For almost 10 years, I’ve been playing in a variety of situations where I needed to be self-powered: on the street, in the subway, on mountains, on the beach, in forested fields.
Here’s what I’ve tried.
1 Amp per person
Crate Taxi
Crate Taxi’s are good. They have the hookup for a CD player or iPod. For acoustic guitar, I always found the sound a little digital and trebly.
Crate Limo
So, I switched to a bass amp. The best was the Crate Limo. But those aren’t being manufactured any more. Also, it’s a pain to switch the battery out. I would still be using this Crate Limo, but until recently I had not found a cheap way to get a new battery. The Crate Limo sounds great for an acoustic guitar. It’s not perfect but about a close as I have found. Please note I have not tried the Roland Battery-powered PAs.
Roland Bass Micro cube
I switched to the Bass Micro Cube at a point when I didn’t have access my Crate Taxi. I did try going back to the Taxi but the installed battery had seen better days. The bass micro cube sounds better than Taxi but the Limo sounds better.
Fishman EQ Preamp
At some point earlier this year, I added the Fishman pre-amp because one of my musician friends said that the Micro Cube sounded like a cheap amp at a restaurant gig. The Preamp has an XLR output and an FX loop. This allowed me to run my acoustic guitar to the preamp, through the FX loop to a reverb pedal (TC electronics, very good stereo digital) and then out to powered speaker. This has been my current preferred setup for acoustic guitar when there’s a power-source.
Then I started using the Preamp with the MicroCube. The Preamp has a battery-power option. The preamp adds richness to the Cube and has been my go to setup until I found rechargeable 9 volt batteries.
Rechargeable Batteries
AA/AAA
I use AA rechargeable batteries, bought on Amazon. I use the the AA/AAA recharging system. I use a higher-quality, more expensive charger. The cheaper ones work fine, too, but this one may recharge better.
9 Volt
REcently, Amazon started selling rechargeable 9 volts. The jury is still out. I have only used them for 2 weeks but they probably will save me money after about a month. A good, normal 9 volt costs about $5, these cost $9. So after about 2 cycles of use, I break even.
Also, remember that rechargeable and non-rechargeable batteries have different discharging charactertics. This means that your battery-powered equipment will start sounding bad at some point, even if it’s still “on”. I just bring extra batteries and switch them out, so I have better sound. Bad sound due to low power will start to sound brittle and digital.
Battery-powered Mixer
I bought the Behringer Battery-Powered Mixer. It has 1/4″ outputs to a PA. When I am playing duets with viola on the street, we now run a guitar cable from the PA to each of the AUX inputs on the back of the Bass Micro Cubes. I use the TC electric Reverb pedal in the FX loop. It sounds pretty great and is definitely a step up from the amp per person method.
The FX loop is mono in but then stereo out. That’s not ideal. I would prefer stereo-in and stereo-out, but I don’t notice too big a difference.
The preamps on the Mixer work well. The viola sounds much better. And I stopped using the Fishman Preamp. The difference without the preamp is small, though I will probably start using it again when I have more rechargeable batteries.
It takes 3 9V and it seems I need to switch the batteries probably every 4 hours for optimal sound. Playing with a mixer is the best for small groups. Stereo amplification really improves the sound. I believe listeners really appreciate the step up in sound quality.
Reverb pedal
The TC pedal runs on a 9V battery as well. I haven’t tried other pedals but the TC pedal is great, sounds great and is rugged. It sounds great for high-quality digital reverb. I like the sound for acoustic viola and guitar.
I’ve run 3 channels throught the reverb pedal and it sounds pretty clean. 2 channels sounds great, though I do have to play around with tone and EQ to get the sound I want.
Part one, conclusion
I would recommend anyone serious about good sound in an environment that doesn’t include power outlet to consider the following setup. The battery-powered PA.
- Battery-powered mixer ($100)
- 2 battery-powered amps ($560 = 2x$280)
- Battery-powered reverb unit ($140)
- Rechargeable batteries 8 9v batteries, 16 AA batteries, battery charger ($150)
This current setup would cost about $950, assuming you have 2 extra guitar cables for the speakers and 3 short cables for the FX loop.
If you are playing as a trio, it would be almost the same price to create this PA system, than to buy 3 battery-powered amps ($840 for 3 bass microcubes + $60 for batteries and charger). If you were a duo, 2 bass microcubes would cost $560 +$50 for batteries/charger . So it would cost about about $350 more for the FX pedal, mixer and extra batteries.
Depending on the musical situations you found yourself in, the battery-powered PA might pay for itself within 2-8 performances, relative to other battery-powered options.
I highly recommend it to anyone who wants to an almost concert-level sound. You can bring this setup to smaller special events, such as weddings. You also can use an iPod and/microphone for speeches, singing, background music and DJing while you aren’t playing.
The other option at this level is to just buy one of the Roland Battery Powered PAs. I have no experience with these. Mackie has a new battery-powered PA, as well. I have no experience with these, either.
I “grew” my set-up over time. I believe the setup I recommend is at least equivalent, if not better than a all-in-one system. It’s an actual miniature, battery-powered PA system. The Roland all-in-one PA, is sort of a hybrid and may not be as easily scale-able, nor modular.
Using a Generator
I have experience using the Honda EU1000 gas-powered generator to power a normal PA system. It sounds top notch (assuming you have a good PA). The cost is $1200, plus the cost of the PA. If you already have a PA, buying a generator may be a good option if you want portability. I’ve had a about a year of experience using a generator, and the it definitely paid-off. We went from small-sounding battery-powered amps to concert-level sound. It improve both the listeners’ and musicians’ experience.
Keep in mind that a gas-powered generator, even a quiet one, still creates background noise. And it may not be allowed to be used in many places, such as Santa Monica, due to emissions. You need to make sure you place the generator in a well-ventilated area so no one breathes the fumes from the exhaust.
Using a Marine or Car Battery
Using a Deep-Cycle Boat battery is another good option. You need an inverter, a battery and a charger. New, this will probably cost about $800-900. You may want a second battery as backup, in case you need more juice. I don’t have much experience with this. I do not have any specific recommendations. A couple of friends use the a car battery or boat battery with good results. I have played on a system with a deep-ccle marine battery. It sounded great, though very heavy.
The Marine battery option is probably better than the generator. Both assume that you have a good PA.
You should also check if you can use a large battery in the location you plan to play. Some locations frown upon certain larger batteries.