backs their products with a two year unlimited warranty if said products are purchased in North America.)
It seems to me that you'll have to plug into every battery-powered amp you can to find a rig which works for your specialised needs.
I hope you're a pick
! 
--------
BTW. In reference to another's poster's characterisation of what you plan to do at this youthful stage in your playing life:
Busking (a form of paid practice) and pan-handling are ENTIRELY different.
One activity requires talent and skill. The other inactivity requires neither...
Crate.. or better yet.. pay a store to let you use a 12 awg wire out to a real amp.
This is a jive post..
I have a Roland cube that wont do what you're asking
Why not buy an upright and get true freak factor?
This is a jive post..
I have a Roland cube that wont do what you're asking
Why not buy an upright and get true freak factor?
I have one of those Smokeys. They do exactly what they say. 1 watt- 9V battery- 2" speaker and will drive a cab of 16, 8, 4 ohms. Ran my Pop's Acoustic 106 (215, 500 watts @ 4 Ohms) for a few hours. Had to keep the volume up and the tone knob down, but it had volume! Could probably do better with a modern 210, 12 or 110. Or just take a full stack. Get two and a mono-mono Y adapter and double the wattage. Then you'd have almost as much power as half of the Micro that you can use with your regular cabs.
Another approach would be to use a regular amp and cart around a UPS with you. These things are normally used as a battery backup for computers. For a bass amp to run for a long time, you'd probably need a fairly big one. Some of them have connectors that let you hook up extra batteries if you need, which is cheaper than buying a second UPS.
To figure out how big a UPS you need, you'd have to know how long you want to play and also how much power the amp consumes, which isn't the same as the power it outputs into the speaker. You'd want to use the least powerful amp you can get away with, but hopefully one with an efficient speaker. See this page on how long a UPS will last with different loads on them: http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165
The combination of the two would probably set you well over $200, though. I'd look for a used amp on Craigslist, but a used UPS may come with a dead battery.
This one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101303 will do 375 watts for 19 minutes, so hopefully it could do 50 watts for at least 2 hours. (I don't know if it really works that way, though.) It's $200 by itself, though.
To figure out how big a UPS you need, you'd have to know how long you want to play and also how much power the amp consumes, which isn't the same as the power it outputs into the speaker. You'd want to use the least powerful amp you can get away with, but hopefully one with an efficient speaker. See this page on how long a UPS will last with different loads on them: http://www.apcc.com/products/family/index.cfm?id=165
The combination of the two would probably set you well over $200, though. I'd look for a used amp on Craigslist, but a used UPS may come with a dead battery.
This one: http://www.newegg.com/Product/Product.aspx?Item=N82E16842101303 will do 375 watts for 19 minutes, so hopefully it could do 50 watts for at least 2 hours. (I don't know if it really works that way, though.) It's $200 by itself, though.
- May 9, 2008
- 4,081
- 1,236
- Disclosures
- Proprietor Springvale Studios
What's so faffing good about that rascally footpad Bonner telling all the UK customers to go steal my son Henry's Car?.
http://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=1055015412301&subj=1133288182
OH MY GOD. I got my kids FACEBOOK password from him and watched a couple of Hank's videos. You let him sit in that thing??????
Watching the guy in the doorway with his coat flapping was amazing, looked like he was in a 30 mph gail....
That is a little bit like what it is like standing in front of my BIG RIG, but I think Hank has got me totally blown away.
The flexing in the windshield and the bouncing of the windshield wipers was way way cool.
His brains must be totally scrambled eh?
YUP, perfect Busking Rig...
BOB
Watching the guy in the doorway with his coat flapping was amazing, looked like he was in a 30 mph gail....
That is a little bit like what it is like standing in front of my BIG RIG, but I think Hank has got me totally blown away.
The flexing in the windshield and the bouncing of the windshield wipers was way way cool.
His brains must be totally scrambled eh?
YUP, perfect Busking Rig...
BOB
BOB...lol. Need pics of that rig, BOB.
But it occurred to me that if you will have a car nearby, you have more options, as you can get an inverter to produce AC power from the car, and use any ordinary amp.
But it occurred to me that if you will have a car nearby, you have more options, as you can get an inverter to produce AC power from the car, and use any ordinary amp.
Pictures of HENRY's Truck? Or pics of my amp? I'd have a little trouble going to the UK to shoot some pics. HA.
I started doing some research on Busking after tweaking the OP all up in knots over my original post. I became rather intrigued. Searched the net and found all sorts of good info on gear, best proceedures... License applications from all over the world.
I even started filling out an application for Sydney... Like I'm going to be there any time soon.
