I don't know if anybody else could help me....I was lookin for a battery power amplifier...microphone and guitar...it's for buskin. I've read good recension about PIGNOSE in general and of ROLAND CUBE STREET too...what do you think about them? :) Any kind of alternatives?
Thanks
Alex
The Cube Street is very versatile. If you want to use a microphone for vocals, then this is a good choice. The Crate Taxi series is less expensive and also has a mic channel. If you don't care about vocal amplification, there are a lot of choices. I still think Roland makes some of the most versatile, as long as you can handle the sticker price. The Microcube RX includes a simple beat box in addition to a good complement of guitar effects. I have used a Lectrosonics Mouse for more years than I care to admit, and it has been rock solid. You'd have to find one used.
A pignose will not compare in volume to the models listed above, but is relatively inexpensive.
Ciao|||| :)) thanks you so much for all the informations....at the end the best choice should be the Roland that also here in Italy is easier to find!! I like the Crate Tax series but the high shipping cost at the end take the price too high comparing to Roland...
I expected your kind of comments about pignose...I had the sensation that it was a product famous for the label rather then.....
Ciao Alex - I actually think the Pignose is a good little amp - I was just trying to say that it won't be as loud as the others because it has a smaller speaker. But you can get them for less money. The smallest amp I have is called a "Smokey" - it was sized to fit into a cigarette package, and runs on one 9V battery. Definitely not loud enough for busking, but I have tried :-)
I misunderstood :) Sorry, english is not my mother language and we italians have a very bad educational system on the teaching of foreign languages ...I'd like to start this experience of busking. I just found at home a little amplifier I bought many years ago and I remember it wasn't workin..it's a GF-15 I think and it's really bad!! ^__^...So I put a new bettery and It workes...little but he can do his honest job...I put the volume too much high it sounds like a mosquito...For the beginning it's enough also because I'd like to experience how much money I can do, find the right places where to play (a nice natural riverbero helps a lot) and expecially see how will be the situation with the police...Buskin here in Italy is generally illegal but you can find really nice cops that close one eye if you are a good musician ;) On the other hand if you meet the wrong person you may get fined ad your instruments seized. Where do you come from? States? How is the law other there...I think it's different state by state :))
Alex - I recently busked in Melbourne, Australia, only to be told later that it is illegal unless you have a permit. Technically, I assume that busking involves tips (asking for money), while playing music in a public place is probably legal in most places as long as you are not soliciting tips or blocking a sidewalk.
In truth, I never thought about it much here - I just go somewhere and play, and do not expect money.
I just went through a major project researching these, and bought and returned about everything there is from Guitar Center. I will give you my impressions. The Street cube series is okay but it really depends on what you play. If you are playing an electric guitar, you can get by with it. Lasts well on batteries, but has shallow bass If you play blues and are punching any bass these things are very week. I had a crate 50 watt. Battery life is not good, also when it starts to run down the bass starts to crackle - big 10" woofer. Also, it always runs off the battery, even if it is plugged in, so if it is not fully charged, it won't play even plugged in. I found it broke up quite a bit at any volume, but battery life was not enough anyway. Roland AC33 - very nice little unit, but expensive, but a real acoustic amp if you need one - runs on AA's, but drops to 20 watts on batteries. Very nice sound and has anti-feedback and looper - but again small speaker and if you need bass it does not cut it. Also tried expensive Roland PA's which do not cut it at all on batteries. If you do not need much battery life, there is a rechargeable PA by Samson that is very inexpensive the 40i I think it's called - 40 watts and very nice sound - big enough speaker to carry strong bass -- but battery life is probably no more than 90 minutes using an instrument and mic.
I settled on a Traynor TVM50 - 10" woofer, and true 2" tweeter. Great battery life, although it takes 24 hours to recharge you can use this on both channels for 6-8 hours at good volume. It is also made in England, so getting it in the EU should be no problem, and it was an economical solution here and probably cheaper there. Mostly, the only amp with decent woofer and enough battery life on a charge to cut it. It's 50 watts and has great volume and bass support. But if you are just playing electric and don't push the bass the Cubes are adequate. I don't know how they are with mics though. The Traynor is dual channel with 3 band EQ on the insrument channel and a "gain" button for pickups that don't have preamps, that's a big boost aside from the normal gain control.
