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Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:32 pm

Doug, Your Crate 30 watt amp runs on batteries? How many and what size? The most outrageous battery powered amp was an Ernie Ball amp with a 12 inch speaker. It could put out 70 watts. Here's the kicker though. It took many, many batteries. I'll tell you in a moment. First let me say that they were installed on the floor, and both of the side walls as well as the back plate of the amp. They were D cells. This amp was made in the late 70's. I know I said I was going to tell you how many batteries it took, but I just decided to make a guessing game of it. So, all you readers, take a guess. I'll give you a hint. It's more than you would even imagine. The person who guesses the correct number of batteries will receive a gift. I can hear you asking "A Gift?" "What Gift?" Well, I don't know yet. I will have to rummage through my drawers and find something appropriate. It will be something artistic and small. So let the game begin! Rudy

GoodClue · Post by **GoodClue** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 3:56 pm

Rudy ...
The Crate runs on one 12 Volt sealed battery, recharges/runs off a wall wart too, good for 8 hours of hard usage ... I'll have to dig out the specs ... or look online. It is a great amp!

Crate makes a 50 Watt unit called the Limo ... I'd like to get one ... even has a few effects ... runs around $300 ... I love my 30 Watt Taxi but, someday, will get the Limo.

Even the TEAC 8 channel mixer runs off a 12 volt sealed battery, it's just way to big of a box to lug around. I'm carrying two instruments and a gig bag to our shows. My own, I have to add another bag and the Crate ... I like keeping it simple.

It takes twenty minutes to an half hour to set up or tear down our band equipment, four of us ... and we're usually 30 miles or more to our closest gigs ... 4 hour shows and travel, set up and tear down make for long days.
Funny how we all think it's worth it ... but long for our own hall to work out of ...

I'm not even ready to guess on how many batteries ...

Doug

Post by **TMAX** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:32 pm

Hi Rudy, I know that this is a wild guess, but I would say 60 D cells for + and - 45 volts to power an amp like this. They would last about 4 hours cranking out 70 watts in continuous use. I have an older portable tube type short wave radio (Zenith Trans-Oceanic) that uses several batteries for operation. 1 D cell for the panel lamp, 6 D cells for the tube filaments, and 60 AA cells for the B+ (high voltage), or 67 cells total. Like carrying a cinder block with a handle.

TMAX

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:42 pm

TMAX, Good guess, but you are a little high. Oh!! I don't mean that in a "green way, mon". What I mean to say is that it took less batteries than that. Not much less though. I will divulge the number after some more guesses. Rudy

Post by **TMAX** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 4:49 pm

Rudy, you are right in a "Manhattan" way. For batteries, my guess has been spent.

TMAX

Griff · Post by **Griff** » Thu Nov 05, 2009 11:41 pm

Since I haven't got a clue, my guess is 1: an 8D battery

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Fri Nov 06, 2009 2:33 am

Griff, That's clever. An 8D truck battery certainly would power the amp, but you couldn't lift it. The batteries are D batteries though. Rudy

Post by **stuartcnz** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:03 pm

It's probably about time for me to jump into this thread. I'll start with a photo that was taken, while I was playing a pub gig in the early 90's

I will post some pictures later, of the gear I use for recording at home now. For a small sample I have four tracks at http://www.purevolume.com/KeltwegianKiwi
They allow you to upload 4 tracks for free, or you can pay a subscription to upload more.

My stab in the dark, wild guess for the number of batteries in the Ernie Ball amp is 56.

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 2:49 pm

Stuart, You look like you were rockin' out on the gig. Way cool! You are a little high on your battery guess, though I must say that you are close. Rudy.

Bob · Post by **Bob** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 4:56 pm

Here is something that hasnt been shared yet, or even seen by most all of you I bet. Rudy and were sitting in a music store in Santa Cruz one night talking about guitar playing. Rudy was playing guitar with metal finger--picks then and had a very powerful and driving left hand. I was the one with the sweet and tasty left hand, and so we were thinking that combining them together we would make an incredable guitar player! So we tried it and found out that we could actually play...and quite well.
Rudy came up with the name Bill Bifwinkle, and we imagined someday of playing a show as the worlds best two headed guitar player with Bill wearing a custom shirt..like siamese twins.
We got the chance at Love-Fest which was a pretty big music festival in Missouri. Being the emcee's we had the power to do anything we wanted between bands (and there were 26 of them) so before the headliner band we intruduced Bill Bifwinkle to a very enthusiastic crowd.
I havent figured out how to post it in here yet, but you can view this performance on youtube. Just go to www.youtube.com and search for chknmkey. That is my user name on there. The video is called "12 string guitar like youve never seen".

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Sat Nov 07, 2009 11:15 pm

Bob, I recently emailed a whole bunch of people and sent them the web address for the Bill Bifwinkle YouTube video. Everyone who has seen it loves it. I am playing the right hand, and Bob is playing the left hand. Now that there is this music thread, I'll post it here, so that people reading the forum can enjoy the video as well. Rudy

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=19XP8KjpWy8

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:40 am

Stuart, I will take some photos of my recording equipment as well. That's a great idea. Bob also has recording gear that he will perhaps share with us. Jamey has a really cool setup and maybe he will be kind enough to take photos and post them. Rudy

Post by **stuartcnz** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:10 pm

This is my desk, effects rack, patch bay, tape machine, etc

And this is the ENTIRE studio.

My, how things have shrunk in size over the years!

Notice that my extensive selection of mic's consist of one Shure SM58. One day I'll extend that range.

Post by **TMAX** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 12:23 pm

Rudy, I'm going to second guess on the number of "D" cells that the amplifier took. I remember now that many amps of that era ran on + and - 40 volts (not 45). If that is the case then the amplifier used a total of 54 "D" cells.

TMAX

Rudy · Post by **Rudy** » Sun Nov 08, 2009 1:35 pm

Stuart, It's amazing how many people don't have much good to say about Mac computers in general, but then why are most computer based studios using Macs, and why do many people use them for graphics? I think the PC world is afraid of them. I have both MAC and Windows PC. There are things I like about both of them. I can't be prejudiced and say one is better than the other. By the way, is that an eight string bass that I see on the stand? Wait a minute! Now I realize that there are two basses on the stand face to face. My eyes are not working well any more. At least my ears are in good shape. Not that they are all that pretty, they just work well. What's that unit on the floor underneath the keyboard? Rudy

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