An amp for Busking.

[surfergirl]

I'm looking for an amp for busking with 4 input, 2 mics, 1 keyboard and 1 guitar. Under $300., any recommendations appreciated. 

Edit: 2 amps with 2 inputs would also be ok if total price under $300.

[Sharkman]

I'll give you the good news first, and then the bad news.  I found an amp at Sweetwater that will do just what you want, running on eight AA batteries.

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/CubeStEX--roland-cube-street-ex-50-watt-2x8-inch-battery-powered-combo-amp

 

And now the bad news.  The price is double what you want to pay.  If someone else here can find a similar amp for under $300, please let everyone know about it.

[surfergirl]

I looked at that and I think I can make it work. It could replace our 1990's, maybe 80's, Peavey keyboard amp for vocals as well as a busking amp for me. Now just have talk everyone into chipping in $100. and I'll pay $300. Or I could buy it and be like the kid at sandlot baseball game who owns the only bat and ball.🙂

[KuruPrionz]

These powered PA speakers should work, you can probably do fine with just one and the price leaves room for a cover. 

4 channel PA and battery powered.

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MPA40BT--behringer-mpa40bt

 

https://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/MPA40BTPRO--behringer-mpa40bt-pro

[Sharkman]

If you get that Roland, get 24 AA rechargeable batteries, or maybe some 14500 lithium ion rechargeables.  Eight batteries in the amp, eight for backup, and eight at home either recharging or recharged.  I have sold literally hundreds of flashlights over the past seven years, and I have learned that good quality rechargeable batteries are your good friends.

[KuruPrionz]

^^^ I'll also say that the Roland stuff I've owned, used and heard has all been very good gear. 

I'm not a big fan of Behringer but they do have some bang for the buck going on and people keep telling me their new stuff is better than their old stuff. 

 

That said, if you can swing the Roland I doubt you will regret owning it. 

[Larryz]

SurferGirl, I have the Roland EX Cube and it's a great busking amp, but it does not have the 4 input channels you need.  It will run 3 (i.e., 1 guitar 1 mic and 1 keyboard, or 2 guitars and keyboard, or 2 mics and keyboard).  It is very costly these days but worth the money for busking, deck parties, gigs, etc., running on 8 AA's or 120v ac.  I usually run mine with just my guitar and mic.  Up to others to bring their own.  

 

I like Kuru's battery PA in your price range.  I would run a DI for electric guitar on one channel and it would not be needed for acoustic guitar, and your mic on the other channel.  I would get the one with the built-in rollers and handle. Probably fit in an overhead if traveling by air maybe? If you're doing a duo, it would be up to your partner to bring their own matching equipment for the other two channels IMHO. The only thing it lacks is reverb or echo, but you could run a pedal in line if you wanted to.  Battery power is a must for busking and campfires. For deck parties and gigs, I bring the AC adapter and extension cord along with the battery pack, so I have a choice.  I also bring spare batteries.  You could increase your channel inputs by buying a cheap little 4 channel mixer for $75 to $100, if you wanted to just buy one of the 2 channel PAs.

 

My Roland has 3 power settings 10, 25 and 50watts.  The batteries last about 4 hours on 50, 8 on 25, and all day or longer on the lowest setting.

 

Hope this info is helpful...😎

 

ps. If it's just you doing a solo busking act, you can get by with just using 2 channels like Kuru's PA.  Just turn off the PA and switch from guitar to keyboard on one channel then turn it back on while leaving your mic plugged in on the other channel. With the Roland you can run all 3 and not have to shut the amp off and it has reverb and no DI needed on the instrument channel for electric guitars. It would be nice if you could find a used Roland Cube Street for $300 +/-.

[surfergirl]

I honestly don't know what we need. Speaker size, watts, etc. This a probable location.

[KuruPrionz]

4 hours ago, surfergirl said:

I honestly don't know what we need. Speaker size, watts, etc. This a probable location.

Ideally people come and go when you are busking. You don't want to be too loud, just enough to draw them in from a distance. 

Make sure your tip jar is clear and plastic. Put at least a $5 and a few $1 in there to get it started. Something new that all the smart kids are doing is to get a Venmo account and have a laminated sheet with your Venmo "patch" on it so folks who no longer carry cash can scan your Venmo and send you $$$. 

