# Clay Paky Sharpy



## GoboMan (Apr 30, 2013)

I have noticed when watching live music events on TV (The Voice, SNL, etc.) that the "Sharpy" by Clay Paky has become a pretty dominant lighting instrument in the rigs I've seen. 

I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts and opinions were on these lights? What makes them so apparently desired in concert venues these days? I see them EVERYWHERE lately...


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## DaveySimps (Apr 30, 2013)

My guess is that it has a lot to do with its compact size (makes it easier to tour with and fit into rigs), and its great output compared to its relatively low power consumption. The optics of the fixture are a bit different than other instruments too. The smaller arc source in the lamp allows the beam it produces to be more consistently parallel at a comparatively longer distance. I see them come through a lot. They are a nice fixture.

~Dave


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## soundman (Apr 30, 2013)

A few reasons, they are quick, bright, weigh next to nothing and have a low power draw. It uses a fixed color wheel and can bump colors very quickly which can be useful. While they are kind of a one trick pony I have seen them used nicely. 

On the most recent Foo Fighters tour there was a half circle automation track on the upstage end of the stage with I think eight pantographs that could track along it. Each pantograph and a syncro light and 2 Sharpies on it. The look of huge beam next to two small ones was visually interesting and allowed for some neat layers of light in the haze. If the Sharpies weighed more the it might not have been possible with out beefing up the rigging. 

Phoenix had a bunch at Coachella, they were surrounding the band on three sides and used to build a wall of light around them. Because of the punchyness of them even in deep colors the look read well. And when they were pointed out over the audience the beams seemed to go for miles. 

I like that you can address them with out power.


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## StNic54 (May 1, 2013)

We recently got a batch of about 16 or so Sharpies. It took us a long time to get them - we had to rent them for a few shows leading up to the purchase delivery. They are fast, and they are bright. When we do arena shows, they are the difference-makers because they can cut through and really pop from very long distances. They are super lightweight, and our road cases hold 6 per case. They are awesome as effects units. I'll take them any day over our other units.

Some of the downsides: they get very hot, and the beam has the ability to set things on fire - hence the minimum 40' throw warning on all the fixtures. We did have an issue after renting some out where the pan locks were not unlocked when powered up, and some of the gearing was ground down. Not a fun thing to discover. Also, they are overkill for smaller venues, and when you watch Saturday Night Live, you can clearly see that they are overkill for that particular show because they overpower the cameras for the musical guests and actually negatively impact what the viewer at home sees. However, if you watch wrestling week to week, you'll see a great utilization of Sharpies throughout the show as ground units.

All in all, they work nicely, if you can get em.


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## GoboMan (May 2, 2013)

A minimum 40' throw?! Wow, that is intense. Makes me wonder, though... I watch "The Voice" and in the upstage corners of the audience they have a row of Sharpys and VL500s lining the top row of the audience, and many times the Sharpys are aimed at the backs of the heads of those audience members at the top row. Are you saying that they are probably feeling the heat of those beams when they are focused on them?


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## StNic54 (May 2, 2013)

Could easily be feeling the heat. There should be some photos floating around the web of instrument housings that melted from a Sharpy beam hitting them. They did a test on Spansets and the burn time was lengthy, like 5 hours.


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## ship (May 2, 2013)

Watch the lamps in cost effective - 2,ooo hours is a lot to much for useful.


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## Footer (May 3, 2013)

Simply put... because you can do this: 



A few 8" mirror balls and there ya go. They also had a few halved and on the floor that they shot at.


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## Judge (May 3, 2013)

GoboMan said:


> A minimum 40' throw?! Wow, that is intense. Makes me wonder, though... I watch "The Voice" and in the upstage corners of the audience they have a row of Sharpys and VL500s lining the top row of the audience, and many times the Sharpys are aimed at the backs of the heads of those audience members at the top row. Are you saying that they are probably feeling the heat of those beams when they are focused on them?


Meh, serves them right. Its a bit worrying that they can actually melt Spansets though! Okay, so they would never be in a situation where that would happen, but still...


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## wolfman005 (May 3, 2013)

In the manual, there is an option to add a special heat shield so instead of a minimum of 12 meters, it's 8 or something like that.


