harmonicanick
2272 posts
Jul 19, 2015
10:03 AM
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For guitar and vocals so 2 inputs..
Many thanks
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Kingley
3896 posts
Jul 19, 2015
11:02 AM
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Of amps that are made today so therefore readily available. Then a Roland Street is probably the best option.
Of amps made in bygone times. Then the Lectrolab Mouse is probably the best.
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harmonicanick
2274 posts
Jul 19, 2015
2:26 PM
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Thanks
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2chops
407 posts
Jul 19, 2015
2:32 PM
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I lime the micro. But for your needs the Street Cube would be the way to go.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
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kudzurunner
5569 posts
Jul 19, 2015
3:22 PM
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The MaxiMouse had two inputs, so it's the go-to amp if you need that. You can still find them occasionally on eBay.
There's one right now, in fact:
http://www.ebay.com/itm/like/181118435285?lpid=82&chn=ps
It will almost certainly need new batteries. You can find them on line for about $15 each. (You need two.) You'll need to solder them in, but it's a ten-minute operation, max. I've done it ten times since purchasing mine in the early 90s. The batteries are good for a couple of years, but eventually, after many, many discharges and recharges, they just wear out. The amp makes a low complaining sound, like an old hound dog about to die.
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Harp Study
113 posts
Jul 19, 2015
6:55 PM
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I have a roland micro cube that I like a lot, but it only has one input. I actually bought a 4 channel mixer that I use to input multiple instruments, but it still isn't as nice as the separate inputs because the amp affects are applied to all of my channels, but I get by with it just fine.
I should mention: that even though I have the gear to buck I haven't got up the guts to go out and do some actual busking yet. However I find the micro cube to be an excellent practice amp. I get a lot of play time on one charge of batteries and love the tones I can get.
I've heard good things about the vox mini which does have two inputs; but I've never tried one.
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Harmonicatunes
72 posts
Jul 19, 2015
7:43 PM
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I have a home made busking rig. Details at harmonicatunes.com/busking-harmonica/
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Tony Eyers
Australia
www.HarmonicaAcademy.com
everyone plays...
Last Edited by Harmonicatunes on Jul 20, 2015 4:27 PM
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Gipsy
164 posts
Jul 19, 2015
11:56 PM
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Check out the new Roland Street Cube EX. Battery or mains. Mic chanel with separate EQ and reverb. Instrument chanel with amp models ( less than on previous model ), EQ, and effects including reverb and delay. 2 eight inch woofers and 2 two inch tweeters, full stereo sound if needed. Variable power output of up to 50 watts, with corresponding better battery life.
Finally it's got Roland's ilink facility. Using a 4 pole connecting cable you can play your iOS backing tracks through the unit, and simultaneously record the whole thing using for example Garage Band on your iPhone.
If I sound like I'm placing an advert for Roland then many apologies, but I'm actually in process of ordering one.
I'll post my findings in a coupe of weeks when I've played with it for a while.
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BronzeWailer
1740 posts
Jul 20, 2015
3:07 AM
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I have been using a Roland BA-330 for about four years now, busking and gigging. It is more power than you need for busking but handles harp/guitar or harp/vox very nicely. Can also plug in i-pod/i-phone etc. if you want.
My then busking partner said I needed something with enough grunt for gigging and he was right. It works just nicely in a pub situation as well. My guitar man uses a smaller Roland, more portable and plenty noisy enough. Batteries (I use rechargeable) mean you can go anywhere.
I haven't tried any other amps (except the pignose which I sometimes use) but am happy with the Roland.
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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KingoBad
1652 posts
Jul 20, 2015
6:03 AM
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I love my street cube, but that BA-330 looks very nice!
I'd much rather be overpowered and need to turn it down, than underpowered and have no place to go…
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Danny
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BronzeWailer
1741 posts
Jul 20, 2015
3:33 PM
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@ Danny
I don't think I've ever turned it up much past halfway.
Sometimes I run into people I know and they say they could hear us two or three blocks away.
We were at a busking festival and the poor buggers who were playing acoustic didn't stand a chance.
You don't take a knife to a gun fight...
BronzeWailer's YouTube
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SuperBee
2739 posts
Jul 21, 2015
2:55 PM
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I think the rolands are the standard now. I have an old mouse, and really its nothing special. Back in the day it was great because it was rechargeable and had good power and 8" speaker, but mine at least sounds a bit rugged with the mic. The pignose could be applied carefully....i alsays think its asking for trouble to get too loud in the street....but these days i think the Roland amps are clearly better than that old stuff ever was. For me, the only things my mouse has that i like are that its rechargeable and i own it. Recharge is a mixed blessing though, if there is nowhere to plug in when you need to recharge its not like you can just carry extra batteries
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2chops
409 posts
Jul 21, 2015
3:41 PM
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@Bee...that's what's cool about the Cube line up. The micro will get 16-20 hours on 6 AA batteries. The Street & Street EX only take 8 and the spec says around 16 hours if I remember correctly. Si if you do think you'll need more than 20 hours of power time, AA's can be carried in your pocket. And they all rock. I was looking at the Street for a while now. But I might end up with the EX. Can't go wrong either way. I like the idea of having the 50 watts available with the Street EX.
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I'm workin on it. I'm workin on it.
Last Edited by 2chops on Jul 21, 2015 3:44 PM
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Martin
841 posts
Jul 23, 2015
11:49 AM
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If you look for a clip from me (think I named it "Some blues") from a few days ago you can get an impression of a Roland Micro Cube in a busking situation -- harmonica and guitar plugged in (harmonica w/ dirty sound).
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A440
414 posts
Jul 23, 2015
1:21 PM
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@harmonicanick - Check out the Vox Mini 3.
It's a nice amp, and has the two inputs you want.
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Rontana
146 posts
Jul 24, 2015
9:37 AM
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I recall seeing some discussion on the ZT Lunchbox amps a while back, but am curious if anyone has used them for busking.
The few times I've played out (this was my pre-harp days . . . playing cigar box guitar at festivals, leading some workshops, etc) I used a Crate TX-30. I found it to be fantastic, but for some reason Crate discontinued the model. Still kicking myself that I sold it.
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Marr's Guitars
Over a decade's experience designing, building & playing Cigar Box Guitars
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Gipsy
165 posts
Jul 24, 2015
1:56 PM
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I've got a lunch box acoustic. It's a lovely bit of kit, but not without its drawbacks. I can't accurately describe what's happening, but it's just electrically noisy. There's a background hum, which isn't present on my VHT special 6 or my Roland street cube. I've tried a gang which was specifically advertised to help combat mains hum, but no improvement. I'm sorry I can't be more precise about the issue.
It's a big enough issue for me to have decided to sell it on.
The Roland Street Cube does the same job, runs on batteries, and is a pleasure to play through.
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jbone
1989 posts
Jul 25, 2015
4:15 PM
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I keep it way simple for busking. NO amp!
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http://www.reverbnation.com/jawboneandjolene
https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100000386839482
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qbTwvU-EN1Q
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