A coffee shop worth PA for under $500?

[jeffgowins3]

Dear all,
I am in a band. We used to rock the sampler for our drums but we have a live drummer. Our old PA was enough to bring guitars/keys/beats up to the level of my voice, but now the drums are eating our practice space up with their noisiness.

Also, we sometimes perform impromptu shows in small settings (basements, living rooms, coffee shops, parking lots).

We're looking for an amp good enough to practice with a LOUD live drummer and to fill small rooms of lax and unnatentive listeners.

Advice?

Links are appreciated.

-JG

[jeffgowins3]

Here's what I'm looking at so far (I know I've broken my $500 limit, but oh well):

2 Kustom 2x15 cabs ($200 each)
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=600820

1 Peavey Mixer (10 mic preamps!) ($300)
http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=631369

Do I need an amp?

[bz£]

Yes, you would need an amp with that. Those speakers are probably a lot more than you need, too. Also they are almost a hundred pounds each and probably won't fit in your car.

I'd try to buy something like this used if you can; you'll save a lot of money. For a new system, maybe something like this package which fits your budget and is probably enough power.

[jack]

you'll need something to drive the sound from the mixer to the cabs, so the short answer is yes.

i've got a yamaha 6 channel PA mixer combo that is a workhouse, rock solid. you might find one on ebay. i paid about $500 for it new about 6-7 years ago. it's 600 watts total, 200 watts for each channel, but you can drive 200 watts to each channel and have 200 watts for a stage monitor. it's a sweet unit.

[Sober]

Combo mixers work really well for non-permanent situations. Peavey and Yamaha make some good combos for cheap.

Getting separate mixers and amps will make expanding your setup easier in the long run. Peavey, Yamaha, and Mackie are all solid names for mixers. For an amp, Peavey and Crown are the best deal.

For speakers, Yamaha's club series are killer for the price. Especially for really small venues, I'd say a pair of their 10" speakers on speaker stands would do. For your setup you probably only need vocals amplified anyway. Peavey pr12's are great for the price, too.

If you need a monitor (which you probably won't), getting a powered one will make things easier. You could even use a small bass amp or something.

Depending on where you live, there may be a Brook Mays owned store in your area. They're going out of business and liquidating their inventory. Go poke around and see if you can find something.

Oh, and it's the singer's responsibility to pay for/haul most of this stuff. Pussy.

[jeffgowins3]

Oh, and I plan to pay for and haul all of it, as I am the singer.

As for loudness, we have two keyboards and a sampler in our rig, so we definitely need enough power to get those up along with my voice.

I'm pretty set on that mixer, though. It's incredulous.

The Yamaha Club series looks nice. I'm looking for something that'll last.

How about these?

http://www.musiciansfriend.com/product/ ... sku=601439

400W-800Wmax at 8 ohms. I've got a lot of amp options. Do I, optimally, want a 400W @ 8 ohms amp? More? Less?

[Dan-O from Five-O]

Bidding starts at a buck.

[ken]

If you can afford them, the Mackie or JBL powered speakers are great. Especially if you are already have a mixer. Get the stands as well.

Ken

[jack]

Bidding starts at a buck.

actually that EMX660 combo mixer is the one i have and it's killer. a fucking clydesdale.

it's been to burning man at least 3 times and it's still kicking.

[jeffgowins3]

Bidding starts at a buck.

Looks amazing but it's Rhode Island local pick-up only. I live in Ohio