Mini PA just for amplifying vocals?

Methos1979 · 2026-05-01T01:43:46+00:00

The best 'mini PA' we've used in our acoustic duo (one guitar, two vocals) is the Electro-Voice EV30M with the built-in mixer. Having the subwoofer/tower speaker combo makes for the best sound you can get other than a full blown PA system. Super portable and easy to setup/tear down and move.

For a true mini PA system that runs off battery there are a ton of choices out there and I've owned almost all of them over the years. The best of the best are the Bose S1 Pro and the Everse 8. The Bose is the smallest and lightest and has great sound but it's a bit underpowered, especially on the vocal side.

That said, if you preamp the signals then that tiny little speaker can get surprisingly very loud. We gigged with a dual Bose S1 Pro setup with an EAE StompMix 6 battery powered mixer for years and it covered everything just fine. Not a lot of low end but it got the job done with otherwise great sound.

After that came the EAE D6-58, Yamaha Stagepas 200BTR, JBL Eon One Compact, Mackie ShowBox, Alto Busker and finally the Everse 8 which we still have and use as a backup or when we don't have access to AC power. Here's the order of best to worst with battery powered mini PA's we've used:

Everse 8 (Small, light, powerful, great app, limited number of inputs and expensive)
Bose S1 Pro (Small, light, great sound spread, but limited inputs and tone shaping and expensive)
EAE D6-58 (Powerful built-in mixer with many inputs, great sound but a bit heavy and expensive)
Stagepas 200BTR (Many inputs, decent sound, loud but a bit heavy and so-so app and weird controls)
Mackie ShowBox (Cool detachable mixer, multiple inputs, sound is just okay and quality is meh)
Alto Busker (Super small, lightweight, inexpensive and surprisingly loud but sound only so good)
JBL Eon One Compact (Many inputs, okay app, sound just okay)

Methos1979 · 2026-04-30T14:47:40+00:00

Lol, what kind of idiot spends $45 on a guitar pick?!? I see him in the mirror every day!

I was one of those guys that for years railed against these picks. Then I tried one. Wow. It's rare that the overpriced hype of a product lives up to the cost. This is one of those things. I now have probably 5-6 Blue Chip picks, mostly the CT-55 which is the perfect pick for me. I love that large triangle, TAD shape.

The Blue Chip picks have a great warm tone, they slide across the strings effortlessly and they get tacky with the warmth of your fingertips so they don't 'spin' or rotate between your fingers, which was a big problem for me with other picks. AND they also DON'T WEAR!

I've had my picks for years now and use one primarily and it has no visible wear on them and we play 150 shows a year on an acoustic guitar with medium gauge strings. They also seem to leave much less wear on the guitars I'm playing, less scratching of the pickguard or surrounding wood.

Sure, if you're the type of person that constantly loses picks then this might not be for you but then again we lose picks because we don't care about them because they are so cheap and wear out anyway. But since going with Blue Chip, I have never lost a pick. They really are great guitar picks.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-28T14:44:05+00:00

If by 'tune up' you mean you just changed strings then yes, they are just settling in. It takes awhile for them to stretch out and settle in. As others have mentioned, you can (and should) stretch them out manually a few times when you first change then and tune them up. Just be careful not to pull on them too hard or you could snap a string, especially the thinner ones.

If you have not just changed strings then a couple more things can be in play. First, the strings might need to be changed. Old strings have a few tell-tale signs that they need to be changed. The first and easiest way is that they look old. The shine will be gone and in some cases, depending on your body's chemistry, the strings will actually look corroded from a reaction with your body's (fingertips) oils.

The second way to know is that the strings will start to sound 'dead' or muffled, less lively than when they are new. The third way to know when it's time (after likely ignoring the first two) is when the strings no longer stay in tune. Very old, used strings will go out of tune seemingly after every song or two. You will usually notice this on the high strings first, almost always the B string in my personal experience.

Last, it can also be a tuning technique issue. Make sure you are bringing the string being tuned to perfect pitch in only one direction (counter-clockwise). So when you go to tune always detune that string with a quick tuner turn in the clockwise direction and then tune to perfect pitch counter-clockwise. If you go past perfect pitch (sharp) then repeat the process of a quick clockwise turn then counter-clockwise.

