rockabilly69 Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 (I posted in this in The Acoustic Guitar Forum the other day, but this is for the acoustic guys here at the HOC) Well I finally got one of these things, and let me explain why...I normally use a ZED10FX mixer, and a Mackie HD System (Mackie HD1221 cabs, Mackie HD1501 Subwoofer).In small gigs I use one HD1221 speaker, if the gig gets bigger, I add another HD1221, and for the biggest gigsI add the sub. Anything bigger, I have my sound provided by a pro company.My typical instrumentation is...1) Vocal mic (Shure Beta 87) on boom mic stand2) Guitar mic (Shure Beta 87) mounted on small boom attach to voc stand2) Dread Acoustic with a Fishman Matrix Infinity (either a Martin HD28, or a Gibson Gospel), or National Resonatorwith a Thomas Gassel Flatbucker (either a Artist Triolian, or Artist M2). I usually plug the guitar into a floor pedalboardand then into the PA.3) Home-made Porch Board (Dynamic driver with output in the 40Hz to 60Hz range)4) iPad for break musicIn my busy season, I gig almost daily, and sometimes 3 times a day.I typically play from 50 to 200 people (sometimes more, sometimes less).Well alot of times I have two/three gigs in the same resort, and I may have to go from one gig right to the next with notime to fully break down my gear which I will leave in place for the next day's gig.So...I wanted a small self-contained rig that I could set up in under 10 minutes, plug my guitar straight into (must have goodpreamps), carry the low-end of my floorboard without distortion or compromised tone, have at 3 least channels forinstrumentation, and inputs for ipad, and be able to fill up a room with at least 100 people. It would also have to soundgood with a vocal mic, provide proper 48 Volts for phantom, and have a decent Hall reverb.Now neither the Fishman Soloamp SA220 or the Bose Compact could meet these requirements, channel wise or tone wisethey could not handle it! And I just don't like the tone of the Bose L1 systems in general. For fingerpicking they are fine,but I just can't dial a good strumming tone that I like (I do not mean to insult Bose L1 owners as tone is subjective), andthe Bose bass modules do not sound good with my floorboard period.So what I want to do for my down and dirty gigs is to... Pre-setup one of these self contained units in the room that Iwill be playing my second gig in with a mic and stand setup and plugged in.Then after my first gig, just unplug my guitar and floorboard, carry them to the room I'm playing in and just plug into therig that's there.Enough of what I want...-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------I tried Acoustic amps made by AER, Genz-Benz, and Fishman, and truthfully none of them could handle the lowend, ordispersion that I needed/wanted. Other than the AER, they all sounded bad with vocal mics compared to PA setup. Andeven the AER had a certain boxiness that I couldn't dial out.And so you know I was trying the flagship models of all these brands!!!I was just about to give up, until I saw a video of Bob Brozman playing and singing through a SR RESO-400. Well anybodythat has ever seen him live knows that he used to slap the resos for lowend rhythmic effect, and play very aggressivelyand hit his PA hard with brash reso tones! I figured if it worked for him, it would work for me. It was that impressive. I also saw avideo of a guy playing a lower wattage SR Jam 150 with rhythms programmed on his iPhone and that was also quite impressive. So, I took a chance, and ordered a SR Jam 400 which is what they based the SR Reso 400 on.--------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------Well, it got here today, and I ran it through it's paces...My review, which is based on what I wanted/needed....Loudness - It's an earbleeder and holds it's tone right up to the highest volumes.Coverage - I was amazed here, even on the floor this thing fills the room.Lowend - Also surprised here, the two 8" drivers couple perfectly and smoke anything I've ever heard from a compact system,including the Fishman SA220 and the Bose Compact.FX - Good Hall Reverb, but I wouldn't use anything else. The Delay is set to a repeat time that is totally unuseable for me, Idon't like chorus at all, and the springs aren't convincing eitherGuitar Tone - These preamps are very musical sounding and mate up perfectly with my Fishman Matrix and Gassel Flatbuckerpickups. I also tried them with my K&K WMP and they worked as good as the K&K XLR pre that I have (To be fair though, I amnot a fan of this pickup as I find it boxy). I think it's easier to dial a good guitar tone with this rig than it is with my PA!!!EQ - although not semi-parametric, the lowend, mid and treble controls seem to be centered where I need them to be. Ipersonally like clear low-end and well defined mids without the mud, I tend to roll the highs back a bit to soften the piezocharacter of my USTs and brashness of the resos!Vocal Tone - better than all of the other acoustic rigs tried, but still not as good as my Mackie tone with the ZED10FX. Icould live with this compromise. I don't feel like I'm singing through a guitar amp like I did with all the others.Weight - well it's heavy, 46 pounds to be exact, and it's hard to carry with one hand. The handles are good though andthey are centered for good two hand carrying. Fortunately for me I have a cart that I can carry it on, but I wouldn't call it graband go! Don't thing you can carry this in one hand and your guitar in another, that ain't going to happen unless you're a bruiser!Size - see the pictures for a reference.Well that's it for now I will report back after a few big gigs that I will try this on, but yes, you could call this a MINI PA!!!Here's some pics!
H Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 Impressive review of what seems to be a very full-featured amp. How long until your first gig with this?
rockabilly69 Posted October 28, 2013 Author Posted October 28, 2013 Already did one gig in about 100 seater, and it filled the joint up just fine:) The place was half empty as it was a weekday gig in a local bar. I didn't want to take it on one of my high dollar gigs until I really checked it out. From what I heard it's going to deliver the goods. These are amazing acoustic amps, and that's coming from someone who has always hated acoustic amps!
schundog Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 That looks like a professional tool for a professional guitarist! Congratulations. I was interested to hear your opinion of the Bose system. They certainly LOOK like a dream come true for someone in your situation, but if the tone doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. I'm glad you found the right amp for your needs. It certainly sounds like you are going to be busy!
