What do I do now?

[Deliberate1]

Friends, I got nearly 2000 posts - and I have never been in this subforum. Don't hold it against me. I have never had a need, till now.
I have a Merrill OM18 which came with an LR Baggs Anthem installed. I never paid much attention to it, because I rarely play where amplification is available or necessary. And when it is, there has been a mic. But, I am starting to do open mic events locally, and there is a board and a sound guy, and the opportunity to plug in.
Moreover, since I have the Anthem, I'd like to get a small system for home or small venue use. But I need some guidance on what a system includes -
preamp? amp? processor? speakers. I have been reading up on the Bose S1 as an all in one, AER 60/4 which is an amp.
Thanks all.
David

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Friends, I got nearly 2000 posts - and I have never been in this subforum. Don't hold it against me. I have never had a need, till now.
I have a Merrill OM18 which came with an LR Baggs Anthem installed. I never paid much attention to it, because I rarely play where amplification is available or necessary. And when it is, there has been a mic. But, I am starting to do open mic events locally, and there is a board and a sound guy, and the opportunity to plug in.
Moreover, since I have the Anthem, I'd like to get a small system for home or small venue use. But I need some guidance on what a system includes -
preamp? amp? processor? speakers. I have been reading up on the Bose S1 as an all in one, AER 60/4 which is an amp.
Thanks all.
David

Since you're just starting out in the process of amplification You might consider the Fishman Loudbox Mini. It gets a lot of love here on the forum, and might be all you'll ever need.

[Methos1979]

Agree - the Mini is a great starting point.

[jricc]

I agree with Rudy and Methos, the Fishman Mini is a good starting point. Might be all you need.. The Bose S1 is good as well. If you are just playing guitar, the Mini has more eq options. If you are singing and playing the S1 would IMO be a better option.
The AER is an excellent amp, but the most pricey.
Good luck in your decision.

[joejessal]

Well, you have a great guitar with a very good pickup with the Anthem. I have the the AER and it is a wonderful amp. It’s got everything you need for what you are looking for. It’s great at home and for playing at small venues. The sound is far superior to the Fishman mini. I’m not knocking the Fishman. It’s a great starter amp, and it works well for a lot of people. Yes, the AER is $1100. But I really like it, and think it’s well worth the investment. Cheers and good look with your search. I’ve been down that rabbit hole before.

[Hoyt]

If you are doing vocals through home system, I’d probably go with the S1, or similar, with an acoustic guitar preamp, maybe a small mixer.

If just guitar, the amp you mentioned is top notch. There are other good ones a bit more affordable. And most can handle vocals reasonably well.

[Deliberate1]

Many thanks for the quick and helpful replies.
First off, I should have mentioned that amplification would be for both vocal and guitar. That being the case, I understand that the S1 may be more suitable that the Fishman. If I wanted to splurge and go for the AER, would that be suitable for both vocals and guitar. And would I need any other devices - preamp, mixer, etc. And by that I mean, just to get up and going - not, at this point to engage in the amplification equivalent of bridge pin mods.
Hoyt, you mention that I could add a mixer and preamp to the S1. Could you explain. As I understand it, the Anthem has an onboard preamp. What would be the purpose of a second one?
Finally, do you guys use this kind of system when you are rehearsing, essentially as a monitor. If so, is that practical and helpful to hear how you sound to the audience?
Thanks, again, all. Just another guitar thing to perseverate over....love it.
David

[Chipotle]

All three systems discussed (Fishman, AER and Bose) do basically the same thing. They are a mini-mixer with 2 (or 3) channels--at least one with a mic preamp and one designed for high-impedance guitar pickups--and powered speaker(s) all in one box. The differences will be in the sound quality of the speakers, the tone controls, and if there are any effects built in. If you have one of these three, and you just need amplification for one guitar and a mic, you're set. Nothing more needed.

If you want more inputs for other mics or instruments, you'd need a mixer. A mixer can also have tone-shaping controls and possibly fx that might be helpful as well. But you can add that later.

I do use my amplification system sometimes when I'm rehearsing for shows. It's not for you to hear how you sound to the audience necessarily; it's for you to get used to how you sound to yourself coming out of a speaker. It's a different experience than playing entirely acoustically, and takes some getting used to. It also has the benefit of helping you learn to use your system before jumping into the fire of a live show.

[Deliberate1]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

All three systems discussed (Fishman, AER and Bose) do basically the same thing.

