*Crate taxi series 15 or 30(!) watt

*Yamaha Amp can (No bottom end?)

*Electro Harmonix Freedom Amp

*Pignose hog30 (Really best for electric only?)

*Nobels Streetman SM-15

This amp will be for only one thing... Playing classical
and Renaissance music on a nylon string Guitar outdoors.
I need to be able to fight traffic and ocean noise. I am
aiming for transparency. I want it to sound just like my
guitar but louder.

(P.S. on the pickup end, I bought a K&K Double Helix, and
am for the first time, after owning four or five other pickups,
including contact mics, and under saddle transducers,
extremely pleased with the sound that I am getting from this
stick-on pair of transducers that go inside the guitar underneath
the position of the bridge)

I tried the Roland Microcube, because I was seduced by the effects.
Makes my electric sound awsome, but I was off track, as I really
want this amp for classical. For some reason, it causes a terrible
feedback loop with my guitar/pickup combination even at low volumes.
I should have known that two watts was not enough anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which of
these amps would suit my needs the best? Do I need
the 30W of the Crate (That would simplify things, as
it is the only one that comes close to that power)?

Thanks,

Tobiah

I don't know if you have the budget or will to carry 70 pounds but if
you need to run a mic, you might consider the fender passport PD 250
(actually, you can go lighter and cheaper with the PD150). I have a PD
250 and coming from a studio it sounds a little nasty but compared to
other small PA systems its not bad and considering you can run if off of
a car battery it sounds great.

i say one used in Guitar center for $450 which means you could probably
find one for about $300 if you look. They are worth every bit of that
though I myself did bad mouth the thing when I first got it. I ended up
using a small behringer mixer that is battery portable and has battery
powered phantom power as well and used some Oktava mics. doing that
probably didn't make anything sound better but I thought I was much
cooler doing it so I did ;-)

Sorry I can't recommend one of the amps you were looking at but I can
say Pignose would be fine for an electric but I would scratch it off the
list for a nylon.

Tobiah wrote:

*Crate taxi series 15 or 30(!) watt

*Yamaha Amp can (No bottom end?)

*Electro Harmonix Freedom Amp

*Pignose hog30 (Really best for electric only?)

*Nobels Streetman SM-15

This amp will be for only one thing... Playing classical
and Renaissance music on a nylon string Guitar outdoors.
I need to be able to fight traffic and ocean noise. I am
aiming for transparency. I want it to sound just like my
guitar but louder.

(P.S. on the pickup end, I bought a K&K Double Helix, and
am for the first time, after owning four or five other pickups,
including contact mics, and under saddle transducers,
extremely pleased with the sound that I am getting from this
stick-on pair of transducers that go inside the guitar underneath
the position of the bridge)

I tried the Roland Microcube, because I was seduced by the effects.
Makes my electric sound awsome, but I was off track, as I really
want this amp for classical. For some reason, it causes a terrible
feedback loop with my guitar/pickup combination even at low volumes.
I should have known that two watts was not enough anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which of
these amps would suit my needs the best? Do I need
the 30W of the Crate (That would simplify things, as
it is the only one that comes close to that power)?

Thanks,

Tobiah

The Cambridge SoundWorks Model 11A and 12 portable systems (which I think are
discontinued) could be powered by gel cells (which CSW sold) or a car battery
(lighter adapter included). The whole system fits into a relatively small case
that can be carried in one hand.

Tobiah,

A year ago I was totally blown away by the quality of the amplified violin
sound I witnessed on a street, so I walked around the performer several
times until I managed to read the label on her amp. It was AER Compact 60.
Here is the link: http://www.aer-amps.de/Sites_E/Produktseiten.htm

/Mikhail



"Tobiah" wrote in message
s.com...
*Crate taxi series 15 or 30(!) watt

*Yamaha Amp can (No bottom end?)

*Electro Harmonix Freedom Amp

*Pignose hog30 (Really best for electric only?)

