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Fender EXPO System review


fingerpicker

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I had a chance to purchase The Somewhat New Fender Expo System recently at a super low price so I picked one up. This is Fenders addition to the "Line-array" poles that have become popular.

First off I am almost sure that this is actually a Maui11 speaker with Fenders name on it for marketing in the Unites States. Thats a good thing considering I have never been too fond of anything fender has made concerning Live sound reinforcement!

 

Just to note; I have used the Fishman stick, the L1 Compact, and owned the original L1 and the L1 Model II with the tonematch.

 

I used it at a happy hour gig this evening. Set up is pedalboard into the back of the EXPO. The controls on the EXPO are just like a powered speaker with no EQ options at all.....XLR / 1/4" combo inputs as well as rca inputs and two outputs. There is a Main volume and a subwoofer volume. The Sub is a bass bin with two 6 1/2 inch sub speakers. The pole is one piece. It does not break in two. it consists of 8 mid speakers and 1 tweeter at the top.

 

Before I start i turn on an Ipod to get some music going. The first thing I noticed was its not all that loud. Much like the L1 Compact and Fishman. I really had to crank it up. The sound itself though was real nice. I walked around and it is a bit more directional than the Bose poles--but still wider dispersion than my normal PA speakers.

Playing through it i adjusted my output on the pedalboard hotter and i was able to get real good volume. At this venue I probably know half or more people there and wanted honest feedback. Almost everyone commented that it was clear and I had a waiter who also plays music go around the venue. He thought it sounded better than my other speakers but " could be louder on the other side of the bar."

 

My other system is a pair of Carvin LM15 powered speakers on sticks. I usually have them spread far apart and I think its more even coverage to have more speakers. That's my only gripe about any of the Pole speaker systems: they don't cut through when its a large venue with alot of people as well as multiple speakers.

 

Any way- here's the rundown between the 3 systems that are all $999.00 or thereabouts...

For eq/mixer options: Fishman is #1. L1 Compact is #2. EXPO is #3

Lightest: L1 Compact #1 Fishman #2 EXPO #3 (fishman is heavier than the Compact with the stand)

Most Bass: EXPO #1. Compact #2 Fishman #3

 

 

I noticed the EXPO was a little more prone to feedback than the L1 Compact. It could be because it a narrower dispersion.

Also the EXPO does NOT come with carrying bags.

 

So which sounds the best? It's subjective. I like alot of bass because I loop beatbox beats and Bass lines and the Expo wins that one for me. Then the L1, then the Fishman.

If you were to do acoustic guitar and sing all three of these systems sound fine in a small room.

 

Overall I am happy with my purchase. I'm using it again tomorrow at an outdoor/indoor restaurant, maybe I will have more to add

 

 

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Hi, thank you for this info. I am considering all of the above and would like more info. Do you think the Sa220 with a JBL Eon powered 610 (10 " 1000 watts) would be good for bigger rooms w/ 200 + people? I like the idea that the Sa220 has some reverb. Could you comment any more on the differences or +/- of the units. I also like the idea of less wires and cable. I do classical and latin guitar. No vocals. Many thanks - JC

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I'm still mystified by the attraction of these small line array speakers. IMO any decent reputable powered speaker has performed better than any Bose system I have tried. At a casino lounge last weekend, I used an in house QSC K10. I didn't use an external mixer., and I also just had the K10 set up on the stage floor. I was using two tracks of sequencing (bass and drums) with guitar and vocals. The one speaker sounded fabulous and even though there were two K10's on hand, I just used one because that was all I needed. I believe they are in the 30 lb region and are as easy, maybe easier, to set up as any stick system - YMMV. I'll admit that without a mixer, my 58 sounded iffy, but I just switched to an audio technica I have that's lively in the top end - that worked great.

 

I haven't tried the other stick systems, and I probably never will. I'm not putting them down, I just have found for my own use (tracks and guitar) even a single 10" works better than a stick and sub. Again YMMV.

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Hi' date=' thank you for this info. I am considering all of the above and would like more info. Do you think the Sa220 with a JBL Eon powered 610 (10 " 1000 watts) would be good for bigger rooms w/ 200 + people? I like the idea that the Sa220 has some reverb. Could you comment any more on the differences or +/- of the units. I also like the idea of less wires and cable. I do classical and latin guitar. No vocals. Many thanks - JC[/quote']

 

for a room/crowd that size, I would use a mixer with reverb and the Eon 10"...if you are not using any tracks or deep percussion.

The SA220, as my experience has shown me, is really good for small venues, up to maybe 100 people, but competing against 200 people? Not the best choice. If I were working that large a crowd, I would likely use my Yamaha mini-board and a Thump15 [1kW], or two, depending on the size/shape of the room.

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Thanks folks for the info - I did a gig and tapped into a Bose L1 compact and it was outside and sounded very nice. I realized tho' that the setting and room can make a big difference - people and walls and carpet can really suck up the sound and what sounded great now sounds flat and isn't cutting it.