That is a helpful Wiki - thanks for backing it up a step for me.
David

[Methos1979]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Many thanks for the quick and helpful replies.
First off, I should have mentioned that amplification would be for both vocal and guitar. That being the case, I understand that the S1 may be more suitable that the Fishman. If I wanted to splurge and go for the AER, would that be suitable for both vocals and guitar. And would I need any other devices - preamp, mixer, etc. And by that I mean, just to get up and going - not, at this point to engage in the amplification equivalent of bridge pin mods.
Hoyt, you mention that I could add a mixer and preamp to the S1. Could you explain. As I understand it, the Anthem has an onboard preamp. What would be the purpose of a second one?
Finally, do you guys use this kind of system when you are rehearsing, essentially as a monitor. If so, is that practical and helpful to hear how you sound to the audience?
Thanks, again, all. Just another guitar thing to perseverate over....love it.
David

While the active signal of your guitar will be good for the Bose S1, it will not help the vocal aspect. The S1 is fine by itself but it does not get very loud on its own. Surely loud enough for playing at home but if you want to use it out and about it really can get surprisingly loud if you preamp your signals. So a lot of us that use(d) them put mixers in front of them. That also helps with the limited (2) inputs. My wife and I need at least 3 inputs so, again, a mixer. I used the excellent EAE StompMix X6 for this which has 6 inputs (4 of them XLR) and a plethora of EQ, effects and tone shaping abilities PLUS it can run for hours on its internal and rechargeable lithium battery.

If you're considering paying those kind of prices then I recommend the excellent EAE line of amps that have that exact same mixer built directly into their amps and also run (some models) on battery power. We went this way for quite awhile with the excellent EAE D6-58. I have many reviews down in my sig line that show these amps in action with video reviews. Also, if you want to make the 4-hour drive, you can test drive them at my place! PM me!!

[shufflebeat]

I'm a happy s1 user.

For more channels or for just making the most of your two sources a mixer would be a big help. I find myself recommending the Behringer Flow 8 which is tiny but impressively featured, controlled by a phone app which can be explored without committing.

I've been so impressed by recommendations from people I know and trust that I'm considering buying one despite having no need for it.

[slimey]

If the open mic has a PA maybe all you need is a D.I box , your own Mic ( hygiene ) an XLR mic cable and a 1/4 inch instrument cable. It's most probable there's a PA at most open mics.

The most common mic is the Shure 58, reliable, bomb proof and good for most people.

The only benefit you get using an amp at home is if you want to do some looping or messing about with effects pedals.

If you buy an acoustic amp make sure it has enough power for the venues you'll be playing. It's nice if it has a good EQ . It's very desirable to have a line out capability so you can send your signal to a PA and use your amp as a stage monitor.

I have a nice AER and it's a great amp , but in truth I rarely use it as 99% of the time I'm plugging into a PA. It mostly gets used by the fiddle player in the band I'm in as she doesn't like in ear monitors and uses my AER as a stage monitor .

[Goat Mick]

I have a Bose S1 Pro (among other systems) and I absolutely love it with my EAE Gigmix in front of it. It's a lot more tricky to use without the mixer. For what you're wanting to do I would recommend skipping the Loudbox Mini and get the Loudbox Artist. It's very versatile and sounds great with the guitar and mic plugged directly into the amp. It's what I use for my standing Wednesday night gig and it's very simple and straightforward to use and sounds great.

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by Deliberate1

Many thanks for the quick and helpful replies.
First off, I should have mentioned that amplification would be for both vocal and guitar. That being the case, I understand that the S1 may be more suitable that the Fishman. If I wanted to splurge and go for the AER, would that be suitable for both vocals and guitar. And would I need any other devices - preamp, mixer, etc. And by that I mean, just to get up and going - not, at this point to engage in the amplification equivalent of bridge pin mods.
Hoyt, you mention that I could add a mixer and preamp to the S1. Could you explain. As I understand it, the Anthem has an onboard preamp. What would be the purpose of a second one?
Finally, do you guys use this kind of system when you are rehearsing, essentially as a monitor. If so, is that practical and helpful to hear how you sound to the audience?
Thanks, again, all. Just another guitar thing to perseverate over....love it.
David

The Fishman is quite acceptable for basic vocal mic use, too.

I use a Cube EX for home use as well as gig use. As others have said, these systems basically have all the capabilities you need, so it's up to you to figure out how much you want to spend and what you'll actually use your rig for.



I use mine at home with a looper to make quick backing tracks to practice with. See my "How do YOU use a looper?" topic for further information on how that works.

Buy smart by purchasing equipment that will fit in with your future needs. Once you dive in it's easy to end up going in a few different directions to satisfy your desires.

[RBK]

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