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Double Bass Bose L1 and B1

#21
And if you buy directly from Bose you have a 45 day window. When we bought ours - we actually got 90 days from GC as at the time Bose was offering 90 day returns. Although we decided to keep them within about 10 minutes - we had our first gig with them 92 days out and our GC guy said bring 'em back after the gig if you don't like them - money back.

Well the gig went great and three years later we still love the system.
 
#22
Tbeers said:
Would this be something to buy for personal use, or only for the use of a group?

In other words, if a bassist were still looking for the amplification "solution," would this be something to consider for him/herself?

Thanks....
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We're using two of them with a mixer to run the vocals, guitar & drum machine through while the bass goes through an AI/Schroeder setup.

When we first started using it with one sub per side I was a little unhappy with the bass response but adding one more made a very noticeable difference and we're planning on getting one more.
 
#23
Thanks for all your advice. I went ahead and ordered one.

I got the package with only one sub, since I figured I won't save any money by buying two at the same time. The second sub is $300 extra no matter how you do it.

If it doesn't blow me away, it won't be worth $2,000 and I'll return it without hesitation. They give me 45 days and all I lose is return shipping, so I'm not worried.

Of course, I hope it does blow me away. This year I've had to deal with some screwy venues (the weirdest being a hockey rink). A unit that can boast consistent, clean sound is important to me....
 
#25
Just traded in a 12 year old Peavy 600 system for one. Got 2 subs.

What an upgrade! We do mostly duos and trios, and it is going to open up a lot more stage room. I am not going to miss the monitors at my feet.

The base unit is a little heavy, but has a handle molded in. All the gear came with soft cases. Just 2 wires for the subs and one for the remote.

We have it set up in our living room for practice, and it is nice to have the monitoring ability with out having to crank the volume. The remote on channels 1 and 2 gives the front person the control they need without killing time with minor adjustments.

Very natural sounding, and it is nice to "plug and play", and not be dial twiddling all night.
 
#26
I received one part of my PAS system today, the B1 bass module. It seems very sturdy, and in my opinion easy to carry because of the way they've designed the handles. There's something about this product that gives off an aura of quality, and I haven't even plugged it in yet. Hopefully the rest will arrive tomorrow.

I have two gigs on Saturday night, the first with a jazz piano trio, the second with a rock band. If the PAS doesn't absolutely outperform my WW MI-100 / LDS 2x8 setup, then I'll send it back. For $2,000 I expect something extraordinary.
 
#27
While I like my Bose setup a lot- I don't think its strength lies in being a stand-alone bass amp. IMO it is best used as a bass amp when all band members play through PAS systems. That being said - there are quite a few bassists using the PAS with great success as stand-alone amps. Check out the Bose PAS fourm. www.bose.com

I added the A1 amp and two more subs to my system. I now push 500w through 4 subs and 500w through the tower part. Really promotes a more balanced sound.
 
#33
Alright, impressions after one gig.

I played at a house party with a rock band last night. The place was kind of small. Band was guitar, drums, bass, vocal, and fiddle. Everyone except the drums had amplification. I ran my slab and the vocalist through the Bose system, and the guitarist and fiddle player had traditional amps. From where I was standing, I just wasn't pleased with the way everything blended. Competing with the guitarist and fiddle player, I could hardly hear myself. Yet we actually got complaints from neighbors saying specifically to turn the bass down. In other words, from up close the bass was way quiet compared to everyone else, but at a distance it was disproportionately loud.

I think the Bose system would sound great for a band if everyone used it (as Eggman pointed out). But with part of a group using the PAS and part of it using traditional amplification, it will never balance. The Bose unit has this really clean, transparent sound that I love by itself. With the electric guitar blaring, though... not a great combination.

Tonight I finally plugged in my upright bass with a Full Circle pickup, straight into the Bose (no separate preamp). I dialed in the Fishman preset, adjusted the trim, and gave it some volume. Then I had one of those moments where I had to look and make sure the amp was powered on. The thing just disappears. It's a truly phenomenal sound.

