Heart2Harp
61 posts
May 28, 2010
7:05 AM
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Hi all,
so I bought a blues junior amp a while back ( classic beginner's mistake of putting the gear before the skills, though it is a good amp) but it is almost impossible to hook up to an outlet where I go to busk. I'm considering a smaller battery powered amp and I'm looking at the least expensive option (anything harmonica related is hard to justify to my wife in our budget). Do you guys have any suggestions? How do you street performers deal with this problem of needing an outlet?
Heart2Harp
Heart2Harp
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Buddha
1870 posts
May 28, 2010
7:23 AM
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get a deep cycle battery or two and an inverter.
Done.
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"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
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Nastyolddog
800 posts
May 28, 2010
7:43 AM
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Bro iv'e got 2 of these amps they Kick ass for there size:)can't beat the price either worth every cent,
you won't need a mule train to carry 2 car batterys an inverter and amp,
comes with a handy shoulder strap as well:)
http://cgi.ebay.com.au/Daphon-GA1-Battery-Powered-Portable-Guitar-Amplifier-/310220268968?cmd=ViewItem&pt=AU_Amplifiers&hash=item483a91a5a8
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Buddha
1872 posts
May 28, 2010
7:50 AM
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yeah batteries are heavy, but I use a dolly for all of my gear so it doesn't matter.
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"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
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Nastyolddog
803 posts
May 28, 2010
8:12 AM
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Buddha sarcarstic humor Bro:)
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Oisin
561 posts
May 28, 2010
8:36 AM
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I would definitely recommend the Pignose 7-100. It's a very loud battery powered amp which is excellent for harp. I got mine in February and I haven't had to change the batteries yet, even after playing at 2 jam sessions.
It gives you an excellent distorted sound for harp and it's pretty loud too. It takes AA type batteries so you don't have to plug it in to recharge it, although you can use rechargeable AA batteries of
course.
I have tried and own several battery operated amps and this wins hands down on tone and power. I use a Shaker dynamic mic with it and I would recommend you also use a mic with volume control to deal with any feedback.
DON'T!!! try the little baby Marshall and Fender battery amps or anything else like them. You can get a useable tone from them but a car passing by will drown out your sound.
I haven't heard of the amp Nasty recommends but at $35 Australian I would say you're paying for what you get. You should be able to pick up a used pignose for between $50 - $80 I would say.
If you want something with a few more bells and whistles, the the Microcube from Roland is also a nice little amp. Bit more expensive but with lots of effects and EQ ....the Pignose has just that...a pigs nose that you turn up the sound with!
Hope this is helpful
Oisin
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Buddha
1873 posts
May 28, 2010
8:42 AM
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thems fightin' words Nasty.
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"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
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Tryharp
327 posts
May 28, 2010
8:44 AM
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EDIT: Osin said some of this while I was typing, anyway
Three amps too consider all about 5w, and all run off batteries would be
Roland microcube
Vox DA5
Pignose ( 5-100 ?)
I have a pignose and a microcube and I have just bought a Vox DA5 off ebay and should be here next week. I am trying to have a small amplified setup for busking with guitar, singing and harp at the same time.
The pignose has a good dirty sound if thats what you are after, but thats about it. The microcube is very versatile with a range of different sounds for guitar and harp. The VOx is meant to be very good for blues guitar. It also has a separate input for a mic, that can be run at the same time as the other main input, whereas the Roland doesnt have a separate mic input.
I have a cheap modified sine 1200 watt inverter, that planning running some bigger amps off, but it hums like a bitch through the amps. I think you might need decent pure sine wave inverter if you went that way.
Last Edited by on May 28, 2010 8:47 AM
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Buzadero
410 posts
May 28, 2010
8:48 AM
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"thems fightin' words Nasty."
Good thing he didn't call you a bitch.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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mr_so&so
320 posts
May 28, 2010
8:54 AM
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Hey H2H,
I'm loving my Vox DA-5 (digital modelling amp). I posted a review here a while back that you can search for. It runs for hours and hours on 6 AA batteries (it has C cell slots, but I use adapters to convert AAs to C size, since rechargeables in AA are easy to come by).
