This is an old post. We have a COMPLETE list of the most popular busking amps, as voted for by buskers:
Click here to see it.
“This time, it’s personal.”
Ok fine. So we left a few things out in our last Best Busker Amps post. We put a few things on there that probably won’t work for anyone performing more than a few feet from home. Does that mean we’re lazy?
Well, yeah. I guess it does.
We certainly didn’t mean to forget about jugglers, dancers or illusionists looking for good amplification. Part of the reason we only talk about a few of these at a time—aside from the lazy thing—is that we’d like this whole tools-of-the-trade thing to be a kind of conversation. If you like something, say so. If you don’t, let us know what’s not worth buying!
What follows is a list of a few amplifiers we left off the first list (thanks again to everyone for the suggestions). Think of it like our first few amendments on our amperage constitution.
5. Crate Taxi
Price: $170(ish)
Batteries: Rechargeable
Size: 14”x11”x12”
Weight: 20 lbs.
Power: 15 watts
Buy it: if you’re lucky? (no longer in stock)
Let’s start with the little guy.
If you like the look and feel of the Roland Cube but aren’t quite ready to part with the cash (or you like being a little outside the mainstream), the Crate TX15, nicknamed the “Taxi,” might be the way to go. It’s got a simple plastic casing that’s angled for maximum projection, and the inside features one custom-designed 8” woofer and a small tweeter. Even with such a low power supply, they work surprisingly well together.
The panel is built with very few frills—just volume and four EQ knobs across two channels—but enough that you can shift the tone every once in a while. You certainly won’t get any Princess Diaries-style “holy-shit-is-that-really-the-same-girl” changes, but it should be fine to take you from smooth jazz to rock & roll without much trouble.
Much like a real taxi, this amp is cheap, efficient and good in a pinch. However, it’s also disappearing from the streets about as quickly. Crate put a halt on U.S. production of these last year, so be sure to poke around local music stores if you’d like one!
Note: We found ours at a small guitar shop called Rayburn’s near Boston’s Berklee College of Music, and they had about three more in stock. Anyone in the area who’s looking might want to check them out first.
Other Note: This thing is just as yellow as it looks. Watch out for bees.
4. Traynor TVM50
Price: $279.00
Batteries: Single rechargeable unit
Size: 13.0 x 19.6 x 13.5
Weight: 31 lbs.
Power: 50 watts
Buy it on ebay: UK
This one really couldn’t be simpler. You’ve got two channels—one XLR and the other 1/4”—with an easy 4-band EQ on the second. As far as we could tell, the casing is pretty solid for whatever plastic-wood hybrid it’s made from, and the metal grille holds up splendidly to punches and roundhouse kicks…I mean it looks like it would. From the picture…
Though you could certainly use it as a straight PA system in small areas, the Traynor should be of special interest to electric guitar players. Even at low volumes, it’ll give off warm, crunchy tones that are hard to come by with tube-free, solid state machines like this one.
It’s part of Traynor’s DynaGain series, which they’ve come up with to bring the classic sound of tube amplification to cheaper, more transportable machines. The TVM50 employs three-stage dynamic tube emulation circuitry,* so that you won’t actually have to overload the circuits to get a nice nasty, overdriven tone.
You should feel free to do so if you’d like, but be sure to keep your battery life in mind. On a full charge, this should give you about 8-10 hours of playing time, depending how high you’ve got it cranked.
Also, due to phenomena beyond our understanding, if you buy two of these and angle them right at the front of your pitch, you’re about 76% more likely to look as if you know what you’re doing. It’s science.
Get a decent crowd going, and jumping off one like a diving board into their arms is almost a requirement.
*I don’t know what that means
3. Roland BA-330
Price: $599.00
Batteries: 8 AA batteries
Size: 26”x18”x18”
Weight: 42 lbs.
Power: 30 watts
Buy it on Amazon: USA, UK, CAN, GER
Look, there’s no getting around it: this thing is ugly.
