“An essential tool for musicians on the move”: Ed Sheeran releases the Sheeran Busker, an all-in-one portable 200W PA system for singer-songwriters to take their performance to the street
Grab your guitar and take your show mobile, with an onboard three channel mixer and Alesis effects to finesse your sound, Bluetooth streaming for the backing track, and ample battery life
Ed Sheeran has launched a new portable PA system for the singer-songwriter on the move, with the Sheeran Busker offering 200-watts and everything else you need to take your acoustic guitar performance to the high street.
The Sheeran Busker, or to give it its full title, the Sheeran Busker Special Edition, was developed by Sheeran Loopers and is designed for players at all levels – the beginner, the serious player and weekend warrior alike – which means it has no shortage of features and yet presents them in an easy to use format.
And it doesn’t get much more easy or convenient than this, a battery or mains-operated PA system with everything you need to dial in a sound right there on the control panel, and deeper edits available via smartphone.
With an onboard three-channel mixer, it’ll handle your vocals, your guitar and the external audio from an external source. Each channel has its own volume, with combo inputs and studio quality effects on Channels 1 and 2 for the live vocal microphone and instrument of your choice.
Those effects are provided by Alesis and comprise room, plate and hall reverbs, various modulations including chorus, flanger and rotary speaker emulator, and delay.
Channel 3 is where you will send your backing tracks and external audio, and you can do so via Bluetooth, simply pairing the Sheeran Busker with your smartphone or mobile device, or you can do it the old fashioned way via a 1/8” aux input.
The Sheeran Busker setup is expandable, and you can use Bluetooth to connect it with another Sheeran Busker. Hey, you might be playing Dylan covers outside WHSmith but you can still treat it like it is Madison Square Garden.
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Also, just because it is portable doesn’t mean it has to be used outside. You can plug it into the wall and use it as your take-anywhere PA. We’ve all been at open-mic nights where we wished we had our own system.
But should you run this via the battery, there are LEDs clearly displaying how much battery life is left on your charge. With the Battery Eco Mode you can get up to 24 hours of playing time, which is very respectable.
“Whether performing as a street artist, solo singer-songwriter, or live looping musician, this versatile PA system delivers reliable sound in any setting,” says Sheeran Loopers, noting that it is configured for easy pedalboard integration, and effects such as the Sheeran Looper+. Well, of course it would work gangbusters with a looper pedal.
The Sheeran Busker’s 200-watts drives a 6.5” woofer and 1” tweeter, and the speaker can be positioned horizontally or vertically, or similarly mounted on a pole for greater projection. There are XLR and RCA outputs. Everything else you need can be adjusted via smartphone by using the accompanying Alto App (iOS/Android).
Priced £299/$349, the Sheeran Busker Special Edition is available now. Head over to Sheeran Loopers to find out more.
Jonathan Horsley has been writing about guitars and guitar culture since 2005, playing them since 1990, and regularly contributes to MusicRadar, Total Guitar and Guitar World. He uses Jazz III nylon picks, 10s during the week, 9s at the weekend, and shamefully still struggles with rhythm figure one of Van Halen’s Panama.