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## Judge (May 3, 2013)

I feel safer now


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## ship (May 3, 2013)

Still though, in any normal selling point for a moving light, a question comes up in lamp life. These are advertised for 2,000 lamp hours beore replacement. I see between 600 and 1,000 hours normally before more or less wash beam of light - and as normal for most high output fixtures, you won't get that beam of cool above well into the tour. Sure I see lots of them come back these days as per "dim" in saying so in the range of loss in efficiency.

My point is that these fixtures while perhaps selling point for lamp hours isn't realistic. Am testing an Osram version of the Philips lamp also - not designed for the use but plays nice with it so far. Got one of two back recently but the roadie's were too busy to fill in lamp hours appairently. Given lamp hours before rejected, it was a bad lamp for intensity and no useful info beyond that in testing the new lamp.

Main point, if a selling point is double the lamp hours of this lamp for a sale - don't believe in more like the 600 thru 1,000 hour range for useful and normal.


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## masterelectrician2112 (May 4, 2013)

I saw Howard Ungerleider's lighting design for Rush's Clockwork Angels tour, and he uses them extensively. I think what makes them so desirable is their ability to throw about a quarter of a mile in good conditions for the size that it is. I can't think of another light that is that small that has that kind of output. They were also used in the Superbowl halftime show for Rihanna around the rim of the stadium. You can see how far the beams throw in the video. I had the opportunity to see a couple in action for a project at school, and they were without a doubt the most punch-y fixture in the rig. One of the designers for that project apparently didn't realize their power, though, since they decided it would be a good idea to point them at the top row of seats where I happened to be sitting and strobe them. The flashes were so brilliant that my eyes started watering and I had to leave the theater for a while as I became disoriented. These things have a punch that shouldn't be forgotten.


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## derekleffew (May 4, 2013)

As a lighting student trained in the McCandless Method, it's difficult for me to reconcile beamage --light for lights' sake. To put luminaire s on a plot for the sole purpose of lighting air or haze, instead of talent or scenery, just seems wasteful. But IF I'm going to "waste" light, I'd rather it be a 189W Sharpy as opposed to a 5- or 7kW Syncrolite.
.


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## techieman33 (May 4, 2013)

derekleffew said:


> As a lighting student trained in the McCandless Method, it's difficult for me to reconcile beamage --light for lights' sake. To put luminaire s on a plot for the sole purpose of lighting air or haze, instead of talent or scenery, just seems wasteful. But IF I'm going to "waste" light, I'd rather it be a 189W Sharpy as opposed to a 5- or 7kW Syncrolite.
> .



It's not wasted light if it's adding to the feel of the scene.


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## Footer (May 4, 2013)

techieman33 said:


> It's not wasted light if it's adding to the feel of the scene.



....or looks cool when the audience is blasted on ketamine. 

Lets face it, none of the moving light companies in the last 5 years have made a fixture that actually lights a stage well as a priority. Along with that, a 1k VNSP par never did anything to light a stage.


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## wolfman005 (May 4, 2013)

Don't forget TSO. They had a very impressive amount of Sharpys.


I'm not a lighting student by any means. In fact I might even be considered a hobbyist, but when I do design for a band, the first thing I do is pic what type of beam/aerial lights I'll use. Course it's easy to do that when you use pre-vis software and have unlimited possibilities.


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## Hughesie (May 5, 2013)

They are a very limited fixture that can only really be classed as an "Effect Light" even Clay Paky realised this as they have no released the Sharpy wash. I have done a few events with the sharpy and one with the sharpy wash and can certainly say the newer model is a welcome improvement if you have a tight rig budget or space restriction and need a functional light AND pretty beams.


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## Les (May 5, 2013)

derekleffew said:


> As a lighting student trained in the McCandless Method, it's difficult for me to reconcile beamage --light for lights' sake. To put luminaire s on a plot for the sole purpose of lighting air or haze, instead of talent or scenery, just seems wasteful. But IF I'm going to "waste" light, I'd rather it be a 189W Sharpy as opposed to a 5- or 7kW Syncrolite.
> .



I use "beamage" a lot if I'm doing a show that relies heavily on suggested scenery. Les Mis is one that comes to mind as one that I used gobos as aerial effects to add texture. Good thing the balcony was closed for that run or the audience would have seen a lot of random grate and palm leaf gobos.

I had some bigger "beamage" scenes than this, but I think I've posted them here before so I'll just go with this one.


