Opinions on Boss Acoustic Singer Live 60W and alternatives

[mikehartigan]

Looking for an acoustic amp that won't break the bank. My needs are modest - mostly at home and Church, so 60W is more than adequate. It's got a few nice features that may or may not be useful, but again, my needs are modest.

The street price recently went up about 42% at most online stores ($349 to $499). Fortunately, I reserved mine at the old price, which the salesman promised to honor when they come in (we'll see). I still have a few more weeks to consider other options.

Demo videos are very impressive, but then, they're supposed to be. I'm particularly intrigued by the 'Acoustic Resonance' effect. How much will that mitigate the piezo quack of the Shadow Nanoflex HD pickup? Is the vocal harmony feature as simple as in the demo? (I don't sing, so I guess that's an academic question). What about overall sound quality? Is the fact that it's bi-amped a good thing, or don't I really care? I've never used a looper - is 40 seconds a serious limitation? How does it compare to other amps in the same price ballpark? How does Boss stack up overall?

Suggested alternatives?

[ohiopicker]

This is similar to my answer to another question about this amp in this same sub-forum:

BTW, I have owned the amp for 6 months and am playing at a patio party today.
It is much like the Fishman LB Mini, and to me sounds similar, but I like the reverb better. Over and above the mini, you are getting phantom power, pad, delay and echo on the vocal channel, as well as the harmonizer and looper. The resonance feature makes my Ovation sound more acoustic. You are also getting a more flexible line out to a p.a. And a tweeter attentuator. All these may be features you may find yourself using once you have them. The harmonizer can seem gimmicky, but used searingly, it can add to an extended performance. Roland makes stuff that is built well.

There are several alternatives, some cheaper, some with more power, but most with fewer features. You may like the Roland AC60 or the 50 watt Marshall.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by mikehartigan

Looking for an acoustic amp that won't break the bank. My needs are modest - mostly at home and Church, so 60W is more than adequate. It's got a few nice features that may or may not be useful, but again, my needs are modest.

The street price recently went up about 42% at most online stores ($349 to $499). Fortunately, I reserved mine at the old price, which the salesman promised to honor when they come in (we'll see). I still have a few more weeks to consider other options.

Demo videos are very impressive, but then, they're supposed to be. I'm particularly intrigued by the 'Acoustic Resonance' effect. How much will that mitigate the piezo quack of the Shadow Nanoflex HD pickup? Is the vocal harmony feature as simple as in the demo? (I don't sing, so I guess that's an academic question). What about overall sound quality? Is the fact that it's bi-amped a good thing, or don't I really care? I've never used a looper - is 40 seconds a serious limitation? How does it compare to other amps in the same price ballpark? How does Boss stack up overall?

Suggested alternatives?

Bugera AC60, i had one and no complaints

[silvercn]

Hi. Fishman LB mini or the next step up, the Artist are pretty awesome sounding amps for a singer / songwriter, small to medium venue.. I recently upgraded to the Artist. Now as far as vocals with very good sounding harmony presets, many guitar FX ( body Rez feature) and looping, it's all in the Play Acoustic by Helicon. So my acoustic and mic runs through that first, ( separate input and output channels) then to the Fishman. An ideal combination of features.!! Got the Play Acoustic slightly used on Reverb for a great price..

Charles

https://cnsacoustic.squarespace.com

[JackB1]

Tried the Acoustic Singer Live and the looper is unusable for gigs so I plan on waiting for the new TCH Harmony amp. The Roland AC60 looks great but hasn't been updated in a long long time. I think Roland switched their focus to the Acoustic Singer line instead. If you wanted the Boss unit, I would get the LT model and then supply your own looper/harmony pedal.