Looking for info on Pignose amps or other battery powered amps for steet gigs

[AJ Love]

I'm going to get back into playing guitar on the street/busking etc

I really only like the original Made in the USA Pignose amps... does anyone know of any for sale somewhere from a reputable shop (there is one on Ebay right now but the guy has zero feedback)

Any other amps out there that I don't know about that are like a Pignose (specifically the same size as a Pignose) but NOT Made in China? (call it a character defect, I just don't want to use Made in China amps)

I have an old Peavey amp that takes D batteries that gets surprisingly good sound, the problem with that amp is two-fold: it is a little big (I prefer being able to have an amp the size of a Pignose that I can put in my backpack, I'll be taking the bus in Madison & Chicago and that level of portability is huge), and that Peavey burns up batteries too quick, I don't make $$$ fast enough to justify the battery costs!

[ce24]

Roland street cube is very good...have one and the batteries last a long time.....separate mic input w/FX. it's an all in one package.

[bossking7]

Originally Posted by ce24

Roland street cube is very good...have one and the batteries last a long time.....separate mic input w/FX. it's an all in one package.

Yes!! +1

[krisls]

Street cube here too, great little thing. That and the little Vox, DA5 I think, are the ones most seen here busking with their people.

Kristina

[Robster]

Vox Da5, 5 watts on 6 C cell batteries, quite loud and several amp model choices plus effects.

[TeleAnon]

NOT the Roland Micro Cube.

I can't speak for the others. Roland Micro Cube won't get the job done.

[MN Punk]

The Pignose is a 1-trick pony, but it's still a pretty good trick if you like blues.

The VOX DA series is not completely terrible. I've got the DA-10 and I like it slightly better than the Roland portables.

But honestly for busking your best bet is an acoustic guitar. A lot of cities (including mine) won't let street musicians use amplification. And if you're playing coffee houses there's usually someplace to plug in anyway.

[jh45gun]

Vox DA series not sure about the others but the DA 5 has a built in mic input too which surprisingly is not that bad just volume but it works well. Of course it is high impedance but an adapter for low impedance mics can be had for about 15 dollars.

[simonc]

If you want something thats made in the USA, then you could go for some sort of a battery hooked up to a zvex nano...?

[AJ Love]

Thanks for the responses, I appreciate it a lot

yes the Pignose is a one-trick pony, but I'm playing traditional Blues so that one trick is just the ticket

One of the most important thing about about the Pignose is it will fit into my backpack.... that is a very important aspect of my particular situation.....

I guess I was wondering if there was something new, and Made in the USA, about the same size as the Pignose. Wishful thinking I 'spose

Both Madison & Chicago allow street musicians to be amplified. In Chicago you need to purchase a yearly permit

[jipp]

well here is my take on this. i love these battery operated amps.

I see you are concern about the usa made pignoses. but trust me. the man loves his amp and he sources all the parts from the same place. reason all pignoses sound virtually the same. hell i email him asking if i could buy a volume pot cause i thought that was the issue with a used one i bought, owner said was working in ebay add.

anyhow, i get a email from the owner him self saying he is sending one in the mail ( free, nice note etc_). stop by my shop anytime etc. and the amp was made in the 90s. i own a tweed pignose too. they both sound the same. again. he is tight on quality control only sourcing parts from one source. where ever they are bolted together dose not really matter for tone or reliability.

i own a micro cube. love it, but the speaker farts on the low notes. so im building a bigger box for which will make it sound kick ****. 8" 4ohm speaker,3/4" pine. and still run for ever on 6 double A's.

however, if i had to do it all over again and i would of known of the roland street i would of bought that.

the roland street aint gonna fit in your bag. if you are sure the pignose is the your tone. buy a new one. it will sound the same as the old ones.

good luck.
chris.

i cant speak for the vox, but i can say the marshal battery amp than runs on C's battery sounds bad. compared to the roland series.

also, iv notice the pignoses do not like humbuckers to much. they love single coils. or maybe all my buckers are just to hot.

if it was me and you wanted to play the blues on the street with volume. get one of them metal type. they are the blues and loud as hell. iv heard some great players on the street using them. i forget what they are called when the body is metal with a wood neck. then you could use the pignose for vocals? dunno if it can, never tried.


sorry to drag this on. but do not pay more than `120.00 for the usa model. iv seen them go for around 100.00 and that is for the one made in cali, not sure which since i guess he had two spots in cali.. and one is more desirable than the other.. ( collectors are nuts ) etc.

[MrTwang]

You could find a suitable speaker and plug a Smokey into it.

[AJ Love]

Originally Posted by jipp

well here is my take on this. i love these battery operated amps.

I see you are concern about the usa made pignoses. but trust me. the man loves his amp and he sources all the parts from the same place. reason all pignoses sound virtually the same. .

Thanks for your response. I've played both the vintage USA ones and the newer ones and I can hear a difference in the ones from the 70's....not a huge difference but it is there...the older ones seem more durable too, which is an issue playing out on the street

[jipp]

Originally Posted by AJ Love

Thanks for your response. I've played both the vintage USA ones and the newer ones and I can hear a difference in the ones from the 70's....not a huge difference but it is there...the older ones seem more durable too, which is an issue playing out on the street

thats cool. i tried to help. good luck :)

could it be the older ones speakers are just broke in compared to the new ones? just asking.
chris.

[jipp]

i guess you should just ask the man him self.

here is his contact:
pignoses email.
hchatt@aol.com
adress it to: Howard

he will know the answer.
chris.

[Radspin]

I LOVE my Vox DA-5. I've used it for many outdoor gigs with my band...drums, electric bass, electric guitar (me), acoustic guitar/banjo. We don't like to play loud but still, the Vox can handle playing with the band, outside. You can get MANY different sounds out of it. The only criticism I have is that after a couple of years of using it on a few dozen gigs, the AC adapter connector on the back panel broke. However, it still works on batteries. It's also great for open mic nights--you can set up in a minute with a guitar, amp and cord without even needing to find an AC outlet.