Fishman Solo

[alohachris]

Aloha Kev,

Just got home from work. Just packed up my rig for the trip through the woods to my car and then down to the brewery gig at Aloha Tower tonight.

You just had to remind me, dintcha! Yeah. The Daedalus 803's weigh about 40 lbs. each. But they have built-in handles and are wedge shaped which makes 'em easier to heft and handle.

I have my Pendulum SPS-1 Preamp/ TC Electronics M2000/ Parasound 2125 amp in a four-space portable rack bag (Odyssey BRW-418) which has a handle and wheels for easier portability(about 60 lbs.) Keep all my picks, slides, tuners, etc. on top of it. I keep everything connected so all I have to do is plug in the speakers, vocal mic and stereo Pendulum module and I'm set up in about 20 minutes (including schlepping from the car - just one trip on the gig end using the cart).

I have gig bags for the mic & speaker stands and a handcart. I also use an LED-lighted music stand and bring several books of music (alphabetical order and different genres - all in 18-point type of course - to help me remember the lyrics of the oldies. Hey, you might laugh but that's an important tool for us old giggers.

Yes, I DO feel the schlepping, especially moving it through the woods back to my house after the gigs. But that's why I entered this discussion in the first place. I'm curious about the Soloamp.

I have other gear I keep in the car just in case: Rane SEQ30L 1/3 octave EQ to tame really bad rooms - don't use it hardly at all; Allen & Heath ZED-14 mixer and some dynamic mics (EV N/D967) in case a bunch of musicians want to sit in - more rare these days. I also bring a great AKG 460C external mic in case it's quiet enough for me to use it ( I really love the natural acoustic sound I get with that mic and the K&K mini/ AKG 416 internal mic combo). No monitors. I keep the speakers up on stands around 5' high just in front of the vocal mic to the sides and slightly angled in so I can hear. I plug in an IPOD on my breaks (mostly local friends' music).

I bring three self-made Koa guitars (one a 12-string) and never put 'em on stands. The most important thing I bring to gigs like tonight is fun and an 'anything goes I'll play anything' attitude. I tell stories depending on the noise level, play a lot of originals, lots of great songs from singer-songwriters, lots of slack key and later, lots of blues, slide, Hawaiian contemporary, classic rock and requests - especially when there'll be an "upbeat" crowd like tonight. I do have a "more limited" set for the limited tastes of younger audiences.

Quieter gigs I don't sing as much and play a lot of fingerstyle instrumentals (DeGrassi, Mize, Ackerman, Kottke, Petteway, McManus, Gerhard, Lang, Fahey, etc. - all the best of my generation) in many tunings and even some classical pieces: Reggae, Jawaiian, Jack Johnson. etc.

Tonight, I'll play three 45 minute sets (tourists and locals who like more identifiable MOR fare). Eat & drink free (though I don't drink alcohol). Do a lot of Rodney impressions and laugh a whole lot with friends who drop by. I'll be home asleep by 11:30. Gotta work tomorrow at 7AM. Another gig tomorrow afternoon at a private house party. I play for playing's sake, for me, for the sharing, and never for the money. It keeps me alive.

PS: Although incredible sounding to me, my amplification system is VERY secondary to the music and spirit of the night.

alohachris

[alohachris]

Aloha Mike,

Most of you are fast asleep as I take off now for my gig out here in Paradise.

Thank you for all your opinions here, for your passion which we all share about the music we love to play. I am having a ball reading your posts here on this burgeoning thread. It really helps me at work when I can check in online and get a brief respite from all the madness there.

So Mike, that last thread was the capper. If I had a jet, I'd meet you in North Dallas tomorrow. We could jam all day and night in front of that amazing technology. Short of that, I'm glad you're so willing to share this all with us and so much of yourself. Thank you. That was a Great last post!

Sleep well my friends. Now....bring on da bimbos!

alohachris

[MikeTX]

Howdy Chris, (that's Texican for Aloha!)

Your evening sounds just super! I bet your rig DOES sound wonderful, but like you say, that's secondary. That was part of my recent rant... It SHOULD be SO about making the music! I just would never take on a rig like that, I physically could not make it happen. Viva SoloAmp!