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## masterelectrician2112 (May 5, 2013)

derekleffew said:


> As a lighting student trained in the McCandless Method, it's difficult for me to reconcile beamage --light for lights' sake. To put luminaire s on a plot for the sole purpose of lighting air or haze, instead of talent or scenery, just seems wasteful. But IF I'm going to "waste" light, I'd rather it be a 189W Sharpy as opposed to a 5- or 7kW Syncrolite.
> .



For theatre, I agree completely. However, for concert lighting, I think that a fixture meant to create beams through haze is quite useful. It allows you to create tight-beam effects that weren't as easily achieved before. Also with the saturate colors the Sharpy can achieve, I think it could be used to light talent possibly as a backlight.


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## Les (May 5, 2013)

masterelectrician2112 said:


> For theatre, I agree completely. However, for concert lighting, I think that a fixture meant to create beams through haze is quite useful. It allows you to create tight-beam effects that weren't as easily achieved before. Also with the saturate colors the Sharpy can achieve, I think it could be used to light talent possibly as a backlight.



Musical theatre excepting (IMO) but only in particular circumstances.


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## cmckeeman (May 6, 2013)

StNic54 said:


> They did a test on Spansets and the burn time was lengthy, like 5 hours.


try one... at 3 feet, which is still a lot of time on something that probably shouldn't be lit but it could still be possible for a careless LD to cause an accident.


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## DELO72 (May 6, 2013)

ship said:


> Am testing an Osram version of the Philips lamp also - not designed for the use but plays nice with it so far. Got one of two back recently but the roadie's were too busy to fill in lamp hours appairently.



That was our first version which was designed for us on our ballast, but could work with varying success on the other fella's. 

Newest version (in stock Globally in a few weeks!) is called the SIRIUS HRI* 190+ *, and IS designed for use in Sharpys and other fixtures currently using the 5R. I'll have samples next week and make sure I get you a few. These we are completely confident in as replacements, and they have a great lumen maintenance I am told. Anyone with movers using the 5R, please give us a try. We think you'll be very happy! 

Mark


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## StNic54 (May 7, 2013)

cmckeeman said:


> try one... at 3 feet, which is still a lot of time on something that probably shouldn't be lit but it could still be possible for a careless LD to cause an accident.



I really like this article. It shows the lengths that companies can go to deny warranty responsibility. Love it.


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## ship (May 8, 2013)

DELO72 said:


> That was our first version which was designed for us on our ballast, but could work with varying success on the other fella's.
> 
> Newest version (in stock Globally in a few weeks!) is called the SIRIUS HRI* 190+ *, and IS designed for use in Sharpys and other fixtures currently using the 5R. I'll have samples next week and make sure I get you a few. These we are completely confident in as replacements, and they have a great lumen maintenance I am told. Anyone with movers using the 5R, please give us a try. We think you'll be very happy!
> 
> Mark



Of the two in stock, one came back amongst a bunch of 5R that got changed without the "professionals" on site noting lamp hours thus probably not reseting them either. Suspect it lasted around an average 1K time from memory. The other prototype is still out there somewhere around the world and appairently still playing nice with the other lamp. If reall wanted I can further track what fixture it was installed in and what show it is on by fixure number, than inquire with the crew chief. All computer stuff I and others normally fly our desk jobs with in finding out.

Yea, give me a try for the upgrade, as I harped about... it's more a 1,000hr lamp the 5R at best, and that's normal as opposed to antiquated stuff like the MSD 250 that's like up to 3,000 hour at this point I think? Main point isn't pice or hours, just a realistic account of I see these rejected lamps daily in bulk and the lamp hours of the fixture should not be a realistic expectation. Other than that, very popular fixture etc. have a few hundred in stock at this point I think. If the HRI 190+ lasts longer or not moot point, send me the specs in the morning, none the less price point and dependability balances with price.

Not a bad lamp... very hard for me to magnifying glass figure out the failure point for - my problem in tossing them if I see a slight cloud, any way on the other hand if it's from the reflector to clean it in trying again if globe seems ok? New type of lamp to be inspecting for me.


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## ship (May 8, 2013)

StNic54 said:


> I really like this article. It shows the lengths that companies can go to deny warranty responsibility. Love it.



Believe gauge of wire in daisy chainging Powercon stuff is a different topic before posted. And I always use 12ga as per rated for the breakers.