At the moment I am conflicted, but unless something changes I will send this back. It's going to upset me to have to give it up, but I can't deal with the expense or the sheer size of this thing unless it suits my needs flawlessly.
 
#34
T, you've stated my position pretty accurately. The sound is really beautiful and transparent, and it seems to spread over the entire venue really accurately, in all directions. In a situation where you play the same room repeatedly, it's great. With the AMT mic, it's incredible. Disappears, like you said.

I'm really happy to play through the two L1/B1 systems that I have available to me, but the thought of setting that thing up in a variety of venues gives me the willies. I get as much good sound out of my EA rig if I take the time to tweak it, and it just happily rolls in on its little built-in hand truck.

When I build my own jazz club, I'll think about the Bose, but in the real world, I don't think it works that well.
 
#35
Tbeers said:
Alright, impressions after one gig.

I played at a house party with a rock band last night. The place was kind of small. Band was guitar, drums, bass, vocal, and fiddle. Everyone except the drums had amplification. I ran my slab and the vocalist through the Bose system, and the guitarist and fiddle player had traditional amps. From where I was standing, I just wasn't pleased with the way everything blended. Competing with the guitarist and fiddle player, I could hardly hear myself. Yet we actually got complaints from neighbors saying specifically to turn the bass down. In other words, from up close the bass was way quiet compared to everyone else, but at a distance it was disproportionately loud.
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According to my interpretation of the cylindrical radiator concept, what you describe is by design. The volume falls off less rapidly with distance, so for a given volume at the audience, you hear less on stage. Combined with other players who are using spherical radiators, it might be hard to get a simultaneous balance on- and off-stage. In addition, un-amplified acoustic instruments like drums and horns will always be spherical radiators.

In terms of filling up the room uniformly, it's worth noting that many of us, myself included, play through amps that don't have a separate midrange. We could make our spherical radiators have much better off-axis response in their own right.

For me, the size, weight, and complexity, are show stoppers. And I like to hear a bit more of the bass on stage.
 
#36
Tbeers said:
Competing with the guitarist and fiddle player, I could hardly hear myself. Yet we actually got complaints from neighbors saying specifically to turn the bass down. In other words, from up close the bass was way quiet compared to everyone else, but at a distance it was disproportionately loud.
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That's just the nature of bass, to travel through walls and seem louder on the outside of a house even though it's the quietest instrument on the inside.

Hope you have better luck with it and it shows that evidently they're not going to be for everyone.
 
#37
fdeck said:
According to my interpretation of the cylindrical radiator concept, what you describe is by design. The volume falls off less rapidly with distance, so for a given volume at the audience, you hear less on stage. Combined with other players who are using spherical radiators, it might be hard to get a simultaneous balance on- and off-stage. In addition, un-amplified acoustic instruments like drums and horns will always be spherical radiators.

In terms of filling up the room uniformly, it's worth noting that many of us, myself included, play through amps that don't have a separate midrange. We could make our spherical radiators have much better off-axis response in their own right.

For me, the size, weight, and complexity, are show stoppers. And I like to hear a bit more of the bass on stage.
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I believe you're right about the design of the cylindrical radiator. But I'm not sure you're right about acoustic instruments unamplified. I think I would be 100% fine with the Bose if I were playing with horns and even drums. It was the guitar amp that really killed it for me.

And the complexity is not as much of an issue as you would think. Setup time is really, really minimal. Size and weight are legitimate concerns.
 
#38
I played two gigs in a room with two L1 poles and two subs. Put two acoustic guitars 3 vocals and my DB through it. Drums were just there in the middle. Everything sounded great but my bass. We finally got rid of one of the subs and that helped quite a bit. It was really boomy and had no midrange. My bass either sounded honky or tubby.

I hated it, the band and crowd really liked it. It does guitars and voices very well. I didn't have enough time before or during the gig to work out a sound that worked for me. I would have to spend a bunch of time tweaking it to make it work. I doubt it would work well unless everybody participates.
 

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