Jump to content

Fishman SA 220...yep! One more discussion on stick PA's!


rodclement

Recommended Posts

  • Members

Hello everyone!

 

It seems that more and more we are playing private country clubs and parties were space is very limited, and volumes and simply background music levels. For this reason I am considering purchasing a "stick" pa like the Fishman so we can make our footprint smaller for this kind of setting.

 

I have no interest in the Bose unit for my own reasons so please don't recomend it instead, I've used the Bose and will not buy it, simple as that.

 

What I am looking is for direct input from people that own the Fishman, what are your toughts? Any major weaknes? I know what this can or not do in terms of coverage, etc. more interested in tone, and quality.

 

We are a two piece acoustic duo with percussion but will not use this unit with percussion, this is simply for one guitar, one voice, lower volume gigs.

 

Rod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

i hear ya!!i'm dyin to buy a fishman soloamp too.but every once in a while i need more vocal inputs for mics.the restaurant i played the other nite ;i could have used a fishstik then.i have an acoustic amp that was right in everyone face.the stick seems to spread the music out over .think i'm gonna do it .....someday!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Rod..we've bumped into each other quite a bit here so you know I'm not trolling. Don't do it man. I'm telling you right now and going on record that you'll hate it and it won't do what youre looking for. Sure go plug it in at Guitar Center. You'll be like "holy {censored}"! The guitars will sound rich with that nice reverb and you'll turn it up a bit and think this will be plenty of volume? Then you'll make a purchase that you'll regret because they are simply not enough for anything more than singer songwriter coffeehouse gigs. Once you start pushing it a little they're just messy sounding with no bottom end at all.

 

My partner in my duo insisted on using it for gigs. It lasted one gig before we went back to my B*#e (see I didn't say it).

 

I'm sure people are going to rag on me for this but trust me. I know what you and your guitar player are doing for gigs and you'll be disappointed. I'd say if you want to go small for smaller gigs, just go out and but a single JBL EON and lose the idea of the Fishman.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks for the input, it's appreciated and that's what I was looking for! I played with the Fishman when we did a gig at Martin Guitars and they did sound great but I never gigged it and that is what I was worried about, sure it sounds great at mid volumes but does it carry into the room? Does it work well in higher volumes, etc. I guess not!

 

Last night we used one RCF 312a and one floor monitor with the mixer and it was all good, but that is still a couple of (somewhat) large speakers and a mixer to fit in small spaces, if the stick could replace that at normal indoor/restaurant volumes, it would be worth it but after your reply, I guess not.

 

Rod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

The biggest drawback I have run into since I bought mine is bottom end...I tried an acoustic bass through it a few weeks back and was pretty disappointed, but then again, it isn't designed for that. The other is the footprint of the tripod seem bigger than it needs to be.

The pluses outweigh that though.

It reproduces my a/e guitars very faithfully, and although I have not had the chance to push the power up more than half way, it definitely has enough power to be heard in the average lounge/restaurant/coffeehouse/deck/patio setting. It sets up in under a minute, and has adequate options on the back panel (aux in, efx send/return on each channel, DI, Monitor in/out, mute pedal, tuner in, etc). Easy to pack, move, store, transport...simple and effective.

What I came to realize about the Fish-Stick is that it is a hybrid between an acoustic guitar amp and a PA, designed for the singer-guitarist more than anything else. If I was going to use backing tracks, I might add a small mixer and a powered sub, but I'm not planning to ... :cool:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

It's just like daddymack said -- it's not designed for anything else but acoustic guitars and vocals. Running a bass or backing tracks would require a separate subwoofer for best sound. But for the singing guitarist, it really is a wonderful solution for small to mid-sized rooms. I've been using mine for over a year with great results.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks for the feedback! Again, just what I was looking for, firts hand user experience!

 

So in your oppinion, as a second "pa", for the smaller gigs it would work fine? Again, just guitar and voice.

 

One more question, how is feedback control in tight quarters? Can you really set up in front of the thing and hear yourself without the need for monitor? This is key for me since I am one of those singers that needs to hear myself (spoiled I know!), and if this doesn't allow me to drop the monitor, then I might as well skip it altogether.

 

Thanks again!

 

Rod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Just guitar and voice as a smaller PA -- that's exactly what it was designed for, and it excels. Guitar Player magazine did a portable PA comparison in their most recent issue, and gave high marks to the Fish Stick, giving it a higher audio quality rating than the Bose L1 Compact (the Fishman certainly has a more flexible input section and onboard reverb). But try both out and see for yourself!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Thanks again John! I have used both and loved the tone of the Fishman but have reservations when it comes to real world aplication and there is no way to mimic that at a GC store. When you are tight for space and there are noisy people a couple of feet away from you.

 

My biggest concern is being able to hear myself well, with no need for monitoring, using only this unit. If it can do this, then it's worth a try, if I still need a separate monitor, then there is no point doing this.

 

Rod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Have used a "Fishstick" on several occasions, for both solo gigs and a few X with my trio (house system, as it were)...for solo use of the sort your refer to, it's great. For trio use (vocals/guitar, vocals/bass and vocals/hand-percussion), it worked OK, because (A) I had the foresight to carry along my subwoofer and (B) we plugged into a passive mixer, then to the SA220 and © this is a low-volume restaurant gig.

 

W/o the sub, the bass would've been very weak. Definitely best used as a solo voice/guitar unit. In that capacity, it really outshines the L1 and Compact. Great reverb, very full sound.

