Street playing without a complicated rig

[BAG]

I've got a Roland Cube Street which is only rated at 2.5+2.5 watts through 2 x 6.5" speakers but puts out a surprising amount of volume. More than enough for jamming or busking with acoustic guitars and vocals but probably not enough for your needs.

They also have the Roland Cube Street EX which they state is 25+25watts through 2 x 8" drivers and 2 x 2" tweeters. If the specs are to be believed it would put out quite decent sound. My Cube Street lasts for well over 15 hours on just 6 x AA batteries. Might be worth a look.

 

[Old Garage-Bander]

I've got a Roland Cube Street which is only rated at 2.5+2.5 watts through 2 x 6.5" speakers but puts out a surprising amount of volume. More than enough for jamming or busking with acoustic guitars and vocals but probably not enough for your needs.

They also have the Roland Cube Street EX which they state is 25+25watts through 2 x 8" drivers and 2 x 2" tweeters. If the specs are to be believed it would put out quite decent sound. My Cube Street lasts for well over 15 hours on just 6 x AA batteries. Might be worth a look.

They probably have pretty high SPL ratings on the speakers they use. It's almost like free power. If only I could sell it.

 

[pudgychef]

Small battery powered Kustom PA? We recently.got two of these at work for small group performance and as portable music/PA needs.
I played with some of the kids and it a pair were more than fine with bass and keys going through it along with cajon and vocals...
We have two of the battery powered 40watt version of this...can't seem to find these exact model...works great and is Bluetooth capable as well...batteries will run 7hr or so and charge quick.
Kustom PA PA50 Personal PA System

 

[spaz21387]

I own the roland bass combo. I love it. 6 aa batteries 10 to 12 hours off new batteries and semi loud. Id go with that

 

[mcnach]

I've been asked to do some street playing (busking) for the summer and it would be fun. My issue I don't own any amps that run on batteries. The guitarist and drummer have done this before so they are all set.

I do not want to get involved with car batteries and power inverters. It's just too much stuff to have to haul out to the street and hook up. I want a battery powered amplifier, preferably rechargeable. 25 watts would be sufficient. I am planning to disconnect any internal speakers and hook up a larger cabinet in order to get more volume. The battery has to last 3-4 hours. I realize I may be looking for something that does not exist.

-- I've read conflicting reports about the Pignose Hog 30's actual wattage and I cannot audition one locally. The price is right, though.

-- The Phil Jones Briefcase is just too expensive.

-- I've seen a few battery powered PA systems, some up to 100 watts...again I cannot audition any locally.

I'm interested in finding out what other street players are actually using.

I bought one of these 3 years ago or so, for the same purpose (QTX QR10PA):

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It's a little 10" powered speaker thing with a couple of inputs plus USB, light, portable, and battery life is really good. It's louder than needed in any busking situation (I used it with 3 guitarists using Roland MicroCube amps, a drummer using a snare and hi-hats, two trumpets and a sax... and I wasn't even pushing it).

Sound-wise... it's not as nice as my main bass rig, but it's not bad at all. It does the job and it's attractively priced, as I wasn't keen on spending a lot of $$$ for something that gets used from time to time only. You can easily use a pedal to adjust the sound further (the built-in 2-band EQ is limited), such as an EQ pedal or a premap pedal. I use my Stingray with it mostly, so I carry just a tuner.
I also ended up getting a small 4-channel battery operated mixer, for around £20. That allows me to put the drummer's amplified cajon when he brings that, or the main vocals, or a guitar if they use an amp simulator like a Zoom... etc.

If this one breaks, I'll get another in a heartbeat.

They make 12" and 15" versions. The 15" becomes less attractive because of size/weight if I'm going to be carrying it around, as the built-in wheels are pretty useless in anything but completely flat smooth surfaces. The 12" could be interesting and it only costs a bit more. But I'm happy with the 10" one.

 

[mcnach]

Decent sound but terribly underpowered...

 

[lbbc]

I've got a Roland Cube Street which is only rated at 2.5+2.5 watts through 2 x 6.5" speakers but puts out a surprising amount of volume. More than enough for jamming or busking with acoustic guitars and vocals but probably not enough for your needs.

They also have the Roland Cube Street EX which they state is 25+25watts through 2 x 8" drivers and 2 x 2" tweeters. If the specs are to be believed it would put out quite decent sound. My Cube Street lasts for well over 15 hours on just 6 x AA batteries. Might be worth a look.

I have the Roland Street Cube EX...a decent little amp that works well when electricity isn't available (busking, etc)

 

[5below]

I've been asked to do some street playing (busking) for the summer and it would be fun. My issue I don't own any amps that run on batteries. The guitarist and drummer have done this before so they are all set.

-- I've read conflicting reports about the Pignose Hog 30's actual wattage and I cannot audition one locally. The price is right, though.

I'm interested in finding out what other street players are actually using.

Get the Hog 30. You won't be disappointed as long as your drummer is not too loud. I play my 5 string through it and it sounds just fine. Should be plenty loud enough for street playing and it sounds good.

 

[DaveKirkpatrick]

Roland Street Cube EX- Played one of these at a guitar show- sounded good. Haven't talked myself into dropping the $$ on it yet. Not sure about battery life.

a cheaper option-

Behringer MPA40BT-PRO
Haven't played this one, but it looks interesting....

 

[interp]

Bite the bullet and go with the Phil Jones (or similar). One of two things will happen: a) it will sound good and help you make good money, this justifying the investment or b) it will sound either good or bad, but not help you make good money.

If a) you will have some money and a very good portable amplifier. If b) you will have less money, but will be able to recoup most or all of your investment.