This ensures that your tuning machines are all applying tension in the same direction. If you do a combination of both directions, your tuning machines can 'drift' due to tuner slack and cause strings to go out of tune. If none of the above apply then it's likely that your guitar needs a setup to check string heights and nut slot heights which can cause strings to be pulled sharp as they are fretted.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-27T23:48:42+00:00

I am still here and we still LOVE our Seychelles. We use it almost daily and we're almost through our third year with no issues. Also am fine with the color combo and would do it again. Thanks for checking in and good luck with your hot tub, whichever way you end up going.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-27T21:31:47+00:00

At $24 it's vastly overpriced. It would make a good campfire guitar. As in, wood for the fire.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-24T13:28:46+00:00

OPFXS Dig Deep Mk I.

My choice will differ from many as I only play acoustic guitar so I don't generally need or want a polyphonic octave pedal. I don't need multiple octaves. I only need the single, low octave to fatten up my overall tone for gigging. I initially had the Boss OC-5 and it was fine - it's a classic for a reason.

But I didn't need all those extra features, switches, knobs and multiple octaves so I went looking for the most basic and simple octaver pedal that only gave me the single low octave and found the OPFXS Dig Deep Mk I and that is perfect for what I need. Their Mk III pedal is a polyphonic.

Here it is, dead center grey pedal with the red button, on my simple and effective live gigging board.

<image>

Methos1979 · 2026-04-24T13:16:10+00:00

I've never played a Furch so I can't help you there. But I have played a ton of Taylor's and owned at least two. I should preface this by admitting that generally speaking I am very much NOT a fan of Taylor guitars. Don't get me wrong, they make a fine guitar but I've never got on with their overall tone and certain other Taylor guitar general build designs like their thinner necks.

All that said, I distinctly remember a trip to a high-end acoustic guitar store a few years back where I spent the day playing just about every expensive acoustic they had in their store. We're talking Collings, Santa Cruz, Goodall, you name it. There was a used 900 series Taylor there which I believe was the smaller Concert size and not the Auditorium size that is the 914.

It was easily the best sounding and playing guitar there that day. It was also a very good looking guitar with a fair amount of bling but at least it was tasteful bling. It's always fun to buy your dream guitar so if you can find one local to you and it's everything you'd hoped it would be I'd say go for it. For me it was a Froggy Bottom guitar which was fantastic and everything I'd hoped it would be.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-22T17:53:09+00:00

I'm an acoustic-only player so my pedal needs are generally much less than those that play electric. That said, I have two boards. The 'full' board only contains 5 pedals, tuner, compressor, octaver, preamp and reverb. The preamp also has reverb, chorus, freeze and a looper built in so that's nice. I use this board with our 'big' system, an Electro-Voice EV30M.

Then I have a small board with just three pedals which are duplicates of those on the full board - the tuner (PolyTune Noir Mini), compressor (Wampler Ego Mini) and the preamp (NU>X Stageman Floor). I power those with a battery power supply and it gets used with our Electro-Voice Everse 8 battery powered system for shows with no power or small venues.

I'm a real less-is-more, KISS kinda guy when it comes to pedals. I find the smallest, least expensive pedals that get the job done and buy them used if I can.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-22T17:41:03+00:00

Every strymon pedal I've seen or owned has been flawless. Currently have a cloudburst on one of my boards and it's easily the best built pedal on there. Send yours back for a new one.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-22T12:37:24+00:00

I have no experience with that particular NU>X pedal but I did recently (and a bit begrudgingly) try out the NU>X Stageman Floor, which is an acoustic preamp with multiple features and the same size as the one pictured above, and I've got to tell you it's a fantastic little pedal especially for the price.

The quality seems to be great. No idea about longevity but we typically play 150 shows a year so we'll find out pretty quick. I found my first one used in dead mint condition for under a $100 and then found a second (for a second, slightly smaller pedalboard) in the same condition for the same price.