One more tech thing - I am vitalized by your use of the music stand and lyric sheets! I woulda never guessed. In a way I feel bad because I don't have all my songs memorized. We had a long discussion about this over in Bose Land, also one about learning "new" music, trying to appeal to younger people, stupid stuff like that! :-) But I finally realized that using lyrics when I have to really extends the material I can bring forth, and that's worth it, to me. I don't much LIKE it, but I do it. By using lyrics - I did two very cool things semi-recently. A pal of mine is a McCartney guy - I met him locally hearing Beatle tribute bands he was in, and he's now in a fabulous national act in Vegas and Atlantic City, bless him! Anyways, he just put out a new album of real cool original stuff on iTunes. I downloaded it on a Tuesday, learned one tune on Wednesday & Thursday, and performed it solo Friday, using my sheet - AND I was able to call him backstage in Vegas, and he HEARD my version on his cell while I did it! LOVED that! Then, another old pal brought his big bro to see me - we had buried both their folks in the last year, and we all three needed a sigh and a laugh. The week of the gig, my bud gave me a link to a song that was a big fave of his big bro - I learned it, played it for him, meant a ton to him, AND the rest of the crowd seemed to like the tune too! SO, I have two very cool, meaningful, and unique tunes in my bag, because I will use lyrics now. Can't beat it!

Woops - just realized this has zero to do with Fishman and Bose - sorry friends. I'll post to Aloha private next time...

Oh - I was also gonna say - MAN - do I want to take a vacation to my favorite place on earth and come hear YOU!

Carry on man - Mike

[Joe Barbieri]

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

Hi Joe,
We're are fortunate to have your join this discussion.

If Open-Road-Matt had some issue with his ears wouldn't the other PA system also cause him pain?

I must have missed where someone said that the Soloamp was being marketed as a product to compete with the Bose L1. I did say that the SoloAmp was being advertised as a compact line array. Still, comparisons are inevitable but any such comparisons should keep the very large price difference in mind.

Hi Herb,

I actually enjoy the back and forth. It's fun and I'm not bothered by the comparisons. I'm not sure about the ear thing, you may be right. I've been gigging for too many years and I do know some folks that have developed some of those ear issues. He is pretty tall so maybe the recommended height needs to be adjusted for him. There is also nothing set in stone that you need to stand right in front of it. That preference may differ from user to user. In all the testing of this amp over the past couple of years, I never heard of that type of issue specifically using this amp. What it comes down to is that everyone will buy the gear that works for them. I always hated the A-B comaprisons, or shoot outs or whatever they're called only because in the long run, it doesn't matter until you find what you like. I've gone to see lots of movies that I was warned were awful and loved them, and hated some that were supposed to be the next Citizen Cane :-).
This is the quote from Matt that I was referencing about the marketing comparison:

It seems as if Fishman's marketing approach has been to bill the SoloAmp as being like the L1 and the video they show on their website shows someone using the SoloAmp like the L1 but my experience was quite different.

Again, no big deal and I applaud Matt for the yeomans job in his review. Also Mike, you, Chris etc....Good discussion.

[KevWind]

=alohachris;1615651]Aloha Kev,

Just got home from work. Just packed up my rig for the trip through the woods to my car and then down to the brewery gig at Aloha Tower tonight.

Thru the woods very cool..Im visualizing... here at home I can park right out in front of the daylight basement, but the kickker here is ,in winter it is likely to be .. 0.. degrees , Its at 8000 ft. elevation and has been as cold as 40 below while shelpping gear into a gig in Jackson, with a relative humidity of 8 to 12 % so the quest for the right mix of portability and good sound is paramount for me.....

You just had to remind me, dintcha! Yeah. The Daedalus 803's weigh about 40 lbs. each. But they have built-in handles and are wedge shaped which makes 'em easier to heft and handle.

sorry as I said having just sold my Mackie 450s which are 55-60 lbs i am looking to go to any less weight.... I decided to quit being lazy and went to the Daedalus web site 41 lbs to be exact. Also their WS81 look interesting less money and 26 lbs

I have my Pendulum SPS-1 Preamp/ TC Electronics M2000/ Parasound 2125 amp in a four-space portable rack bag (Odyssey BRW-418) which has a handle and wheels for easier portability(about 60 lbs.)

Our systems are somewhat similar I have a Langevin DVC, TC3000 and a Monster pro 2500 power conditioner. in a wheeled SKB 6 space rack. with no speakers as of yet.

Yes, I DO feel the schlepping, especially moving it through the woods back to my house after the gigs. But that's why I entered this discussion in the first place. I'm curious about the Soloamp.

Exactly... Me too.. 30 yrs in construction here, I no longer want to lift heavy loads

I bring three self-made Koa guitars (one a 12-string) and never put 'em on stands.

Wow a luthier as well !! the total musician !! do they stay in the cases until played ?

The most important thing I bring to gigs like tonight is fun and an 'anything goes I'll play anything' attitude
PS: Although incredible sounding to me, my amplification system is VERY secondary to the music and spirit of the night.
.

