Acoustic solo and duo live setups

[Goat Mick]

I'm firmly in the keep it simple camp. I use either my Gibson LG2 or my Martin 000-17 (both have Baggs M1 passive pickups) into my Baggs Para DI and straight into the amp. My mic is a Shure Beta 58 straight into the amp. I have several different amps I use based on the venue. I will either use a Fishman Loudbox Mini, Loudbox Artist, Loudbox Performer or a Bose S1 Pro. If I need volume plus wide dispersion I'll use one of the Loudbox amps and DI into my Bose L1 Compact. Honestly if it's an indoor gig I could get away with just using the S1, I have played some large rooms with 300+ people with that unit and covered everything with volume to spare. Outdoors it's not as good unless you're somewhere with walls for the sound to bounce off. Outdoor open areas get the Loudbox Performer into the Bose L1C.

[mike o]

Here’s our set up duo. Husband and wife

Barbed wire. Lol

Me
Breedlove master 12 string w fishman rare earth
Mustapick semi barri with fishman rare earth w/mic and K&K SBT (two separate outs)

Both guitars run direct into bose T8 to Bose L1M2 with two B1’s. I have two more plus extra amp if needed.

Old style porch board bass direct to T1
My famous tambo shoe on the other foot

The wife
Wireless Senn 865 into TC voice live 2 into T8
Assorted percussion stuff

No music stands, sheet music/words, tablet’s, loops or back tracks. All live.

We are experimenting with a new mixer ui24 only to get live recordings with separate tracks to mix later. Unfortunately, I haven’t been able to get a decent guitar sound direct into Ui24. Amazing how well the Bose t4 and T8 does direct in for all guitar mixing/fx’s, tuner etc.

We have played hundreds of gigs with this set up. Small venues to small town concerts. I wouldn’t change a thing.

[Rudy4]

You really only need a minimum of equipment based on the material you do. This is what I've used recently in a couple of gigs when playing with two other players. Everyone has basically a version of the same setup, so it's quick n' easy to set up and tear down.

Having an amp with the controls within arm's reach means you can do your own sound on the fly, tweaking as necessary based on a few folks in the audience that you can trust. The CUBE EX on a stand is great for that, and it's easy enough to position so you can catch enough of the amp's sound to be able to hear yourself easily.

This is a new setup for me after having worked in larger band formats for many years where we almost always had someone else who took care of the PA and did sound. I have to say I actually really enjoy the "traveling light" format a lot. Since the CUBE EX is fully capable of running on battery power I could gig without AC if needed.

[jseth]

My gigging is generally solo, voice and 6&12 string guitars...

My set-up is: Bose L1 Model II w/ B1 subwoofer cabinet, fed by a Bose T1 mixer/Tone Generator.

Vocal mic is a Shure Beta 58A; Sm57 for additional mic for "breath and string noise" for the guitars... Dazzo pickups in both guitars (passive).

I have a small "tray" that clamps to the mic stand, and that holds the T1 mixer. One cord from the mixer to the Bose main unit that gets AC power and sends signal; only one outlet needed for the rig! My mic and guitar cords are 6' cables, so there's not a lot of excess to flop around on stage...Very clean stage set-up.

The T1 has individually adjustable parameters on all the channels, so I get any effects I want from that unit, without monkeying around with floor pedals or additional "boxes".

Don't have a lighting rig, but I rely on the strength of my performance and repertoire, as well as connecting with the audience (such as it may be!) to "keep things interesting"!

[leew3]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

Unless you truly enjoy technology, keep it simple. That’s what we have learned after performing as a duet for almost three years now.

What he said. As the other half of the duet, we typically plug the instruments we're playing straight into the amp we're using, usually a LB Artist for each of us. Rokdog uses a small pedal board but that's about it. Same with our vocal mics. We keep our show interesting by not knowing what we're doing so that we're as surprised as anyone when songs go well!

[SalFromChatham]

The Bose L1 and a tone match mixer has cones us right so many times, with excellent and even sound dispersion. Two singers two guitars.

[SalFromChatham]

The Bose L1 and a tone match mixer has done us right so many times, with excellent and even sound dispersion. Two singers two guitars.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by SalFromChatham

The Bose L1 and a tone match mixer has done us right so many times, with excellent and even sound dispersion. Two singers two guitars.

Looking at the second photo, it's amazing and wonderful you don't get feedback in that arrangement indoors.

I've used my L2 M2 outdoors but off to the side as well as farther behind me, and though eventually I tweaked things I've had some feedback issues. Love the system!

