Solo and Duo Acts

[redpoint]

(some folks in Live Sound suggested I post this here also)

Hi guys, I'm interested in playing some farmer's markets, or just setting up on the street and playing some covers. I wanted to get something to amplify vocals and guitar, so I don't have to strain or yell (rather than being obnoxiously loud).

I've already got a SM57, a mic stand, a guitar with a pickup, and the right cables, I just need the amplification bit.

Does anyone have experience with the various devices out there? It looks like from low to higher price there are:
Vox Mini 3 (needs 1/4" adapter)
Crate Taxi 15
Roland Cube Street
Roland AC33

Any experiences with those (or other suggestions) would be appreciated.

Do I need a DI box also, or would getting one of these be enough?

[buddymoore]

I have a Crate Taxi 30 - works great, If I was going to replace it with anything it would be with the Roland AC33.

[Terry Allan Ha…]

Get the Crate Taxi 50 (Limo)...it has enough power for a lot of gigs besides busking, and worth paying a little more for. There's honestly nothing out there as good for less than $1500. And it's one of the few that can go on a speaker stand, a VERY handy option!

[Shaster]

I've got the now discontinued Vox DA5 which is a slightly better (IMHO) version of the vox Mini 3. There is no way I would try to do any busking with guitar AND vocals with my DA5 so I doubt the Mini 3 would work - at least for the majority of street situations.

Something suited more to vocal and instrument busking would be my suggestion.

Just judging from the specs, I like the looks of the roland AC33, but I don't have any hands on experience with it.

[Shaster]

Originally Posted by Terry Allan Hall

Get the Crate Taxi 50 (Limo)...it has enough power for a lot of gigs besides busking, and worth paying a little more for. There's honestly nothing out there as good for less than $1500. And it's one of the few that can go on a speaker stand, a VERY handy option!

Looks interesting. How do they sound, and how's the battery life given that there's a bit more listed power?

I was thinking of picking up one of these for next summer http://www.long-mcquade.com/products...owered_Amp.htm

I'm curious as to how it would compare to the suggestions listed in this thread.

[OldGuitarPlayer]

I busk with just an acoustic guitar and no amp. I played here for 1 hr 45 mins yesterday and made $40.





This is a very busy transit stop. Busking is all about location location location.

[Aiken Drum]

Originally Posted by Terry Allan Hall

Get the Crate Taxi 50 (Limo)...it has enough power for a lot of gigs besides busking, and worth paying a little more for. There's honestly nothing out there as good for less than $1500. And it's one of the few that can go on a speaker stand, a VERY handy option!

I'm surprised you don't recommend this:
http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/S400D
I've used it before and had great success with it.

[Terry Allan Ha…]

Originally Posted by Shaster

Looks interesting. How do they sound, and how's the battery life given that there's a bit more listed power?

I was thinking of picking up one of these for next summer http://www.long-mcquade.com/products...owered_Amp.htm

I'm curious as to how it would compare to the suggestions listed in this thread.

Great for acoustic guitar, bass and voice, kinda anemic for electric guitar, though. Very hi-fi.

Battery life is about 6 hours at usable volume (the limitations will be how "hot" your mic is...I use a regular Shure SM-58), before needing to recharged, or, if you're at a outlet, the charger will allow you to play for hours while charging it simultaneously.

Originally Posted by Aiken Drum

I'm surprised you don't recommend this:
http://www.carvinguitars.com/products/S400D
I've used it before and had great success with it.

Those are nice, too, other than a slightly shorter battery life and a about $200 higher price tag (although I see they've got a sale going on at the moment...this would be a great time to buy one!).

Big fan of Carvin, actually...my PA is a PA1200 w/ a pair of LM12 cabs.

[Pine Apple Slim]

Do I need a DI box also, or would getting one of these be enough?

What pickup system is in your guitar?

[benpwilliams]

http://fretdetective.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/busking-tips.html wrote a blog with some busking advice. hope it's helpful

[Sick boy78]

I've got a Rolland street, it's not bad for what it is. But it's build quality is less than stellar. Plastic inputs, knobs, etc.. I've used is for house parties, bedroom jams, and garage parties. It can work well for this type if music and the guitar vox have some effects that sound cool. I would want something a bit more durable if hitting the streets on a regular basis though!

[Graeca]

Double post...my bad.

[Shaster]

---

benpwilliams wrote:

http://fretdetective.blogspot.co.uk/2012/05/busking-tips.html wrote a blog with some busking advice. hope it's helpful

---

Good advice IMHO. And a nice sounding duo.

Although I don't busk myself, I have friends that do.  I would add that when they are on the street as opposed to a courtyard or park, my busker friends prefer locations where pedestrians have to slow down. So for instance, the top or bottom of staircases or escalators, entrances or even exits to subways, near "roomy" corners, and so on.

[MDLMUSIC]

I recently started using the Roland Mobile Cube for performances indoors at Senior Centers. So far I've used it with acoustic/electric guitar + voice, keyboard + voice, and electronic bagpipes. It did a great job for all three. I haven't used it outside yet, but I think it would do a good job. Seems to project well for 5 watts and has lots of different inputs and controls to modify the sound. I really like the chorus and reverb.

[Graeca]

---

MDLMUSIC wrote:
I recently started using the Roland Mobile Cube for performances indoors at Senior Centers. So far I've used it with acoustic/electric guitar + voice, keyboard + voice, and electronic bagpipes. It did a great job for all three. I haven't used it outside yet, but I think it would do a good job. Seems to project well for 5 watts and has lots of different inputs and controls to modify the sound. I really like the chorus and reverb.

---

Does it come with a speaker stand socket? 5 watts will go further about 5-6' off the ground.

[MDLMUSIC]

It's set up with a threaded hole on the bottom that a mic stand will fit, but I don't think I'd feel comfortable putting it higher than 3 or 4 feet on a mic stand. I think I'll come up with some way to adapt one of my speaker stands to work with the RMC.