Bingo !!!
alohachris[/QUOTE]

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by MikeTX

Howdy Chris, (that's Texican for Aloha!)
Oh - I was also gonna say - MAN - do I want to take a vacation to my favorite place on earth and come hear YOU!

Carry on man - Mike

Hey big thanks to You to Matt, Chris and ALL and Im with you .... next winter, Lets book a fight, and camp out in woods by Chris, We can drive him bananas or maybe in Hawaii ?? it's drive him Mangos, just kiddin !!

[open-road-matt]

Originally Posted by Joe Barbieri

There is also nothing set in stone that you need to stand right in front of it.

Joe,
The point I was trying to make is that while I never said Fishman marketed the SoloAmp to be in direct competition, the video on the SoloAmp website shows the guy standing in front of it and to me, when I read a statement like, "you hear what the audience hears," the only way I think that could happen is to be in front of it. I think with those two things, a comparisons between the SoloAmp and the L1 were inevitable.

And what I was trying to say is that had Fishman not taken the above marketing approach, I would not have looked at the SoloAmp as being like the L1. I wouldn't have thought the SoloAmp could be used instead of my L1 and I wouldn't have thought to stand in front of it at volume levels needed to fill the space. I would have looked at the SoloAmp as a very cool, great sounding acoustic amp packed with features and with better coverage than other acoustic amps.

That's all. And now I promise to be done on this topic.

Matt

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by open-road-matt

Joe,
The point I was trying to make is that while I never said Fishman marketed the SoloAmp to be in direct competition, the video on the SoloAmp website shows the guy standing in front of it and to me, when I read a statement like, "you hear what the audience hears," the only way I think that could happen is to be in front of it. I think with those two things, a comparisons between the SoloAmp and the L1 were inevitable.

And what I was trying to say is that had Fishman not taken the above marketing approach, I would not have looked at the SoloAmp as being like the L1. I wouldn't have thought the SoloAmp could be used instead of my L1 and I wouldn't have thought to stand in front of it at volume levels needed to fill the space. I would have looked at the SoloAmp as a very cool, great sounding acoustic amp packed with features and with better coverage than other acoustic amps.

That's all. And now I promise to be done on this topic. Matt

Hey man you did great... really and the bottom line is "if it don't work for you" then "It don't work for you" simple enough no biggie.... I for one greatly appreciate the time and effort you put in...

[alohachris]

Aloha Kev!

Well, I'm back at work this morning. For a Friday, the brewery gig last night was very mellow. I think people are feeling (rightly so) like they're sitting on an impending economic disaster of epic proportions. It was tough to get a rise out of 'em and I tried. Easy gig.

I played a blues song by Joel Zoss, "Pushin' a River" that they made me play three times(!( - each set. I'll have to send Rick Turner a check from the tips it got me because he turned me on to that song recently. (Mike: Of course I had the lyrics nearby in case I gaffed it.)

But at about 11:30 last night, during my third trip to the car to retrieve stuffs to my house, I started thinking about the Soloamp's ease of portability.

Yes, I do live up in the rainforest above Honolulu at about 1,700 elevation. My house is 500' from my car up a narrow, wildflower-lined path that wends its way through a bamboo and Koa forest. I'm on water catchment and have banana, mango, camphor, tangerine, guava, coconut and passion fruit trees surrounding my house. The forest understory right now is all lit up by hapu ferns, orange heleconias and blue, yellow and white ginger. Nice time of year here - especially with the late-afternoon, autumn light flitering through the bamboo stands. And I'm just 15 minutes from my favorite town bodysurfing break. Not bad for a guy who grew up in Manhattan and came to his senses 33 years ago.

But you Kev? Wyoming at -40 degrees?!? More than one trip to the car could be fatal! But those high plains have open spaces to enjoiy solitude and great people, IMO! I loved Wyoming the many times I've been there - though not in the last 15 years.

Re: Daedalus Speakers. Carl Tosten and Sdelsolray both talked me out of the S-81's because I sing a lot and sometimes have friends singing with me. The 81's are perfect for acoustic guitar soloists. But the 803's are more like a mini-PA.

I've never heard anything like them in 45 years of playing through speakers. I spend my nights listening to every bit of music I have because the Daedalus 803's are so revealing, clear with the ultimate amount of headroom. Zero ear fatigue (thanks SDEL!). If you're looking for speakers, I cannot recommend Lou Hinkley's Daed's more highly. He's the best.

The Daedalus S-81's are about $700 each. The 803's run about $1200 plus extras to make life easier. I find them much easier to lift because of their wedge shape than either 450 Mackies or JBL EON15 G-2's.

