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Old 12-06-2020, 11:31 AM
Steve DeRosa Steve DeRosa is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by cheer tunes View Post
...Portability and solid state are also things I'm interested in. Want to be able to move it around easily. I'd like to sing though channel 2 so the Bud 10 seems like it would do well with that. But hard to say if that little box can circulate enough sound for a small room.
You're right on all counts; as a solo act, job one is quick-in/quick-setup/quick-out - and sound good doing it - and there are several ways to approach that, some better than others:
  • Old-school two-channel guitar amp: this is how it was done back in the day, vocals through the bare-bones channel (channel 1 on a Fender-style combo) and guitar through the trem/verb channel. While you'll get excellent guitar tone, unless you sing like Pavarotti the advantages of a one-box rig are outweighed by the lack of control over your vocals - in addition to which you'll need some sort of transformer/adapter/DI box to allow you to plug in with the now-universal XLR mic plug (pre-1970's mics used 1/4" plugs): OK in a pinch, but not in the long run...
  • Acoustic-guitar amp: a popular option, affording control over both guitar and vocals along with onboard enhancement (reverb/delay. chorus, etc.). While you'll get a very clean tone, what works for acoustic guitar doesn't necessarily cut it as an electric jazz-guitar amp - IME the character inherent in a purpose-built guitar combo is sorely lacking - and if you go this route you'll likely need some sort of outboard processor (preferably tube-based) to "warm up" your tone; since amps of this type tend to be smaller and use small (usually 6-8", sometimes 10") drivers, there's also the previously-raised question of adequate audience coverage...
  • Head/cabinet-style PA: no worries about adequate volume/spread but similar issues to acoustic-guitar amp, to which we can add weight/bulk and the need for ancillary equipment (speaker stands/cables, outboard processor)...
  • Column-style PA: a Bose-style single-unit system is compact, lightweight, and powerful enough for most situations, and several companies produce them at a variety of price points - again, you'll need an external processor to warm up your tone...
FYI a few years ago my wife and I attended a function where a solo guitarist provided cocktail-hour music with a sonically-impressive - and flexible - setup consisting of a Bose column PA, Epiphone ES-175 Premium, Fender Frontman 25R combo amp with replacement Eminence Lil' Buddy speaker, and wireless packs (headset for vocals, "bug" for guitar); not only did this allow each piece of equipment to do what it was best suited for, but he was able to do the "strolling guitarist" thing while allowing other tables to listen in comfortably over the PA/amp in a fairly- good-sized room (about 100 people at the function, room capacity 250) - and load out in one trip after the gig. While your choice of gear might differ, given your situation a setup of this type might in fact be the ideal solution...
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