Another battery amp question

[FinnDave]

Like quite a few people, I am currently only able to rehearse & gig with a band in the open air - where there is no power available. So far, I have been plugging into a small PA monitor, which works, but the sound is very thin. I have also tried using a portable power pack that supplies 240 AC from a small box of Li cells and my little Peavey 15 watt combo (worked, but the amp really wasn't powerful enough). I have arranged with the local PMT to try a Trace Elliot Elf through my small cab (Super Compact) with one of the battery investors we've been using.

Before I lay out the cash for yet more gear, does anyone have any experience  of using the Elf for this sort of thing, and does anyone have any better ideas?

[Silvia Bluejay]

Watch out for the battery delivering the correct voltage AND amperage to drive the Elf properly, and keep an eye on the cab's ohms.

@Happy Jack and I are having 'interesting' times trying to use the Hotone Thunder powered by a battery pack, connected to a variety of cabs, as described in this thread which is by no means complete. (More recordings to follow soon.)

Moral of the story, many battery packs, especially if small enough to fit on/under a pedalboard, aren't man enough, despite having the correct(-ish) specs on paper.

[machinehead]

What's a "battery investor"?   I might be able to help you but I'd need more information.  This week I was installing a solar powered battery and inverter system to an off-grid holiday home.  We just finished the job this afternoon in pissing rain. 

Frank.

[pete.young]

I think autocorrect got him, and it should have been 'battery inverter'.

I'm told that a PJB Double Four will run straight off a laptop battery, it's DC input so no need for an inverter. I never got around to trying it while I had one.

[FinnDave]

Thanks, Pete, it was an auto-correct that I didn't notice.

The packs we are using wouldn't fit under a pedal board, guitarist is using one to power a Marshall combo (can't remember the wattage) and I used one for my little Peavey combo which worked fine, just not loud enough for band work - I bought it to use solely as a home practice amp to save me having to plug up an amp and cab just to noodle around a couple of ideas. 

The PJB stuff looks like it is just what I need, but I need to keep the costs down - I will only buy the Elf if it works with a cab I already have, and it will the double up as a very portable back-up amp. I doubt that we will continue rehearsing and gigging in fields after another couple of months, but it is fun while it lasts!

[nikon F]

if using an inverter you'll probably need a pure sine wave inverter ,,,,,as opposed to a modified wave ,

then you need to know how much power it pulls ( how many watts ) then you should know if its going to be up to the job ,,,as an example ,ashdown told me their 30 watt(thats 30 watt output not how much it pulls ) little stubby pulls 300 w,,,,,so might need a fairly high output  inverter to make it work

[obbm]

19 hours ago, pete.young said:

I think autocorrect got him, and it should have been 'battery inverter'.

I'm told that a PJB Double Four will run straight off a laptop battery, it's DC input so no need for an inverter. I never got around to trying it while I had one.

Sadly the latest version of the double four is mains only. When I have time I'm going to take a look inside.😉

[FinnDave]

Well, Oxford PMT came up trumps and had the amp ready for me today, so I drove over with my Super Compact and Jazz Bass to give it a whirl. Sounded great, a lot of amp in a ridiculously small package. The my guitarist friend showed up with the battery inverter and we tried it with that as the power source.

The result was….

quite surprisingly….

it sounded just as good using that power source as it did when powered off the mains. Obviously, I paid up and brought it home. I have a feeling that either my Ashdown ABM 600 or more likely the Rootmaster 800 will make their way onto the for sale lists before too long.

Saturday will be the real test - playing through the Elf & SC at an outdoor gig, with no mains power. 

And the amp really does fit in my pocket! One less lump to schlepp across fields to these fly-gigging adventures (kind of like fly-tipping but considerably less harmful to the environment).

 

Edited August 7, 2020 by FinnDave