Acoustic Guitar Amp
Fishman SoloAmp – Solo Performance System
- Solo Performance System designed to provide the singer/songwriter with exceptional sound quality and coverage in a wide variety of venues
- Fully digital (Class D) power amp and power supply
- Universal voltage allows operation outside the US
- Ultra-high excursion custom drivers and a servo power amp implementation eliminates the need for subwoofer support
- Compact line array design for ultra wide horizontal dispersion and deeper sound penetration than traditional acoustic combo amplifiers
Product DescriptionDesigned for the singer/songwriter, SoloAmp provides exceptional sound quality and coverage in a wide variety of venues. 220W of clean, lightweight power drives a line array of six custom high-excursion speakers and a soft dome tweeter. This unique combination delivers incredibly full sound, ultra-wide dispersion, and deeper sonic penetration than the common speaker cabinet. Better yet, the enhanced bass response of the custom designed speakers means there’s no need. . . More >>
Fishman SoloAmp – Solo Performance System
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My brother purchased a SoloAmp first and I was impressed by it’s well thought out design and great sound so I purchased one for myself and now we are planning to buy another one for my daughter who plays small acoustic venues. I play multiple instruments so the fact that the SoloAmp only has only two inputs is problem for me. I am experimenting with different mini mixers to give me a few more inputs.
I bought this for my daughter who regularly performs in clubs and bars as an acoustic singer / songwriter / guitarist, and she absolutely loves it. After a few years of using a basic floor amp, she can’t believe how great this sounds and how well it helps her hear herself as well. I researched this deal heavily, and it simply smokes the Bose alternative both in price and convenience, with no less sound quality. The ease of set up and take down is ideal for the solo artist. A really great design with high quality and an affordable price. Highly recommended.
I’ve owned one of these for just a few weeks. I use it as a vocal P. A. for rehearsals with a jazz combo. It’s rather tall and imposing. And rather bulky to cart around. The included rolling case is pretty tipsy when you roll it and will not stand on end (that may be intentional, forcing you to lie it down so that it can’t accidentally be tipped over. ) It’s not that heavy (only about 25 lbs. ) so rather than rolling it you can just as easily use the shoulder straps to carry it around.
As for the sound, I give it only 4 out of 5 stars because it has a quiet but noticeable buzz or hum even before you plug any mics into it. (I’ve actually listened to two of these amps and they both had the buzz. ) It’s not a terribly loud buzz, but you probably wouldn’t want to use it in a quiet recording studio.
Another problem that others have noted is that the reverb is too strong to be useful on anything but the lowest settings. In fact, eventually I’ll probably ditch the built-in reverb altogether and use one of TC Helicon’s outboard vocal processors. (Thankfully the Fishman does have an FX send loop. )
Okay, now that all the negatives are out of the way, let me tell you that I’ve tried LOTS of portable P. A. “solutions” and NONE of them even begin to match up to the Fishman. It really does sound good, clear and loud. And compared to a quality guitar amp, its not that expensive. Bite the bullet, pay the money and you won’t regret it.
This thing is amazing. It fills the room with great, deap sound. I have had many people comment on the difference between this amp and my previous one (Genz Benz Shenadoah 60). It can pick out the different frequencies of my vocal harmonizer and project them purely and fully. It makes any type of guitar sound awesome. The array is a great design, especially the tweeter. I recommend this to anyone looking for nice, full sound that plays out.
As a classical guitarist, I am often under the mercy of the venue’s acoustics and/or sound system on any given performance. To say that this is frustrating is an understatement. I wished that there was a way for me to be freed of this tyranny and be able to carry my own sound system. When I read about the Fishman Solo Amp, I immediately thought this could be it – the ultimate solution. It is truly compact and you can carry the guitar in one hand and the amp on the other in one trip from your car. And it does fit inside my trunk nicely. Set up is quick and easy.
Admittedly, all the reviews I read was for the use of an acoustic steel guitar, all glowing, but I didn’t find a review using nylon classical guitar. Nevertheless, it got me really excited and finally pulled the trigger to buy it.
I use a Fishman under-saddle transducer on a world-class guitar. When I plugged it into the Direct Input, it sounds fantastic! But only when the gain is low. On high volumes, you lose the natural and charming sound of the classical guitar. This would be true of any other amp.
Needing more power for a more natural sound, I decided to buy the DPA 4099 clip-on condenser mic. This made it sound a lot more natural on higher volumes, and feedback issue is minimal which is huge by itself!
But I have mixed feeling regarding the sound, at least when it comes to classical guitar. It is rather flat and not very warm. You may be able to use a mixer to achieve a warm sound, but that defeats the simplicity of set-up purpose. Also, there is a background hiss that may be unacceptable to some classical guitarists playing a lot of quiet passages. I contacted Fishman regarding the hiss and they acknowledged that it is a known issue. But they offered a solution which is to pry open the panel and tape the ribbon wire to the side to avoid contact with the center structure. I tried this but I still can’t tell if it made a difference.
I find myself still preferring the sound of my good old AER Compact 60 using either DI or DPA 4099. It is very warm and natural. It just doesn’t have the power for a bigger venue.
After experimenting more with the Fishman Solo, I was able to achieve the sound I wanted. The solution for me is to use both the DI on low-gain setting but coupled with the DPA 4099 condenser mic for a natural sound. This gave me a warm and fat sound that I dig. In fact, DPA has a double cable accessory that allows you to have less cable clutter. However, this cable is priced at $199 so I decided in the meantime to just use two separate cables.
The sound is great and I would still recommend it simply because there is no other similar equipment in this price range. The Bose L1 is too expensive and I think less compact. The hiss still bothers me and I remain slightly bummed by it but I think it is the best thing available out there for my purpose so I decided to keep it.
Now, if only AER can come up with a similar amp, I am so there!