Did you ever run the Fishstick in combo with a powered speaker?

I do a lot of solo classical/latin guitar (duo once in a while) as background music and am wanting to upgrade but also keep the gear to a minimum. I am looking at the new Eon 610 and also the Fishman stick. I also played through some QSC powered 12's and they sounded good too. I have a big 900 watt Carver power amp but never use it.

Again, thanks guys for the input! Happy gigging

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Get a small passive mixer and 2 powered speakers. I use EVs with a Mackie board. If you dont have the budget, get only 1 speaker. 2 is better because you can use one as a monitor. Its always better to have it and not use it, than to need it and not have it.

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Thanks again folks. I bought the Fishman SA 220 and tried it, but even tho' I loved the features, I felt it was not really powerful enough and had very little bass. I took it back and got the new JBL Eon 610 which is bigger/heavier but is really loud and clean sounding. Its a keeper.

I am still thinking of the Bose or the Expo. No one has the Expo in stock around here in Seattle so I can't try one.

Have a great holiday season and a Happy New Year!

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I just bought the Carvin AG300. I play bass also, this rig handles for my jazz/small venue gigs or for when there's PA support. So far, I'm liking it. Next gigs are in January; I will report back. I sprung for the neo speaker, so the rig weighs in at 27 lbs. Neat. It handles an external speaker, so one of my Carvin LM12's will still be used when I need more coverage. I like the dual effects--for little gigs I can leave the effects box at home. No phase array thing going on, though.

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I picked up an Alto 10" 600w powered speaker for a monitor [initially as band gear expansion]. For the $, and the size/weight, it is a remarkably good unit, two separate input channels with volume control, a contour control...I bought it for the price originally [plus the great reviews and the class D power], but may get a second one for solo outdoor gigs where the Fishman just doesn't quite cut it. More stuff to haul and buy [stands too...].

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Hating on apple and bose in one post!

 

why not...both over price their product under the guise of being higher tech and quality, when in reality, they are trading on their name value only. People who buy Apple and Bose probably also drive a Prius...:facepalm:

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Well, I did end up getting the Bose Compact L1 and agonized over spending so much $$. I have used it now and in most situations it has worked really well - with a small mixer for eq and reverb. This is for solo classical guitar.

I like the sound a lot, tho' in some bigger rooms w/ lots of people it is not super loud. Very clear and realistic.

I was able to compare the Bose Compact with the Fishman Sa220 and a small pa w/ nice Ramsa speakers.

They all had their good and bad points. The Bose does spread the sound out in a nice way.

 

Note; at NAMM Turbosound introduced a compact line array with more speakers, more power and more options than the Bose - at about 1/2 the price. So that will be interesting to see.

Thanks for the input y'all.

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Thank you for clarifying that you needed to add a mixer to get eq and reverb. That is my issue with the Compact...not one bell or whistle.

I'm surprised, though, that the Fishstick was not your choice. It has built in reverbs and is designed for guitar reproduction, for the same basic price as the Compact.

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I ended up with a Bose Compact L1 -- I rented first to make sure it would do. I have a mixer, and reverb effects for solo (quite enjoying my TC Helicon Play Acoustic + fishman spectrum DI). Wanted to go with the fish stick, but since I run a small venue Open Mic, already had a mixer with fx, the Bose suited my needs and I'm quite happy with it for that. When I need bigger I rent, and that hasn't been to often. If it starts getting too often, I'll buy (was looking at the yamaha dxr series).

 

I got a good deal on the Bose at the time ($100 off + extra year warranty).

 

I have gotten compliments on the sound -- but I'm pretty anal about the signal chain before it even gets to the Bose.

 

 

 

 

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Only major problem is guitar settings are global, while vocal are per patch it seems. I haven't gotten too deep, but I'd like to adjust guitar settings per patch as well. But I don't do much fancy vocally, there is only a few patches I use in general (some vocal doubling, and not much of the harmonizing just where it's sorta present in the mix but not that out front). But it's a good companion to the L1 compact for solo. Then the mixer gets pulled out for the more than single player. Works really well with the open mic, except when last time I had a band bring their own amps but wanted vocals via my mixer -- their noise floor was higher than I had set up with the mics, and was fighting feedback every time they played just trying to keep the mics hots enough to hear them in the audience.

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FWIW, I'm still liking my Carvin AG300. The headphone out is same as the direct out; both are before the master volume. This makes setting levels for recording a show real easy during setup. I zero the master volume, then set vocal and guitar levels to be about equal on the recorder meters, and make sure that no peaks happen when I play and sing. During the first tune I'll decrease the level of what's too loud, and boost the master to compensate if needed. Great recordings, no peaks. Easy. And for setup, I ditched the pole and put the Carvin unit on a keyboard stand set at it's tallest setting (Mine goes that high, do any others do the same? I dunno!) and stack a Carvin LM-12 on top of that if more speaker is needed. I'm pleased .

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