Things that DJs try and buy cheaper and shouldn't...

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

1. Business cards.

2. Cases for expensive lighting effects

3. Websites.

4. Microphones.

Any more?

[Vectis]

0800 numbers with "lifetime" guarantees? ;)

Fake paps? :D (just kidding)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

0800 numbers with "lifetime" guarantees? ;)

Fake paps? :D (just kidding)

:handbag:

[ppentertainments]

cables / wires

[soundtracker]

1. Business cards.

2. Cases for expensive lighting effects

3. Websites.

4. Microphones.

Any more?

Hang on, I'm just going back through Rowley's threads!:D





And of course DECKSTANDS!!

[Danno13]

Lighting Stands

Starcloths

[Spirits High]

Re- wireable IEC connectors

[simonp]

0800 numbers with "lifetime" guarantees? ;)



:boxer: very droll

[Charlie Brown]

There are so many items I brought (2 years ago) which were a waste of time - because I didn't have the knowledge.

For example:

Overall, I invested £1500 in a cruby ProSound and Class D sound system - I should of brought my Mackies and a decent sub from the start, saving me a lot of money

I have brought 4 microphones, Pro sound, Shure PG58 and numerous other models spending well over a £100. If I had known what was best, I would of just saved my money and brough a SM 58...

Everything I orginally brought was rubbish. I just wish I had the knowledge then, I do now.

[MagicMusic]

XLR / DMX / Power Cables and inter connects.

[Steve the DJ]

From personal experience...

1. Headphones
2. Microphones
3. Amplifiers
4. Speakers
5. Transport
6. Flightcases

On the other side of the coin I bought 42 AA batteries today (3 packs) from Poundland for (obviously) £3!

That's the radio mic sorted for this year... :D

[Danno13]

Actually batteries should go on the list, never bother with anything other than Duracell Procells now as it's a false economy using the cheapies as you change them more often, and you don't want it to be in the middle of someone's speech!

[PropellerHeadCase]

Well, my system is Crown and JBL, but you can be damned s(h)ure I shopped around to get the best price on those items :D

So buying cheaper isn't necessarily wrong - I got the equipment I wanted at about 25% off average retail.

[Pe7e]

It's what you buy that matters, not how much you pay for it. If you don't really know what you should be buying, don't go for the cheapest you can find, seek advise.

[Steve the DJ]

Actually batteries should go on the list, never bother with anything other than Duracell Procells now as it's a false economy using the cheapies as you change them more often, and you don't want it to be in the middle of someone's speech!

Rubbish!

£3 for a years supply and I always put in a fresh set when the mic is used for speeches. Never had a problem and get at least 10 hours continuous use out of a set.

[DJ Jules]

Rubbish!

£3 for a years supply and I always put in a fresh set when the mic is used for speeches. Never had a problem and get at least 10 hours continuous use out of a set.

Depends on the Mic.... I've known Prosound mic's (put those on the list of things not to buy) to go through batteries in a few hours (oh yeah, and cut out mid sentence for no reason), whereas my Sennheiser has only been through two batteries in a year with probably about 50hrs of use.

Julian

[Starlight]

A lot of DJ's tend to go for the cheapst lighting but you get what you pay for, so lighting in general. And no, this is not leading to anywhere, I rest my case here, thank you!

Neil.

[Steve James]

Dodgy cheap ELC lamps from ebay?

[Penfold42]

Cheap shoes – feet take an awful battering
Suits and shirts – just look naff
Gaffa tape
Cable ties
Laser crab – what a pile of poo that was!

....and buying gear off people on e-bay.

[Charlie Brown]

Ohhh, I remember the laser crab! :sj:

[Steve James]

buying gear off people on e-bay.
Oi! I've sold plenty of GOOD gear on ebay lol. I would have sold it here if not for the 100 post rule :(

[Excalibur]

Oi! I've sold plenty of GOOD gear on ebay lol. I would have sold it here if not for the 100 post rule :(

Excalibur's tip of the day:

Become a supporter. ;) Good value, helps the forum, and as a bonus, circumvents the 100 post rule. :D

[Penfold42]

Excalibur's tip of the day:

Become a supporter. ;) Good value, helps the forum, and as a bonus, circumvents the 100 post rule. :D

Not bad for a pound as well.....:D

[Corabar Entertainment]

Not bad for a pound as well.....:D...and no ebay fees to pay :D

[Steve James]

Become a supporter. ;) Good value, helps the forum, and as a bonus, circumvents the 100 post rule. :D
Ok ok, you've sold it to me....only cos I have some more gear to sell lol. Without looking around the forum what do I need to do?

