Acoustic amp Vs. a PA Speaker/System?

[Guitars44me]

Originally Posted by nickfromny

I've never played an acoustic amp that I liked.. and if you intend on singing, they are useless. A good powered speaker will be way more powerful and versatile.

I have used a few high end acoustic amps for vocals and guitar.

Fine results with my newer 17 lb. Udo Roesner 70 (former designer for AER). Good enough for Tommy Emmanuel to use as his pre amp…

And fine results with 22 lb. Acoustic Image Coda III. Which can also power an extension speaker.

Also, my recent Sunburst Gear (EAE) M8BR6. 22 pounds battery power, SIX CHANNELS with 4 nice XLR/1/4” inputs and 2 more 1/4”. No efx, but nice sound!

Ultrasound, Roland, and others all can sound fine for vocals.

I have done just what you are suggesting and used these all as preamp/monitors with a powered speaker or two as slaves.

Trust your ears, and don’t blow them out! Haha

Have fun experimenting

Paul

[CASD57]

Had a chance to record a demo of the TX310
My daughter walked around with my cell......
TX310
TC Helicon Perform VG
Se V7 mic
Taylor AD17

[RedJoker]

Originally Posted by CASD57

Had a chance to record a demo of the TX310
My daughter walked around with my cell......
TX310
TC Helicon Perform VG
Se V7 mic
Taylor AD17

That's a fantastic demo! That Alto sounded much better than I expected, but it also really demonstrates the sound differences due to location.

Great rendition, too.

Thank you!

[nickfromny]

Originally Posted by rokdog49

I strongly disagree.Obviously, you never used a Fishman.

Here’s what I’ve used in rooms with 50 people…plenty of power and great for vocals too.
https://www.proaudiostar.com/fishman...xoCpJMQAvD_BwE

I have used Fishman several times. I play 5 nights a week, to more than 50 people. They never hold up above bedroom volume... the guitars sound shrill and vocals are a joke through them. I will put any powered 10 or 12 with a good mixer up against any Fishman any day of the week.

[nickfromny]

Originally Posted by Aahzz

I'm going to have to strongly disagree with you regarding the singing - my Boss Acoustic Singer Live does a great job.

Here's a video from a recent gig - I'm the guy in the bowler, and all of my sound is coming through the boss. The cajon player and other guitarist are both using Bose S1 Pros.

You sound great.. nice playing. but you are playing in a covered patio essentially. That's bedroom practice levels of volume. The places I play call for more volume, and I have found when pushed to the volumes needed, the acoustic amps don't hold up. I use QSC K12.2 or EV Evolve 50s and they sound fantastic and I don't have to push them too hard to get what I need.

[CASD57]

I will have to say, that I was at the highest level I could go before too much noise started up,
I'm going to get better cables, place myself farther from the speaker to try and solve the noise issue
I was about 3/4 volume on the speaker control and almost maxed the TC Helicon
Might also try with a just a mixer next weekend and by then I'll have the Gemini PB300BT Array and I'll do them both to see what stays...

[RedJoker]

Originally Posted by CASD57

I will have to say, that I was at the highest level I could go before too much noise started up,
I'm going to get better cables, place myself farther from the speaker to try and solve the noise issue
I was about 3/4 volume on the speaker control and almost maxed the TC Helicon
Might also try with a just a mixer next weekend and by then I'll have the Gemini PB300BT Array and I'll do them both to see what stays...

Do you mind repeating this video covering both speakers? If you set the mixer up and just plug into each speaker, you can do back to back comparisons.

I'm selfishly interested.

[CASD57]

Originally Posted by RedJoker

Do you mind repeating this video covering both speakers? If you set the mixer up and just plug into each speaker, you can do back to back comparisons.

I'm selfishly interested.

Will do both with mixer and TC Helicon
I'm only using the TC because of the guitar input/preamp

If I go with the PB300BT (Battery powered) I need to keep to Battery everything or it defeats the purpose, It does have reverb and my Taylor has a preamp, so maybe I won't need anything else??

[Aahzz]

Originally Posted by nickfromny

You sound great.. nice playing. but you are playing in a covered patio essentially. That's bedroom practice levels of volume. The places I play call for more volume, and I have found when pushed to the volumes needed, the acoustic amps don't hold up. I use QSC K12.2 or EV Evolve 50s and they sound fantastic and I don't have to push them too hard to get what I need.

Thanks! Absolutely, it's good for small venues, even the smaller side of medium. For larger venues I still run both my vocals and guitar through the amp, then into the PA we're using. It's still really useful for vocals.

[SalFromChatham]

Been there with many solutions. There are many ways to skin an apple. I’ve been very impressed with my Loudbox products, and my Fender Acoustic Juniors.