It’s got no real shape or style to it, it’s heavy, and you’re more likely to see it at Pastor Dave’s church basement concert than on any serious performer’s pitch. However, there’s a reason that the BA-330’s become so popular at picnics, block parties and bars.
It’s loud, clear and covers an unbelievable sonic range. Whether you’ve got an iPod or an electric drum kit plugged into the back—we tried both—the four custom-designed, six-and-a-half-inch speakers really go to work. Bass notes shake the floor, and high melodies come out above them like they’re being sung straight into your ear.
The back panel features six channels, an equalizer and special anti-feedback control (designed to crush that awful squeal you often get at outdoor shows). For dancers, jugglers and anyone who mixes backing tracks with live voices and instruments, you won’t find a more versatile machine for the money.
Oh, and it runs on AA batteries, so start knocking those out of your TV remotes and alarm clocks now.
2. AER Compact mobile
Price: $1,799.00
Batteries: Rechargeable
Size: 13”x13”x11”
Weight: 19 lbs.
Power: 60 watts
Buy it on Amazon: USA, CAN, GER (XL), UK, EU
Anyone else think that AER amplifiers look like big comfy pillows? I’m not sure whether it’s the fluffy grille cover or the soft, soothing acoustic tones they give off, but something about the sight of one has always kind of made me want to snuggle with it.
Now that you know that, we can talk about what AER (Audio Electric Research) has done differently for the Compact Mobile. Like all AER machines, it’s an amp built primarily for acoustic guitar players who know exactly what they want out of their sound. (And have lots and lots of money.)
Although the control panel might look relatively simple, it works like a supercomputer. Even subtle twists of the knob will bring about immeasurable changes in your tone. Get acquainted with it, and this machine should allow for deep, heavy backing music and soaring leads within a few seconds of one another.
Whatever you do, the broad-spectrum loudspeaker system that it’s built with guarantees that all sound comes out clear and distortion-free. Even when you’re pushing the 60 watts of power—and they go far—this amp will do what any good acoustic system should, and let you forget it’s even there at all.
1. Fender Passport Venue
Price: $999.99
Batteries: Rechargeable
Size: 11”x29”x33”
Weight: Around 50 lbs.
Power: 600 watts
At a whopping 600 watts, this absolute behemoth should appeal to a certain kind of performer. You know who we mean.
This is for the guy who buys an 80” plasma screen TV for his kitchen. It’s for the girl who has two closets just for shoes. When their teachers asked for a four-page essay, future owners of the Passport Venue wrote twelve, single-spaced with charts and an annotated bibliography.
This is quite simply the most complex, over-the-top amplification system available untethered to AC power. However, for large parties and especially rowdy crowds, there’s really nothing that’ll cover as much ground. It’s also not quite as intimidating as you’d think.
The middle console’s control panel, while it might look like something off a 1974 spaceship’s dashboard, only seems crowded because of the thirteen dedicated inputs that are available to users. The speakers are as loud as you’d expect them to be, although distortion does become a problem at high volumes if you haven’t got the levels just right.
Especially useful is a USB-driven recording feature, which allows you to capture anything that’s coming out of the speakers and play it back on loop. Even if you don’t have the time to mess with things like that, it seems like a great way to get polished, professional sounding live recordings. Doesn’t that sound better than having your buddy record the whole thing on his iPhone?
The only real problem we can foresee here is a lack of fullness on the bottom end. Of course, that’s to be expected with two speakers that sit up high and cover 13 channels. Luckily, Fender saw it coming, and also offer a PS-512 powered subwoofer to fill out the sound.
Oh, and it’s about as easy to carry as any large suitcase you’ve ever owned.
In Closing:
These are all great pieces of gear, and with enough tweaking you should be able to make them work for you in just about any situation. However, I’m assuming you can’t buy them all.*
So if you’re looking for straight volume, the Fender Passport or BA-330 are for you. Guitar players should turn to the AER or Traynor depending on how dirty you’d like the tone, and the Crate Taxi is a good play for travelling performers who don’t want to spend a ton.
Let us know what you think!
*If you can, skip out on one or two and throw a little something our way instead, will you?
