Thomas asks…
My almost teenage son is in a hard rock band and they are considering buying a PA system.?
My son’s rock band has performed small gigs and they would like to invest in a PA system. The band has four members, a vocalist, bass player, guitar player and drummer. What kind of equipment will they need for small to medium size venues? Are there any brands that are better than others? Any advice would be great.
financi4 answers:
Like Cat says. Most venues who has bands or performers on a regular basis has their own PA. There are two reasons for this. One is that a sound system which will cover the basics at even a small venue is extremely expensive (we are talking several thousands of dollars for the bare minimum).
Then, you have the sound quality. The house PA is set up and tuned to the venue and it is manned with people who knows the equipment. If you get a small time road band, or someone who is just starting out, coming in with a low cost PA, then the place is highly likely to be in trouble: Bad sound.
The only time your own PA is the way to go is when you play venues where there is no house PA and either A. You have the financial muscle to have the right tools, or B. It is a very small venue which really don’t require much more than bringing the levels of the vocals up (think along the lines of playing at a local coffee shop or for a small group at a school function).
Buying used is not a good idea at all. Since we are talking expensive stuff here, these things have usually been played to death and beyond. You will till need to shell out a substantial amount of money, plus go through the hassle of checking and testing each and every bit – every speaker, cable, connector, inside the mixer, effects, boxes, monitors… Trust me – used sound systems will fail and at the worst possible moments … Unless it is well kept, high quality (expensive) stuff which has been serviced professionally.
A proper sound reinforcement system consists of the speakers which the audience hears and sees. Then you have the amps – lot of watts. 1000 watts per side is very, very modest. It is quite common to have more than this per side just feeding the bass bins/speakers (in small venues).
Then there’s the monitoring. The fold-back/sound going back to the stage so that the players can actually hear what they’re doing. Some use in-ear monitors, but even if you go floor based wedges, you are looking at a lot of money just here. Each singer needs at least one monitor. The same goes for any keyboard player.
As is the case with the FOH (the audience system), the monitors needs power amps (in-ear very little). This is a separate power system from the FOH.
Then there’s a mixer which can handle the FOH mixing, plus deliver monitor mixes to the band. Unless you want the mixer on stage, you will need a multi cable plus a stage box. Small time party/wedding bands can do with an on-stage mixer, but it is not at all ideal in a venue. The guy at the mixer will need to hear the sound coming out in front as he/she balances the mix.
Then you have microphones. One decent vocal mike is something like a Shure Beta SM-58. Not too expensive. But then you need mikes for the drums (anywhere from three to four and upwards), a mike for the guitar cabinet etc. You will need a DI box for the bass, lots and lots of cables and what not. Effects… Stands…
As you can see, this is not a simple plug-and-play, low cost kind of affair. It is nice to have some sort of amplification for vocals and keyboards in a rehearsal situation. This is something which can be dealt with by going used and low cost. But a full live rig? Nah, I would advice you strongly away from it.
Here’s what you could do. Go to any small to medium venue and talk to the sound folks. Just buy him/her a beer and you should be good to go. Just ask what they have for FOH (front of house) and monitoring. When you add the cost of that material up, you will probably be in the ballpark of a small house.
Our small pub/cover band rig (we use house PA when ever possible), is not that expensive. But just the mixer would have set us back 10 grand new. I’d reckon our small rig is around 25 grand.
The best thing is likely to play venues where there is a PA, and then hire/borrow equipment in those rare instances where there are none.
There is another issue too. Who owns the PA? Since it is going to cost you, how will this be handled once the band brakes up (this is unfortunately not an if, but a when type of situation).
Do feel free to contact me through my avatar here at YA if you have any further questions. And just to make this clear – I think what you’re trying to accomplish is way cool and I wish you guys all the best 
Donald asks…
Which guitar would you rather have and why?
would you rather have a regular acoustic or an electric guitar and why did you choose what you did? also, where could you get it for a reasonable price?
financi4 answers:
Well I have both really.
I have a crappy Fender Strat, an acoustic spanish guitar my grandfather made, and an Epiphone signature series Chet Atkins (collectible) that plays either way. If I had the $$$ I’d get a Gibson Les Paul or a Jackson Kelly, but that’s just out of preference.
We are a guitar family, and what I can tell you from experience is that you don’t just pick out a pretty looking guitar. It has to feel right when you hold it, and it has to sound flawlessly when you play it. I’ve been offered expensive guitars at half-price and turned them down because they sounded like crap.
Another thing you need to consider when buying acoustic is the bridge. Look at it carefully and make sure it doesn’t look like a crappy block of wood attached to the body. You don’t want that thing to fall apart on you after purchase; they’re supposed to last. The body has to be built tough. So no weird cracks or gaps in the construction or else it’s crap.