A good friend of mine made an extra $150 recently doing exactly that. 

 

If you can take requests that is always useful and profitable. 

[Larryz]

SG, Check out the Boss Cube Street II on-line for $299...same as the Roland with just a little less wattage.  More than enough for busking.

 

https://www.guitarcenter.com/BOSS/Cube-Street-II-Battery-Powered-Guitar-Amplifier-Red-1500000355394.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXMP&msclkid=aab8f8f8c6e71d9c2e629b6b1

[surfergirl]

2 hours ago, Larryz said:

SG, Check out the Boss Cube Street II on-line for $299...same as the Roland with just a little less wattage.  More than enough for busking.

 

https://www.guitarcenter.com/BOSS/Cube-Street-II-Battery-Powered-Guitar-Amplifier-Red-1500000355394.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXMP&msclkid=aab8f8f8c6e71d9c2e629b6b1

I think that will work for us. It should work for a 2 person coffee shop gig further down the road also. My local music store carries it.

We probably going to end the band. Our great friend and lead guitarist is moving to the main land. The rest of have decided it time to move on to the next chapter of our lives. So this duo is my next move. Probably 6 months to a year before we are ready.

[KuruPrionz]

3 minutes ago, surfergirl said:

I think that will work for us. It should work for a 2 person coffee shop gig further down the road also. My local music store carries it.

We probably going to end the band. Our great friend and lead guitarist is moving to the main land. The rest of have decided it time to move on to the next chapter of our lives. So this duo is my next move. Probably 6 months to a year before we are ready.

I noted that it is 2 channels, not 4. Otherwise it looks awesome, maybe you'll need 2 of them? 

As far as getting a duo together, if you go about it efficiently you should be able to start busking in three months or so and just grow from there. Have fun!!!!

 

[Larryz]

+1 SG and Kuru on getting two of them for a duo...I had an outdoor annual grade school gig that me and my two buddies did for all the kids 3 years running, as The Singing Cowboys. We each brought our 3 Roland Cubes, 3 acoustic/electric guitars, and 3 mics/stands. Cowboy hats, spurs, boots, chaps, etc., regalia with a pop up and hay bales. We ran the Cubes on batteries for about 4 hours on each gig.  My grandkids graduated so we are no longer committed but we still get together and play some of the old cowboy tunes...

 

I have seen whole Blue Grass bands sing and play acoustically around one special mic.  Each player would step forward during a lead and/or vocal.  You could get by with a keyboard on one channel and a special mic to pick up the guitar and vocals on the other channel till you make enough money to buy the 2nd cube.😎

 

 

 

[Caevan O’Shite]

On 12/9/2022 at 9:47 PM, surfergirl said:

We probably going to end the band. Our great friend and lead guitarist is moving to the main land. The rest of have decided it time to move on to the next chapter of our lives. So this duo is my next move. Probably 6 months to a year before we are ready.

So bittersweet. Such a sad chapter closing- or at least, a long pause- and yet, such bright possibilities, as well. 'Breakaleg'!

Are you going to focus on using an amplified acoustic guitar with the busking duo project? Or electric... or some of each?


Veering tangentially sideways but topically-related...

Start working on, practicing, using a looper ASAP. If you don't have one, find one you can borrow or buy for cheap and on installments for a while. Nothing fancy is necessary to begin with- simple, inexpensive and cheap is fine as long as it's 'good enough'. 

You wouldn't do too bad at all with, say, a Boss RC-20XL; it's strictly mono, and they're generally considered 'outdated'. I have one that I was sort of given/sold-for-cheap unexpectedly (long dumb story); missing the battery-cover and supposedly malfunctioning, but it was apparently a case of someone not understanding how to use its controls. It's actually pretty straightforward and works and sounds fine.

Timing and interactive playing are everything with looper use- including both the person laying down and controlling the loops, and any and all other musicians involved. Practice, practice, practice! (I've gotten rusty and need to heed my own advice!)

This would all allow you to take advantage of switching between acoustic, electric, percussive sounds played on guitar, a ukulele...
     
   

[surfergirl]

7 hours ago, Caevan O’Shite said:

Are you going to focus on using an amplified acoustic guitar with the busking duo project? Or electric... or some of each?