*Nobels Streetman SM-15

This amp will be for only one thing... Playing classical
and Renaissance music on a nylon string Guitar outdoors.
I need to be able to fight traffic and ocean noise. I am
aiming for transparency. I want it to sound just like my
guitar but louder.

(P.S. on the pickup end, I bought a K&K Double Helix, and
am for the first time, after owning four or five other pickups,
including contact mics, and under saddle transducers,
extremely pleased with the sound that I am getting from this
stick-on pair of transducers that go inside the guitar underneath
the position of the bridge)

I tried the Roland Microcube, because I was seduced by the effects.
Makes my electric sound awsome, but I was off track, as I really
want this amp for classical. For some reason, it causes a terrible
feedback loop with my guitar/pickup combination even at low volumes.
I should have known that two watts was not enough anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which of
these amps would suit my needs the best? Do I need
the 30W of the Crate (That would simplify things, as
it is the only one that comes close to that power)?

Thanks,

Tobiah

I looked at this site with some curiosity. What, exactly, is an "acoustic"
amplifier? An amplifier intended for acoustic instruments? Once they're
amplified, they're no longer acoustic.

A year ago I was totally blown away by the quality of the amplified violin
sound I witnessed on a street, so I walked around the performer several
times until I managed to read the label on her amp. It was AER Compact 60.
Here is the link: http://www.aer-amps.de/Sites_E/Produktseiten.htm

Tobiah wrote:
*Crate taxi series 15 or 30(!) watt

*Yamaha Amp can (No bottom end?)

*Electro Harmonix Freedom Amp

*Pignose hog30 (Really best for electric only?)

*Nobels Streetman SM-15
Does anyone have any suggestions as to which of
these amps would suit my needs the best? Do I need
the 30W of the Crate (That would simplify things, as
it is the only one that comes close to that power)?


I have the Crate "Limousine", the next model up from the Taxi. It seems to me
that it has 50 watts. But it's a great-sounding amp and works very well as
advertised. It's lousy for electric bass (although I have used it for that on
occasion), but my nylon-string guitar sounds fine through it.

It's one of the best amps I ever bought. The battery lasts about 8 hours (!)
when it's working, although I never push it very hard. It has a microphone
channel which has a flat response unlike the guitar channel.

"William Sommerwerck" wrote in message
...
I looked at this site with some curiosity. What, exactly, is an "acoustic"
amplifier? An amplifier intended for acoustic instruments?

Yes, I think that's exactly what it means. And technically speaking I think
the main differences compared to most of the guitar amps are that these
"acoustic" amps have much wider frequency range, usually use 2-way speakers,
and do not use distortion as sound effect, i.e. they are designed to sound
transparent. I had to learn all of this while trying to find an amp for my
daughter's violin... We tried many guitar amps until I understood that there
had to be something different for acoustic instruments

/Mikhail

"Tobiah" wrote in message s.com...
*Crate taxi series 15 or 30(!) watt

*Yamaha Amp can (No bottom end?)

*Electro Harmonix Freedom Amp

*Pignose hog30 (Really best for electric only?)

*Nobels Streetman SM-15

This amp will be for only one thing... Playing classical
and Renaissance music on a nylon string Guitar outdoors.
I need to be able to fight traffic and ocean noise. I am
aiming for transparency. I want it to sound just like my
guitar but louder.

(P.S. on the pickup end, I bought a K&K Double Helix, and
am for the first time, after owning four or five other pickups,
including contact mics, and under saddle transducers,
extremely pleased with the sound that I am getting from this
stick-on pair of transducers that go inside the guitar underneath
the position of the bridge)

I tried the Roland Microcube, because I was seduced by the effects.
Makes my electric sound awsome, but I was off track, as I really
want this amp for classical. For some reason, it causes a terrible
feedback loop with my guitar/pickup combination even at low volumes.
I should have known that two watts was not enough anyway.