(Sennheiser 935, Martin Road Series w/ Sontine, Tonedexter, Boss VE-8, L1 M2 w/B1)

[DjFuzzyMcPickle]

Originally Posted by Dropq

I checked out that tonedeq, what a great pedal! Gotta try one! I loved my EONs when I had them, incredible speakers imo.

Couldnt agree more. Mine are from about 10+ yrs ago. EON G2 1500'S (400 watts each) A15" woofer / horn tweeter combo. I run out of my Genzler AA Pro (150 watts I believe) straight into these and the sound between the 3 is soooooo lush and warm it's incredible. Waaaaay niiiiiice than I thought.

[6L6]

Acoustic Guitar > a few BOSS pedals > Fishman Mini or Performer amp depending on venue size (the MINI is perfect for 90% of the places I played in prepandemic times). Shure SM58 mic.

[PANDAPANDELO]

K&K Trinity on HD28 / K&K + AKG c516 on GS Mini > Grace Design Felix2 > QSC Touchmix8 > QSC K10.2

Microphone is a Neumann KMS105, Sennheiser MD441 or Heil PR35, depending on the gig purpose or venue. The vocal microphones goes into a JHS Colourbox V2 before it hits the Touchmix.

[tribedescribe]

I play in a duo with my wife that plays out 3-4 nights a week. For a pa system we use a touchmix 8 into two qsc k8.2. We use one as a main/monitor and often have the the monitor much louder than the main. I like the (less beamy) wider 105 pattern of the k8.2's as we often have to set up pretty close to the audience. We also share a monitor often so the wider pattern helps me hear the monitor better. I also carry around a mackie dlm8 that gets used as a additional individual monitor or main if the venue needs it.

My wife sings and plays acoustic on 75% of the songs. I usually switch off between a Duesy lap steel w/ benders and my electric guitar to accompany her using my hx stomp. Sometimes I occasionally play bass using a pitch effect if the song calls for it. Sometimes she puts the guitar down and I use my piezo (ghost) electric and to get a blended acoustic/electric sound. it took me a while to tweak the helix to find a passable acoustic tone using a sigma ir. I also use the helix for looping and switch over to an electric sound for solos over the loop. Looping is a lot of fun if you get into creating rhythmic parts. I can cop a cool drum sound by raking my pick across muted string on beats 2/4 to get the snare and then tapping on the piezo saddles to get a bass kick rhythm sound. The hx stomp is an amazing tool that makes this all possible.

[JackB1]

Originally Posted by Chipotle

I usually gig with both an acoustic and an electric (with modeling pedal, no amp) and microphone, so I use a mixer.

You use an electric during a solo gig? How do you do that? I always thought playing an electric for a solo gig sounds not as full as an acoustic.

[TheSaint]

I'm with jseth and others who preach the 'Keep it Simple' message.

I find that a Bose L1 MII with a B1 sub and the T1 mixer covers any gig we may do. It's quick and easy to set up and has fantastic coverage both indoors and out. The earlier photos showing the Bose is how we set up, with it directly behind us.

We are either a duo or trio with me on guitar and vocals, my wife Alison on percussion and vocals and Mike on guitar and vocals.

I alternate between two dreadnoughts, one has an LR Baggs Lyric and the other an M1A. No real preference, they're just different.

My mic is a Neumann KMS 105 and Alison uses a Shure SH55 for vocals and an AKG for percussion.

If space is really tight, I substitute the Bose for an RCF powered speaker.

I use one or two small lighting units depending on the circumstances.

The second question is a whole lot more difficult to answer. How to keep it interesting..?

I'm confident when singing and playing but when the song ends, I'm the world's worst front man. Think Van Morrison...!

I hate the bits between songs were I'm supposed to ad lib with witty banter and the like. So we tend to let the music be the main attraction with minimum chat between songs.

But that does mean we have the longest set list in history...!

[guitarman68]

I use a Bose L1 and a QSC Touchmix 16 on solo, duo, trio, quartet gigs. When more power is needed, I use a pair of QSC K8.2 combined with a EV sub.
vocal mics are AKG C535 (me), SM85 (bandmates). I play guitar (SBT pickups), mandolin, dobro, banjo, bouzouki through a Grace Felix 2 or SunnAudio Prestine preamp, combined with a Neumann KM85 on a boom stand , blending pickup and mic 50/50 (mandolin and banjo mic only). Works and sounds great, pretty simple.
When a tech is running the sound via the house system, I bring a QSC K8.2 as my personal monitor.