dr.harry

Thanks jay-syncro for letting me almost steal your AcousticImage Focus 2R series III from you. Easy, quick and honest trade. Excellent communication. Cool beans. Harry

Hi Simon, My PA knowledge might be slightly out of date, but... 1. How many singers? 2. How many of the instruments will need PA support? Usually electric bass and guitars are OK with their own amps unless the venue is very big Acoustic guitars, accordions, fiddles usually need some sort of mike/pickup/DI box Drummers don't usually need any help in the volume department unless the venue is very big! So you need to buy enough mikes for 1. (plus a spare?) I use Shure SM58 because they are bombproof, but at £100 each new might be a bit much for a first PA Long cable for each mike. Even a small stage can be 10m from desk to furthest mike when you've gone round all the corners! Stand and clip for each mike. Mixing desk; Add 1 and 2 to get how many inputs you will need. Add at least another 2 because there will always be an extra vocalist or a guitar amp that fails live and needs to be plugged into the PA Now you have a choice A Mixing desk, power amp, speakers B Powered mixing desk (desk and power amp in one box) and speakers C. mixing desk and powered speakers I have type A, but modern digital amps mean loud, reliable powered speakers are easy to get now, making C what I will do when I upgrade. But, if you are going second hand the choice may be whatever you can get. You will probably need monitor speakers, particularly to keep the vocalists happy and also to let the drummer know what's going on. Unless everyone is going down the headphone route, Lots of long cables. And my SansAmp pedal has seen more use as a backup guitar amp than I care to remember. A 'lucky' band carries appropriate fuses, screwdrivers, soldering iron, spare cables.... Don't forget to ask bands doing similar gigs what they have. Hope that helps you get started Harry xxx

Thought I'd better introduce myself. [font="Arial, sans-serif"]I've been fascinated by music all my life (I blame my mother playing Dusty Springfield on a Dansette). I've been buying music since I had pocket money. First album; Genesis – Lamb Lies... Now up to about 4000 LPs and CDs. Everything from Gregorian Chant to Muse. I've been gradually buying better and better hifi to listen to it all, [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]BUT....[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]I would rather listen to a live amateur band busking down the local than my favourite CD.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]About 20 years ago, while not in any gainful employ, I started noodling on my flatmates nylon strung acoustic guitar. Joining in, badly, with the records I was playing. Found myself mostly mucking about with the thickest string....[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]And so to the present day;[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Still a beginner. I definitely sound much better when I practice. I definitely practice much more when I have a gig coming up.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]I have a list/bunch/rabble of about 15 like-minded souls that, over the years, in groups of 3 to 6, have played at each others' various birthday parties, house warmings and the like. We've been paid twice, but only by people with serious mental health issues! We'll give anything a go, mostly rock and pop classics that everyone would dance and clap to if we were any good.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]And so to gear (I used to have a lot of disposable income. I now have a missus and three university age kids);[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Bass; [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]1995ish Status 5-string S1 Classic Deluxe in cherry red. I flip between tapewounds and well worn in heavy roundwounds.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]This was a 'new for old' insurance replacement for a battered second-hand Status 5-string with a wood bolt-on neck that got stolen (Empathy???). [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]This was bought because I had restrung my bitsa/customised/handmade 4-string BEAD and liked it. [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]And that was bought to replace my £150 'first bass' that I gave to a mate's son. [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]My next bass will be a Status Streamline (with EMG pickups and no tone controls, if Rob doesn't drop down dead at the thought), probably next year. Or the one after.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Rigs; [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Very old second-hand Trace Elliot 1x15 combo (new Celestion speaker and many dents).[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Trace Elliot V6 head and 1084 cab currently being sold through BassChat (Thank you in advance and a donation will be forthcoming). I told you that I used to have a lot of disposable income.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]To be replaced with;[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Barefaced Compact currently on order. I've never heard one but the only bad reviews I've seen were nit-picking. I get a month to try it and like it. And, if all else fails, the half life of a second hand Barefaced on BC is about 11 minutes.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Combined with, and continuing in the lightweight theme, one of; [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Gallien Kreuger MB500 – I've admired the tiny/potent GK combos since the 90s[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Ashdown MiBass 2.0 – T-E ancestry and passive tone controls. All turned up to max then back the treble off a notch just might be a mini-V6 sound. Simple but well built, just like me.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]TC Electronics RH250 – kind of the opposite to the other two. Lots of tweakability, built in effects pedal sort of and half my price limit.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]In my research before actually getting hold and playing these things, I have watched a lot of YouTube reviews and sound samples that aim to show these things off. TC Electronics website with samples of the same bassline played through different settings and the video review by dood? of the GK MB800 are particularly good examples.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]I have come to the conclusion that well played bass is well played bass no matter what the settings on the amp. [/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]So I really need to stop typing and get back to practicing.[/font] [font="Arial, sans-serif"]Love Harry xxx[/font]