And now I have a Bose S1 that I can use by itself for myself, and a small Yamaha mixer if my trio plays. The Bose is very loud and clear, and can sit nineteen ways on a floor or be on a pole.

I am most pleased with the sound of the Bose, but the Fenders had the most effects, which all sounded great.

[rokdog49]

Originally Posted by Methos1979

It all comes down to how much power you need/want, how many inputs you need, how much equipment you are willing to schlep and how much you want to spend. After that, there is something for everyone. Dedicated acoustic amp or powered speaker with some sort of mixer. There is no right or wrong.

Gosh, a rational post…who knew?
leeW3 and me are gigging this evening at an outdoor venue which is a very large patio area behind a restaurant.
We are using his Fishman SA 330x, the mixer that he bought to go with it and two Bose S1’s as monitors and additional speakers.

[woodpile]

As others have said, rightfully so, there are a bunch of really good gear options for solo performing. I'm pretty sure I've accumulated enough stuff over the years to put together most of the combinations. The one I keep coming back to for all around sound and ease of use is my Genzler Acoustic Array Pro 150w amp with extension speaker (300w with ext speaker). Has two independent channels, lines out, 10" speaker with array speakers (great dispersion), pole mount and light weight. One clarification is I'm not trying to get unplugged guitar sound with my USA Washburn NV-300. If I wanted that, I could mic my Larrivee through one of the channels. Anyways, these fly under the radar and IMO don't get the consideration they should.

Here's a phone recording that doesn't do the live sound justice but gives an idea.
https://vimeo.com/manage/videos/831029556/07b6ca62e5

[fwphoto]

I haven't done a solo/duo gig in decades as these days I play mainly with a band through a PA, but when I did I used a Genz-Benz Shenandoah Acoustic 85. It had replaced my Marshall AS60 as I need a bit more power even for the small cafe/coffee shop gigs I played. IMO, it sounded great (still does actually! :-) for both guitar & vocals & had plenty of power. Depending on the situation I used it tilted back on the floor beside me or up on a pole, again mostly fairly close but to the side. I used a multi-effect pedal for the guitar & a Joe Meeks MQ3 pre for vocals. Of course they didn't have stick/subs back then but I'm not sure I'd have put up with the hassles if they had been available. My nephew is a gigging musician, though, & he & his partner sound great through their Fishman pole/sub system!

Frank

[CASD57]

First, sorry my video person(my daughter) had schoolwork to do So I mounted my cell and videoed the best I could...
Distance 50 ft.
Equipment:
Taylor AD17 (Solid ovangkol back & side)
Microphone Se V3 it was louder than the V7 so I stayed with it
TC Helicon Perform VG (Vocal and Guitar Preamp)
Samsung Tablet using SongBook Pro
Mackie ProFX-6v3
Also used a Watts meter...Never went above 21 watts
Alto TX310 PA Speaker
Gemini PB300BT To Go (Ran on battery power the whole time)
First song:
I started a Joke by the BeeGees was done with the Alto TX310
****Starting with "She Talks To Angels" I only used the Gemini....****
The rest is Done with the Gemini ..The Gemini with the mixer sounded so good to me..I could hear myself so well I didn't want to go back to the Alto
Without the Mixer, both the Alto and Gemini needed help in the volume dept.
So I recommend a mixer or a Microphone preamp to boost the input signal
The Alto also would distort when you got the volume at a decent level you will hear it in "I started a Joke."
I will be experimenting with the Gemini in the next video's with a Microphone preamp.. as I want to keep off the grid just in case of no power where I'll be playing.....

[Jeffreykip]

Apart from the thoughts on sound quality, an advantage of the acoustic amp with mic input is that I can control it on the fly, and the setup is quick and easy. I love the sound of my acoustic amp, and it’s made to have a mic run through it, so the quality is quite good. I am sure that if I had the exact same sound run through powered speakers up on tripods, it’d be even better, but I’m not interested in that level of hassle, nor would that rig fit nicely next to my desk (and I could put my amp on a tripod, but then I wouldn’t be able to reach the controls). That said, I play alone, and my gigs are small spaces or outdoor tables, so I’m not trying to fill a music hall, festival, or club where a mixer would be a must-have, even for a solo act. My amp is 130w and it’s all the volume I need by a long way. Moreover my roadie/sound man is my 13year old son, and sound checking a single amp is our upper threshold. I see the advantages of a mixer sonically, but that’s a lot of stuff to haul around. The original post was for a solo act, and I’d say pragmatically, and sonically, the best bet for me is a decent acoustic amp with mic channel.