Yes... Another Bose vs. Fishman vs. AER Thread

[Captain Jim]

Originally Posted by gruuv

So, an interesting development... I just picked up the Compact 60/3 on AGF for a very good price, virtually new. I also grabbed a Fishman LB Mini for $150.

The local GC carries the L1 Compact. Not sure about the SA220 at GC, but there is one in my local CL for $700.

I'm trying to decide how nuts I want to go here. I could pick up the SA220, bring all of these to GC and have an insane demo day, hehe. But, I will definitely try out both the AER and LB Mini on a few small gigs. In the end, I don't gig enough to warrant keeping more than one, but it will be interesting to hear all these after reading about them here.

Ah, fun with amps!

P.S. Thanks to everyone for the responses!

I think I have mentioned this before, but I use a Loudbox Mini, run a direct line out of that to a Bose L1C. The two together sound better than either individually... although each does fine on its own, considering the situation. Something you might want to demo.

BTW, an LBM for $150 is a hot deal! I tried out the Mini and the Artist, and actually preferred the sound of the Mini. Got it new for $259 and thought that was a good price. I was intending to use it for really small situations and as a practice amp... it is capable of much more.

[slewis]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

I think your descriptions are apt. In my experience, all of these systems, including the SA220 (which I decided on), require some sort of compromise. Sounds wise, I really think they are more similar than different, despite the difference in speakers. And, since there are devotees of all the systems, logic suggests they all work. Since they will all get the job done for guitar and voice, I would suggest you list your criteria in order of importance:

For instance:

Price
Portability
Ease of setup
Quality of effects
Additional input options
etc...

The answer should jump out at you.

However, as you mentioned, and A/B/C test is the most effective way to decide.

Best,

David

This is spot on. These ALL are slightly different animals and offer different features, and if you know what features are most important to you, as David said, the best choice for you should be quite apparent. You just have to know what you specifically want and what your priorities are, and what different features are offered with the different units. They are not at all all identical.