mikeyboy
09-25-2007, 08:03 AM
My daughter decided that for her next birthday she wants a karaoke party, so even though it's months off, I started looking into karaoke options. I was thinking about renting a unit, but the place I saw in Manhattan that rents charges $300 for 24 hours and jacks it up to $500 if the 24 hours occurs over a Friday, Saturday or Sunday. Sure it comes pre-loaded with shitloads of music, but if you're having a party for with six year old girls, you're pretty well covered karaoke versions of High School Musical 1 & 2, Hannah Montana and a handful of modern pop hits. Anyway, I started looking into purchasing a karaoke machine and saw that you can get much less professional versions (and really that's all I need) for as little as $50. Your low-end versions don't have a screen, so you have to plug it into a TV to see the lyrics, so that works for my purposes as well. I started pricing models and looking at the upgrades that would get me an attached screen, better amplification, and even one that included a video camera.
I decided to check Craigslist as well to see what my options were. Lo and behold, a person just a few blocks away from me was offering a karaoke machine for a fraction of the retail price because they just wanted to get rid of it. I sent an e-mail offering to purchase if they still had it. They were happy to get rid of it because they were moving, and no one wanted to take it because they wanted the machine delivered to them (In retrospect, I should have taken this as a clue). I made arrangements to pick it up yesterday evening, and when I got there I realized that even though I'd seen the machine in a picture they posted with their ad, I didn't realize that the machine was as big as it was. I guess I kind of skimmed over the part that said that it included "a 9" TV for viewing lyrics". In fact, the whole set up can be used as a TV if you so choose -- it has cable inputs in the back. I had second thoughts about buying it because it's a larger unit than I was looking for, but ultimately, it was a pretty good model karaoke machine for dirt cheap. I figured the machine could go the route of the thrift shop or left on a curb for the Manhattan scavengers after the party if I chose to get rid of it, but my wife and older daughter both love it, so I think we're keeping it. I already figured out how to download karaoke tracks off the internet and burn them onto CDs to be used in the player, so I can build up a library of stuff young girls like before the party.
I am a somewhat proud owner of a pretty decent karaoke machine. Point and laugh.
I decided to check Craigslist as well to see what my options were. Lo and behold, a person just a few blocks away from me was offering a karaoke machine for a fraction of the retail price because they just wanted to get rid of it. I sent an e-mail offering to purchase if they still had it. They were happy to get rid of it because they were moving, and no one wanted to take it because they wanted the machine delivered to them (In retrospect, I should have taken this as a clue). I made arrangements to pick it up yesterday evening, and when I got there I realized that even though I'd seen the machine in a picture they posted with their ad, I didn't realize that the machine was as big as it was. I guess I kind of skimmed over the part that said that it included "a 9" TV for viewing lyrics". In fact, the whole set up can be used as a TV if you so choose -- it has cable inputs in the back. I had second thoughts about buying it because it's a larger unit than I was looking for, but ultimately, it was a pretty good model karaoke machine for dirt cheap. I figured the machine could go the route of the thrift shop or left on a curb for the Manhattan scavengers after the party if I chose to get rid of it, but my wife and older daughter both love it, so I think we're keeping it. I already figured out how to download karaoke tracks off the internet and burn them onto CDs to be used in the player, so I can build up a library of stuff young girls like before the party.
I am a somewhat proud owner of a pretty decent karaoke machine. Point and laugh.