fishman solo vs Baggs A-ref

[Doubleneck]

For singer guitar player which one would get the nod if you were in the market for a very portable amp that you could use with vocals.
Steve

[Beagle1]

I've tried both and I preferred the SoloAmp over the Baggs by a wide margin. I really didn't care for the basic tone of the Baggs amp, or it's reverb, and it seemed under-powered to me for an amp of its size. The SoloAmp had great sound dispersion, a very clean response, and a nice reverb.

That said, I prefer an amp that flatters the tone of an acoustic guitar pickup a little more than the Fishman, which was clean but a bit too sterile for me. There are plenty of devices that can do this, but I really don't want to carry around extra equipment...just a guitar and an amp. I've had an Ultrasound DS3 for several years which really warms up the sound of any pickup very nicely...however, I needed something more powerful for bigger gigs.

I recently ended up getting a Genz Benz Shen Pro LT, and when I used it at a gig for the first time I was just blown away by the warm and natural tone it puts out. The preamp circuitry with the tubes is VERY effective, and the reverb sounds wonderful. The GB has more than enough headroom for just about any gig, although no doubt in a coffee-house type setting, the sound disperson on the SoloAmp is better. The Genz Benz is about 37 pounds, so its just slightly heavier than the Fishman SoloAmp (with bag and stand, it's 35 pounds I believe).

At any, definitely give the SoloAmp a try as for the typical singer/guitarist mini-PA, I think the SoloAmp is pretty hard to beat. If you wanted a more traditional combo type amp, then I would highly recommend checking out the GB Shen Pro.

[open-road-matt]

Schertler Unico!

I haven't heard the Baggs but the Unico is FANTASTIC! Wonderful sound for both vocals and guitar and as a bonus, it has the little top hat already installed in the bottom so you can put the amp on a speaker stand. They also sell a little adapter that fits into the speaker stand "top hat" so you can put the amp on the floor as a wedge monitor.

As another bonus, Schertler makes a matching extension speaker called the Side that you could hook to the Unico to create a mini-PA if you need more coverage.

They make gig bags for the amp and the speaker. They are supposed to be great bags. I've had my Unico for about a week. My Side and the gig bags will be delivered this Wednesday or Thursday.

I know the Unico wasn't one of your choices but if you are in this price range it is definitely worth a look.

Matt

[kramster]

+1 Unico ,,,,,

[BuleriaChk]

Well, I haven't tried the SoloAmp, but for my kind of guitar (Flamenco) the LR Baggs has the richest, most well defined articulation I've heard than any of the other acoustic amps I've tried (Crate, Fender, Marshall, and Genz-Benz). So from my viewpoint, I would disagree with the review below, but I am awaiting the experience of the SoloAmp blowing me away....:-)

I don't usually play in a loud group (acoustic Flamenco palmas and footwork can get pretty loud, but the Baggs certainly handles that well), the sound is very clean (what kind of tone does it have - for me it doesn't color the sound AT ALL, unless I play with the EQ), and personally, I love the reverb - it has a slight spring sound that is really appealing to me.

But if I turn the reverb off, and go through the return with a GT-10, the sound is quite extraordinary, particularly the rasgueados (Flamenco strumming in rhythm). The sound is incredibly detailed, very rich but balanced. Of course, I love my guitar which is a Takamine Th-5C with the CoolTube preamp, but my Sanchis Flamencos (with Putw pickups with the 1-meg resistor mod) sound excellent as well.

There may be a difference for steel-string, and I haven't tried the SoloAmp, but I can't imagine the sound getting much better - it far exceeds what I expected of it.... For me, it is not the volume, but the quality of sound, and I really have to disagree with the review below (at least from my perspective).

(I have a Flamenco Takamine with the CT2 preamp - special order - coming from Japan in the next month or so, and will report when it arrives...)

Originally Posted by Beagle1

I've tried both and I preferred the SoloAmp over the Baggs by a wide margin. I really didn't care for the basic tone of the Baggs amp, or it's reverb, and it seemed under-powered to me for an amp of its size. The SoloAmp had great sound dispersion, a very clean response, and a nice reverb.

That said, I prefer an amp that flatters the tone of an acoustic guitar pickup a little more than the Fishman, which was clean but a bit too sterile for me. There are plenty of devices that can do this, but I really don't want to carry around extra equipment...just a guitar and an amp. I've had an Ultrasound DS3 for several years which really warms up the sound of any pickup very nicely...however, I needed something more powerful for bigger gigs.

I recently ended up getting a Genz Benz Shen Pro LT, and when I used it at a gig for the first time I was just blown away by the warm and natural tone it puts out. The preamp circuitry with the tubes is VERY effective, and the reverb sounds wonderful. The GB has more than enough headroom for just about any gig, although no doubt in a coffee-house type setting, the sound disperson on the SoloAmp is better. The Genz Benz is about 37 pounds, so its just slightly heavier than the Fishman SoloAmp (with bag and stand, it's 35 pounds I believe).

At any, definitely give the SoloAmp a try as for the typical singer/guitarist mini-PA, I think the SoloAmp is pretty hard to beat. If you wanted a more traditional combo type amp, then I would highly recommend checking out the GB Shen Pro.

[guitaniac]

Chuck,

Have you used any mics with the A-ref? I recall reading something somewhere which gave me the impression that the A-ref might not have enough gain to adequately accomodate a low gain mic like my Audix OM7s.

In any event, I'm very pleased with my SoloAmp. I don't know anything about the A-Ref, beyond what I've read.

Gary

[BuleriaChk]

Not really, just for testing so far (vocal mics). They seemed to be OK as far as it went, but my primary effort has been the guitar sound using Flamenco techniques with the pickups I had.

The Takamine (Th-5C/Palathetic/CoolTube) just sounds gorgeous - of course it sounds good with almost anything anyway (Mobile Cube, DA-5...:-) It just doesn't have that Flamenco "color", so I have great hopes for the new one coming soon.

For nylon string guitar, I found that most "acoustic" amps produced a "brittle" emphasis for my context, while the pickups used to emphasize boomy bass. I have finally achieved the basic sound I want, with the ability to explore using the vast resources of the GT-10 (and Guitar Rig). So I finally am back to scale practice and re-making my hands (for the umpteenth time).

I can't believe I retired in Santa Barbara, even if it is sort of like living in steerage on a cruise ship... Sheesh, I just wish I was younger - I'm not the man I was when I was 67...:-)

But these judgements are really subjective, and I recommend that ANYONE try different amps according to their guitars, pickups, playing styles, etc. Things can get very, very different for different performers in my experience, and there is no, repeat NO "one size fits all" solution....

Chuck

Originally Posted by guitaniac

Chuck,

Have you used any mics with the A-ref? I recall reading something somewhere which gave me the impression that the A-ref might not have enough gain to adequately accomodate a low gain mic like my Audix OM7s.

In any event, I'm very pleased with my SoloAmp. I don't know anything about the A-Ref, beyond what I've read.

Gary

[Beagle1]

Originally Posted by BuleriaChk

But these judgements are really suggestive, and I recommend that ANYONE try different amps according to their guitars, pickups, playing styles, etc. Things can get very, very different for different performers in my experience, and there is no, repeat NO "one size fits all" solution....

Chuck

+1 - Very well said, Chuck! It sounds like you've got a rig that works very well for you, and that's really all that matters. To the OP - whatever advice you read here, go out and try every amp/system you can get your hands on. That is the only way you'll truly find out what works for you.

[Doubleneck]

Would love to try out all different amps but reality is that few stores carry a sellection of all the good brands. I have not seen the Baggs anywhere, and I find few that have really tried it.
Steve