Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

[beaubrummels]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

They still make tube PAs. They're just one channel and the guitar player is usually using it.

 

[DankStar]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

get one of these jer

https://reverb.com/item/1325283-mod...ramentz-n-o-s-vintage-military-1986-beige-mic

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

Because the very smallest PA I bring when I'm mixing... the crappy bar gig PA... is around 10,000 watts. I don't wanna carry around... or maintain... 10,000 watts worth of tube stuff.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

10K watts for a bar gig?! Let's just assume a three way speaker system with 1000 watts x2 bass bins x2 500 watts for mids plus x2 150 watts for horns... that's 3300 watts. A generous 5 monitor mixes at 500 watts...another 2500...that's still only 5800 watts and hella loud even at half chat. Just what the heck do you need all that power for? AC/DC wouldn't need 10K to play a bar gig.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

10K watts for a bar gig?! Let's just assume a three way speaker system with 1000 watts x2 bass bins x2 500 watts for mids plus x2 150 watts for horns... that's 3300 watts. A generous 5 monitor mixes at 500 watts...another 2500...that's still only 5800 watts and hella loud even at half chat. Just what the heck do you need all that power for? AC/DC wouldn't need 10K to play a bar gig.

Because that's what is in the racks. I don't actually need all that power for the bar show, but I also do bigger things with the same rig.

I do need more power than you're suggesting for bass boxes... I never fly with fewer than four boxes.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

Just out of curiosity what are you running for bins?

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

Just out of curiosity what are you running for bins?

EV dual 18s. They're old... these boxes remember the Clinton administration... but they're still great. However a friend whom I frequently mix shows for just acquired an EV line array with three single 18s per side that buries what I have. I haven't mixed on that rig yet as I am doing a string of playing jobs at the moment. I'm trying to get out of sound production and back into playing, but it's hard. Sound production pays better...

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

Speakers last a good while if not abused. There's a club in town when my old band used to play that actually had a real PA, lights and stage. 4 dual 18 EV's there too...about as old...wouldn't be surprised if they aren't the same bins. They were literally the front of the stage...most of the monitor wedges sat on top of them. Lord the serious low end we could wrangle out of that system. Kick drum sounded soooo good.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

Speakers last a good while if not abused. There's a club in town when my old band used to play that actually had a real PA, lights and stage. 4 dual 18 EV's there too...about as old...wouldn't be surprised if they aren't the same bins. They were literally the front of the stage...most of the monitor wedges sat on top of them. Lord the serious low end we could wrangle out of that system. Kick drum sounded soooo good.

I occasionally do house sound that has the bass boxes down along the front. When I've played there in the past I'd always go out and stand on them when soloing. I'm not a ham or anything... :fingersx:

 

[GoldenVulture]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

10K watts for a bar gig?! Let's just assume a three way speaker system with 1000 watts x2 bass bins x2 500 watts for mids plus x2 150 watts for horns... that's 3300 watts. A generous 5 monitor mixes at 500 watts...another 2500...that's still only 5800 watts and hella loud even at half chat. Just what the heck do you need all that power for? AC/DC wouldn't need 10K to play a bar gig.

Ha! but they probably did. Back in the late 70's and early 80's , the sound systems down under were on average 6k>8k watts. I knew one guy that used a 10k watts system just for foldback [ he was a bit nuts. FOH was 8K ]. Men At Work used 10k > 12k watts systems. Don't know what the angels used but they used to be too loud for pubs/bars. AC/DC were probably in this area. + 10k watts.

 

[SlyFoxx]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

In my old band we bi-amped the mains. 800/500 x2 and ran 4 monitor mixes 500 x4 for a total of 4600. But we didn't usually play too loud so we always had a lot of headroom.

 

[2ndhandband]

Re: Why don't they make Tube PA's anymore?

In my old band we bi-amped the mains. 800/500 x2 and ran 4 monitor mixes 500 x4 for a total of 4600. But we didn't usually play too loud so we always had a lot of headroom.

Of course you bi-amped... running full-range ought to be a penitentiary offence.

If you're in danger of running out of headroom you don't have enough gear with you. Period.

Around the turn of the century I was in an original metal band that over a period of about five years had reached a point at which we were playing cover band rooms for cover band prices... I'll be the first to tell you that it had as much to do with our outrageous live show as it did with our music. But we had it in our contract: we bring a big ass PA and run it as hot as it'll go. We turn down when we get arrested, not before! Don't like it, don't hire us...