The Daeds have to be heard to be believed. They don't have that JBL mid-range honk because they are completely designed for the acoustic guitar and made by a fine desinger who is a great player. Mine were made out of Koa I sent Lou. Unreal! That's why I'm not as tempted by the Bose (which I played through lots) or the Soloamp (can't wait to hear it), despite their portability. I've got the best I've ever heard. Lou'll be out here in January. Can't wait to meet him and shake his hand.

Got some customers. Gotta go. All the best, Kev!

A Hui Hou!
alohachris

PS: House Party this afternoon. I can't wait. People who want to hear MY songs and who are respectful and quiet. Ahhhhh! -alohachris-

[KevWind]

Ya Wyoming has it's pluses and minuses The -40 was only one time when I was actually playing a gig and the minus temps here are usually low humidity, so they are not as bad as they could be ... A huge plus for me is I happen to live in the middle of a major wildlife corridor so there's a continual parade of wild critters coming thru the property. helps make up for the long winters check it out... Handsome Eddy the elk and our ponies

[alohachris]

Aloha Kev,

Wow! That is so cool! Great picture. Wyoming is so beautiful and open. Has under a million residents, right? Eh, I have a million people right down the mountain from me here in Honolulu. Going for a swim is about the extent of our open spaces here on Oahu.

Up here, about the only critters besides ancient birds that we have are wild pigs, who really rip up the forest. Rarely, I get awakened by the feeling of my hillside house shaking. It's one of the pigs rubbing his okole against one of the posts of my house.

I know, I know, guys: soloamp, soloamp, soloamp. Sorry bout that.

alohachris

[KevWind]

Since there are two other threads about soloamp At least we haven't hijacked the only one, be that as it may I'll wait for the soloamp bose shootout, and just say this: The population of Wyoming is right around 500,000 I live at the edge of the wilderness where the High plains gives way to the Timbered mountains Great place to live, but as stated before 230 miles to the closest Guitar Center....So I am using the experiences of the posters here as a my preliminary source of reference.. And grateful for it.. Kev

[Herb Hunter]

Originally Posted by alohachris

Aloha,

I'll betcha the first time a Soloamp hits a loud, large, crowded room, no one outside of the first 20 feet will be able to hear anything coming from it.

Line array speaker systems simply cannot handle noisy crowds unless you get like 4 of them in series up on a raised stage. Hey, if the Bose can't handle that kind of dispersion requirement, do you think a Soloamp will? Somethin' to think about. I'll betcha. They're both gonna pan out to be nothing more than expensive toys!

alohachris

Why can't a line array handle noisy crowds? What is it about a conventional speaker system that makes it more suitable for noisy environments? See graph from post #186: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...&postcount=186

Has anyone tested a line array in a noisy room by listening from the back of the room to see if the impression from the stage that the line array is being drowned out by the crowd is accurate?

[rmyAddison]

Originally Posted by Herb Hunter

Why can't a line array handle noisy crowds? What is it about a conventional speaker system that makes it more suitable for noisy environments? See graph from post #186: http://www.acousticguitarforum.com/f...&postcount=186

Has anyone tested a line array in a noisy room by listening from the back of the room to see if the impression from the stage that the line array is being drowned out by the crowd is accurate?

I'm with Herb on this one, lines arrays lose less volume over distance than conventional speakers, crowd noise is crowd noise regardless.

Many Broadway theaters, which have the best sound systems and engineers on the planet have gone to ultra pro audio line arrays. While I am not a fan of Bose (the "Bose sound" not the technology) and may not be of the Fishman, we will see, I am a fan of high end line arrays.

A few very high end hifi speaker companies have come out with line arrays and they sound amazing and fill large areas effortlessly without blaring volume.

IMO, neither the Bose or Fishman should be used for line array versus conventional speaker comparisons, they are self contained single tower powered mini PA's. To compare line array and conventional speakers you would need two conventional speaker and two line array cabinets, power both to the same SPL right in front of the cabinets, then go back a given distance and measure SPL again, the line array should be louder by everything I have read.............

[alohachris]

Aloha,

If you use two Boses or Soloamps - with Subwoofers in Stereo - you may get the dispersion you need for a normal bar/restaurant crowd.

A single Mono tower of any technology can't possibly do that job. You don't need science to figure it out, just your ears and a crowded room.

I'd put my conventional stereo, dual speaker source up against a single Bose or Soloamp ANY DAY!

Try it yourselves. Compare a conventional Mackie or JBL EON stereo PA system to those two single source systems in a normal bar crowd and sit across the room when the tables are full - and listen. There is simply no comparison!

alohachris