Arrggghh!!! No monitors.

[el_kabong]

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi pm...
Let's talk future - I mean something that solves your issue everywhere (or most everywhere).

I hate floor monitors because they are an invitation to feedback and most open mics have such lame PA systems, it's on/off with little in between adjustment. Maybe individual volume, but rarely tone. So I ask them to turn m guitar off in the floor monitor. stages/venues.

As usual, LJ seems to be on top of this one....but, I might be inclined to go a step or two further. Floor monitors are the absolute bane of good acoustic amplification...ask any good soundman. And, not just because of feedback, but because it adds (typically poor quality and untimed) direct and reflected sounds off the stage that must be masked/overcome by the house system. All-in-all, both can be very problematic and, at the very least, undermine the quality of the sound.

Increasingly, I note that musician's that really care about quality sound reinforcement are turning to in-ear-monitors, which - contrary to popular opinion - doesn't really have to be that expensive...though, of course, you can spend a lot. Still, perhaps we ought to consider the benefits if we really do care about how well that expensive guitar and dual/triple source amplification system really functions. Not only that, but I'm seeing more performers simply take charge of their own mix and handing the FOH a balanced two-track feed....unless they're convinced the soundman is up to snuff.

I know, at some level, this is overkill for an open mic. But, many, if not most, acoustic amps also have headphone jacks. Better yet, what about any of the smaller pre-amp DI's? Anybody know if any of them have headphone jacks? I'm not finding any....

Personally, I like to use a small mixer, so even a modestly priced wired IEM can work great. Some of the smaller mixers, btw, are portable (and affordable) enough to do the trick. Example: the Mackie 402-VLZ3 (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-a...ct-audio-mixer)

But, here are a few other ideas that might also work:

The ART HeadTap (http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/HeadTap/)

The Rolls Personal Monitor Amp (http://www.musiciansfriend.com/pro-a...-monitor-amp)?

The 3Leaf Enabler (http://www.3leafaudio.com/products/t...headphone-amp/)