Looking for a great vocal amplifier...any ideas?

[chubbsdarcy]

Hi folks, Looking for suggestions here. Need a speaker or some unit to amplify vocals in a 3 piece outlaw country and classic rock band (lead guitar and vocals, bass guitar, drum kit) doing small bar gigs and club gigs with about a hundred people or so. We dont like using traditional pa systems and want to get away from all that, yknow, mixers and monitors and all that gear. Ive got a really loud Fender Twin style amp, the bass player has a really great bass stack and the drummer has a great sounding drum kit, and we get a great mix with these 3 instruments and we play them wide open without a pa. All we are looking for is one great unit for vocals that is lpowerful enough to keep up with a 3 piece group for the crowds at the gigs we play. Some tool built in which would help to eliminate feedback would be wonderful and any other built in effects would be a great bonus. Are any of you guys playing in a similar setup as us? Thank you so much guys!

[herbie d]

Hi folks, Looking for suggestions here. Need a speaker or some unit to amplify vocals in a 3 piece outlaw country and classic rock band (lead guitar and vocals, bass guitar, drum kit) doing small bar gigs and club gigs with about a hundred people or so. We dont like using traditional pa systems and want to get away from all that, yknow, mixers and monitors and all that gear. Ive got a really loud Fender Twin style amp, the bass player has a really great bass stack and the drummer has a great sounding drum kit, and we get a great mix with these 3 instruments and we play them wide open without a pa. All we are looking for is one great unit for vocals that is lpowerful enough to keep up with a 3 piece group for the crowds at the gigs we play. Some tool built in which would help to eliminate feedback would be wonderful and any other built in effects would be a great bonus. Are any of you guys playing in a similar setup as us? Thank you so much guys!

Haaaaa!! A Guy who thinks outta the box like me! Your going to get ate alive.
Take a look at one of these...
http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=dm2
and one of these...
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GigRac1000st/

[soul-x]

To just get vocals above a wide open twin and bass stack, I would suggest at very least an appropriately powered pair of speakers in the general range of, say, a JBL SRX.

However, I can't imagine a decent-sounding stage monitoring system that will get loud enough without feedback to do what you wish on any stage typical to the 100 person capacity venues with which I am familiar.

You're asking a whole lot of the system.

[lifeloverwg]

Haaaaa!! A Guy who thinks outta the box like me! Your going to get ate alive.
Take a look at one of these...
http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=dm2
and one of these...
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GigRac1000st/

That's one idea,:wave: here's another.
http://yorkville.com/products.asp?type=29&cat=2&id=103

In the long run, I think you won't be satisfied with either, but what do I know.... What are you planning on for monitoring?

Winston

[herbie d]

Haaaaa!! A Guy who thinks outta the box like me! Your going to get ate alive.
Take a look at one of these...
http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=dm2
and one of these...
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GigRac1000st/

I do think if you built that cabinet, you'd have to use traditional Marshall tolex and grill cloth to give it the look, set the suit case mixer on top... It'd look like a half stack! Would be soooo cool.

[Coaster]

I suspect the OP is looking for something MOL the size, weight, ease of use, price, etc... of a Fender Passport system, but will actually kick clean, clear, vocals out @ 115+dB to the dancefloor with on-board FX that will make the vocals sound like Waylon, or punch the button and the vocals sound like Paul Thorn, Charlie Robinson, Jamey Johnson, Band of Heathens, Stone Coyotes, or Lucinda Williams.

My sister wanted a pony too.

appliance theory. this is happening more and more in my life.

" i cant hear my kazoo in the wedge"

that's because your standing in front of a 8 engine locomotive train just starting out

"what if we got louder wedges?"

i'm open to suggestions

"your the sound guy, make it work. ive got some srm450's, those are good":facepalm::facepalm::facepalm::facepalm::facepalm:

[chubbsdarcy]

Thanks...alright, I probably already sound like a dumbass, but Ive been thinking some (which can be dangerous sometimes). I like the theory of the new bose systems and the fishman poles. Seems to me the idea of the audience and the artist hearing the same thing from the same sound source would be ideal if there was a way to crank it and eq it to be clear enough without a lot of feedback. Just thinking outside the box. Basically, take the best of modern sound system and combine it with the best of the past....I guess I really want TWO ponies.

[agedhorse]

I think as soon as you really define the technical requirements to actually do the job, you will find that your hopeful approach might not work.

This is where being able to do the math might give you a good idea of where your wishes meet the reality of physics.

