Fishman SoloAmp?

[CS70]

Together with a singer friend we're thinking of setting up a duo, to play smaller venues that don't fit a band - she has a really great voice and we can have fun and, by playing covers, make some little money to boot. Sometimes even busking maybe for the fun of it.

Acoustic guitar and vocals can do magic, but we'll need some amplification as many of the places I've mapped are interested but don't have their own PA.

It will be mainly an around-city act and considering I don't plan to drive (it adds a lot of expenses to use a car in town here), I'm looking at something very light and portable, not crazy expensive but of reasonable quality (both sound and durability). Since I'll bring the guitar, chances are she will be the one moving the amp around, so the Bose columns or similar systems are a little bit too much to lug around on the subway. Need something smaller and lighter than that.

One option is the usual Cube Street EX, or some acoustic amps, but I've been looking at an oldish "column" amp from Fishman, the SoloAmp. It has wheels, easy to mount and Fishman is a great name for acoustic stuff. There's a few on ebay - even in the UK - and the prices are reasonable for what it does.

Anyone's got first-hand opinions?

[Wonks]

No. But I have a Fishman LoudBox Mini, which is very good for the money, and loud enough for small solo gigs in bars or pubs. I find I have to use quite extreme EQ settings on the amp and my Takamine preamp to get the guitar to sound natural, but the mic input seems to be very flat. Goes loud enough to make bass boom from the guitar an issue. Guitar channel has 10Meg input impedance so works with passive piezos. Both channels have their own reverb level control. Small and portable. If placed up high enough, should do a reasonable spread of sound in a room. There is a battery powered version as well (you mentioned busking) which obviously costs more and will be heavier. Worth a look if you can find one.

[CS70]

Thank you, it sounds interesting. What drove me to the column form factor is that it’s easy to carry by hand or over a shoulder once folded, while a ‘cube’ amp tends to be a little more cumbersome. But if the mini is... mini could do the trick.

[Drew Stephenson]

This worth a look? https://www.soundonsound.com/reviews/bose-s1-pro
It really is quite small!

[Bob Bickerton]

I auditioned a Bose S1 the other day and was suitably impressed. Now on my ‘to buy’ list.

Sounded more open and Hi Fi than the average acoustic guitar amp.

You can get a bespoke back pack for them and with the app could run two in stereo with minimal cabling as they can run off a battery/Bluetooth - thus ideal for busking.

Bob

[CS70]

Interesting, it's also much lighter than the Fishman in subject, 7.6 kg according to the specs.. could be a winner.