I did do this once. My band when I was in HS. Because the word was out that I was a hooligan in a rock and roll band... My father was a city councilman and the local Republican party wanted to get younger voters thinking they were cool.
SO we held a practice session at a strip mall near where we lived. The Republicans were there, we actually packed the joint.... They even attempted to drop frozen turkeys from a Helicopter for thanksgiving. You know where that is from?
Anyway we played for an hour and a half outdoors and finally there was so many complaints from the neighboring city we had to shut it down. We had a little box out front and everything was given to the PARTY... They did hand it back. Whether they registered many new Republicans or not is unknown, but it was a real shindig.
BOB
I started doing some research on Busking after tweaking the OP all up in knots over my original post. I became rather intrigued. Searched the net and found all sorts of good info on gear, best proceedures... License applications from all over the world.
I even started filling out an application for Sydney... Like I'm going to be there any time soon.
I did do this once. My band when I was in HS. Because the word was out that I was a hooligan in a rock and roll band... My father was a city councilman and the local Republican party wanted to get younger voters thinking they were cool.
SO we held a practice session at a strip mall near where we lived. The Republicans were there, we actually packed the joint.... They even attempted to drop frozen turkeys from a Helicopter for thanksgiving. You know where that is from?
Anyway we played for an hour and a half outdoors and finally there was so many complaints from the neighboring city we had to shut it down. We had a little box out front and everything was given to the PARTY... They did hand it back. Whether they registered many new Republicans or not is unknown, but it was a real shindig.
BOB
Oh yeah live right, I laughed so hard I cried when they did that, we thought they could fly... Les Nessman's report... Oh the humanity... I'm still laughing.
That was great, where you at in iowa? DSM?
If you have a power source to suggest, that would be fine too. I have a couple of different amps that would be more than sufficient for the job. Please keep in mind that the $200 is just a guideline. It can be more than that, but if possible try to keep in around that.
I noticed that the amp listed in your profile is a combo. If you go the Smokey route ($31.95 + shipping and the cost of a good speaker cable), you'll have a few bucks to spend on a rental. See what kind of cab you can rent from the local music store(s). Don't tell them you're busking! Note the brands and model numbers if you can. Then go online and look at it's sensitivity rating. Higher sensitivity is the way to go. Two 8 Ohm 210's would be the best bet for portage (assuming you're driving). You'll only have 1 watt to work with, so more speakers are the way to go.
Or if you can get a few hundred bones together get one or two Avatar cabs.
What kind of kit is your drummer going to use? Brushes?
Or if you can get a few hundred bones together get one or two Avatar cabs.
What kind of kit is your drummer going to use? Brushes?
Born There...
My family from Webster City / Jewell areas of Hamilton County... I even have an Ex-wife living in Webster City, HAHHAA BOB
I got a non-functional Crate Taxi at a pawnshop a few years ago for $25. I replaced a $7 op-amp and bought a new 12 volt battery (forgot how much that was).
It's 30 watts, and I would not recommend it to keep up with a drummer, but it works great for letting my bass (I use it w/ my ABG primarily) be heard w/ several acoustic guitars. It's got two channels, and the charge lasts several hours.
I understand for your busking gig the drummer won't be too loud, so something like it, or even the 50 watt Crate limo (used) could be worth a shot.
I have one of the Taxi 30s that I bought in lieu of an ABG in order to play along with a brace of acoustic guitars. After I discovered that many acoustic bass guitars lack the volume to compete with an acoustic guitar without some form of amplification, I wondered whether such a battery powered amp would work with electric bass. I rarely use the Taxi, but it covers the outside acoustic jams just fine, and the bloody battery charge seems to last forever. Tone is nothing special, but it's definitely useable. I bought mine new...and feel it was overpriced, even with a discount...but it was one of those "got to have it NOW" things, so...
Kim
I have one of the Taxi 30s that I bought in lieu of an ABG in order to play along with a brace of acoustic guitars. After I discovered that many acoustic bass guitars lack the volume to compete with an acoustic guitar without some form of amplification, I wondered whether such a battery powered amp would work with electric bass. I rarely use the Taxi, but it covers the outside acoustic jams just fine, and the bloody battery charge seems to last forever. Tone is nothing special, but it's definitely useable. I bought mine new...and feel it was overpriced, even with a discount...but it was one of those "got to have it NOW" things, so...
Kim
I agree w/ everything you've mentioned.
Again, if I was going to spring for another one and was planning to pay street price, I'd just forget the rest and get a Carvin S400D (or two).
But for the price I paid for mine, and the various and crazy times it's come in handy (acoustic jams, practices, playing mp3s at informal get togethers, etc) I simply love my little Crate Taxi.
No extension cord needed!