Does anyone have any suggestions as to which of
these amps would suit my needs the best? Do I need
the 30W of the Crate (That would simplify things, as
it is the only one that comes close to that power)?

Thanks,

Tobiah

Anchor Audio also has battery-powered units that might do.
http://www.anchoraudio.com/products.lasso

William Sommerwerck wrote:

The Cambridge SoundWorks Model 11A and 12 portable systems (which I think are
discontinued) could be powered by gel cells (which CSW sold) or a car battery
(lighter adapter included). The whole system fits into a relatively small case
that can be carried in one hand.

Cute, but not anywhere near enough output capability for the intended use.

MM wrote:

Tobiah,

A year ago I was totally blown away by the quality of the amplified violin
sound I witnessed on a street, so I walked around the performer several
times until I managed to read the label on her amp. It was AER Compact 60.
Here is the link: http://www.aer-amps.de/Sites_E/Produktseiten.htm

If the Compact Mobile sounds even 1.4 as good as their mains powered amplifiers, it's gonna positively smoke any portable amp I've heard.

AER makes neautiful stuff...

The Cambridge SoundWorks Model 11A and 12 portable systems (which I think are
discontinued) could be powered by gel cells (which CSW sold) or a car battery
(lighter adapter included). The whole system fits into a relatively small
case
that can be carried in one hand.

Cute, but not anywhere near enough output capability for the intended use.

Point taken, but how loud is a busker supposed to be?

The Freedom Amp is pretty loud without going into distortion, and lasts
about 4 hours on a charge. No special effects or anything but it sounds pretty
good and has enough power to compete with drums. Takes an unusual 18v 1 amp
wall wart to recharge though, and you can't play it while it's recharging. The
all natural wood finish looks nice too, like a little piece of furniture.

Haven't used it with a nylon string, but not a bad tone with my mandolin or
ESP Strat. If you have a chance to try one out it's worth a listen.

Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Off the Morning Show! & sleepin' In... / Fox News
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

If it were me, I would DIY something with a couple good 8" full range
drivers and a chip amp run from a marine battery. But I checked out
the link below and it's very similar in concept. A 'guitar' amp is a
bad idea IMO; what's needed is a small PA rig.

-Greg B

A year ago I was totally blown away by the quality of the amplified violin
sound I witnessed on a street, so I walked around the performer several
times until I managed to read the label on her amp. It was AER Compact 60.
Here is the link: http://www.aer-amps.de/Sites_E/Produktseiten.htm

/Mikhail

WillStG wrote:

The Freedom Amp is pretty loud without going into distortion, and lasts
about 4 hours on a charge. No special effects or anything but it sounds pretty
good and has enough power to compete with drums. Takes an unusual 18v 1 amp
wall wart to recharge though

I think I have a few 18VDC wallwarts (maybe 1.5A?) around here if anyone needs one. Leftovers from Ascend Pipeline routers.

Tobiah wrote:

This amp will be for only one thing... Playing classical
and Renaissance music on a nylon string Guitar outdoors.
I need to be able to fight traffic and ocean noise. I am
aiming for transparency. I want it to sound just like my
guitar but louder.

Played an AER Compact 60 last night, Maccaferri-style guitar w/Big Tone
transducer in the bridge. Sounded just like an acoustic guitar, but
louder. 18 pounds of carry-on size amp. Never heard anything like it in
such a package. I want one. Apparently they make several models, some
battery powered.

--
ha

William Sommerwerck wrote:

I looked at this site with some curiosity. What, exactly, is an "acoustic"
amplifier? An amplifier intended for acoustic instruments? Once they're
amplified, they're no longer acoustic.

I just used an AER last night. The deal is fidelity; it sounded like the
acoustic guitar being played, only louder. No hum, no hiss, no
distortion - just guitar. Terrific little amp. Powerful way beyond its
size and weight. Not cheap, but not boutique money, either.

--
ha

hank alrich wrote:

Tobiah wrote:


This amp will be for only one thing... Playing classical
and Renaissance music on a nylon string Guitar outdoors.
I need to be able to fight traffic and ocean noise. I am
aiming for transparency. I want it to sound just like my
guitar but louder.


