Best place to sell a lighting console?

[ale.heat]

Hi,

 

We recently had an installation under a year old and we are looking to replace the desk that was sold to us because it just isn't suitable. Where is the best place to sell the desk to get the best money for it?

 

 

It is a Compulite Dlite 36/72.

 

We have seen then for sale new at around £6000 so we would ideally be expecting a return of about £5000 to £5500. There is nothing wrong with it just it is too much for our venue (see below).

 

 

We are also looking for a desk to replace the Compulite. The venue has:

 

 

120 seats

36 ways of dimming (6 x beta pack 3)

DMX out puts across the rig for moving lights via Compulite splitters

Complete generic rig no moving lights although we receive shows so we have hazers and movers in occasionally

User Friendly so that staff of the arts centre can switch it on and bring up light easily on subs

 

 

We have had the suggestion of a Strand 300 which has been refurbished to replace the Dlite. The reason being it is universally known, lots of sub masters, theatre stack programming is easy.

 

Can you give pros and cons or other desks to look at which are simple to use and will give a little pocket money after the sale of the Compulite.

 

 

Cheers

 

Alex

[frazer]

I would recommend you give Gear Source Europe a try. We have sold quite a few of our desks there, however be careful that you don't get tripped up by the exchange rate.

 

As for buying a new desk, a Strand 300 is a reasonable suggestion. Or if you do manage to get £5000 for your current desk you may be interested in buying a second-hand Stand 520i simply because it is slightly better for handling moving lights, but may be a complete waste of money if you only use moving lights a couple of times a year (you could just hire-in when needed).

 

What desks are you currently used to, except the Compulite? This may be an influence if you are going to be the main user of the desk.

 

Frazer

[ale.heat]

I am use to

 

Strand

Zero88

 

Am learning

 

Avolites

Grand Ma

 

(Appreciate the last two are not an option)

[smalljoshua]

Seeing as both the 300 and the 500 series Strands are now discontinued and getting parts for them is increasingly hard now. It may be worth looking at the Leapfrog 48 from Zero88 here.

 

Also worth looking at would be the ETC Ion.

 

Josh

[aidso]

I would second the Frog. If you want something easy to use and still pretty good for generics then it or the Frog2.

[Just Some Bloke]

A good place to advertise your desk would be here.

[frazer]

A good place to advertise your desk would be here.

 

O yes of course! Silly me ;)

[JDP]

I think Used Lighting, Gearhouse, AC Lighting and Audio Visual Bay are good starters. If you don't have any luck, theres always Ebay.

[David A]

The desk you are selling is a current high end desk which seems to have all the features you could need, if you sell it you will lose money as it is most unlikely to fetch the price you hope and to then buy an obsolete desk with limited hope of spares and back up does not seem a sensible business decision.In your position I would learn the desk and if someone comes in to the venue who doesn't know how to work it they hire you, this is a good business move.

We each have desks we prefer but that is not a good basis to run a venue on.

[paulears]

I too a confused. It's a bit like saying you've been given a Range Rover, but are looking at a mid price saloon? I think if your went to a Frog of any description you would be the only people to have done that move - most aspire to go upwards.

 

 

That control can do everything you want and more, will have a decent life span as you won't be stressing it, and you can learn the clever features as you go. The basic functions would seem to do what you need.

 

A good few people on here would buy you a brand new Frog and do a swap!

[ale.heat]

hi,

 

The reason we are getting rid of the desk is because it is quite complex to learn and also too over powered for the venue. Both a colleague and I have spent time learning how to use the desk and programming so that we are proficient at programming basic to more complex things. During the programming we can expect the desk to crash at least four times on average. The are also a lot of errors within the programming where it is easier to delete an entire cue stack than just one cue.

 

I am currently in University and the work at the art centre is to gain more experience and also to gain some more money. Once I have left uni I intend to freelance which means work at the arts centre is going to decrease as other work crops up. The arts centre is full of technophobes who sometimes even hate using computers for office work. When I leave they will have some technicians on freelance but many don't know/like using the console.

 

The 300 console was going to be set up so that basic house washes and profiles were recorded into the submasters and then touring shows could either program or busk. Most shows don't require programming and so busking happens a lot. The 300 is generally well known by the technicians who tour the shows that come in so it would mean they could program the show as they want even load the show on disks if they had back ups.

 

With the 300 what could go wrong out of interest why would we need extra parts for the desk. If it was a dimmer or light then yes I could understand that they would get abused. With the console what would need replacing?

 

Why would you suggest a Frog2? (Out of interest) I had a go on the console and it seemed like a Hog. What are your reasons for picking that desk?