Genericmusic Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 Keep us posted. I have been reading about these and have been contemplating one my self.
DetroitBlues Posted October 28, 2013 Posted October 28, 2013 Awesome! I've often wondered about a portable pa I can use my acoustic with...
rockabilly69 Posted October 28, 2013 Author Posted October 28, 2013 That looks like a professional tool for a professional guitarist! Congratulations. I was interested to hear your opinion of the Bose system. They certainly LOOK like a dream come true for someone in your situation, but if the tone doesn't work for you, it doesn't work for you. I'm glad you found the right amp for your needs. It certainly sounds like you are going to be busy!
rockabilly69 Posted October 28, 2013 Author Posted October 28, 2013 Some people like the Bose systems but for me personally they just don't sound like what I want to hear. Though many people love the Bose T1 so you'll have listen for yourself. The Schertler fits my needs! And yes, I will be very busy!!!!
Genericmusic Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 I have a friend I jam with quite often that has a Bose T1. It is quite nice but... these Schertler's really intrigue me. Tell me, are you going to use a subwoofer with it? Do you plan on mounting it on a stand? I see that one accessory is a monitor. Have you given any thought to that or don't you think it's necessary? For my vocals I use a DigiTech Vocalist Live 4 between the mic and the board. Do you foresee a problem matching the components? In other words does it take external effects well? As I said I am intrigued. I have been reading about them for a while but haven't found a local distributor which makes it difficult to check them out.
rockabilly69 Posted October 29, 2013 Author Posted October 29, 2013 I have a friend I jam with quite often that has a Bose T1. It is quite nice but... these Schertler's really intrigue me. Tell me, are you going to use a subwoofer with it? Do you plan on mounting it on a stand? I see that one accessory is a monitor. Have you given any thought to that or don't you think it's necessary? For my vocals I use a DigiTech Vocalist Live 4 between the mic and the board. Do you foresee a problem matching the components? In other words does it take external effects well? As I said I am intrigued. I have been reading about them for a while but haven't found a local distributor which makes it difficult to check them out. To answer your questions... No Subwoofer needed for what I want to use it for. As mentioned, I have a pretty big PA rig for real large gigs, but many people talk about running out their JAM 150's direct out into other powered rigs with great success. The Jam 400 has a dedicated sub out and a switch to cut the low end out of the Jam 400 when using the sub. No monitor needed, I just put the unit to my side and slightly behind so I don't need a monitor. I do the same when I use one Mackie HD1221. If I need to getter better dispersion I am considering getting cut down pedal steel guitar legs and inserts for the bottom of the cab. I would need the legs to be able to fit into the custom bag I had made. They can't be too tall as the mixer needs to be no higher than the reach of my arm. I need to be able to make adjustments while I play. So far I haven't needed a stand. I wouldn't see any problem integrating the Digitech as the mixer is a pretty straightforward unit. It takes my pedal board well so I would think it takes FX well. djangobooks.com has the best prices on these that I have found, but from time to time I see them on ebay! There was no local dealer by me either. They come with a 2 year warranty.
212Mavguy Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Nice Work Dan. See you at the Montage in a few weeks!
DetroitBlues Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 I did see the price of one of these, definitely a get what you pay for item...
Redsand Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Good call Dan, these amps are FANTASTIC! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aI1AoL9qp7o
rockabilly69 Posted October 29, 2013 Author Posted October 29, 2013 Nice Work Dan. See you at the Montage in a few weeks! Hey Mav, I don't start there until December, but hopefully I'll see you there soon. I'll be playing there every Thursday, Fri, Sat from 12 to 4, and perhaps every other Wednesday night for a special Blues Night! I also play at THE OWL at Sundance every other Sunday for Apres Ski from 3 to 6. And I just booked 10 gigs at Snowbird for The El Chanate (4 to 6), The Lodge Bistro (6 to 9), The Wildflower (6 to 8),and The Aerie (8 to 11). For actual dates that I play at Sundance and Snowbird you can check out www.danweldon.com Man my Winter is going to be NUTS!!!!! FOR THOSE OF YOU THAT DON'T KNOW, Mav212, besides being an amp fanatic, is a ski instructor in the Deer Valley area which is kind of high falootin':)
bolero Posted October 29, 2013 Posted October 29, 2013 Wow that a pretty thorough review!! Looking forward to clips etc
rockabilly69 Posted October 31, 2013 Author Posted October 31, 2013 Well three gigs in and this thing is knocking me out. The low end was so strong, that it was rattling pictures on the wall in the club that I was playing in last night! For the life of me, I can't see how Schertler gets such a full sound from 2 x 8" drivers! My lapsteel playing partner's pickup fell into his pickguard last night. So, he went out in the audience to fix it, at the furthest table away from the stage. To keep the show going, I played solo, and he told me that the rig was really filling the room, and that the tone was great! And, I found that the one delay setting, which I panned in my earlier review, actually worked for a few songs! The hardest test for any acoustic amp for me, is getting a driving strumming sound that doesn't fall apart, or sound strident, at loud volumes. This thing passed with flying colors. When I play with my partner, I rock the rhythm while, he plays most of the leads on lap steel or harmonica so I really got a good chance to work it out. And then I played a solo set later in the night for people that were hanging out late. I did that to hear how the rig sounded for singer/songwriter stuff. Once again, it passed with flying colors. If this thing doesn't break on me, and only time will tell on that, it may be the best rig I've tried yet!
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