The best feature in my view is that it has an adjustable power switch (0.5W, 1.5W and 5W). The low power setting is great for quiet practicing at home, and 5W should be sufficient for busking. I've tried it with a number of mics, from a very clean electret lapel mic to a classic bullet with Shure cartridge. The amp models and effects let you get a pleasing sound with any mic. It comes with an A/C adapter, but I use it strictly on battery power.
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Buddha
1874 posts
May 28, 2010
9:23 AM
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narcoran, buzadero used the word bitch. Do we really need this guy around here? He's going to run off all the chicks.
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"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
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Buzadero
411 posts
May 28, 2010
9:42 AM
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Bitch. I am the reason the 'chicks' don't leave.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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The7thDave
111 posts
May 28, 2010
10:07 AM
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If you want cheap, you can get a Danelectro Honeytone for $20 US. There are a couple of threads on this forum about these little amps if you want more info.
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* BTMFH *
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--Dave
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isaacullah
972 posts
May 28, 2010
10:09 AM
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I too have been on the search for a good battery-powered amp. I've tried a few at the store, and the best two that I've played through are the VOX DA-5 and the Roland Street Cube, with the Roland Mobile Cube coming in a close third. The VOX has the most versatility (ie, has a lot more built in FX, and you can change the output watts) and lets you dial in a variety of great sounds, but the street cube has better dry (unprocessed) tone. I use a mic that has a dynamic element rehoused from a good quality vocal mic. Things may be different from my experience if you are using a CR or a Crystal.
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The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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Buddha
1875 posts
May 28, 2010
10:09 AM
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narcoran pulleeeeze!!!! my eyes are buring...ahhhhhh my eyes!
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"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
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isaacullah
973 posts
May 28, 2010
10:45 AM
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I forgot to say that I used to own a Pignose 7-100, but I sold it along. It was a pretty good little battery amp, but it's a one trick pony. While the tone it produces is pretty good, it's the only ONE tone that you can get from it. That tone is very crunchy, and I just eventually got bored of it. Because of it's crunchy nature, the piggy doesn't take fx well. The two amps I mentioned are cleaner, and thus are supposed to take fx better.
The magnificent YouTube channel of the internet user known as "isaacullah"
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nacoran
1953 posts
May 28, 2010
11:11 AM
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Buzadero, if your the reason they are staying, um, where all the ladies at?
Buddha, if your eyes are burning it's a warning sign that you need to stop. Keep both hands on the harmonica at all times. If other symptoms appear, dip your hands in an appropriate depilatory. Don't worry Buddha, Buz can't run them off.
You already took care of that.
:) Don't worry, be happy!
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Nate
Facebook
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Buddha
1876 posts
May 28, 2010
11:17 AM
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I ran them off? You know I'm a true ladies man. The bitches don't run away to me, they run to me.
No ladies here? Damn, that's a bitch!
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"Musicians are the architects of heaven"
Last Edited by on May 28, 2010 11:27 AM
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Buzadero
413 posts
May 28, 2010
11:17 AM
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"....if your the reason they are staying, um, where all the ladies at?"
Still speechless, no doubt.
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~Buzadero
Underwater Janitor, Patriot
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tookatooka
1415 posts
May 28, 2010
11:20 AM
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Roland MicroCube. Job done. Good Night.
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Heart2Harp
62 posts
May 28, 2010
12:51 PM
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Thanks for the advice eveyone. I went on ahead and bought a Roland MicroCube. The pig nose is fine but I didn't like the fact that there was no reverb and the sound was kinda screechy.
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Heart2Harp
Heart2Harp
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nacoran
1954 posts
May 28, 2010
12:56 PM
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I'm going to try a new experiment. I'm only going to answer Buddha with random quotes from Beatles songs, because life is very short, and there's no time for fussing and fighting my friends.
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Nate
Facebook
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tookatooka
1416 posts
May 28, 2010
1:15 PM
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You'll like the MicroCube.
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oldwailer
1260 posts
May 28, 2010
7:22 PM
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Here is a solution that is a lot like Buddha's--just a lot more portable. I bought two of them a while back because we were getting a lot of power outages where we used to live, and my wife found them for a better price.
Now I use one for busking--use any amp you want and a mixer and whatever electric stuff you need: I've run it for up to 4 hours and it never went dry on me ;
http://www.amazon.com/dp/B000TKHMWK/?tag=googhydr-20&hvadid=3979603931&ref=pd_sl_17552yqc4y_e
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