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  #1  
Old 04-29-2016, 12:39 PM
kevinp kevinp is offline
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Default Bose l1 for guitar amp

Would a Bose L1 compact work for a accustic amp as well as a pa. For playing small jams, and smaller venues. I was looking at powered speakers also.
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Old 04-29-2016, 01:03 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Sure... you'd probably want some sort of modeling unit to get anything except very clean tones... I have a friend who is a very accomplished player and he does solo gigs with his electric guitars and a Bose system, usually with backing tracks that he writes...

Last time I saw him he was using one of those Vox "Tonelab" floor pedalboards... he had it dialed in!
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Old 04-29-2016, 01:28 PM
Mandobart Mandobart is offline
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Default Not for the Cost

At and under around $1 k, there are so many better choices. I've played thru the Bose, various acoustasonics, SA and others. My $$ went for a Carvin AG300 which to my ears sounds better. A good QSC powered speaker with a nice mixer will be more capable than the L1, cost less and can be expanded later to a full PA.
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Old 04-29-2016, 02:11 PM
kevinp kevinp is offline
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Yea, That's what I was thinking, a good powered speaker and a mixer, but a guy has the bose for Sale for $550, so the price is not so far away.
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Old 04-29-2016, 06:09 PM
Mandobart Mandobart is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinp View Post
Yea, That's what I was thinking, a good powered speaker and a mixer, but a guy has the bose for Sale for $550, so the price is not so far away.
That's a good price if everything works well.
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Old 04-30-2016, 03:25 PM
jseth jseth is offline
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Kevin;

For some reason, I was thinking you wanted to play ELECTRIC guitar through the Bose... if you are just running your acoustic through it, that would not "require" a modeling unit; if you acoustic has a pickup in it, you are good to go!

After having used my bigger Bose L1 rig for 7 years now, I am of the opinion that NOTHING else S P R E A D S the sound around a room like these Bose L1's do... I have heard a bunch of decent-excellent acoustic amps, and none of them accomplish what the Bose does. Certainly, if you are after really high volume levels, there are other options...

But for clear, clean sound from an acoustic guitar and a voice, you just can't beat the Bose L1...

(And I happen to own and LOVE an AER Compact 60; I use it often, but make no mistake: it ain't a Bose-type of sound...)
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Old 04-30-2016, 04:44 PM
martingitdave martingitdave is offline
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Grab the l1 for $550. If it works, it's a great option. You can ditch the extensions when you want to run it like a guitar amp. Otherwise, my compact all-in-one PA money these days is on L6, or Carvin for features and price. Bose and Fishman are right there at a higher price point.

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Old 04-30-2016, 05:55 PM
SpruceTop SpruceTop is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by kevinp View Post
Yea, That's what I was thinking, a good powered speaker and a mixer, but a guy has the bose for Sale for $550, so the price is not so far away.
Good Price! I've had a Bose L1 Compact and thought its tone the fullest and most dispersive of the amps and smaller active PAs that I've had. It's perfect for a solo act!

In the active PA price-range of under $1000, I also recommend the Line 6 L2t for it's tone and features. I've had a pair of QSC K10 speakers that were good but IMHO not as musical-sounding as the Line 6 L2t.
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Old 04-30-2016, 07:57 PM
DrJamie DrJamie is offline
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I think my L-1Compact is a great sounding acoustic amp. If I don't run into a mixer, I just use a good reverb pedal. I use it more often as an amp. And, I love the choice of an extended tower, or not.
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Old 05-15-2016, 12:53 PM
The Blood The Blood is offline
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I've used various amps and active speakers (QSC 10) for years but switched to the Bose compact a year ago and have to agree with the previous postings, that it seems to give the best dispersion by far compared to those options. I've played the same venue, and long narrow room, for years and can verify that the sound gets to the back much better than with mounted PA speakers.

I've read the posts where people are preferring the AER 60 and Rolands but the question that comes to mind is whether the test of sound quality is being made from the back of the room or not. Lots of things sound great when you're standing right in front of the speaker, but muddy from the back of the room. I've played with amps many times in places where people 20 ft. away can't make out the notes because of all of the bouncing of tones off the side walls. Bose has somehow addressed that problem.
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Old 12-29-2022, 10:29 AM
mondoslug mondoslug is offline
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I'm a little late. I did recently purchase a Bose L1 Pro8, really because a group that I play with bought one & I wanted to figure out how to use the thing but I really like it. It's just clear & like the way my rig sounds through it. I go through a little Mackie mixer first. I'm actually going to use it on a couple of gigs as an acoustic amp. It's a real small club and we only put the vocals through their Bose L sumthin sumthin. I usually use a Little Fishman Loudbox Artist, I think it has enough low end. I am going to lose the middle spacer though. Hey if it sucks, I won't do it again.
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Old 12-30-2022, 08:46 AM
willymartin willymartin is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by The Blood View Post
Lots of things sound great when you're standing right in front of the speaker, but muddy from the back of the room. I've played with amps many times in places where people 20 ft. away can't make out the notes because of all of the bouncing of tones off the side walls. Bose has somehow addressed that problem.
I feel like this is overlooked so much in these forums when advice is given. I've gone to countless shows and I know the dude playing acoustic with just the amp thinks he sounds great...and he does, to himself and the first few rows... Mic it or di out to mains...or get a quality column. Mains vs column array debate...depends on the space/audience noise level, but the column will push the acoustic range further back..IMO.
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Old 12-30-2022, 02:22 PM
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Yes. It’s a great acoustic guitar amp and for vocals too. We use this in a duo for smaller gigs and a Bose L1M2 for larger shows. Keep in mind we’re using a SoundCraft ui24 mixer with it. Before a t1 mixer. I also do foot percussion through these systems. Kick and tambo shoe. You cannot do that with any guitar amp. All work perfectly for over 350 shows. You will have different opinions depending on who owns whatever….. Bose systems always sound good to me in true performance environments. Suggest you get out and see some acoustic acts with Bose and other systems to make a decision.
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Last edited by mike o; 12-30-2022 at 02:29 PM.
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  #14  
Old 01-01-2023, 01:27 AM
Crash-VR Crash-VR is offline
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I have the new Bose L1 Pro 32 with the Sub 2. It’s incredible. Especially with a Grace Design Felix. I’m considering getting the L1 Pro 16 for a stage amp/personal guitar monitor for performing with the band and really small rooms. I’ve heard a DJ using one in a fairly large room, and it sounded really good. The 32 is next level though. It will easily work as a PA for a full band in a medium sized room.
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