small PA for jamming

[brybi]

Hey, I'm in a band that's just starting off and we need to get an inexpensive PA that allows our vocals to be heard over drums, bass and guitar. We talked to some guys over at Steve's Music and he says we can expect to spend over 800$ for a decent system, but all we need is something that can output enough volume so our singer can be heard. What's the best bang for buck at this level?

[Benee Wafers]

Why don't you rent for a month or 2 and see how it goes with the band.
Buying seems a bit premature at this stage.
I think, if I remeber correctly, you can rent a Fender Passport PA from Steves at about 140 - 180 bucks a month.
Benee Wafers

[SnowBlind]

I have the exact same situation as you. I was thinking of right before gigs to rent a vocal amp and mic.

[Hamm Guitars]

I bet you all spent more than $800.00 on your guitar rig, so what's wrong with a singer forking out $150 for an SM58 and $800.00 for something to sing through?

[RIFF WRATH]

Long & McQuades, where I shop, has a $200 4 channel 150 w Yorkville mixer PA
nice little starter unit.
You can get a mike that will get you started for under $100.00
their mike stands are around $30, and they're rugged.
until you can afford it, try getting by with sterio speaker(s) (watch the ohms)
Cheers

[Chito]

He quoted you with the right amount around $800-1K. You might want to look into Behringers. I know they are known for their unreliability ( altho I have not had any problems with Behringer products I own) but you might want to consider looking into them. We use a couple of Behringer monitors and have not had any problems with it. They have a 5-channel 180 watts powered mixer for $220.00 which should be plenty enough for rehearsals and if you just want the singer to be heard.

[Tarl]

Our band is looking for a new sound system for practice and small gigs too. Look on www.lamusic.ca and check ot the peavey powered speakers. I believe the 10 inch are $339 each and you can plug a mic directly in to them. Add a small passive board and its a nice little setup that will run at 270 watts. Peavey also makes 15 and 12 inch powered speakers in the range of $400 or so. A small passive mixer can be found new for $100 and up or used for even better prices.

[dwagar]

If you can deal with a big, heavy system, watch the Bargain Finder for some old gear.

When I was putting together our PA, I bought:
- an old Traynor 12 channel 220(?) watt board, $300
- 2 E130 Lansings, $200
- 2 Altec Horns, $140
- 2 old Axe-style PA cabs w/crossovers, about $50

Works just great. And we do run with 9 or 10 channels mic'd.

The drawback to the old PAs, they are big and heavy and hard to move around. The new systems are way more efficient and smaller. But (I may be wrong here) I think they require a lot more wattage to punch as much air.

[mirthvader]

Speakers are what is going to blow the budget. Mic $100. Inexpensive Powered Mixer $2-300 used. Speakers - Aye carumba. I started with a small mixer, a cheap amp and stereo speakers but they didn't last long.

[Rick Assenger]

I bet you all spent more than $800.00 on your guitar rig, so what's wrong with a singer forking out $150 for an SM58 and $800.00 for something to sing through?

#1 for Hamm Guitars' comment...I have thought this same thing for years.

Make sure that whatever you buy is easy to carry...high quality and compact is the best way to go IMO. Unless you are one of the priviledged few with roadies. Maybe I'm turning into an old boy, but I'm starting to get really tired of all the gear hauling.

cheers, and have a great day

[washburned]

Check out a site called Shavano Music for some good advice on PA systems.(And other band related stuff)

[washburned]

Found some inexpensive (cheap?) PA speakers on Tigerdirect.ca; two - way 15" cabs for about $150 CDN! Should be good enough for practice and the small gigs, and could become monitors later.