I know some of you guys mentioned this in the Loudbox thread, but this soon to be released product seems ideal for solo Stick gigs:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/SoloAmp

Basically it's a linear array amp/PA, with two mic or instrument channels, EQ, adjustable reverb on each channel, and lightweight. Sort of a scaled down version of the Bose L2.

This solves some amp placement issues I've come across in my gigging experiences this year... having something up off the floor and providing a wider sound field seems preferable to a directional combo sitting on the floor.

I'll plan on checking this out as soon as I get a chance, and report on the sound quality.

Rob,
I too am looking forward to these little beauties! I just picked up a loud box, and I plan on getting 2 Solo's. I am happy to downsize from my "big" rig. I understand that they will be out in a matter of weeks.

I have been tracking this rig since it was announced. At $1,000 it is not cheap but it might work well. I'm concerned about the low end, however. They don't publish the rig's frequency range and their specs say they are using 6 4" midrange drivers. This makes me think that it might not have enough bass for a non-alto Stick. It might need a sub-woofer. There is a store in my town that is supposed to get one in and I'm going to try it.

I'll be very interested in everyone's opinion of the low end. I have been looking for some drivers to try out a line array design. It seems fairly easy to make a rig that is big, heavy, and uses expensive parts. The challenge is to make something light and cheap that really sounds good. For instance, I have been looking at a high-quality 8" coax driver that costs $200. And I'm also looking at a 6" woofer that goes lower and costs $18. Quite a difference, but does the 6 sound good? At $18 it's worth trying. 6" drivers could be used in a line array and would have lots more bass. Hmm, so many things to try.

-Eric (the chronic experimenter)

Hi Rob,

It looks interesting, especially having separate channel eq and reverb sends. The benefit for Stick players in having an amp on the floor is better bass response. As Eric pointed out, it would be good to see what the frequency response looks like (and sounds like).

An amp that's elevated has to use a lot more power to produce the same sound pressure level for bass notes.

Shall I meet you at Guitar Center in Richmond when it comes out?

Greg and Rob,

How funny would that be if a handful of Stickists show up at GC?!? (Granted, I just picked up the Loudbox this weekend, but still...)


Paul

A little while ago I decided to evaluate one of these SoloAmps.

It's a very nice design, but at first I was having some trouble with cabinet/driver buzzing when playing low notes. At first I was concerned the 4" woofers just couldn't deal with the bass frequencies, as it seems to be marketed towards guitarist/singer types. Fishman customer support was extremely responsive and had it shipped back to them, turns out there was a blown driver and "eaky" cabinet. I just got the replacement today and can finally say it works quite well for solo Stick performance.

I have it set up right above my AI Coda to compare. The Fishman, being at ear level and due to it's speaker design has a wider, more present, crisp sound, whereas the Coda provides a deeper bass (which I usually end up dialing down) and less sparkle. The low end on the Fishman is quite adequate though... I wouldn't use it as a bass amp but in the context of solo full-range playing, the tone is even and right there. The SoloAmp also allows a different reverb mix per channel, so you can have a lush melody sound and keep the bass more dry.

I can also see myself using something like this when using effects pedals, as I find the Coda to excel at being a simple "Stick+amp" setup but not so much for accurate reproduction of more elaborate effects setups. The Fishman is basically a portable, wide sound field PA... it's easy to disassemble (speaker plus stand) and comes with a nice carrying case with wheels (35 pounds total).

The Fishman and Coda at the same time is quite amazing (in a sense the Coda acts like a subwoofer), but starts to defeat the purpose of a lightweight, quick setup rig.... maybe just at home.

I'll bring both the Coda and SoloAmp to FredTap so people can check them out.

Rob,

Thanks for your info regarding the soloamp- I have one here at the moment, and am heartened/disappointed (contradictory, I know ) to read your experience regarding the cabinet/driver buzzing, because I'm experiencing the same thing with mine. For some reason, a low D on the Stick (take an electric guitar, tune down the lowest "E" string one step to a D- yeah, THAT "D"... ) makes the soloamp gremlins dance like crazy, and like you, I thought "hey- this is made for a singer/guitarist, it can't handle low notes". The soloamp sounds absolutely wonderful with even a modest subwoofer, and has what I feel is a VERY nice feature in the feedback killer, which is basically a notch filter, but one with pretty useful frequencies, in my opinion (especially if you plug in a mic for any reason- it works GREAT for that!).

How long did Fishman have your soloamp on the repair bench? I ask because I have some shows coming up in a few weeks, and although it's working great with the addition on the sub, it sure would be nice to know that it's operating at "factory spec".

Jeff

Thanks for the update Rob. I saw this on line a month or two ago and was also concerned with it's low end response. Keep in mind I'm still gigging as a bass player using the NS Stick so I NEED real low end punch as "the bass player." .

I'm still a real fan of the powered Peavey front end cabinet I picked up. Full range and with the 15" woofer enough low end punch to keep up as stage fill with an acoustic drummer. I have no doubt if i mounted it on a stand I'd lose some low end and on the floor I lose dispersion. But for a touch over $300 each I could run two, have low end, a lot of power and room coverage and it'd cost under a grand. And with 3 inputs and seperate volume knobs on each cab you can easily run them with no sound board. (There are no onboard effects however) So for me and my current professional needs it's the perfect answer. (And of course I'm running the Rane acoustic processer and a couple of Zoom acoustic peddles to add some sweetness to my tone.) Once I stop gigging as a bass player next month I won't need all this power and low end punch ... but sometimes it's nice having MORE then you need.

They had the amp less than a week total, plus a couple days each way in transit (so about 9 days total). I purchased through Sweetwater so everything happened fast... Sweetwater had Fishman's customer support email me immediately and after some helpful diagnostic emails, they had me send the amp back for testing. While they acknowledged that the amp is not really designed to be a bass amp they wanted to help me out and get me one that worked for the Stick. I was quite impressed with the level of customer support actually, even if the first SoloAmp I got was faulty.

Sounds like a good Alto amp, since the lows are not a factor. Hmmmmm