Question for those gigging solo acoustic...

Aahzz

Aahzz

Habanero Evangelist
So I'm monumentally frustrated with trying to get a band together, and am toying with the idea of going out to do solo acoustic stuff. If the only person I have to manage is me, it *should* be easier...so anyway, I'm working up a setlist of stuff I can play and sing.

Obviously, if I'm looking to gig, I need amplification. Does something like a Fishman Loudbox work well enough for both guitar and vocals to get the job done? Small PA and a DI? I need to keep it under a grand right now...what might y'all suggest?

Thanks!
 
A lot depends on what you are wanting to do. Many venues already have some kind of PA system and all you would need is a DI for your acoustic. The Loudbox Artist would be the minimum of what you would need wattage wise. The Mini is only 60 watts and that may not be enough for guitar and vocal. The Fishman SA330X might be a good option as it is a portable PA, and is only about $100 more than the Loudbox Artist. I have not played through the SA330x, but I have a good degree of confidence in Fishman stuff.
 
Denverdave said:
A lot depends on what you are wanting to do. Many venues already have some kind of PA system and all you would need is a DI for your acoustic. The Loudbox Artist would be the minimum of what you would need wattage wise. The Mini is only 60 watts and that may not be enough for guitar and vocal. The Fishman SA330X might be a good option as it is a portable PA, and is only about $100 more than the Loudbox Artist. I have not played through the SA330x, but I have a good degree of confidence in Fishman stuff.
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For the Loudbox I'm looking at the Artist or the Performer. Will look into the SA330X as well - thanks for the tip :).
 
A guy I play a bunch of duo gigs with has a couple of those fishmans. Not sure which model. They’re pretty rad. He can fit both on one cart with a guitar, bag for cables and mic stands.

If there is a PA and sound guy, you just give them a DI and you got your own monitor setup you control.

Will typically carry an indoor restaurant/coffee shop gig pretty easily
 
If you've got to spend money anyway, and that's your price range, you might get a small mixer and two smallish powered speakers. If you had an 8 channel mixer, down the line you could add members, get bigger speakers, and use the originals as monitors.

The last time I was in the mixer market, the Yamaha ones are reliable, have decent onboard effects, and are a killer value.
 
Chicken Man said:
If you've got to spend money anyway, and that's your price range, you might get a small mixer and two smallish powered speakers. If you had an 8 channel mixer, down the line you could add members, get bigger speakers, and use the originals as monitors.

The last time I was in the mixer market, the Yamaha ones are reliable, have decent onboard effects, and are a killer value.
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You’re not wrong, but there is something really convenient about grabbing one amp and one guitar and heading to a gig.

A PA while capable of handling much more requires speaker stands, more cables, a mixer, 2 more speakers. You’re going from 1 trip to 3 or maybe more.

The only way I’d vote PA instead in this instance is if you wanted to try hosting an open mic, which can be a great way to meet/network with other musicians.
 
What Denverdave said. The Fishman stuff sounds good & isn't too big or heavy.
Agree 60w wont handle much more than a small coffee shop or restaurant.
I have a Roland AC60, and while it was decent for its day and is certainly small and portable, Im not a big fan of its tone.
But it will work for guitar and voc to +/-50 people esp if you put it on a stand.
The Fishman stuff sounds more natural to me.
 
The more I dig into it, I'm leaning towards a small column PA...now it's a matter of deciding which one. The EV gets a lots of recommendations, but is out of my price range. Bose L1 Compact is in the right range...as is the Fishman DenverDave mentioned...there's a Mackie...and a Peavey...
 
Aahzz said:
The more I dig into it, I'm leaning towards a small column PA...now it's a matter of deciding which one. The EV gets a lots of recommendations, but is out of my price range. Bose L1 Compact is in the right range...as is the Fishman DenverDave mentioned...there's a Mackie...and a Peavey...
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Those column PAs are nice. I have a Fishman SA 220, an earlier version of the SA330x and it has worked well for me. I also have a Bose S1; it has a battery and can be used outdoors, weighs about 15 pounds, and is great for smaller places.
 
Most places that would be appropriate for a solo acoustic gig aren’t generally going to be any bigger than what a Fishman could handle. I had both the mini and the performer, and they were top-notch for acoustic guitar and voice. Very convenient and easy to set up. Unless you’re playing large outdoor spaces it’s enough.
 
A small column PA is probably what I would choose, but I'd recommend splurging a little bit to get some kind of acoustic guitar preamp instead of just a basic DI to give you more control over your guitar sound, especially if your the preamp on your guitar has limited control.
 
Kerouac said:
A small column PA is probably what I would choose, but I'd recommend splurging a little bit to get some kind of acoustic guitar preamp instead of just a basic DI to give you more control over your guitar sound, especially if your the preamp on your guitar has limited control.
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I'm leaning towards a Pod Go, and loading some acoustic IRs.
 
The best portable-with-room-to-do-more option I’ve seen is the Electo Voice Evolve M series


It has waaaay more power than the Fishman, is a powered column with a sub (size depends on which model you go with) but I know a couple people who are using them and they are dynamite in just about any size venue.

They have a built in 7 channel digital mixer, and I don’t mean 7 inputs with volumes… the mixer allows you to control compression on the vocals, eq, effects, and even wirelessly play set break music from the iPad.




you’ll likely need an ipad for a song book and/or requests anyways… so to watch someone wrap up the set, kick on the break music, come over and walk me though the mix and effects, skip a song (swiping back and forth between apps), go back to the mixer, fade out the music, and start the set back up with the request pulled up for the next set… Total Pro Package.
 
baimun said:
The best portable-with-room-to-do-more option I’ve seen is the Electo Voice Evolve M series


It has waaaay more power than the Fishman, is a powered column with a sub (size depends on which model you go with) but I know a couple people who are using them and they are dynamite in just about any size venue.

They have a built in 7 channel digital mixer, and I don’t mean 7 inputs with volumes… the mixer allows you to control compression on the vocals, eq, effects, and even wirelessly play set break music from the iPad.




you’ll likely need an ipad for a song book and/or requests anyways… so to watch someone wrap up the set, kick on the break music, come over and walk me though the mix and effects, skip a song (swiping back and forth between apps), go back to the mixer, fade out the music, and start the set back up with the request pulled up for the next set… Total Pro Package.
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If it was in my current budget, it'd be my choice...alas, it isn't.
 
Gary Blanchard said:
The guy doesn't hype his book much and has kept it from being a bunch of people posting videos. I have found some interesting discussions there.
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Ooh. I'm signed up, too. The live market here looks to be tilted towards smaller acts for the foreseeable future.
 
I will add that I did purchase the Kindle version of his book; I have been a solo acoustic artist for decades but learned some tips, especially about social media.
 
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