The Traynor is comparable price wise too with the Street Cube; it is bigger and heavier but it depends on your needs.
I should also add that you can most likely find a used one in EU too. I chose this also because of the fact it's a real amp with 10" woofer, and there are preamps you can get that will allow you to actually blend four inputs into two - so if you want to play in a group with one of these preamps you would have enough amp and speaker to handle it with the Traynor. Also, any preamp you use with your guitar, if you utilize the gain there, you can keep your settings on the Traynor down low and extend the battery life even more.
Ad far as playing on the street here -- if you are in a city or area where there is tourist traffic, most likely you will need a permit of some kind, but it varies a great deal how this is enforced. It is very easy to just set up in an area, say, wher there are a lot of restaurants or clubs, and just play and leave your guitar case open and you can get tips without soliciting for them, especially at night. Lots of busking in Austin, for instance - city is sort of wide open for music. But if you wan to play in a good spot say in Santa Monica, CA where there is a lot of competition for spots, then you have to get a permit, takes some money and effort, and you might get hassled to get a business license too. If its a busy area, and you are not too obtrusive, like around office buildngs, business district, lunch time, you can usually get away with it without being hassled. But every city has it's own approach.
After seeing your open mic video I have a final recommendation for you. You will not be happy with anything that does not have the best acoustic sound. You have a great touch and so I recommend you save your money and get the Roland AC 33 -- runs on AA batteries and AC power. You can get rechargeable batteries. Has great battery life, but wattage drops from 30 to 20 on batteries. You can though pump it up by using a preamp, which you might already have in your guitar. It has great acoustic sound, automatic anti feedback, chorus and reverb and it's a beautiful sounding amp. Small and light weight too. But you want to retain that great sound you are getting in your playing. It is dual channel, with great mic channel. It is stereo, and you can get a foot pedal to control chorus, reverb and the looper. Pricey but you will not come close to this acoustic reproduction in any other battery powered amp. And it is a state of the art acoustic amp plugged in too. And as I said, if you need more volume you can use an external preamp like a Baggs DI and get a lot more volume. Here are a few demos you can appreciate the features. It also has line output, so you can use this in a small venue as is, or connect it to a large venue PA and use it as a monitor.
thanks Vinny :))) YEs' it's better to save money and have a quality product :))))
Vinny, great info ... thanks! The Roland AC 33 looks really cool. Love that last video when he starts using the looper. Only wish it had a nice tube distortion (for electric). Really appreciate your sharing your experience and introducing me to this Amp!
I have one -- and I just picked up a baggs gig pro - as it has an unbalanced line out - which means you can use it to pump up the gain of your instrument and run it through the roland -- very helpful when you have to use batteries -- there are inexpensive tube preamps you can use too -- but they are not battery powered -- probably though you can find a battery powered fx pedal to use. I find that the electric sounds great through the roland if you want a clean sound and it does have reverb --
Here is a vid from the Roland website - a demo of the Boss BD-2 Blues Driver - runs on 9 volt battery or with an AC adapter. Great Blues overdrive and gain. Should do the trick on an electric. I'm going to try it out, as I already have a Roland AC 33. I picked up a Baggs Gig Pro to boost the gain on my acoustics when I need to run the amp on batteries. The electric has a great clean sound, but this should dirty it up nicely. And the amp already has reverb and chorus.
Found this video by Jim Bruce, who regularly plays on the street in France. Very informative, and good humored. Jim also has a series of excellent finger picking blues lessons available online. Interestingly he has an amp I cannot recognize, but seems pretty cool - 30 watts, about a perfect size and weight. Can't quite make out the name, but probably purchased in the UK or France. Anyway, when weather permits, he's out there every day so he is the voice of experience.