 

[brianrost]

To the questions about what type of bass, it would be a bass guitar. I own a high pass filter I use with my DB that I can use to get rid of low end farting and conserve amp power. Real fat bottom end is not a requirement...strong midrnage is more important.

seamonkey,

How is the Samson Expedition working as a bass amp? Only 6" speaker and mfr doesn't spec wattage or SPL at all. That crap drives me crazy The class T amps look interesting but more of a science project at this point...how long is the battery life in your experience? Carrying a bag of rechargeable AAs isn't out of the question but does add to the fuss factor. The low prices are pretty astonishing.

DWbass,

Have you actually used either the Roland or Blackstar amps for busking? I played in a band where one of those Rolands was used (on AC) to amplify a dulcimer and it didn't seem it would be loud enough for my use.

mcnach,

The QTR is not available in the USA but I see a number of similar powered speakers under various names online at prices that seem too good to be true. On Amazon there were lots of negative reviews about them failing, typical of cheap Chinese electronics (keeping in imd that online reviews tend to favor bad reviews). Otherwise, looks like one would work but no local dealers so I'd just have to order and hope for the best

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The Pignose looks like it might be the best bet. Too bad they are now made in China (they used to be made in USA) which has led to lots of negative online reviews due to QC issues.

 

[Jack Butler]

Oh the irony!

LOL, just musing re: busking on the street with a thousand dollar amp.

 

[mcnach]

mcnach,

The QTR is not available in the USA but I see a number of similar powered speakers under various names online at prices that seem too good to be true. On Amazon there were lots of negative reviews about them failing, typical of cheap Chinese electronics (keeping in imd that online reviews tend to favor bad reviews). Otherwise, looks like one would work but no local dealers so I'd just have to order and hope for the best .

I've seen those under other brand names instead of QTX, it's probably one generic manufacturer... If you can find one that seems just like it on Amazon, it would be pretty easy to return if it failed. I only have experience of mine, and it's been working flawlessly. Someone else I know bought the 15" version because of my experience with mine and they seemed happy too. I'd definitely give it a try if you can find one from a shop with a decent returns policy, just in case. I think if it's going to fail it will fail early on...

You also mentioned using a HPF... that's a very good call. It will help the speaker, and you will not waste as much power, so battery life would be even better.

 

[BAG]

Roland Street Cube EX- Played one of these at a guitar show- sounded good. Haven't talked myself into dropping the $$ on it yet. Not sure about battery life.

They quote 5 hours of continuous use with Ni-MH with a 2450mAh rating. Eneloop Pro rechargeables are at this rating and are one of the best rechargeable batteries out there. If you have a spare set you'll be good for any gig.

 

[Downunderwonder]

The obvious would be to play your DB and have them play down to it.

What you want is a BFM cab and a pocket size class D 12v amp with a deep cycle battery from hunting suppliers. Your hpf will supply enough drive for the amp.

If the amp is 30w you could probably get a good 3hr without overly stressing an 18 Ahr deep cycle battery. It's much easier on them to only half discharge and recharge.

 

[brianrost]

Roland Street Cube EX- Played one of these at a guitar show- sounded good. Haven't talked myself into dropping the $$ on it yet. Not sure about battery life.

This is what the guitarist uses, he plugs in his guitar and a vocal mike. I'm going to try one at GC today. Weird battery choice though, eight AA cells, keeps weight down and lets Roland leave out a charger. How easy it is to swap out batteries mid-gig if needed is a big question as is how low I can get the two 8" speakers to go without farting.

Thanks for the replies so far.

 

[cavemanbass]

This is what the guitarist uses, he plugs in his guitar and a vocal mike. I'm going to try one at GC today. Weird battery choice though, eight AA cells, keeps weight down and lets Roland leave out a charger. How easy it is to swap out batteries mid-gig if needed is a big question as is how low I can get the two 8" speakers to go without farting.

Thanks for the replies so far.

As the owner of a few different battery powered amps, including one with a built-in rechargeable, I can say that there are a few advantages to the Roland approach. For one, if you ever need batteries in a hurry they are easy to source almost anywhere. But more important, you can get Panasonic rechargeables (nimh) that not only will power the combo for 12+ hours but will hold a charge for months when you're not using it. On my rechargeable combo, the battery would only hold a charge for a few weeks and since I only used it occasionally that meant charging the battery every time pulled it out. With my Roland (I have the bass cube, uses 6 AA batteries) it's always ready to go. I bought 12 batteries so there's always a spare set.

 

[brianrost]

I went to GC today and tried the Roland Cube Street EX. It will certainly do the job for bass but I'm suffering from sticker shock...$500 plus $90 for the bag. On the other side of the store I can buy a Fender Rumble 210 for $500 I'm wondering how much busking I would have to do to break even...

As an electrical engineer myself I see a 50W (not specified as RMS, so probably only about 30W RMS) amp designed to be powered by DC (either batteries or the included wall wart) and a pair of 8" speakers. I'm really curious about how the power supply circuit works because a similar amp with a regular AC supply would cost so much less.

 

[BAG]

How easy it is to swap out batteries mid-gig if needed is a big question as is how low I can get the two 8" speakers to go without farting.

But more important, you can get Panasonic rechargeables (nimh) that not only will power the combo for 12+ hours but will hold a charge for months when you're not using it.

It's a 20 second job to change batteries. My Cube Street uses 6 x AA and I use the Panasonic Eneloops as well. One set in it and a spare set ready to go. They last a ridiculously long time. We don't even bother plugging it in at home and my daughter uses it for some of her guitar students each week.

 

[brianrost]

Yup, I had the manual before going to GC and was pleased to see that all the screws involved in opening up the battery pack were the knurled head type. So easy and fast to swap out the cells.