By John Parker

Does it make a difference - and as such should you really care one way or another - what equipment your Wedding Band brings to your wedding or party?

Often when evaluating bands for one’s wedding or party, assumptions are made as to the quality of the band’s equipment. Primarily that their equipment has some quality - & further it’s often figured, what IS the difference anyway? Truth is, as the investment into equipment & vehicles for a truly professional event band can run into six figures, a popular place to “cut back” for bands trying to save money or who don’t generate enough revenue to begin with, is to use sub-par or marginal equipment.

Here’s why so often what looks like a great “deal” is in fact a BAD deal when it comes to the ultimate outcome of your wedding or party!

Bands that undercharge, and/or don’t work much, have no capital to own and maintain an appropriate variety of quality equipment & vehicles. Cheap, or too big or too small of sound systems can be obtrusive, cause feedback, make your guests ears bleed, can’t be heard, sound muffled, or distorted - or just be bad. The best bands have multiple sound systems for different venues, for more customization to better fit your venue & reception. This all translates into how good the band is going to sound at your wedding.

Sound: A band that has a sound system running in true Stereo is rare. But boy, does it sound better! Most bands run in mono - think the speaker from your phone. S T E R E O is just that - wide, spacious, lush, enveloping. Think a cinema or nice home theatre. The best bands use a sound system that runs in stereo & is full sounding yet not shrill & piercing - and not too loud. Full & rich, yet at an appropriate volume.

Bands that are co-ops, or have no organization or company behind them, or that simply don’t work enough to maintain appropriate capital (cash) to own and maintain an appropriate variety of high quality equipment & vehicles. They just can’t. In these “less-than completely professional” bands, it often works like this; “Tom” brings one speaker, “Fred” brings an amplifier from home, “Ted” brings the orange extension cords & Suzie brings the Radio Shack microphone.. etc.. And then hopefully they’ll all be able to paper clip it all together at your wedding or party. YIKES - that’s scary!

Another common phenomenon are “newbie” or “bar” bands who don’t even own their own equipment or sound system because often the bars already have it & that equipment is preset to sound great. This is WAY more common than you might think.

Consequently, you might hear certain bands in a bar or club & think - “that’s not bad” But then, when the very same band rents all their sound equipment for your wedding or party - & comes into it with the long bearded sound man with the muscle shirt & jeans vest to experiment with the sound for your wedding or party - it’s whole other experience.. & not a good one!

And it’s not just sound systems either;

A $2,500 guitar sounds better than a $250 one.. A $5,000 wireless microphone sounds better & has more range than a $200 one.. A $50,000 sound system sounds exponentially better than a $1,500 sound system - & so on. And more modern equipment is usually more energy efficient. Which may not seemingly make a difference to you, especially if you’re not that into all things “green” - but because more energy efficient equipment allows the band to operate with less electricity, they are less likely to “blow” a venue’s circuits - or, require you to purchase from the venue additional power, which can be several hundred dollars in many cases.

And - bands with adequate capital have something that is critical which low ends bands don’t - BACKUP equipment & vehicles.

And who owns it & maintains it all of this equipment? when it’s a co-op or lower end band rather than large company - usually maintenance & scheduled replacement is forgone to in favor of a lower price. All the fee goes into the performers pockets & nothing is spent on maintenance. If the gear’s time (lifespan) is “up” on your wedding day or at your party, there’s no music - or, maybe a loud “BOOM” - some smoke, a little fire.. whatever - Pick the one you like best!

The moral of the story? - CHECK IT OUT!

Make sure you get a VERY clear sense of how professional, extensive, diverse, well funded & overall prepared your band’s equipment roster is.. You’ll sleep a lot easier before your big day!

About The Author

John Parker is a leader in Pittsburgh Wedding Bands, and Palm Beach FL & New Jersey Wedding Bands specializing in fun, classy bands performing a big variety of music to make the very best weddings memorable for everyone - in the very nicest wedding venues.

Contact John Parker Bands to rock YOUR elegant wedding!

www.johnparkerbands.com - (888) 457-2263

Tags: For Weddings