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## shiben (May 8, 2013)

derekleffew said:


> As a lighting student trained in the McCandless Method, it's difficult for me to reconcile beamage --light for lights' sake. To put luminaire s on a plot for the sole purpose of lighting air or haze, instead of talent or scenery, just seems wasteful. But IF I'm going to "waste" light, I'd rather it be a 189W Sharpy as opposed to a 5- or 7kW Syncrolite.
> .



I feel like thats kind of thin. Lighting the talent or scenery could be considered wasteful as well if the lighting of them does not contribute to the story of the play...


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## jplevene (Mar 20, 2015)

GoboMan said:


> I have noticed when watching live music events on TV (The Voice, SNL, etc.) that the "Sharpy" by Clay Paky has become a pretty dominant lighting instrument in the rigs I've seen.
> 
> I was just wondering what everyone's thoughts and opinions were on these lights? What makes them so apparently desired in concert venues these days? I see them EVERYWHERE lately...



We have Clay Paky Sharpies, did a Google search of just our area and loads of companies have them (http://goo.gl/Ko38Kg). They are amazing bits of kit and are pretty much a necessity in all of our shows now.


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## Pie4Weebl (Mar 20, 2015)

jplevene said:


> We have Clay Paky Sharpies, did a Google search of just our area and loads of companies have them (http://goo.gl/Ko38Kg). They are amazing bits of kit and are pretty much a necessity in all of our shows now.


Interesting, do you think these "Sharpie" fixtures will stick around for a while, or is it just a flash in the pan phase? I'm not sold.


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## MikeJ (Mar 20, 2015)

Sharpies are a one trick pony. I'm going to hold out for the moving head Highlighters; they are much better at producing neon colors.


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## techieman33 (Mar 20, 2015)

MikeJ said:


> Sharpies are a one trick pony. I'm going to hold out for the moving head Highlighters; they are much better at producing neon colors.



Not sure what you mean by mving head Highlighters, but I agree about them being a one trick pony. I think that's where a Mythos could come in, I could have that beam when I wanted it, and a normal spot when I didn't.


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## MikeJ (Mar 20, 2015)

"Sharpy" is a Light fixture. "Sharpie" is an office suplly. But seriously, tight beam fixtures have there place but can be limiting, and you tend to see a lot of the same looks in many shows.

They are best used with a mix of other fixtures IMO, but like most gear in entertainment, their time will pass.


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## jplevene (Mar 21, 2015)

Pie4Weebl said:


> Interesting, do you think these "Sharpie" fixtures will stick around for a while, or is it just a flash in the pan phase? I'm not sold.


The fact that every company is now making an equivalent makes me think they will be around along time. Lets also be honest, your profile basically projects a coloured pattern, an effect that is quite dated.
I feel the next thing will be LED profile lights with inbuilt LCD panels, sort of like a DL2 without the price tag.


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## JohnD (Mar 21, 2015)

Pie4Weebl said:


> Interesting, do you think these "Sharpie" fixtures will stick around for a while, or is it just a flash in the pan phase? I'm not sold.


Now now Victor, play nice, you are responding to a new member who probably didn't notice he was responding on a two year old thread. But then again, on reflection, to quote Emily Litella, "Never mind" Isn't "flash in the pan" a reference to pyro? 
@MikeJ comment made me wonder if Clay Paky ever gave away Sharpies labeled SHARPY, that would have been cool.


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## Pie4Weebl (Mar 23, 2015)

JohnD said:


> Now now Victor, play nice, you are responding to a new member who probably didn't notice he was responding on a two year old thread. But then again, on reflection, to quote Emily Litella, "Never mind" Isn't "flash in the pan" a reference to pyro?
> @MikeJ comment made me wonder if Clay Paky ever gave away Sharpies labeled SHARPY, that would have been cool.


 
I recently did a show in a venue which had "Marker" lights, I got a good laugh out of that.


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## ship (Mar 25, 2015)

Sharpees are very interesting lights in having an internal reflector giving better wattage to effeiciency concpts and longer lamp life for less wattage. There is three versions each taking their own lamp which is unfortunate especially as the newer the version the more expensive the lamp. I note that Osram/Sylvania has recently bought the brand. I'm so far a fan of the Sharpee in all the versions.


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