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I've got a buddy with a decent digital projector and screen and wants to find a solution for audio for backyard movies. Anyone have a suggestion for a cheap powered PA for this job (ideally he wants bluetooth compatibility but I might be able to talk him out of this if it's too limiting)? He has a couple of cheap Pyle ones that he's returning that aren't really cutting it (half second lag, not very loud). I think he'd also like to karaoke with his family with these too, so a mic input would be ideal.

For reference, here are the shitty ones I personally witnessed last night: https://pyleusa.com/products/pphp128b

BT is generally pretty laggy when trying to sync with video, but it probably depends on the chipset/version used.

Something like a JBL partybox would be plenty loud. They're kinda expensive though.

I have a couple Line 6 L2 PA speakers that come out for movie night. It's pretty great. I don't think they are made anymore, and they were not cheap.

Just look for any kind of Pro Audio powered PA speaker on the local Craigslist; QSC, Yamaha, Mackie, whatever. Most of them have a line in and maybe one or two mic inputs. PA gear can be found for really cheap because there's not a big market for it right now, and many times people just need it gone more than they need the money.

budget is the biggest consideration here and if they want subs or not - I know subs are great for maximizing impact w/ scenes in film even though they're overused at this point but if neighbors are a consideration maybe not a great idea.

also as mentioned above, syncing the audio w/ the video is not a given and I would not expect bluetooth to do this in real time (or else it might be a consideration for use with wireless in-ears).

As far as PA deals go, I am not sure I agree that the prices have dropped. It seems like inflation has hit PA gear as much as anything else & prices have gone up on everything I look at, especially new prices. That's not to say there's not amazing deals out there right now. The real deals to be had are in the used market for separate power amps & unpowered speakers as the current spec powered speakers have held their value pretty well because of their weight and space savings. Places that sell used gear can't hardly give them away. I'm seeing some cabinets I lusted after 20 years ago that still sound amazing going for peanuts because no one wants them, mostly because of the weight.

Used acoustic guitar amps are often designed to be sung through (lots of clean power, full range speaker, XLR input) for small venues and can be had used for dirt cheap

Does anyone know the output of EGC single coils? Bridge/neck?

What is the weakest link on a guitar that doesn't stay in tune very well?

I suspect it's the tuning machine heads but I want to check that with the folks who have a deeper knowledge.

losthighway wrote: Fri Aug 19, 2022 10:56 pm What is the weakest link on a guitar that doesn't stay in tune very well?

I suspect it's the tuning machine heads but I want to check that with the folks who have a deeper knowledge.

While the "It's never just one thing..." rule is always out there waiting to trip folks up?

The way the nut is filed versus the string set on a given guitar is where I would start If I was crossing things off of this list.

Tuning machines, saddles, vibrato mechanism/spring (problem I bring about myself), nut, possibly wood/neck temperature or humidity sensitivity. My personal rank anyway.

Everything matters, but yeah probably tuners are probably top of the list. FWIW I replaced the stock tuners (which weren't terrible) on my Jaguar with locking Hipshots and it made a big difference, really stays in tune now.