Amplifying an Acoustic (nylon strung) guitar

Opus35

Hi
I am playing a one-off 'gig' at a wedding this coming June. I'm actually playing the 'wedding march - modern equivalent). Thing is I'm only doing about 2 minutes of playing so hiring a 50W PA seems a very expensive solution at over £100. Then there's all the faffing about setting up and dismantling....
So, I'm thinking of perhaps a clip on pick-up and a mini-amplifier. Obviously this will be a compromise, but what do you folks out there think? Any sensible advice welcome...
Venue is small - a barn in fact - and straw bails for seating so my acoustic guitar will not be heard by those at the back..

Legionreturns

Borrow a Katana and use the acoustic channel, or a street cube if you need a mic as well? 

Alternatively, just put a mic at the 12th fret and use any powered speaker. 

Opus35

I'm not sure whether there's 240V mains available - it's a barn so 3 phase likely I expect!
I have a minirig bluetooth speaker, so if I could find a suitable pickup and bluetooth interface I think that would do...

Opus35

Oh.. don't need a mic, just the guitar...

mart

Opus35 said:

I'm not sure whether there's 240V mains available - it's a barn so 3 phase likely I expect!
I have a minirig bluetooth speaker, so if I could find a suitable pickup and bluetooth interface I think that would do...

It would be challenging playing through a bluetooth speaker since they tend to have serious latency, so the sound you hear would be noticeable after the notes you played. If you're doing something you know well you might be able to cope with this, but most of us would struggle. 

ICBM

Actually using Bluetooth is a non-starter because of the latency as mart said, but if your Bluetooth speaker has an Aux In jack you could use that with a suitable preamp pedal - a graphic EQ should work - and the right cable.

If you have to start buying stuff you may still be better hiring a portable PA, since you won't get much that will do the job for under £100 - even the Roland Micro Cube is over that now and is probably about the minimum - although at least you then get to keep it.

ESBlonde

For 'two minutes' of playing use what you've got. By the time anybody starts to think about your tone the wedding breakfast will be half way through. All eyes will be on the bride and only another guitar player 'might' give a monkeys at that time. Yes your tone will be recorded on video for posterity, but it's not about you, stand near the camera so the recording gets the natural sound and whatever amp you have pushes some volume back from there.

Otherwise a clip on tie/lapel mic (Maplins if you're quick) and any amp with the tones optimised. Don't try and compete with a church organ for sound, there will be silence and then lots of "Oh she's beautiful" mumblings and it's all over.

With cheap lapel mics ensure you turn them off to save battery otherwise you get to the gig and have a dead mic! Don't ask me how I know this.

hassleham

Extra-heavy gauge strings and Apoyando

Or you could buy/borrow a cheap mic and an XLR to jack cable + just run it through an amp.

ToneControl

why not approach a local busker and rent their battery setup from them for £40? ( I assume a deposit would be needed)

ToneControl

btw there is, I hear, a fad for weddings in "barns" at present. I doubt very much that these are raw agricultural barns, phone the venue - I'd bet there is plenty of mains voltage available

ToneControl

Another point - don't underestimate the reach of a single acoustic in a room when people are quiet

I went to a gig by Ben Harper at the Lowry in Salford.  It seats up to 1700
For the first song, he carried a chair to the edge of the stage, in front of the monitors, and as far as I can tell, played it completely unamplified. the audience were silent, and you could hear it all.