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Looking for suggestions for a small PA

BluesForDan

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Aug 31, 2002
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I'm thinking about a small PA, to make it possible to sing over an amplified electric guitar, for my 10' x 10' music room. It doesn't have to have a lot of power, and the smaller the better. I have plenty of mics to choose from.

I was thinking about a Crate Power Block, I have a small mixer with phantom power but I don't really have a speaker cabinet. would the crate be clean enough? what would be a good speaker cab to use for PA?

Money is very limited, I'm really not contemplating one of those carry-all Fender PA. But I welcome your thoughts, as there may be options I'm not aware of.

thanks in advance.
 

les strat

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Aug 22, 2004
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I don't know if it is in your budget, but a couple JBL powered speakers and a small board sounds mighty nice. It's what we practice through (vocals and kick only).
 

hutman777

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Jun 15, 2006
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1 of the best music buys that i have made was a power-mixer head... mines a old peavey with reverb..ive had it 15yr.s bought used , that thing has started 6 bands an 100's of jams .. tape deck an cd player always plug in 4 listening to jams in the music room ...as far as speakers go i've used anythang from crates to jbl .. right now ive got old shure 8=10's an they sound pretty damn good , ive good 280bucks in it , do have five 57's tho
 

mmcquain

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Sep 21, 2005
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The Crate PowerBlock may be clean enough. Experiment with running the mixer's output directly into the line input on the back of the Crate. This bypasses the preamp (and controls like Gain, etc.) and may yield cleaner results.

PowerBlock_Back.jpg


I have a Behringer 10-channel amp/mixer combo (looks like those small Peavey units from the '80's - about the size of a Marshall head). It has phantom power, etc. and can handle up to 9 mics or instruments (channel 10 is line-level input only). It is probably overkill for your needs (and I know that Behringer gets a bad rap) but it was cheap off of eBay and is perfect for those times when you need something but can't justify a full mixer, power amps, etc.

PMH2000.jpg
 

hutman777

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Jun 15, 2006
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thinkin back for a year i was using monitors that we used for playin out .. double-duty ... think the fuckin bass
player still gottem .. gt to track him down
 

Strings

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Aug 21, 2006
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Have not been here for a while but had to chime in on the Peavy suggestion. Find one used (may take a while) with the spring reverb. Great small room PA head. I've used a few. All were warm and clear. Easy to get good tone.:applaude
 

professor

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Jul 22, 2001
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I have the JBL EONs. Most times, all we do is take out two powered 10s and a small mixer, for band gigs. Speakers mounted on poles slightly behind us, don't need monitors or anything.

For a more intimate gig, 1 powered 10 i8s really all you need.
 

BluesForDan

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I have the JBL EONs. Most times, all we do is take out two powered 10s and a small mixer, for band gigs. Speakers mounted on poles slightly behind us, don't need monitors or anything.

For a more intimate gig, 1 powered 10 i8s really all you need.

thanks, Dave, that may just be the ticket. I've already found one on ebay that I'm going to watch.
 

treatmanc

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Aug 2, 2003
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Get 2 jbl eon 15G2s,a mackie 6-8 channel mixer make sure its a Vlz pro type,and 2 stands and you got a powerhouse Pa with great sound quality there.Thats my setup-I ahd a large pa and this sounds so much better.
 

BluesForDan

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I've got the mackie covered. The 15 G2s look nice, may be more than I need, but, you know, if pigs start flying and I actually gig for money...:wail
 

Guitar_Mc

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May 7, 2006
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For a 10'x10' room, for practice...
Run your mic into an extra guitar amp. Set it clean.

I've been running my mic into a Laney LC15 with a 10" speaker. Works just fine for practice. I just set the amp real clean.
 

pepejara

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Sep 6, 2003
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I use my small music room for recording (mic) and for practicing with the singer of my band (my wife, hahaha)...I have bought a pair of behringer truth 2030A (active) monitors- They are intended for monitoring the recordings, but I use them also with a small mixer to amplify the voice, with very good results. The advice for the 2030A monitors came from a buddy of mine that have a recording studio and told me they were indeed good value for the money (I am aware of Berhinger stuff :wah). They have a crossover, and 75 watts, plenty of power for me in this small room.
 

rob13v

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May 19, 2007
Messages
63
I use a 500w Kustom PA that I got for a steal at the GC. Don't know how much you're willing to spend, but you could do like I do & rent it out on the days you're not using it.
 
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