[Starlight]

Cheap shoes – feet take an awful battering
Suits and shirts – just look naff
Gaffa tape
Cable ties
Laser crab – what a pile of poo that was!

....and buying gear off people on e-bay.
What's wrong buying of eBay :confused:

Neil.............

[Steve James]

Sorry for hijacking the thread btw


What's wrong buying of eBay :confused:

Neil.............
Nothing wrong at all......if you buy from me :D

[Corabar Steve]

Oi! I've sold plenty of GOOD gear on ebay lol. I would have sold it here if not for the 100 post rule :(


Ok ok, you've sold it to me....only cos I have some more gear to sell lol. Without looking around the forum what do I need to do?
Read this thread http://www.forum.mobilediscodirectory.co.uk/showthread.php?t=5104 for sarters

[Penfold42]

Excalibur's tip of the day:

Become a supporter. ;) Good value, helps the forum, and as a bonus, circumvents the 100 post rule. :D


Not bad for a pound as well.....:D


...and no ebay fees to pay :D


What's wrong buying of eBay :confused:

Neil.............

See above.

Without going to far off topic.
Some e-bayers give others on there a bad rep IMO. I've been taken in a few times and even when the selling % is 100......they still come it. :mad:

As said - don't want to go off topic.

Sell more of my stuff on here. :)

[Corabar Entertainment]

Extract from the 1st post on the thread Steve has linked to:-


To become an MDD supporter, click on ‘User CP’ at the top of the page

Then, click on ‘Paid Subscriptions’ at the bottom left of the page:-

Then click on the arrow next to the ‘Cost’ box and choose the only option there (1 Month - £1.00)* and click ‘Order’:-

*please note that this is a rolling subscription and that once you have set this up, £1.00 will be taken every month from your Paypal account, unless you cancel your subscription.

Once you have done this, follow the on-screen instructions to set up fully.

OK: Diversion over, :ontopic: :D

[CRAZY K]

Rubbish!

£3 for a years supply and I always put in a fresh set when the mic is used for speeches. Never had a problem and get at least 10 hours continuous use out of a set.

I dont think I would be putting Poundland batteries into a radio mike for speeches at upmarket Weddings where a decent fee is being charged.:eek:

However if you have not had any problems fair enough.:whistle:

Im not sure how a DJ gets to use a Microphone continously:confused:
--a Barn Dance Caller or a singer I understand.

CRAZY K

[Steve the DJ]

I dont think I would be putting Poundland batteries into a radio mike for speeches at upmarket Weddings where a decent fee is being charged.:eek:

Who said they were Poundland batteries?

I said they came from Poundland, for the record they are Sony branded batteries. :p

[PropellerHeadCase]

....and buying gear off people on e-bay.

Gotta disagree there - I got a VERY good player and mixer combo for a great price off eBay.

[Excalibur]

Gotta disagree there - I got a VERY good player and mixer combo for a great price off eBay.

There are bargains on there. There are rogues, also. Do you feel lucky? :D :D :D

[Penfold42]

Here's a couple more - playout systems. :sofa: and speakers....:boxer2:

[Megamix]

its not always pay more = get more - surely its horses for courses in life. Some things are worth paying more for and some things aren't. As DJs spend more time DJaying they 'generally' but not always get more life and value from the better equipment, which often costs more.

[Starlight]

Ohhh, I remember the laser crab! :sj:
Sadly they're still available on the Bay! Lots of people are still buying the shoddy things :Laugh:

Neil.

[Excalibur]

Here's a couple more - playout systems. :sofa: and speakers....:boxer2:

Oooooooooooh, you tinker. The playout system sold for way more than I said it was worth ( and was prepared to offer ) and I bought/earned the :Censored: speakers!! ;)

[Babybob]

There are so many items I brought (2 years ago) which were a waste of time - because I didn't have the knowledge.