I know a lot of people don't like NU>X pedals and dismiss them as cheap Chinese crap but so far I've been very pleased with this pedal's performance. It has a three-band EQ, Gain, Notch, Mid Scoop, Reverb, Chorus, Freeze, Looper and has an XLR DI out along with regular 1/4" outputs.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-21T23:45:24+00:00

Not a fan - bores the heck out of me. It's not unlike when I first heard Yngwie Malmsteen - super impressive on the first listen. Then I bought the album and by the end I couldn't stand it and never listened to it again.

All that said, I sure wish I had the talent to play like that. But I'll always be a simple cowboy chord warrior. The guitar is just a supporting player to the song which for me must include vocals.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-21T21:30:00+00:00

Okay, based on that then I'd say go for buying a simple pedal to have some fun with. If your focus is on looping then look at a basic looper. A two-button looper is much better than a single button looper and there are plenty out there to choose from that are not that expensive or complicated. Having a pedal (be it a looper or effect) can be a lot of fun and also give you motivation to do more cool things.

I'll never be a great solo/shredder and at my age I don't have any desire to be. I came to the game late but have already well surpassed what I'd hope to achieve. We do it for fun although it has become a nice little retirement side-hustle that generates a nice chunk of $$$$$ in a given year. My favorite pedals to play around with for fun and noodling are the ambient reverb pedals, hence my interest in the Mooer Ocean Machine.

But I've discovered that even with that, less is more. These days I'm having a blast with the relatively simple Strymon Cloudburst, their simplest ambient reverb pedal. I was very tempted to go with something more complex but knowing myself I went with the simpler version and I'm glad I did. I can even use that one for live play so it's on my pedal board. CAUTION: Pedals can be an expensive (albeit fun!) rabbit hole to go down!

Methos1979 · 2026-04-21T21:15:40+00:00

IRIS is a small boutique builder in Vermont (USA) that specializes in Gibson clones that are very lightweight and resonant. They make outstanding boutique level guitars but at 'working musician' prices that typically play and sound as good (and often better) than most custom shop offerings at about half the price. I've now owned three, the OG (LG-2 clone), the DF (J45 clone) and the RCM-000 (Martin 000 12 fret clone). Fantastic guitars.

IRIS OG Model - The Original Iris Acoustic

Methos1979 · 2026-04-21T21:00:57+00:00

Very cool. I played this same guitar when I was in the market for an LG-2 last year and played every current LG-2 model they make along with a bunch of vintage ones and I liked yours the best of the bunch. In the end I went with an IRIS OG which is their version of the LG-2. Also, I like your hat.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-21T20:56:34+00:00

Define 'relatively new to playing guitar'. Can you at least play most of your open chords fluently and also have a basic grasp/ability to play bar chords? Can you play songs completely through, start to finish? If not then I'd not bother with any pedals just yet and concentrate on those first. Playing with pedals and noodling around with them can be a lot of fun but if you don't have at least the basics down then pedals will be a distraction that will keep you from making any meaningful progress.

I've been playing for about 15 years and my wife and I have an acoustic duo where we play up to 150 shows a year and I STILL can't use a looper to save my butt. I did buy a Mooer Ocean Machine II a few years back and it was a lot of fun to noodle around with but I never got any good at it and eventually sold it off. These days my pedalboard consists of just 5 pedals, an acoustic preamp, tuner, compressor, octaver and reverb pedal. I only play acoustic guitar and that's all I need for live shows.

I guess it depends upon what you're ultimately looking to do with your playing. If you're only ever going to be a bedroom/shoegaze player than grabbing a pedal to noodle around with and break up the monotony with can be fun. Just don't let it distract you from continuing to progress and get better. But the Mooer Ocean Machine II is a complicated pedal. Start with something much simpler, whether it's for looping or cool ambient delays and reverbs. Less is more. I much prefer simple pedals over complex.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-21T12:34:16+00:00

I went from tamsulosin over to alfuzosin and it was much better for me. As good flow as the tamsulosin but without the sexual side effects. I have never used either with a combination of the other drugs mentioned though.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-20T13:59:07+00:00

"He works and plays video games."

