Allen & Heath GL2400 24

[LiamO]

FAO beesonthewhatnow and all the other sound-techy heds on here.

Hi. Looking for advice here. I am part of a community-based Irish Traditional music organisation. We have been gifted a big fuck-off PA (hope that's not too technical) by a good citizen who has spent his lifetime building it up and is no longer fit for the heavy lugging (and also has a full-time job in a top-class venue. He could have sold it for thousands but he wanted it to have a legacy... to be put to community use... used by people who would have no access to this quality of gear. So he looked at all the different groups who have passed through the Arts Centre he does the Sound in - and very kindly donated it to us, cos he likes what we do and, more importantly how we do it - and he thought we would be the best group to maximise that legacy .

It's way too big for most of our needs but we will make it available as a community resource throughout our local area..

Included in it is an Allen & Heath GL2400 24-channel passive mixing desk. It is professionally flight-cased and is in perfect (though well-used by a professional) condition. But it is just way too big (physically), way too heavy and, to be perfectly honest, way too complicated for us to use/do justice to. My query is basically... is this sell-able? And if so how much should we be looking for it?

I realise that most people have gone digital but is there still a niche market for a desk like this? We would be looking to replace it with a physically-smaller, simpler, (probably) digital desk. I will probably be looking for advice on what to buy once I know our budget, which is defined by the sale price of this bad boy.

I will post some pics Monday next when I get home. I just wanted to get this conversation started

 

[editor]

FAO beesonthewhatnow and all the other sound-techy heds on here.

Hi. Looking for advice here. I am part of a community-based Irish Traditional music organisation. We have been gifted a big fuck-off PA (hope that's not too technical) by a good citizen who has spent his lifetime building it up and is no longer fit for the heavy lugging (and also has a full-time job in a top-class venue. He could have sold it for thousands but he wanted it to have a legacy... to be put to community use... used by people who would have no access to this quality of gear. So he looked at all the different groups who have passed through the Arts Centre he does the Sound in - and very kindly donated it to us, cos he likes what we do and, more importantly how we do it - and he thought we would be the best group to maximise that legacy .

It's way too big for most of our needs but we will make it available as a community resource throughout our local area..

Included in it is an Allen & Heath GL2400 24-channel passive mixing desk. It is professionally flight-cased and is in perfect (though well-used by a professional) condition. But it is just way too big (physically), way too heavy and, to be perfectly honest, way too complicated for us to use/do justice to. My query is basically... is this sell-able? And if so how much should we be looking for it?

I realise that most people have gone digital but is there still a niche market for a desk like this? We would be looking to replace it with a physically-smaller, simpler, (probably) digital desk. I will probably be looking for advice on what to buy once I know our budget, which is defined by the sale price of this bad boy.

I will post some pics Monday next when I get home. I just wanted to get this conversation started

That is a monster desk and yes you should be able to get some cash back on it - easily around £500 upwards depending on condition

Allen & Heath GL2400 24 - Google Search

Loads of venues still use analogue desks by the way

 

[LiamO]

Pics below. I can post more if needed

 

[LiamO]

 

[LiamO]

 

[electroplated]

Definitely sellable. Couple for sale around £500 on eBay

 

[electroplated]

I might be interested in buying it to be honest

 

[LiamO]

That is a monster desk

You wanna see/hear the speakers! They are HK - Powered tops and sub-woofer plus 2 more passive subs... 1600w per stack .

Along with 12 x SM58 mics; 7 x SM57 (and some audio-technica.
Dozens of leads and cables. & Hercules mic stands and loads more.
Also light controller and a 4-foot high, wheeled flightcase (the ones the the frot and back pop off of) full of all kinds of EQ and FX gear that we haven't a baldy notion about.

And a rake of lights to follow!

Felt like all our Christmasses...

 

[LiamO]

I might be interested in buying it to be honest

I'll PM you after the weekend

 

[klang]

I might be interested in buying it to be honest

what would you use it for?

 

[klang]

Along with 12 x SM58 mics; 7 x SM57 (and some audio-technica.

selling any of them?

 

[editor]

selling any of them?

I dream of owning 12 SM58s!

 

[wemakeyousoundb]

Not sure what you do exactly but why not keep it?
It might be a bit overkill but it's supposed to be a transparent one, and you obviously got a lot of outboard to go with it.
What would you replace it with?

 

[klang]

I dream of owning 12 SM58s!

always good to have a few of them around

 

[electroplated]

what would you use it for?

my music studio - I have a 24 channel desk but this one is nicer...

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Honestly? Sell it, sell the rack of outboard and buy a Behringer X32 compact, and learn how to use a digital desk. Analogue desks still live on in studios, but are essentially dead for live use.

You’ll then have a nice little rig (and plenty of mics by the sound of it) that will cover most small gig requirements.

 

[editor]

Honestly? Sell it, sell the rack of outboard and buy a Behringer X32 compact, and learn how to use a digital desk. Analogue desks still live on in studios, but are essentially dead for live use.

You’ll then have a nice little rig (and plenty of mics by the sound of it) that will cover most small gig requirements.

Oh come on - shit loads of small to small/medium size venues still use analogue desks and they can do a great job. Obviously if you have the money, digital is the way to go but for folks on a tight budget they're not always a realistic or practical option.

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

Oh come on - shit loads of small to small/medium size venues still use analogue desks and they can do a great job. Obviously if you have the money, digital is the way to go but for folks on a tight budget they're not always a realistic or practical option.

They’re still out there but nobody is buying new ones, and every poor house tech lumbered with 5 band bills on an analogue desk hates them.

