Average Reviews:
(More customer reviews)I'm responding somewhat to the first review and to let people know just how useful these things can be.
Firstly, I've never had the 100 hour limit he talks about. I built two 8 light columns for one of my top customers and they have trucked them across the U.S. for the last 2.5 years, not a single lamp has burned out. These lamps can also be purchased at Lowes for about $6. Make sure you buy the par36s with the turn off front lamp holder and not the ones using a spring wire. They can be colored with lenses for about $2 a lamp, less if you find the right price. I've built several rigs for bands and myself based around these lights and have never had to replace very many lamps. I keep two in the box just in case but rarely use them.
The Par36 Pinspot is easily the first choice for starting a light show for any band. They're cheap and durable. The best thing about them is that they use a 4515 6v 30w bulb. If you step this up to the line side it becomes clear they hardly draw any current. The end result is that you can pile these things onto a dimmer pack of even the smallest size and not risk burning it out. Fewer dimmers, less cost. More dimmers(channels) more flexibility, cooler show. If you get enough of them together they become a wall of light. It's pretty cool and has a range of about 20 feet. I know this doesn't sound like much distance but I did say it's the start of a great light show. Hell, most bands buy a kit with 8 par38s and call it a day so this is far and above that.
On the converse side, buying large par lights,(56 & 64s), you'll eat up dimmers fast and need large amounts of power to run them. How many venues are really that prepared to supply you with 4 20amp breakers for your band? LED lamps are a good option but at $100 a lamp very costly. They also have a much higher learning curve for programming.
In all the starting rigs I've built for people I'll use two bars of 4 Par38 washes out front pointing toward the band and then get at least a 10 truss for behind the band and load it with pinspots. As many as they can afford and the truss can support. Then a HZ1000 hazer and colored lenses. I use Elation boards usually because of cost, features, and reliability. Then Dimmer pack this all up nice and neat. Program in scenes and watch people as they marvel at the number of little beams coming down.
If the show grows to include larger par lights then the lenses can come off a few at a time to create white Rain lights that are always great with a bit of haze. Fog sucks, stay away from it. Venues hate it, customers hate it and who wants to breath it? The HZ1000 is DMX controllable and can be found online for $200.
I'm building a rig right now with 8 par38s out front and 24 par36s on a 15' truss behind with the HZ1000 mounted to the truss. The whole show will run off a single 20 amp breaker. I'm using 5 dimmers for ease of assembly and set them so the fronts are ch.1-4, the outside rears are 5-8 and the middle are 9-12. The hazer is channels 13-14 using a simple stage setter 8. All the cost is in the truss at about $650. The whole rig will come in under $2000 with a single road case that holds the whole thing. It sets up in about 30 minutes once you get practiced up on it. Note that sometimes you have to rewire a channel on your snake to get it to carry DMX but it does work, don't be mislead. 3 wire DMX is the same as a mic cord EXCEPT sometimes the shield of the cord is wired to the wrong lead and has to be switched around.
I hope this helps someone.
Click Here to see more reviews about: Chauvet PAR 36 Pinspot with Bulb
The Chauvet YA-15 pinspot produces a narrow, focused-beam spotlight that's ideal for light shows, mirror balls, and special effects. Model 4515 30W bulb included. Black fixture.
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