uncle fester Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 Hi Folks - I'm playing an SG through a blues jr. I use a bose S1 for vocals (that I got for acoustic use), but the blues jr gets much louder quick and drowns out the vocals through the bose. Does anyone have recommendations on decent PAs to pair with the blues jr (I don't need to fill a stadium, just keep up with the blues jr). Very much appreciate any input. fwiw - this is for kitchen table / campfire use - but i aspire to get a gig. (inside thought ' ...old fart learning to play looking to put on an electric gig - yeah that'll be fun.') Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jdgm Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 These days many bands use powered speakers and a very small mixer, rather than mixer>power amp> speakers. We do it this way; the powered speakers are 12" which is ok for vocals and harmonica over the drumkit. I wouldn't go smaller than 12". Previously we did it the other way with a power amp and bigger (15") speakers. And it got too loud! These days speakers are so efficient that they have very high wattage ratings - 250w per speaker is very low, most are 600w or much more. LOTS of stuff out there - including a Bose system I think, with which you might be able to use your current Bose speaker. If you want to go 2nd hand there are huge bargains to be had if you keep your eyes open....for instance churches regularly sell off their old p.a gear at a good price. Good luck 🎸 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 (edited) A lot of times the guitar volume is driven by the drummer playing an acoustic set with heavy hands, in this case if the precisionist can control his enthusiasm and play softer, then you can turn your amp down a bit. If not, you may have him look at a set of V-Drums with a volume control so he can continue playing hard..... Unless your band doesn't use a drummer. Adding in some powered cabs with 2-12" speakers or a 15" with a horn would be the minimum I would invest in. Its not about how loud they can go, its about sound quality at lower levels and bring down the instruments volume if playing in smaller venues.. Make your amp aim closer to your head, they are very directional you may be playing louder than you think. Put it on top of some crates so you can hear it better... Afterthought note: If your PA is in a kitchen with lots of hard surfaces, try moving the speakers as far away as possible and not aimed at the mics so you can get more volume out of them with less feedback. Edited November 7, 2019 by mihcmac 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Twang Gang Posted November 6, 2019 Share Posted November 6, 2019 You must be playing pretty loud if a Blues Jr. is drowning out a Bose system in your kitchen. The Bose you have is very good - just turn down the guitar you should get along fine with that. But if you must get more I agree with the others above. My band uses powered speakers and a mixing board. We have electronic drums so that volume is easily controlled - everything goes through the mixer and then is sent to the powered speakers adjusted for volume depending on the venue. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uncle fester Posted November 7, 2019 Author Share Posted November 7, 2019 (edited) Thank you all - good food for thought. Looks like a small mixer and some powered speakers will be the way to go. I do use the bose S1 itself with the electric guitar and a distortion pedal and mic for vocals into it's second input - and probably should keep at it with that - but I have the blues jr, which has a 'cool' factor to me, and really trying to keep it in the mix. Probably should just follow ease of use. Feedback is a problem through the mic (shure sm 58) into the bose, which does keep me from turning it all the way up. I'll try changing the direction of the speakers etc... and see if that helps. I'm in my office mostly - carpeted floor. yes - i'm playing too loud for the room (if I had an audience) but these are times when no ones around and I'm just to get used to volume (and pretend i'm a rock n roll star) Play on... Edited November 7, 2019 by billroy Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MichaelT Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 We use powered fronts as well these days but we're a full band and play small to medium sized venues. JBL EON 615 x 2 http://www.jblpro.com/www/products/portable-market/eon600-series/eon615#.XcQt_JVYaUk JBL EON 618s https://www.jblpro.com/www/products/portable-market/eon600-series/eon618s#.XcQuYZVYaUk We have a 24 channel board, 3 snakes to go from drums, left stage, right stage to board. Our monitors (for now) are unpowered and we run our power amps to the 4 monitors. We like our powered speakers but have backups, just in case. However, you can also plug an XLR cable directly into a Mackie Thump 15" and get way louder than your amp for vocals. https://mackie.com/products/thump-powered-loudspeakers We used that for our practice PA for a while until we bought the other equipment. At 1000 watts, it worked just fine. Volume knob is on the powered amp/speaker combo. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mihcmac Posted November 7, 2019 Share Posted November 7, 2019 (edited) 7 hours ago, billroy said: Thank you all - good food for thought. Looks like a small mixer and some powered speakers will be the way to go. I do use the bose S1 itself with the electric guitar and a distortion pedal and mic for vocals into it's second input - and probably should keep at it with that - but I have the blues jr, which has a 'cool' factor to me, and really trying to keep it in the mix. Probably should just follow ease of use. Feedback is a problem through the mic (shure sm 58) into the bose, which does keep me from turning it all the way up. I'll try changing the direction of the speakers etc... and see if that helps. I'm in my office mostly - carpeted floor. yes - i'm playing too loud for the room (if I had an audience) but these are times when no ones around and I'm just to get used to volume (and pretend i'm a rock n roll star) Play on... A PA system in a small room cam be very difficult to setup so mic's don't feedback. Requiring constant experimentation to get as much volume as possible out of the the mics. Rooms with lots of hard surfaces reflect the sound waves and can even amplify them, causing even more feedback. Placement of the PA cabinets and mics is critical, you could try placing the cabinets in a doorway leading into the room to get more separation from the mics. Even placing the cabinets next to each other in one location or stacking them may help. Experimentation is key to get max vocal volume.. Enjoy... Edited November 7, 2019 by mihcmac Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Larsongs Posted November 8, 2019 Share Posted November 8, 2019 (edited) Sounds like you're playing too loud for the Room. Regardless of Gear.. In many Instances Guitars & Instruments tend to drown out Vocalists... Poor Dynamics.. It would be beneficial to learn good Dynamics with the Gear you have. As you evolve to larger venues upgrade to a Mixer & some Powered Neo Dymium PA Speakers. Still, using good Dynamics in relationship to the Room. Otherwise with your new Gear, as Venues get bigger, playing without good Dynamics you'll still think you need better Gear... Edited November 8, 2019 by Larsongs Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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