Battery powered bass amps

[Glynn]

We have been here before but some time ago.  Any decent battery powered amps suitable for modest volumestreet work?  I use a Harley Benton HBAC30 that is now discontinued - it was a blatant but cheaper copy of a Crate Taxi- but you can still get the rechargeable battery from Thomann.  It is a good amp aimed at guitar but works with Fender BG29 Electro-Acoustic Bass as long as I stay away from bottom E string.  It is great for Folk stuff against melodians and fiddles.  So why do I ask? Well it may not last forever so what is new out there? Phil Jones Briefcase is well thought of but pricey and one player at a festival with it said the battery just dies without warning.  It is also heavier that what I have.  Any thoughts? Roland, anything?
Glynn

[jazzyvee]

I have used the pjb for a long while and whilt its a great little battery amp, when the battery starts to go it just starts distoring then within a few minutes its off. It does however come with a cable to connect to an external car battery though I've never used it.  
 
Jazzyvee

[sonicus]

It would be easy to purchase a deep cycle battery or automotive /motorcycle battery and build an enclosure for it to carry it about. One could be clever and provide a plug on the enclosure for access to the terminals . Next ___ connect an inverter to the clever carry about battery after you have connected it to a charger first.  I tried this decades ago and was able to get  a standard bass amp that was not designed to be battery operated to be able to be played anywhere , even in a large outside field in the middle of nowhere___  One could power a whole band that way  . With todays technology one could even extend the performance with a solar panel / collector in the circuit.

[hammer]

I'd agree with Jazzyvee that the Phil Jones Briefcase is a great amp that can work off a battery that provides clean sound and plenty of volume. It is a bit heavy, however, weighing in at a little under 30 lbs. (the Bass Cub in comparison is less than half the weight of the Briefcase but alas has no battery option). The one I have has Piranha speakers in it as opposed to the Neo speakers now available in most PJB products. As a result it doesn't have quite as warm a tone. The battery is rechargable, but don't believe the hype that it will get you 20 hours without recharging. Mine started out providing 13-14 but has recently dropped to 10 (not that I ever see myself playing for 10 hours straight).  I do have to admit that  I really like the PJB cabs and typically play through a 6B/9B combi. Some people don't appreciate the sound anywhere near as much as I do.

[5sicks]

Alesis Roadfire15 is what I use for remotes. 8 speaker but it does have a speaker out that will give a 15 a moderate bark. Good for street volume levels I would guess. The amp has a rechargeable battery and weighs 30+ and of course you'd need a cab... so 2 trips. I paid $150 for the amp so alot more budget friendly than PJB

[5sicks]

On further consideration I came up with this: plug your instrument into the aux input in your car stereo and run through the 5000w amp & sub with the doors open and leave the engine run to supply power. Then you play environmental folk music while polluting. The best of both worlds...and it'll drive the chicks wild...ask for carbon credits for tips

[tncaveman]

I have tried to use a power inverter to run a small amp and it makes tons of hum.  The one I tried is a Husky brand 750 watt unit.  There might be some true sine-wave generator styles that might be ok to run an amp as far as noise is concerned.  Just make sure to try before you buy.  
 
Also remember that a 750 watt sized inverter  uses about 70 amps with a 12 volt input, and that will drain a car battery in about an hour.
 
P=iV  ---->  P/V=i     i=current in amps
 
WOW - I remember that from when I was 13!
 
Stephen

[xlrogue6]

Timely that this should surface just now--seriously looking at picking up a PJB briefcase because I've got several gigs coming up where battery power would be ever so useful. I'm wondering how many hours the briefcase will run on a single charge at acoustic or slightly higher volume.

[jazzyvee]

The longest I've used mine for is for 3 hour band rehearsals with a band consisting of drums, acoustic-electric guitar, standard electric and 3 non mic'd up vocalists so the volume wasn't high at all.  
The amp never ran flat in that time but I can't remember what it's stated capacity is on a full charge.
 
 
Jazzyvee

[sonicus]

With the use of an isolation transformer  and a filter circuit one can cut down on the hum  when using an inverter.  Deep cycle RV batteries and  Deep cycle Solar Storage Batteries last the longest.

[bass117]

I highly recommend the Pignose Hog 30, battery lasts quite long and has great tone. Check Amazon for other opinions and good price.