Played an AER Compact 60 last night, Maccaferri-style guitar w/Big Tone
transducer in the bridge. Sounded just like an acoustic guitar, but
louder. 18 pounds of carry-on size amp. Never heard anything like it in
such a package. I want one.


They really are good sounding boxes, and beautifully built.

I don't even play guitar and I want one ;

My experience with the Freedom Amp was that it put out a lot of hiss
at high gain settings, as though its preamp gain were absurdly high. A
Strat would drive the hell out of it at even low settings. Was this
typical or did I just have to deal with a bad one-maybe the wrong
resistors in the feedback loop of an op amp? I didn't have the chance
to try sorting it out.

Kurt Albershardt

WillStG wrote:

The Freedom Amp is pretty loud without going into distortion, and lasts
about 4 hours on a charge. No special effects or anything but it sounds
pretty
good and has enough power to compete with drums. Takes an unusual 18v 1 amp
wall wart to recharge though

I think I have a few 18VDC wallwarts (maybe 1.5A?) around here if anyone
needs one. Leftovers from Ascend Pipeline routers.

BTW thanks for the offer Kurt. I was thinking of taking you up on it, but
then I found one along with about 30 power strip/surge protectors dumpster
diving at CompUSA... g


Will Miho
NY Music & TV Audio Guy
Off the Morning Show! & sleepin' In... / Fox News
"The large print giveth and the small print taketh away..." Tom Waits

WillStG wrote:

Kurt Albershardt

WillStG wrote:


The Freedom Amp is pretty loud without going into distortion, and lasts
about 4 hours on a charge. No special effects or anything but it sounds
pretty good and has enough power to compete with drums. Takes an unusual
18v 1 amp wall wart to recharge though


I think I have a few 18VDC wallwarts (maybe 1.5A?) around here if anyone
needs one. Leftovers from Ascend Pipeline routers.


BTW thanks for the offer Kurt.

You're most welcome (as is anyone else who needs one.) I just can't bring myself to throw out a perfectly working generally useful bit of technology g




I was thinking of taking you up on it, but then I found
one along with about 30 power strip/surge protectors dumpster
diving at CompUSA... g

Man, I miss the dumpsters in 1970's Hollywood...

On Sat, 17 Jul 2004 23:44:08 -0700, Kurt Albershardt
wrote:

Man, I miss the dumpsters in 1970's Hollywood...

I miss the movies from 1970's Hollywood. Tough times make
great art, or something.

Chris Hornbeck

"Chris Hornbeck" wrote in message
...
I miss the movies from 1970's Hollywood. Tough times make
great art, or something.

It's more like a major tax loophole for doctors and lawyers is what made
those 1970's movies and producers.

--
Bob Olhsson Audio Mastery, Nashville TN
Mastering, Audio for Picture, Mix Evaluation and Quality Control
Over 40 years making people sound better than they ever imagined!
615.385.8051 http://www.hyperback.com

Bob Olhsson wrote:

"Chris Hornbeck" wrote in message
...

I miss the movies from 1970's Hollywood. Tough times make
great art, or something.


It's more like a major tax loophole for doctors and lawyers is what made
those 1970's movies and producers.

I never thought of checking the doctors' or lawyers' dumpsters!

Kurt Albershardt wrote:

I never thought of checking the doctors' or lawyers' dumpsters!

I knew a guy in college who amassed a large collection of psychoactive
drugs from doctors' dumpsters. He did not stay in college, however.
--scott
--
"C'est un Nagra. C'est suisse, et tres, tres precis."

On 18 Jul 2004 21:08:40 -0400, (Scott Dorsey) wrote:

I knew a guy in college who amassed a large collection of psychoactive
drugs from doctors' dumpsters. He did not stay in college, however.

Somebody take notes for me. I'll be right back.

Chris Hornbeck