For example:

Overall, I invested £1500 in a cruby ProSound and Class D sound system - I should of brought my Mackies and a decent sub from the start, saving me a lot of money

I have brought 4 microphones, Pro sound, Shure PG58 and numerous other models spending well over a £100. If I had known what was best, I would of just saved my money and brough a SM 58...

Everything I orginally brought was rubbish. I just wish I had the knowledge then, I do now.


I'd agree with the Prosound but not the Class D as in my opinion they are very good value for money. I'm surprised Excalibur hasn't picked you up on this. ;)
For the mics I think a PG58 is also a reasonably good buy for DJ work, granted if you sing a lot then a SM58 will be better in the long run but my 58 and 48 are adequate for karaoke.
Where did you bring them all from out of interest Charles. :sofa: ;)

For me, well I think I have been lucky as I did a lot of research (mainly on this forum) before I bought anything but my Behringer mixer will be the first item I change when funds allow.

[PropellerHeadCase]

There are bargains on there. There are rogues, also. Do you feel lucky? :D :D :D

Yes, Punk, you?

[sweetie]

I'm on my fourth PA now having only started using forums properly in the last year but have always sold my stuff for minimum loss. I got 500 for a maplins pa/lights system that I had for about twenty gigs, bought for about 700, sold my Kam system for about 400 minus the speakers I blew, paid 750! My Ohm/matrix system which I loved but was way too heavy, I only lost about 10% after six months use. You just have to be patient! I recently sold my backup denon dn-d4000 decks for 200 euro which was what I paid for them less than a year ago.

[Charlie Brown]

Where did you bring them all from out of interest Charles. :sofa: ;)
.

What do you mean? :)

[Corabar Entertainment]

What do you mean? :)You typed:-
There are so many items I brought (2 years ago) which....
Hence:-

Where did you bring them all from out of interest Charles. :sofa: ;)
;)

[Mark Wild]

You typed:-
Hence:-

;)

Patience of a saint lol :p

[Corabar Entertainment]

:lol:

[PropellerHeadCase]

Charlie - the past participle of 'buy' is 'bought', not "brought", 'K?

[Tony Scott]

Definitely ELC lamps.....after trying a few types I will now only buy Phillips Broadway lamps :approve:

[DeckstarDeluxe]

anything the customer sees, hears or has has anything to do with it be it a deckstand or cd case.

[dj keevers]

white extension cables come to mind, must be black and preferably anti surge

[Twinspin]

In the order below i think from most important - least.

1. Speakers (Active) (or passive speakers with amplifier)
2. CD Players / Mixer / Media Controller laptop (whatever you use)
3. Cordless Microphones / Wired Microphones
4. Audio Cables

Sound is the most important followed by stands and then lights then.

agreed about the philips broadways though. I use them in my Martin lights and i havent had to change a lamp for months!

[yourdj]

i personally think the most important things to invest in are:

- Decent sound system
- Decent microphone

and a reliable playout system and back up.
if you do not have them you cannot DJ.

LIghting, booths and all the other stuff etc. would not be noticed as much as silence, unless your a good singer.

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

i personally think the most important things to invest in are:

- Decent sound system
- Decent microphone

and a reliable playout system and back up.
if you do not have them you cannot DJ.

LIghting, booths and all the other stuff etc. would not be noticed as much as silence, unless your a good singer.

Fair enough, but that isn't what I asked!

[soundscapes]

cables. decent cables can make a noticeable difference to your system, especially audio cables. and cheap cables never last long. when i first started doing karaoke i was getting through a mic cable every week until i started buying livewires which were more expensive but pretty much indestructable.

[robbiedj]

Connecters.

I try to get gold plated ones, it really does make a difference.

[Steve the DJ]

Sorry to bring this back to life but...


On the other side of the coin I bought 42 AA batteries today (3 packs) from Poundland for (obviously) £3!

That's the radio mic sorted for this year... :D


Actually batteries should go on the list, never bother with anything other than Duracell Procells now as it's a false economy using the cheapies as you change them more often, and you don't want it to be in the middle of someone's speech!


Rubbish!

£3 for a years supply and I always put in a fresh set when the mic is used for speeches. Never had a problem and get at least 10 hours continuous use out of a set.

