Bose PA systems

[EJG]

I was wondering if anyone could offer any insights on this situation.

I don't play out much at all but my son does. I am often drafted as soundman. We currently have a reasonably respectable PA when I piece my stuff together. I have a 24 ch mixer, an old Peavey CS-800 power amp, and two 15 in speakers. I also have a Yamaha 600 watt powered mixer, two 12 in. mains and two 12 in. monitors. I hook it all up together and use the 15's as the mains and drive them with the Peavey power amp. I use the Yamaha mixer to drive the two 12 in mains and two floor monitors speakers and use all four of them all as monitors. However, my son always has trouble hearing himself through floor monitors and its a pain to get all this together without feedback issues and everything else.

Last Saturday, my son's band played at a crowded micro-brewery. The drummer has a Bose PA , with one bass module. We ran two vocals and two acoustic guitars into a mixer and then into that one Bose PA, and it sounded great. The thing wasn't even turned up that loud and it filled the place easily.

I was thinking about getting a Bose system (with a bass module). Then, when they play electric gigs, we could run the two vocals and one acoustic guitar into the mixer and out into both Bose PA's. My son's 55 watt Rivera amp, the bass player's rig and the drums would not be mic'd.

Do you think that with the two Bose PA's we'd have enough power for the vocals to be heard? They're not all thar loud, but they're not quiet either. I'd say my son's Rivera is usually set at "4" or "5" at most of their gigs. The drummer is an old jazz drummer, and while he can hit hard when he needs to, he's usually pretty reserved.

I could always reinforce things by hooking up my power amp and mains for the audience and just use the Bose PA's as monitors, but it would really be cool if I didn't have to do that.

[Rickenjangle]

I think that with a pair of the columns and a pair of the bass modules - if they couldn't be heard in small-to-medium-sized pubs and clubs then they are playing too loud. Those things are crystal clear and room-filling without sounding too loud.

Then again, that's an outlay of $4-$5,000 bucks. You could also sell off all your speakers and power amps - just keep the mixer, then get a really nice pair of mackie powered 12/horns and a powered sub to go along with it - AND get some more-efficient wedge monitors - and still come out on top, dollar-for-dollar.

[EJG]

Thanks!

For brevity, I was a little misleading in my initial post; the Yamaha powered mixer and the two 12 in mains and two 12 in monitors belong to one of the other band members, but they're stored at my house and the guy who owns them doesn't know how to do much more than turn the mixer on. So they're not mine, but I'm the only one who uses them. But I don't think selling everything off is a relaistic option. The drummer already has a Bose system. We would buy one more (for $2400). It would also serve to replace our old Fender Passport 250 which he's been using for acoustic gigs for the last 5 years. That unit has served us well, but its not nearly as nice sounding as the Bose.

[Rickenjangle]

Then, in that case, I'd say go for it! I know guys who gig with theirs regularly, and even one guy whose Bose PA does double duty for his club-and-coffee-house gigs as well as for his professional DJ gigs.

Incidentally, that individual swears by having a pair of the subs instead of just the one.

[EJG]

Thanks again!

I think that's the way we're gonna go. We'll probably go with the two systems, each with one bass module at first and see if that works OK.

[Rickenjangle]

EJG, did you go Bose? I see that the L1 Classics are now down to $1799.

I'm personally tired of lugging my (admittedly small) PA to gigs, where I'm using a fraction of the power...if I didn't need monitoring, I think I'd just get a Passport...last gig, I brought 2 10" Kustom wedges for mains and 2 of them for monitors, a PA head, and the requisite stands and cables - and only had ONE MIC plugged in (my vocal). When we add the 4th guy, we have 2 vocals and occasionally one acoustic guitar plugged direct. Seems crazy to lug all that gear.

Problem is, I would have to sell ALL my PA gear just to get one of the L1 Compact systems, which is limited in volume. ARGH! I know the Bose are fabulous, but they cost 2x as much as they should!!

[thegeezer]

I think that with a pair of the columns and a pair of the bass modules - if they couldn't be heard in small-to-medium-sized pubs and clubs then they are playing too loud. Those things are crystal clear and room-filling without sounding too loud.

Then again, that's an outlay of $4-$5,000 bucks. You could also sell off all your speakers and power amps - just keep the mixer, then get a really nice pair of mackie powered 12/horns and a powered sub to go along with it - AND get some more-efficient wedge monitors - and still come out on top, dollar-for-dollar.

1+ on the Mackie powered speakers and sub.