 

Plan tp buy one of my own, after the Winter Holidays.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

In that capacity, it really outshines the L1 .

 

 

Great well thought out post until you got to this. The Fishman and the L1 are not even in the same league and most will never compare the two. Maybe it outshines the compact, but I wouldn't know because I've never used one. It certainly doesn't outshine the L1...

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

Now Potts...this is about the Fishman...you had your Bose thread already and we stayed out... ;)

 

I will admit that I have some concerns regarding feedback at higher volumes, but, as I haven't had to push mine that hard yet, the real trick I found was positioning: distance and angle. I hear everything nicely with it a few feet behind me and a foot or two to my right....ymmv...one of my guitars requires a soundhole baffle, or it tends to feed back, mainly because the piezo in that one is very sensitive. I totally understand why you don't want to have to have a separate monitor, it would defeat the purpose of the 'one-trip' nature of the SA220.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Please, no BOSE x the world siderails...I said it before, no BOSE for me...

 

Daddymack, you understood where I am coming from with my concerns, if I need to carry extra gear in addition to the stick, then the purpose is indeed defeated.

I also use condenser mics so it increases my concern with the feedback issue.

 

If I was to get this for use in tight quarters, like a corner of a restaurant with tables just a couple of feet from me and the stick behind me, would I be able to bring the volume up enough to be heard before I start feeling the squeals of pigs? Or do I need to to set this up off-set to avoid feedback and then compromise me hearing myself?

 

I am guessing I will need to buy one of these things and try it out for myself, or just drop the whole thing and keep luggind the extra gear! :)

 

Rod

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Great well thought out post until you got to this. The Fishman and the L1 are not even in the same league and most will never compare the two. Maybe it outshines the compact, but I wouldn't know because I've never used one. It certainly doesn't outshine the L1...

 

 

Potts, you're obviously a big fan of the L1, and that's fine...otoh, if everyone else was, there wouldn't be other choices, would there?

 

It seems that the L1 suits your needs. My opinion, otoh, is based on having played through all three units often enough to have aquired an informed understanding of what each unit has to offer.

 

Music is not a "one-size-fits-all" business.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

Oops, we posted together Terry! Toughts on the volume x feedback x monitoring question anyone?


Rod

 

Might something like this work for you, specifically the FBX-SM820 (as you favor condenser vocal mics)?

http://www.markertek.com/Audio-Equipment/Audio-Processing/Feedback-Destroyers/Sabine/SM-820-U.xhtml

DV016_Jpg_Large_180246_V.jpg

Never used one, but have read favorable reviews.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've never had a problem hearing myself when using the Fishman -- that's one of its strong points, no monitor needed! Noisy tables close to the stage aren't a problem, and you'd really have to push the volume higher than you'd likely want it to start having feedback issues (YMMV depending on mic, FX, etc.). The wide dispersion of sound from this (somewhat) line array configuration fills the entire room (well, normally shaped rooms) and ensures that everyone in the audience gets the same mix you hear right next to it. I can't say enough good about the Fishman -- it really does what it claims to do!

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Thanks again everyone! Many positive people on this thing so I think I am gonna order one and see what it does!


Rod

 

 

I really, really want one as well.

 

I had an acoustic amp that I was never really happy with for using as a small PA. Sold it.

 

Instead of a Fish Stick, I opted to recently purchase a small powered speaker and a small board, figuring it would be more versatile. It is more versatile, but not really much easier to load in and set up than my bigger system. :-( Still the right choice, because I use that powered speaker as a monitor.

 

For that price tag, though, I think I'll stick with what I have. I need to invest in a better main setup instead of spending $900 on a mini pa.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

I've owned a Fishman SoloAmp for 3 years and will agree with the Bose L1 folks that it just doesn't push through in louder situations. I've found a couple venues I can use it for but mostly it gets left at home.

 

I've tried using a powered monitor with it and that works pretty well. By the time I haul and setup with the monitor it was close to the same as using my (more powerful) PA. So I've opted for the PA a majority of the time (using just 1 main and a unpowered monitor).

 

I'm hanging on to mine but mainly as a practice amp.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

 

Toughts on the volume x feedback x monitoring question anyone?

 

 

It's the same for every speaker system.

 

Until you get to the level where you cross the unity gain threshold you do not and will never have feedback. Once you turn up enough so that the ratio of the sound going into your mic from your mouth equals the sound going back into the mic from your speaker (regardless of what speaker you have) you will have feedback. It is always the ratio of those two levels

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Members

The Bose and the sticks still seem to have the same foot print as a normal speaker stand, don't they? It doesn't seem that my powered speaker is any bigger than the stand legs' floor area. Can't see how a stick saves space. I'd be more likely to trip over the base/legs if the speaker didn't keep me in bounds.

Link to comment
Share on other sites

  • Moderators

I don't think it is negativity...just honest opinions. I like mine for what it is. I spent several months looking for something that would handle the basics, get the sound, be easy to haul, easy to set up, easy to use...the SA220, (compared to the acoustic guitar amps on he market Fender, Fishman, Acoustic, SWR, Marshall, Genz, etc. and the Bose Compact) seemed to fit my needs.

John Bartus gigs his regularly, and he seems to like it.

It may not suit everyone.

It can't.

But for what it is, and what it does, I am happy with mine.

It is not going to work well in a noisy bar. I figured that out, but my goal is to not play in noisy bars.

The negativity seems to come from people who are using it for purposes other than intended, or own something else. :wave:

Link to comment
Share on other sites

Archived

This topic is now archived and is closed to further replies.

×
×
  • Create New...