I'm not sure if this is a serious question or not. The flip answer is - duh - one guy playing solo - one mic otta do the trick. The actual answer is this: I do use one mic for vocals, but all my instruments are internally mic-ed, so they all get plugged in. I have a switch box that has one input and six discrete outputs. I use one input cord that I plug into whichever instrument I'm using at the time, I hit the foot switch for that output, and the signal is sent to the particular channel on the board for that instrument. That way I have separate volume and tone controls for each instrument, but only one cord to worry about. It's also cool for turning the instrument off while I tune. I hate hearing someone tune through the PA. Why six channels? I hardly ever use more than three, but I designed it to accommodate 6 & 12-string guitars, banjo, ukulele, autoharp and mandolin. Count 'em - six. Normally I only play one guitar, banjo and uke. When I do my sit-down one-man band act (depending on the size of the room) I usually put a mic on my left-foot percussion stuff (hi-hat, maraca, foot-bourine, clapping hands) and sometimes on the kick drum. For larger concert venues I also need a mic for the saw and sometimes a separate vocal mic over by the saw stool so I can introduce the number. I used to have this set-up with The Trio. My favorite situation is no mics. A lot of the house concert settings that I'm doing now don't require any amplification at all, and that's the best. I've learned to "mix" myself pretty well by controlling the volume on my guitar or banjo as I sing, then hitting them a little harder for the instrumental sections. The coolest thing about this is no set-up. I just walk in, unpack my instruments, tune and play. I can usually cover a room of about 50 people without amplification. Now, this wasn't planned - just worked out this way - but the other day I showed up for a house concert in a larger room - about 100 people. It was a dead room (low ceiling, carpet) and the host advised that I use their mic for speaking. So we set that up and I lowered it down a bit to pick up some of the instruments in addition to my voice. I think it worked out pretty well - nobody complained or commented about the amplification, but it was virtually the same as my normal no-mic approach, but added enough of me to fill the room a little better. So in answer to your question - yes, by accident. As for coming to Seattle, I don't think I'm well-enough known to get a gig there. I could probably play at one of my old haunts on Vashon Island, but that wouldn't even pay for the trip up there. Come to Denver!
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