Cheapest Source for Strip/Border/Cyc Lights?

[Sub_Umbra]

My wife's looking for some 3-4 circuit strip lights to wash a cyc at the cabaret. The stage is pretty small so it won't be a huge order for the vendor.

Details she's looking for:

• Must be new -- EDIT: ----USED lights would actually be fine.---- Sorry.
• Would rather have the bigger, older style w/lights on 6" centers than the newer style smaller ones.
• Must NOT require exotic, expensive replacement lamps. Even Edison based floods would be fine.

Do any of you theatre guys have a source you've used that you like who has good prices?

Thanks

[Sub_Umbra]

Anyone?

[mahoney]

The old R40/PAR38 lamp style strip lights sound like what you are looking for. They are dinosaurs. I would expect them to be dirt cheap used, and not available new. But to my surprise, my 2007 Norcostco catalog has "Border Light by Altman" on page 28. Looks like just the thing. If Altman still makes them, any theatrical vendor should be able to order/quote them for you. Striplights are heavy so freight will be an issue. I'm partial to Production Advantage as a supplier, but they are not always the lowest bidder.

[Sub_Umbra]

Thanks, we'll check that out today.

[VidPro]

you need them in led?
http://www.lck-led.com/index.php?cPath=39_56
http://www.theledlight.com/RGB_bars.html
(not the best place to $$$ buy, but the idea is still there)

http://search.ebay.com/search/search...ash&category0=
(a ebay search that finds the backlight screen coloriser things.) those same people have the RGB controllers and strips too.

these are thing i ran across while looking for full color area type lighting, all to much $$$ a few dosen colored bulbs from wallymart, and 3 x10 dimmer controllers from radioshack would be cheap initial costs, but lots wasted power.

as kids when doing lighting in the theatre with 0$ for budget, we used malibu lights :-) managed to get 1/2 the lighting done that way on a small stage, colored gels the whole kit. and i dont think that guy missed them out of his garden eithier :-)

[Sub_Umbra]

Originally Posted by VidPro

you need them in led?

I don't think she's too keen on the LED units. She used a set recently and has a number of issues with them.

[Ken_McE]

Originally Posted by Sub_Umbra

I don't think she's too keen on the LED units. She used a set recently and has a number of issues with them.

What did they do??

[Sub_Umbra]

Originally Posted by Ken_McE

What did they do??

They just struck a rental show that brought them in as part of their kit:

• They were hidiously expensive even in a small house. The producers brought down five units and even for the club's small cyc (17 feet? wide) the coverage was spotty. It would have taken at least three more to get any kind of even wash.
• They worked fairly well (with the above exception) when run from a program but at the club they may be running 4-6 different shows in the course of a week and most of them are just run manually -- on the fly. She didn't like that aspect at all when compared to more conventional strips.
• I seem to recall some kind of 'stuttering' issue where fading up or down was kind of bumpy. I can't really remember the details.

Upon quizzing her a bit more she mentioned that used lights would actually be fine. Sorry. Any ideas?

I'm going to edit the OP to reflect that.

[mahoney]

Call around to local theaters and schools/universities with a theatre program. If you're lucky someone's upgrading and you can get their old striplights. Unless they are in great shape, they shouldn't cost much. Used striplights will frequently need re-wiring, new sockets, some repairs to the gel frame holders and hanging hardware, and tracking down/making replacements for missing gel frames, all of which can be time consuming, but it's not rocket science. Even striplights that have spent some time under water should be repairable and with a fresh coat of "barbeque black" paint they'll be almost good as new.

[Sub_Umbra]

That's a good idea. Thanks.