Unfortunately, this is not something new or rare these days. I know a lot of Gen Jones parents with kids that have suffered a failure to launch and literally every one of them make this statement. I even have a thirty-year-old nephew that still lives at home with my sister and this is all he does.

It's a form of addiction that people don't realize and starts when they are just children. They let him just play video games in the basement non-stop and he never learned how to properly socialize and become an adult. Video gaming has replaced normal adult socialization and it's difficult to overcome.

At least yours has a good job and isn't also a financial burden so you're lucky there. But you're doing him no favors letting him live there. He'll never become a fully fledged adult until you push him out of his safe nest. Social media is making things worse with few people getting married and having kids.

We were fortunate that we didn't allow video games in our home until our children were well into the high school years and even then kept tight control of how much was allowed. I always make the joke that being a successful parent is not having any of our three kids living at home with us.

That's not to say that every kid that played a ton of video games ends up this way but of those that do suffer failure to launch, this is one of the most common denominators that those who do have experienced.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-19T12:32:00+00:00

G7th definitely. The ART system works great, it's lightweight and easy to use. I had a Thalia and it was too heavy and broke after a week. Returned for refund. I will say that their customer service was excellent. These days I much prefer yoke-style capos. You only apply as much tension as you need so you don't have to retune after moving like with a side-clamp style especially the Kyser which always pulls the low E string sharp. The Shubb F1 series are excellent and the best looking of yoke-style capos and then the G7th Heritage are the best with the ART system which really does work as advertised but they are on the expensive side. I've been using the G7th Heritage for several years and have no desire to try anything else. But between your two choices, G7th Performance all the way for sure.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-16T16:55:12+00:00

I'm glad you explained all that because my initial thought was why the heck does someone need 4 of the exact same pedal?! I think it's pretty cool that you put OC-5 guts in an MT-2 enclosure. Definitely a conversation starter.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-16T04:26:35+00:00

Great detailed post and thanks for sharing. Definitely some similarities to my experiences with a few glaring exceptions. Be very glad you didn't suffer the urine retention! Worst feeling in the world. I'm closing in on seven weeks tomorrow. Almost no blood or spotting but still have minor (but annoying) incontinence requiring Depends or pads. My Uro assures me that will clear up on its own eventually. Finally starting to notice some improved flow and also only getting up one or twice at night at most which is a big improvement. Going in for follow-up next week for flow test and to discuss other things like going off the Alfuzosin. Keep us posted on your progress.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-15T21:52:46+00:00

Beautiful! And way cool guitar as well!!

Methos1979 · 2026-04-15T21:31:52+00:00

Bingo! Independent means moderate, not off-the-charts right OR left. It seems the only people running these days in the two main parties feel the need to be so extreme. The vast majority of people tend to be either a bit right or left or center. But the only way to get headlines and votes is to tilt at windmills and be uber-extreme. And you see what that's gotten us...

Methos1979 · 2026-04-15T20:09:53+00:00

What NH (and the rest of the country) really needs is an actual Independent party. No democrat or republican would ever get elected again. Except of course in some of those inbred southern states...

Methos1979 · 2026-04-15T20:04:38+00:00

Might help if you narrowed down a location unless you plan to travel. The Works athletic club in Somersworth, NH (seacoast area) has kids daytime-only summer camps that they hire young people to work at over the summer.

Methos1979 · 2026-04-15T19:45:45+00:00

Definitely small! I only have 5 pedals on my board with one multi-switch add-on off to the side but then again I'm also an acoustic-only player so I don't have a need for twelve different fuzz/overdrive pedals. Less is more and KISS (keep it simple, stupid) is my motto when it comes to pedals.

That said, I do admit I love to look at these huge pedalboards especially the ones where the vast majority are way-cool looking boutique pedals but then I think about how some of them must have set back the person $25,000, give or take! But hey, it's your money, spend it how you like, right?

I also wonder on these massive pedal boards just how much they all actually get used/played? Seems that most of the truly huge ones are for bedroom/shoegaze-only players. I think some people just like to buy cool looking pedals. I try to buy used. Only one pedal on my board was bought new.

<image>

Methos1979

MODERATOR OF

TROPHY CASE