Unless you’re mad and have money to burn, digital is now cheaper (once you’ve allowed for an outboard rack or gates, comps, fx, eq’s etc), sounds better, will be more compact, and easier to use.

A 16 input Behringer X32 Compact can be had for just over a grand. The 32 channel one for £1.5K Some of the entry level iPad controlled systems out there are somewhere around £500. For small venues they’re all a better option than a cheap analogue board nowadays.

 

[editor]

They’re still out there but nobody is buying new ones, and every poor house tech lumbered with 5 band bills on an analogue desk hates them.

Unless you’re mad and have money to burn, digital is now cheaper (once you’ve allowed for an outboard rack or gates, comps, fx, eq’s etc), sounds better, will be more compact, and easier to use.

A 16 input Behringer X32 Compact can be had for just over a grand. The 32 channel one for £1.5K Some of the entry level iPad controlled systems out there are somewhere around £500. For small venues they’re all a better option than a cheap analogue board nowadays.

Sure, but not every small venue is putting on 5 band bills. In fact, most aren't.

Forking out over a grand for just a mixer is a hardly justifiable for a small venue on a tight budget just wanting to put on occasional live acts on the weekend.

 

[LiamO]

selling any of them?

Sorry, we're not.

Everything we can use, we are keeping. We already have a smaller PA (Yamaha Stagepas 600i Portable PA) bought after seeking advice on here... and a couple of these QTX QR12PA Portable PA System with Wireless Mics at Gear4music. All of these need mics available

So potentially we can now cover 4 Gigs or community events (of different sizes) at the same time. We lend the smaller stuff to community groups/Gaelic Football clubs regularly.

This 'new' PA just opens up lots more options, both for us and for local community groups who would be struggling to afford commercial PA hire.

 

[LiamO]

Honestly? Sell it, sell the rack of outboard and buy a Behringer X32 compact, and learn how to use a digital desk. Analogue desks still live on in studios, but are essentially dead for live use.

You’ll then have a nice little rig (and plenty of mics by the sound of it) that will cover most small gig requirements.

This is exactly what I was thinking beesonthewhatnow .

We need to keep it all as simple as possible if we are to maximise it's community use - otherwise it will just fall on me to cover everything... and also makes it all a bit of a chore rather than a convenient community resource.

I'm guessing 'Outboard' means all the EQ's and FX gear? I will post up some pics for your apparaisal/opinion.

That Behringer one sounds ideal tbh.


Thanks to everyone who took the time and effort to reply. It's so hard to get good and honest advice (in plain english). Obvs the 'experts' in shops have a vested interest.

 

[LiamO]

Here's some pics of the 'outboard' beesonthewhatnow
Hopefully you will recognise the brands and models.

Two questions...
1 Where should I advertise these for sale? and...
2. How much is a fair price for the Mixer desk and the Outboard combined?

 

[LiamO]

 

[editor]

That Behringer one sounds ideal tbh.

It's a great mixer but it's not that easy to teach nom-technical people how to use it!

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

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Look on eBay for current prices. It’s all very much entry level kit but you should find someone who’ll take it off your hands. The flightcase is possibly the most expensive bit of the rack!

 

[beesonthewhatnow]

It's a great mixer but it's not that easy to teach nom-technical people how to use it!

I’d argue for someone new to mixing, digital is now way easier. There’s a whole range of beginner/entry level desks where it’s all there in front of you, no faffing with piles of cable and dozens of identical knobs, external rack gear and so on. Plus most boards will let you create user profiles with sections locked out, so people can’t fuck things up and so on.

 

[LiamO]

It's a great mixer but it's not that easy to teach nom-technical people how to use it!

I get that. But at least I can learn how to use it... and (hopefully) set some presets

I just went to move the speakers. We had lent them to a local community venue for a gig by Brian Finnegan. Here's a couple of vids from the gig

The Sound man was a fella from Derry called Davy who apparently does the Sound for Christy Moore. He brought his own (small, digital) Board and everyone was super impressed with the sound from them.

Unfortunately for me, the fella who was asked to drop off the two passive bass bins also took it upon himself to drop the GL2400 desk too. The speakers were dead easy to move as they are on really good castors. The Board? Fuckin nightmare. Which only underlined to me that a smaller, digital board would make the whole thing eminently more moveable/usable.

We won't be just letting anyone near the stuff by the way. If someone wants to lend/hire it they will have to either have a soundperson or use me!

 

[LiamO]

Plus most boards will let you create user profiles with sections locked out, so people can’t fuck things up and so on.

That's what I banking on

We have say three different ensembles (that sounds posh!) that would mostly be using it. For most venues, this amount of sound power will be complete overkill but being able to keep the master volume low should mean we can play around with the Sound without feeding back. Even if we get someone in to set and save optimum settings for getting a sweet sound on different instruments (Banjo, fiddle, Accordian, whistle, harp, bouzouki, flute, bodhran etc). We actually have a couple of lads away at Uni and tech learning all this stuff... so I am hoping they will be able to a) show me how to use it and b) do some of the gigs themselves.

 

[editor]

I’d argue for someone new to mixing, digital is now way easier. There’s a whole range of beginner/entry level desks where it’s all there in front of you, no faffing with piles of cable and dozens of identical knobs, external rack gear and so on. Plus most boards will let you create user profiles with sections locked out, so people can’t fuck things up and so on.

I'd agree with you except at the smaller end of venues, where a digital mixer would be total financial and tech overkill for a few solo acts and the odd three piece band every other week.