Well changes in the past 2 days. No keyboard, long story, 2 guitars/ukuleles. Since playing partner has an acoustic, I will go with electric, at least for now.

As for the looper, I have an EHX 720.

[Larryz]

+1 on practicing with a looper.  The Boss amp has one on board.  I keep one in line at home at all times.  Too many uses to list but one that will work for you and your duo is to tape and hear how you sound when trying new material before taking it out and putting the tune on your set lists...😎

[KuruPrionz]

As another perspective, I hugely prefer a single delay with a fairly long (for delay) time span.

 

That way I can pop off a short "bass line", it will repeat and I can chord or solo, which will repeat so back to a bass line and on we go. 

What I like about it vs using a looper is that it isn't "static", you can change licks, keys, whatever since there is only one repeat. 

Not saying don't use a looper but maybe try the delay too. Turn the feedback all the way down, get a long single delay and jam with yourself, fun!

[desertbluesman]

On 12/9/2022 at 5:47 PM, Larryz said:

Check out the Boss Cube Street II on-line for $299...same as the Roland with just a little less wattage.  More than enough for busking.

https://www.guitarcenter.com/BOSS/Cube-Street-II-Battery-Powered-Guitar-Amplifier-Red-1500000355394.gc?cntry=us&source=4WWRWXMP&msclkid=aab8f8f8c6e71d9c2e629b6b1

I think I may try one out as well. $299+ is way doable. I really don't need the Street Cube EX at $599+. I did not want to load up my tube amp to go to Northern Ca a few weeks back. (only because My local sister in law went with us, and the Toyota Matrix was loaded to the max without my SCX2 and guitar). So very little guitar work got done up there, although my in laws up there had a nice Yamaha Strat Clone, so I did some picking on that without an amp.

 

I have the Bluetooth speaker to play back my backing tracks that I bought a month or so ago. So between the two, very little trunk space is needed, only the guitar and case which I could have brought in the Matrix even though it was loaded to the max otherwise. All I really need is clean/overdrive/reverb which the little BOSS Cube Street II has. I may slip on down to Guitar Center in a little bit and try one out.

[Larryz]

Sounds cool DBM!  Keep us posted! 😎👍

[surfergirl]

Out father bought us each one. They had to order the second one. We could have got one of the ex, but he thought with two we could split on occasion if we wanted.

[Scott Fraser]

Merry Christmas, a few days early.

[KuruPrionz]

Nice! Time to busk!!!!

 

Be sure to create a Venmo account and put a Venmo patch by or on your tip jar so people who don't carry cash can tip you. 

A friend plays fish markets on the coast during the daytime for tips. He added the Venmo patch and made $150 from Venmo during one 4 hour gig.

[Larryz]

Congrats!  You have a great father SurferGirl!  Keep us posted on how you like the new amp(s)!!! 😎👍

[surfergirl]

We took it for a spin this morning, now I'm going to put it back in the box, rap it and AnnaBelle will act surprised on Christmas morning. Without even looking at, the very large manual, it was very easy to use. Everything is labeled with the "correct word", unlike some Orange amps which have symbols or pedals with words I have no idea what they mean. We didn't mic it just electric and acoustic electric guitar, and sounded great. You need a pedal to use the on board looper, but I'm going to use my own EHX720, so I don't see any need for the pedal. The onboard reverb and delay will do just fine.

The real work starts next month when start putting everything together. Goal is to be ready by June when the people with money come. In the winter it's mostly my kinda people, broke. We may a few Saturdays starting maybe April at the farmers market at the Old Sugar Mill. It's right down the street from us and I Know most of the people there and I work there. We'll play it by ear, literally.

https://youtu.be/1k15hYNQAes

[Larryz]

Glad to hear it's working for you and AnnaBelle so far SurferGirl! Can't wait to hear how it does with a mic plugged in.  Farmers markets are fun gigs and can turn into a weekly gig when you get to know the people running it and the vendors.  We put out a tip jar at a non-paying Farmers Market gig and did quite well from people passing by.  The vendors really liked us as they could hear the guitars much better than the usual guys we sat in for as they couldn't make it.  We had electricity and used our Roland EX cubes as monitors running out of the amps to a small PA system.  Plus, we had a bass player.  The vendors liked us so well, they brought us hot tamales and drinks.  We all had lots of fun too!  Good times are coming your way!  😎👍