The 6 things you will need to learn electric guitar when living off the Grid !
You may or may not know that I have been living on my boat now for 17 years. You may also not know yet that I also have a mad passion for playing electric guitar. This my latest post will explain to you how i go about having the power necessary to play " hard and loud " while being on the water with no mains electricity supply available !
The issues are this, firstly on a boat you can only have batteries onboard for power supply. I use 12 volt batteries with an amperage of 110 Amps. Amps being the power available inside the battery to supply to whatever electrical machine you may connect to it.
I am sure you can imagine that a guitar amplifier is a pretty hungry beast power wise, so when you require to use a battery for this sort of purpose you really need first to make sure that your battery is well charged and has the necessary power to make your desired machine work for a reasonable amount of time. The system which I have at my disposition allows me to play at, I assure you, unhindered volume for at least 7 hours a night which is when I generally prefer to play.
THE 6 THINGS YOUWILLWILL NEED FOR POWER ON THE WATER !
So the first thing you will need is a solar panel !
This is a must for anyone requiring a charge supply to a battery when plugging into the grid is not possible ! People living in remote places, camping vans and of course people like me surrounded by nothing more than water. Its basically a light sensitive surface which when exposed to light produces a certain amount of Amps per hour or power which can then be fed to your battery or power collection cell for want of another phrase. It must be kept clean from dust as this can prevent the panel from seeing the light and will hinder quite seriously i have found the potential power production. It also helps that its orientation to the light be optimal , so not in the shadow of something else or facing in the wrong direction to the passage of the sun in your particular locality. As i live on a boat which clearly moves with wind direction changes and current flows I have little or no control over this ! But then I do live in the Canaries and so my panels " sing " most of the time and I have not encountered any real problems other than ensuring that the Moroccan desert dust is not allowed to accumulate on its beautiful blue surface !!
http://www.ebay.co.uk/bhp/used-solar-panels?clk_rvr_id=1094113307426&rmvSB=true
the next thing you will need is a charge controller !
The charge controller is essential as it prevents your battery from over charging ! If you connect a new battery to a solar panel without one of these, well you risk a fire as the panel will send charge into the battery without knowing if it is full or not ! So this clearly is essential to prevent you from firstly damaging your batteries or losing you home all together through the battery literally melting down and no doubt at all fire !!
https://www.solar-electric.com/solar-charge-controller-basics.html
then you will need a good quality battery !
Batteries come in all shapes and forms. I would highly recommend that you buy a quality marine battery which will be a maintenance free sealed one using a gel style electrolyte inside. I have two 110AMP batteries on my boat, so 220AMPS in all, they are expensive sure but I have had mine now for eight years and they are still going strong ! A quality maintenance free gel battery when connected permanently to a constantly recharging system of solar panels last,s forever ! This i can tell you from experience !
http://www.doityourselfrv.com/best-rv-battery-choosing-reviews
then you will need a 12 volt power inverter!
A power inverter is a wonderful thing, it transforms the DC current emanating from your battery into the essential AC power supply needed by all electrical equipment normally working from a household mains supply. They used to be very expensive but like most things in this electronic technology their price have significantly reduced in the last few years. I bought my current inverter for just 30 Euros....... a bargain when you consider what it does !! It connects very simply to your battery plus and minus feed through a simple 12 volt cigar style power connection set up that you find in most cars today !!
/ http://electronics.howstuffworks.com/gadgets/automotive/dc-ac-power-inverter.htm
So there we have it for the power side, you see it really not so hard or actually expensive as second hand solar panels are to be found fairly easily now a days. My two panels on my boat cost me as I recall no more than 100 euros for the both of them, and produce 50 watts of Power each !! That,s just 1 euro a Watt which is cheap as chips in my book !
So all that said and done, now we get to the fun part and it.s this......
You will of course need an amplifier, this was my choice
The VOX Valvetronix 20Plus is for me one of the best and most compact amplifiers on the market actually. It has so many effects, built in pedals and all sorts of model style amps to choose from. You will be able to produce any style sound of electrical guitar you wish or could possibly imagine. I thought long and hard before buying this little beast and i have absolutely no regrets. I have no car so its size makes it more than transportable by hand, whereas when its cranked up.....well then its capable of waking even my most distant of floating neighbors from their no doubt well deserved sleep ; - ) Maybe time to change your anchorage ??
http://www.voxamps.com/vt20+
......Last but not least, my pride and joy ! My Black Bess of guitars !
the Washburn OE30 semi acoustic guitar is truly a beautiful thing. Sadly now assembled in China but under the supervision and control of Washburn, Chicago who have been building the finest guitars since 1883. This particular model is an exact copy of the legendary Gibson 335 and its sound is just so distinctive and the one I was aiming at when I first decided to try and pick up this art of playing electric guitar. Its become my best friend at sea in many ways and I love blasting away to the early hours on my favorite anchorage on my beautiful island of La Gomera.
http://www.washburn.com/community/
And now to the music recorded on my boat with all the Energy of the Sun !!
I hope you see that " Power on the Water " is indeed possible !! Enjoy
The illustration featured on the video is incidentally from our resident artist @michaellamden68. I thought it so cool I had to show it here !! Hope he is fine with that. I am sure he will let me know !!
My biggest influence musically by the way are these guys, if you have not heard of them you should watch this actually insanely hilarious documentary " Dig " to know the Vibe I love !!
/@gomeravibz/how-i-was-introduced-to-the-best-band-ever-thebrianjonestownmasaccre