I finally pulled the plug on an item I've been GASing about for a while now.
I have had, for a while, an Ibanez bass and a Bass amp = rarely touch them. I also seemed to have collected a couple of extinct rack gear, too old they need to have one of those USB to whatever adapters which never see to work. An amp, an older Genz Benz Acoustic, etc...
So, I have been really impressed by Fishman's SA220 Solo Amp. A linear two channel that sets up easy, and several acts we follow use them. Van Darien (who has moved recently to Nashville with her Guitar Player with benefits) and a couple of others, they swear by them. I've dinked around with a side-by-side of the SA and the Bose L1 (the knockdown version). Same money - plugged in everything from a Taylor 814, A gibson J45, Songbird, Yamaha, Epi etc.
I traded those items i seldom or even never touched, and a nice discount. Even got the same discount on a brand new shipped directly from the factory as I would have on a floor model.
Anyone else try these?
Anyone else ever use or try these?
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Hydroman52
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- Joined: Sat Apr 11, 2009 7:52 am
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Hey Wiley,
I don’t have experience with either of these specific models (guessing you are talking about the Bose L1 Compact for about $1k), but I do have a little bit of knowledge of playing out and about. Unless you’re going to be playing solo all the time, you may as well figure you’re going to be adding a mixing board, because someone is inevitably going to come along and want to plug in and play/sing along. So don't sell that mixer you've got in the closet. Like you said, those personal units usually have only one or two inputs.
We use a bunch of Bose gear when our band rehearses and plays out. I have an L1 Model II with a B2 bass module (upgraded from two B1 modules to the single B2 in 2014 with no regrets) and T1 unit (four inputs). Bassman Jerry has always had Bose 802 speakers and some sort of multi-channel power amp. From day one of just Jerry and I jamming together, we would have had all the T1 inputs maxed out (Jerry’s vocal mic, my vocal mic, my guitar instrument mic, and a JamMan to play our drum backing tracks). And Jerry already had a separate amp for his bass guitar. If we were doing an acoustic duo through the L1, we would have been short one input. Fortunately, Jerry saw the bottleneck ahead of time and bought a small mixer (Berringer 1202 ~$70-$80 USD) which got us through when the guest performers started showing up. That mixer is now dedicated to handle the drum mics. Our current main board is a Berringer X2222USB, and we only have one or two inputs left there.
After we had expanded our PA, we were asked to perform at a friend’s pool party as a favor. Bassman Jerry and Drummer Kim couldn’t make it, so Harpman Joel and I figured we’d do an acoustic duo. I thought we’d just have an acoustic guitar and Joel’s case of harmonicas and that would be it; do it completely unplugged. But Joel brought a small PA (can’t remember make or model) and I think we used three inputs (harp mic, vocal mic, and guitar mic). We did run into problems when the one of the mics didn’t work. That was because it was a condenser and his PA didn’t supply 48v phantom power (similar to the Bose L1 Compact). Fortunately, I had a little tube preamp along that fixed that. It was a good thing that we amplified, because people didn’t have to scrunch around us in that outdoor environment in order to hear everything. Lesson learned….better amplified outside. In this situation, either one of the Fishman or Bose that you are talking about would have probably worked great with the addition of a little two channel (or larger) mixer.
Again, I haven’t heard either of these units, so I can’t give an opinion on how they sound. That’s an individual’s preference and, more importantly, your audience’s opinion anyway. I’ve glanced at the specs on both of these units. Assuming that both are equal in sound quality (or too close to make a decision), I would say that the Fishman has the advantage in versatility right out of the box. It has the 48v phantom power option for condenser mics (you can only use dynamic mics with the Bose without buying extra gear) and I like the idea of the notch filters. I have a Crate Telluride that has an adjustable notch filter that works wonders on acoustic guitar feedback. Only drawback with notch filters is that not all acoustic guitars seem to feedback at the same frequencies, so I sometimes have to dial in different frequencies and widths when I change guitars. I couldn’t see how the notch filter(s) is/are adjusted on the Fishman. The XLR D.I. out on the Fishman is a good idea and will make the sound man happy if you will need to plug into a house PA. They tend to grumble if they have to mic your cabinet or fish out that ¼” to XLR adapter that’s waaaaaaay down on the bottom of their gig bag. If you find you need to add a mixer, many of those come with 48v phantom power and an XLR out, so you’d probably have a work around for much of the Bose differences if they ever became issues. But, these things are not deal breakers in my book, and if I had to make a choice on anything like this, I would go for sound quality first and features second. In my book, if listening side by side, and Fishman sounds better, go Fishman.....and vise versa. Both get high reviews from people who use them.
I don’t think either of the L1 Compact or the SA220 were available when I bought my L1 Model II (I bought it used for a little over half of what a new one cost). I've had it for over three years, and am very satisfied with it. Looking back, I might have considered one of these if they were available. In retrospect, I’m glad I wasn’t tempted, because we would have outgrown it in a very short period of time. But that’s just what happened to me . . . . your mileage will probably be different.
Let us know where your journey takes you,
Hydroman52
I don’t have experience with either of these specific models (guessing you are talking about the Bose L1 Compact for about $1k), but I do have a little bit of knowledge of playing out and about. Unless you’re going to be playing solo all the time, you may as well figure you’re going to be adding a mixing board, because someone is inevitably going to come along and want to plug in and play/sing along. So don't sell that mixer you've got in the closet. Like you said, those personal units usually have only one or two inputs.