For an electric, get something preferably with a Floyd Rose bridge, so you can adjust it from down there instead of at the tuning pegs. Too much tweaking there and you end up with many snapping strings. Sometimes it can’t be helped as instruments sound low in cold weather so you gotta tune higher. A guitar tuner is a necessity unless you are born with a musical ear, and this is rare.
Electric strings come in diff. Gauges and that affects sound too. Remember to replace those strings every so often ‘cuz they do get rusty and no good. They also grate your fingers as you begin learning- this can’t be helped. Developing calluses as a result is normal. Acoustic uses nylon strings so it’s a bit diff. You’ll need to invest in several guitar picks ‘cuz you break them or lose them easily.
Also, you can invest in a whammy bar or some distortion pedals optional- I got a decent Boss pedal for $35 when I bought my strat yrs ago. Always purchase from actual guitar players beause they know their s***; clerks know nothing. You’re really gonna have to go in person to a store and try out a couple until you realize what you’re comfortable with. And ask the guy behind the counter to try it out for you, he’ll know what’s good and won’t bs you.
Robert asks…
questions about violin?
I was just given a violin. I am trying to learn to play on my own.
I bought a box of black rosin.
1. The rosin seems hards as a rock and doesn’t want to rub off on the bow strings. Am I missing something here?
2. How do you put new strings on the bow? It looks like the little metal piece holding the strings on the end is glued on.
Help.. help.. I am a guitar player and this is all foreign to me.
financi4 answers:
Some teachers recommend that you scratch the rosin up so it goes on the bow faster. I don’t ever do that myself. I believe that applying rosin is some of the best bowing practice you can get. Hold the rosin out to where you would normally bow (approximately halfway between the bridge and fingerboard) and place your bow at the frog. (the little black box that your second and third fingers should be resting against) Gently pull the bow all the way to the tip, and then back to the frog, until the bow begins to pull at the rosin. The first time you do this, if your bow is brand new or hasn’t been used in a long time, it will take about 50 – 150 repetitions, but once the bow is primed it should only take five to ten courses at the most. If you scratch up the rosin, it may damage some of the cilia (tiny hairs that stick out of the main hairs) and create a dead spot in your bow. If you scrub (move back and forth in a small area) your bow you can also damage the cilia. Of course, if you touch the bow with your hands, the oil from your skin will eventually darken the hair and may create a dead spot as well. String players try to avoid dead spots at all costs because it usually involves an expensive bow re-hairing and no one wants to spend money on bow hair that they could otherwise spend on a nice book of solos or a music minus one CD.
Rosin is tree sap that has been filtered, caked, and put into some sort of a block to make it easier to get onto the bow. The same stuff that sticks to your clothes when you climb a tree, causes the tiny hairs or cilia, to stand out from the main hair, grab onto the string, and cause it to vibrate! If you take that same tree sap and bury it under thousands of tons of rock for a million years, it becomes amber – a precious stone! This is the same stuff they drilled into in Jurassic Park (By Michael Crichton) to get the DNA out of the insects trapped inside of it and recreate the prehistoric animals!
Now for the bow. In order to change the hair yourself, you would need a bow jig, a hank of hair from a Siberian Horse, pages, replacement Ferrules, and a lot of time to learn how to do the job properly. If you are not willing to invest the money to get these items, it would be better to take your violin to luthier or reputable music store and get it re-haired. This can cost anywhere from $16:00 online (plus shipping and handling) to hundreds of dollars for a specialized luthier to do the job with pristine bow hair and specialized techniques. If you get this done locally, it usually runs about thirty five dollars or more. Most music stores would rather sell you a new bow than get one re-haired. An inexpensive bow can cost you between 20 – 100 dollars and it is always wise to have at least two in the case if you are playing in front of people very often.
There are bows that are deliberately designed to allow the player to replace the hair themselves. There are also stores that will charge you less if you get the bow rehaired through your music teacher. There are even a few rare music teachers who own bow jigs and will occasionally (usually during breaks in instruction) take up the daunting task of attempting to rehair a few bows. I am not one of them yet. I have made a few repairs to inexpensive bows that were broken by careless students, and I do own a jig, but I have not yet gone full tilt and taken a class on rehairing. I would also have to buy a few more tools, some hanks of hair (usually 150 – 200 strands per hank) and the Ferules and blocks to hold the hair in. I am also primarily a guitarist, but I have been teaching string ensembles for a few years now and would rather attempt a repair than lose a student because the parents can’t afford to get the instrument or bow reconditioned.
Anyway, I hope this helps. If I failed to explain something clearly enough or you have more questions, give me a shout!
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