 

Cheers for the replies

 

 

*** Edit***

 

I appreciate that this sounds like it is my choice to go for a Strand but I really have no preference of desks. However I have a rule in that if the desk doesn't fit the role then there is no point using it. I.e Using a Pearl in the venue.

 

We really are just searching for ideas and suggestions.

[gareth]

Sorry, but this all sounds a bit odd to me. You're talking about an arts centre venue which has a Compulite D-lite desk. You say you're at university, and that's one thing that really made me wonder exactly what all this is about - one assumes that, being a student, you're not on the full-time technical staff at this arts centre, but rather you work there as a casual. If the arts centre want a new desk, it should be the full-time arts centre staff who a) decide that they need one, and b) decide which one to buy.

 

Secondly, one of the main reasons you give for replacing the desk is that it's "too difficult for you to learn". Sorry, but that doesn't wash. I've never used a D-lite in anger myself, but from what I've heard about it, and from spending a bit of time being shown the desk by Andy Stone at a trade show a few years back when it first came onto the market, it seems like a perfectly good little desk. If there's something that you need a desk to be able to do, and it simply won't do it, then fine - but talking about replacing a perfectly good desk just because you don't know how to make it do something you want it to do is, quite frankly, ridiculous.

 

If you have any purchasing influence at the arts centre, and you are able to have a say in what desk is installed, why didn't you have that say when (assuming it's the Pound Arts Centre in North Wilts whose website I've just found) they had their recent £1.2m refurbishment? If you don't have any purchasing influence, then this whole topic is all a bit academic.

 

There's also the argument, stated by other people in this thread, about the folly of replacing a current product with an obsolete product. It simply doesn't make sense.

 

The are also a lot of errors within the programming where it is easier to delete an entire cue stack than just one cue.

This says a lot - you really can't be blaming the desk for bad programming by the operator. If there are so many errors in the programming, you need to look at replacing the programmer, not the desk.

 

 

Edit : [Columbo] Oh, and one more thing ... [/Columbo]

 

If you think you're going to be able to take a desk that sells brand-new for £6k, has had many months of use in an arts centre environment (high turnover of events, lots of potential use by unskilled operators who may not treat it with so much respect), and on which a large chunk of the manufacturer's warranty has expired, and sell it for £5.5k, then I'm afraid you're very much mistaken. Either that, or you know some very gullible people who want to buy lighting desks ...

[Big Jay]

After reading all the posts and the Specs on the Compulite Dlite 36/72, I would highly suggest going for an EOS/ION, there both very simmilar to the Strand desks. I personnaly think going from this desk to a Frog, would be a huge step down and then maybe not have the features that you currently use on the Compulite that you would expect.

 

My opinion only but as Paulers said

 

A good few people on here would buy you a brand new Frog and do a swap!

 

If this is saying what I think its saying, maybe a Frog is not worth selling the Compulite for.

[slipstream]

If you just want Guild staff to be able to create a basic wash, when no crew are available, why not spend £50 on the nastiest DMX 12 slider desk ebay has to offer - set it up for use whenever they need it, and learn the new desk and bring it out for let's that need more ability

 

Sam

[ale.heat]

Hi,

 

 

Firstly Gareth I find your post a little rude. I find this often in the blueroom makes me wonder why I bother to use it some times..... There are some things in your reply to my post that need some more explanation from me.

 

Yes it is the Pound arts centre and yes I am a casual however since September last year when it opened again I have been back every weekend bar about 10 when I had exams. During these times when I have been back (like I previously said) I have been learning how to program the desk and can do all the programming for non movers reason being that we haven't had movers in yet. Yes I don't like it much but sometimes you have to use what you are given. Other touring companies have complained about the desk and other members of technical crew (who aren't students and light things for the BBC and work for Martin on occasion).

Do people treat equipment without respect when it isn't theirs. That desk cost £6k why would I go out of my way to break it? I certainly can't afford to buy a new one.

The bosses at the Pound arts centre asked around with local companies and firms and then the technicians who use the console and the large majority said that they couldn't use it and that it was a little bit more than the venue needed. Because I am known to the Pound they asked me to do some research and come up with a few replacement consoles that others could use easily. I have drawn up the list and have had it looked over by three independent firms who I know but have nothing to do with the venue to ensure I am making a well informed choice about the desk. They agreed which is why I am now coming on here asking for your professional opinions about the various options available. Once I have got these I will check through them again, try and a few trials then hand the information to my bosses who will go through the purchasing system.

 

Lots of people have suggested Frog but the firms I talked to said the same thing as you guys that it would be a huge step down and a huge loss. Both the EOS and ION have been suggested as replacements along with the Strand series. One thing that puts us off Strand is that it is no more and parts (if required) wont be available as easily.