[witesol]

get 3 ponies two big ones for out front and one small pony for monitor. honestly there are reasons why some of the same ol setups work time and time again. you know i love a twin reverb, they sound great. but if you get them rockin they'll drown out even a drum kit and make it sound puny. tilt it back for christ's sake at least.
at this past namm show I mixed some Fender rock stars and phenom artists, one of which used two twin reverbs cranked. It was all I could do to get a vocal and and some drums above that sound with 5000 watts and tour grade speakers. I doubt the bose system will do it.. a couple decent speakers on a stick, little mixer and a reasonable power amp would probably work if you could control your stage volume a bit. it'd be less than the bose too

[twostone]

You sell cables too?

"Which direction should my guitar cable go to in-order to make it louder and sound better?"

:lol: :lol: Mark I just spewed my drink all over my my PC desk that's is definitely hilarious. I swear I've ran across guitarist that claim that if you don't use Monster cable you lose tone from your amp. :facepalm: To the OP what's more important to you loudness or sound quality. For me I went with sound quality. Kind like the debate I'm going thru with the singers mom who can't justify spending 400-500$ on a decent handheld wireless. When she using a cheap rat shack wireless at her church going thru a old PV powered box mixer with a pair of PR'15' on a stick with a congregation of 30-40 in her mind this is perfect set up. Let's just say by her standards were doomed to hell. Church's rat shack wireless vs bar band that plays R&R you all ready know the outcome. :facepalm: FWIW the singer gonna save up and buy a decent wireless. :thu:

[lifeloverwg]

I'm curious: Has anyone else here ran amp lines for a PA? If so... and if your memory is any better than mine, how did it work for you?

Thanks be to Goddess, NO!!!!

I have enough troubles with guitar amps, Winston.

[herbie d]

Thanks...alright, I probably already sound like a dumbass, but Ive been thinking some (which can be dangerous sometimes). I like the theory of the new bose systems and the fishman poles. Seems to me the idea of the audience and the artist hearing the same thing from the same sound source would be ideal if there was a way to crank it and eq it to be clear enough without a lot of feedback. Just thinking outside the box. Basically, take the best of modern sound system and combine it with the best of the past....I guess I really want TWO ponies.

One of the clubs I play, they have Blue Grass on a night during the week. We got into town a day early and went to hear the blue grass band, (I even got to stand in on one) they had one of those Bose Poles with some kind of sub, and it sounded great! I was impressed. But as one of the other guys said, I doubt it would hang with the Twin Reverb.
I was only half serious about the cabinet I was talking about. That thing is huge. But I do believe something along that line could work, but you would still need some kind of monitor. If it looked like a Marshall Cabinet that would be so cool.
In my home town there's a local band that uses that suit case mixer, like the one I posted, with some kind of full range cabinets on stands, (actually I think there PV cabinets) and it gets them by OK. Small, easy to set up, suit case sets by their drummer. Bling.

[stevie j]

Weren't Fender Twins and Vox AC30's originally designed for guitar and mic inputs and meant to be put at the front of the stage and used as a PA? Also, they're open backed so you can hear yourself.

That's why the knob labellings on the fender amps are 'backwards.

I'm not 100% on this but I've heard it a few times from reputable sources.

Of course, this was in the days when music was quieter and everything wasn't run wide open because guitarists wanted a clean sound

[Craigv]

Haaaaa!! A Guy who thinks outta the box like me! Your going to get ate alive.
Take a look at one of these...
http://www.speakerplans.com/index.php?id=dm2
and one of these...
http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/GigRac1000st/


If you expect to be "ate alive", maybe it's because you're slathering yourself with barbeque sauce. Thinking outside the box implies novel ideas, but there's nothing new here at all.

[xmlguy]

There's the new Marshall Vocal stack with built-in feedback terminator, due to be released after March 31st. It detects feedback before it occurs with its advanced temporal predictor DSP, allowing you to turn the amp all the way up to 11 without feedback.

[soul-x]

...due to be released after March 31st.

I'd suspect one day after, right?

[Craigv]

There's the new Marshall Vocal stack with built-in feedback terminator, due to be released after March 31st. It detects feedback before it occurs with its advanced temporal predictor DSP, allowing you to turn the amp all the way up to 11 without feedback.

Couldn't they just label the knob to 10, and make 10 just as loud?:confused:

[xmlguy]

Couldn't they just label the knob to 10, and make 10 just as loud?:confused:

These go to eleven. That's one louder, innit.

[xmlguy]

I'd suspect one day after, right?
Yes.

[Craigv]

These go to eleven. That's one louder, innit.

Mmm, there's a fine line between stupid and clever, eh?

[xmlguy]

Eventually they'll release one that goes to twelve, but for now, 11 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Up_to_eleven) is the best there is.

[xmlguy]

I would've suggested the Mackie SA1530z that AudioLines.com is selling as b-stock for $999, but that's inside the box.

[Coaster]

champs go to twelve.

[Bobby1Note]

Mmm, there's a fine line between stupid and clever, eh?

I resemble that remark! :p

Bob