I'm always happy to admit when I'm wrong, mainly because it doesn't happen very often... :D

I thought it was Poundland where I got a stock of batteries from last year which were excellent, turns out I was wrong and they were in fact from Toys "R" Us and the ones that I bought from Poundland this year are poo on a scale that I have never ever encountered before.

In fact, I am getting through 2 sets a night of these things! Needless to say I will never buy them again. :o

The £7.99 pack from Toys "R" Us are excellent and I have reverted back to them and thrown the rest of the Pundland jobbies in the bin where they belong.

Sorry Danno, I was defending the wrong product! :bag:

[Twinspin]

I get the batteries from home bargains. They do big packs of duracell M3 batteries. My radio mic is a Sennheiser Evolution Wireless EW135 G2. very good radio mic i find.

Batteries..... 2 AA size batteries last months in it. Sennheiser are very efficient on batteries.

[rob1963]

Actually batteries should go on the list, never bother with anything other than Duracell Procells now as it's a false economy using the cheapies

As I understand it, there's no point in using Duracell Procells, as their technical specifications are exactly the same as normal Duracells.

The only difference is the word Procell on them!

[Danno13]

Oh well, I only paid £2.10 per pack of 10, last time I stocked up anyway :D

[Squelch]

buy cheap buy twice....

[Twinspin]

Oh well, I only paid £2.10 per pack of 10, last time I stocked up anyway :D

Ebay by any chance Dan?

they do duracell procells cheap in big packs on there.

[jon s]

As Steves brought this thread back to life I'll add to it.
I've just found a laser crab in my daughters bedroom now she's grown up and left home, so may be it will get a new lease of life thatks to ebay. Yes lets get rid of some of that old rubbish and even some new good stuff that I no longer use. Cortex mixer, mackie sr1530's the list is endless, I'm like a magpie.

[Vectis]

Can't believe its got this far and nobody's said "Websites" yet.

So I will.

Websites.

There you go :)

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

Can't believe its got this far and nobody's said "Websites" yet.

So I will.

Websites.

There you go :)

Agreed.

My designer is most excellent and is hopefully not too expensive. :D

[Dynamic Entertainment]

When you hoping to have the new site live Daz?

[Solitaire Events Ltd]

When you hoping to have the new site live Daz?

I'll have to ask my designer....;)

[DeckstarDeluxe]

yeap been recently thinking about this and when you think about it the first point of contact with clients is the website.

[Tony Scott]

I get the batteries from home bargains. They do big packs of duracell M3 batteries. My radio mic is a Sennheiser Evolution Wireless EW135 G2. very good radio mic i find.

Batteries..... 2 AA size batteries last months in it. Sennheiser are very efficient on batteries.


As I understand it, there's no point in using Duracell Procells, as their technical specifications are exactly the same as normal Duracells.

The only difference is the word Procell on them!


Oh well, I only paid £2.10 per pack of 10, last time I stocked up anyway :D


Ebay by any chance Dan?

they do duracell procells cheap in big packs on there.

I use 2700mAh rechargeables, these seem to last about a month, I always have 2 on standby and 2 in my camera as more back-up. Works for me... :)

[rob1963]

I use 2700mAh rechargeables, these seem to last about a month, I always have 2 on standby and 2 in my camera as more back-up. Works for me... :)

That's interesting.

I have a lot of things that run on aa batteries, so a few years back I thought I'd move over to rechargables, and found some which were 2800 mAh.

They were rubbish.

The main problem is the voltage...only 1.2 volts compared to the 1.5 volts of a "normal" aa battery. Because of this, they only lasted for a few days in my main caller display landline telephone compared to over a month for non-rechargables.

Never again.

[STEVE HANLEY]

Agreed.

My designer is most excellent and is hopefully not too expensive. :D

I'll second that:D :D :D

[Marc J]

Can't believe its got this far and nobody's said "Websites" yet.

So I will.

Websites.

There you go :)

I would have, but the OP said: -


1. Business cards.

2. Cases for expensive lighting effects

3. Websites.

4. Microphones.

Any more?

:D :muppet:

[Vectis]

I would have, but the OP said: -



:D :muppet:

Shut up Rodney :)

I thought it needed reiterating as it hadn't been discussed ;)