We use a bunch of Bose gear when our band rehearses and plays out. I have an L1 Model II with a B2 bass module (upgraded from two B1 modules to the single B2 in 2014 with no regrets) and T1 unit (four inputs). Bassman Jerry has always had Bose 802 speakers and some sort of multi-channel power amp. From day one of just Jerry and I jamming together, we would have had all the T1 inputs maxed out (Jerry’s vocal mic, my vocal mic, my guitar instrument mic, and a JamMan to play our drum backing tracks). And Jerry already had a separate amp for his bass guitar. If we were doing an acoustic duo through the L1, we would have been short one input. Fortunately, Jerry saw the bottleneck ahead of time and bought a small mixer (Berringer 1202 ~$70-$80 USD) which got us through when the guest performers started showing up. That mixer is now dedicated to handle the drum mics. Our current main board is a Berringer X2222USB, and we only have one or two inputs left there.
After we had expanded our PA, we were asked to perform at a friend’s pool party as a favor. Bassman Jerry and Drummer Kim couldn’t make it, so Harpman Joel and I figured we’d do an acoustic duo. I thought we’d just have an acoustic guitar and Joel’s case of harmonicas and that would be it; do it completely unplugged. But Joel brought a small PA (can’t remember make or model) and I think we used three inputs (harp mic, vocal mic, and guitar mic). We did run into problems when the one of the mics didn’t work. That was because it was a condenser and his PA didn’t supply 48v phantom power (similar to the Bose L1 Compact). Fortunately, I had a little tube preamp along that fixed that. It was a good thing that we amplified, because people didn’t have to scrunch around us in that outdoor environment in order to hear everything. Lesson learned….better amplified outside. In this situation, either one of the Fishman or Bose that you are talking about would have probably worked great with the addition of a little two channel (or larger) mixer.
Again, I haven’t heard either of these units, so I can’t give an opinion on how they sound. That’s an individual’s preference and, more importantly, your audience’s opinion anyway. I’ve glanced at the specs on both of these units. Assuming that both are equal in sound quality (or too close to make a decision), I would say that the Fishman has the advantage in versatility right out of the box. It has the 48v phantom power option for condenser mics (you can only use dynamic mics with the Bose without buying extra gear) and I like the idea of the notch filters. I have a Crate Telluride that has an adjustable notch filter that works wonders on acoustic guitar feedback. Only drawback with notch filters is that not all acoustic guitars seem to feedback at the same frequencies, so I sometimes have to dial in different frequencies and widths when I change guitars. I couldn’t see how the notch filter(s) is/are adjusted on the Fishman. The XLR D.I. out on the Fishman is a good idea and will make the sound man happy if you will need to plug into a house PA. They tend to grumble if they have to mic your cabinet or fish out that ¼” to XLR adapter that’s waaaaaaay down on the bottom of their gig bag. If you find you need to add a mixer, many of those come with 48v phantom power and an XLR out, so you’d probably have a work around for much of the Bose differences if they ever became issues. But, these things are not deal breakers in my book, and if I had to make a choice on anything like this, I would go for sound quality first and features second. In my book, if listening side by side, and Fishman sounds better, go Fishman.....and vise versa. Both get high reviews from people who use them.
I don’t think either of the L1 Compact or the SA220 were available when I bought my L1 Model II (I bought it used for a little over half of what a new one cost). I've had it for over three years, and am very satisfied with it. Looking back, I might have considered one of these if they were available. In retrospect, I’m glad I wasn’t tempted, because we would have outgrown it in a very short period of time. But that’s just what happened to me . . . . your mileage will probably be different.
Let us know where your journey takes you,
Hydroman52
Thanks for the response,
I bought the SA220 Solo Amp, will be here Monday.
First - the sound quality, really too close to call. Most agree the Fishman is better for vocals and no sub is needed yet can be added fairly easily.
Features - the Fishman, for the price, wins this hand down. None of the others, Fender, Harbringer, Kustom, or others compare.
As for additional channels, anything over two and an additional mixer is necessary. However, that's true with all the other brands I considered. Most of the time the cables cost more to hook up a small board than the board itself!
I came to the conclusion to buy a PA like this by thinking I needed, if I ever decided to, something like this for gigs. Not ready for that now, maybe - maybe not. And, if we continue to do "House Concerts" it would be nice to tell the artist all they need bring is their instrument and their favorite mic.
*An additional reason is once I began playing using a sound system, even the GenzBenz I had, it takes on an additional dimension than playing without one. Something I almost always do now, the same for standing vs. sitting.
I bought the SA220 Solo Amp, will be here Monday.
First - the sound quality, really too close to call. Most agree the Fishman is better for vocals and no sub is needed yet can be added fairly easily.
Features - the Fishman, for the price, wins this hand down. None of the others, Fender, Harbringer, Kustom, or others compare.
As for additional channels, anything over two and an additional mixer is necessary. However, that's true with all the other brands I considered. Most of the time the cables cost more to hook up a small board than the board itself!
I came to the conclusion to buy a PA like this by thinking I needed, if I ever decided to, something like this for gigs. Not ready for that now, maybe - maybe not. And, if we continue to do "House Concerts" it would be nice to tell the artist all they need bring is their instrument and their favorite mic.
*An additional reason is once I began playing using a sound system, even the GenzBenz I had, it takes on an additional dimension than playing without one. Something I almost always do now, the same for standing vs. sitting.