PLEASE, don't use them, particularly if you are in the Louisiana, Texas, Arkansas, Oklahoma area.
Listen to what the non-owners are saying. The mids are bad, no highs, no lows, no volume, no balls (sorry ladies). They have phase cancellation, you can't go anywhere in the room without hearing the damn things. They are not even loud enough that you have to scream to talk to your friends. They aren't good for practically anything. Don't get them. They are so light in weight you can't even build big muscles lifting them. You won't need the big van with your name on it, so stick with the old heavy gear.
Bad thing is that many of the pretenders to my big frog, little puddle situation ARE getting them. They give me a tremendous advantage over the competition, but please don't tell anybody, they think I really sound that good.
Thanks,
DonM

Good one Don!

I'll get ready and tell the dealers to stock up on Yamaha Stagepas 500's for the expected throng of eager buyers.

They won't give you muscles either (very lightweight), but they'll please your ears far more than any old mono stick system.

Enjoy what you play!

That was a funny post...I'm going to laugh all the way to the bank.

Ian

Bill,

You are OK you don't use them anyways, you won’t be Bosed away or dammed into eternity, you’re a professional. I’ve seen your website, you use proper speakers and a mixer, your setup will fill any room wall to wall corner to corner and once tweaked it will sound like pure magic. I can hear the stereo on you website demos, great. And to cap it all Bill you have more girls around you than Fran, that’s got to be a bonus and they are all smart lookers too!

Regards

Tony

PS Bill please please tell me that’s not a old photo on your website and you just bought a single Bose L1. I’ll even sign your visitor’s book if you tell me you haven't.

Tony, it's the Tux, man...it's like a magnet, or dare I say, a beacon, that draws the opposite sex like moths to a flame.

Deadly...very deadly indeed!

Fran will be out shopping tomorrow.

Ian

Damn, Don

Now you tell me. I have the L1 and the Compact. I guess I and my audience have been dead wrong all this time.

Thanks for the warning even if it is a bit late.

Bernie

Ha ha, Bernie...be careful...I think Don is trying to get you to sell yours to him...

I am afraid he wouldn't pay the price I would have to get to part with them.

Bernie, while I do enjoy Don's very clever sarcasm, I find it interesting that he and yourself are using instruments that don't have the phase-cancellation issue (Roland and Ketron).

I'm seriously glad the Bose works for you guys...I wish Yamaha didn't have that phase problem, and I could recommend a single Bose stick to my Yamaha clients, but my conscience (and my hearing) won't let me.

I'm glad Don and yourself look at this whole deal with a sense of humor...you guys are true gentlemen.

Ian

For dinner music in a very quiet restaurant, I'm using Bose speakers, along with the built-in speakers in the S910. But, it's not the Model II, which I have. It's the Bose Companion speakers you get at Best Buy. Can you believe it? Talk about light-weight. Maybe one pound each! They work/sound great for what I'm doing. Setup is a quick in and out in one trip.

I suspect you are using the Companion2 speakers...I've seen them at the local Future Shop and wondered how they'd sound.

How about sound projection? Do you miss having a sub?

When I do restaurant work, I use a pair of Yamaha MS-60S (60 watts each)powered monitors (they don't need a sub) and I like the fact that the sound doesn't fill the entire area, as some patrons don't want to hear music, so they can be seated further away...the ones that do, sit closer. It's nice to give them a choice.

Ian

I'm trying to follow you, Tony but not sure what the heck you're talking about.

The picture is about 7 years old.

I've used the Bose L1 for 3-4 years now almost exclusively.

I paid the ladies ten dollars each to stand next to me for a picture.

I started out quite a few years ago with one Bose L1 and one sub. I then acquired a second set. When the Compacts came out I got one to try for "little" jobs. Loved it so I got another one and kept the big pair for "really big" jobs.
After about a year of using two Compacts, the big ones were just taking up room in the garage, so I sold them both. Most of my jobs are restaurants or private parties with maximum 200 people. The big L1s were extreme overkill. In the past ten years I have played exactly two venues where I needed the bigger ones. I don't expect to work either place again, so didn't need 'em.
I sold one set to Semilive, with the stipulation that I could borrow it if I ever needed it. So far I haven't.
I was happy with one Bose until I got two. Now I'm really spoiled; I take two of them everywhere, regardless of the keyboard.
DonM

Bill you have answered everything I asked, those girls ripped you off, in the UK RENTACROWD would have
done it for half of that price with much younger girls. Bill, why don't you update your website if its 7 years old, thats a long time in web years, get it updated Bill and I will sign the visitors book.

Cheers Bill.

Well Tony, the picture is still representative of what they'll see when I walk in. Clearly, no one has ever hired me for my looks. While the photo is 7 years old, various sections have all been updated within the last few days, weeks, months, etc...

There's always tweaks, updates, etc. one can do to the website. I do know the performance schedule is constantly getting updated as new work comes in.

No offense Tony, but it doesn't matter to me whether you sign my guestbook or not. My hunch is I'll do 430+ gigs a year with or without your signature.

Great that Bill,

Certainly you must be the most industrious entrepreneur on SZ with that number of bookings, I don’t think even if Barack Obama signed your visitor book he could help you improve on that, there are simply not enough days in the year Bill and Barrack can’t even invent any for you.

Happy year Ahead Bill.

Tony

Ian, think it's time for you to get Yamaha Japan's technicians over here with soldering iron in hand:



to finally resolve (rewire?) Yamaha's effects phase cancellation problem.
Let's see now, which is it?:

L + R/L
R + R/L
L + L/R
R + L/R
L + L/L
R + R/R

Don't be too sure, maybe Bill would be invited to play the White House if Barack signed his guest book??

WOW,

Never thought of that one. I have looked at his 2012 booking and he's nowhere near the Whitehouse.


Tony

The Bose system is not for everyone.
The mids are not as strong as I would like them but my voice seems is clear with good highs, lows and midrange; not so with the keyboard.
When I think of what is best, best is what I can carry easily, what my voice sounds like, is there distortion, and how does my keyboard sound. Not 100% but close for me. If I had an 8 piece group I might think differently.

I played my Kn7000 and my Korg Pa800 through my Bose Compact this afternoon, what a difference. One was clear and strong, I could hear everything that was happening from the keyboard. The other, Pa800 was deeper and stronger as far as drive goes, but not as clear. I attached a BBE to the Pa 800 and used it sparingly, the sound of my voice and keyboard from my Bose was out-of-site. I got drive and clarity. Nice!

Experimenting, John C.

I don't use them.

I wouldn't say that, and the number of bookings can be deceiving. Some guys are great bookers but then don't live up to their own billing. If an area gets a little stagnant, a new guy who knows how to sell themselves will usually get a crapton of bookings the first year, but then they lose business consistently and then go away completely.

I have a waiting list and I cap it off around 425 gigs a year or so. That's a number I can handle the toll of, and deliver the quality performance I charge them for. I'd be really nervous if I went up around 500-600 like some guys do annually.

There's two acts around me that work more than I do, and I'm hearing consistently bad things about both for the last year. One should improve his skill set, which if he worked less, might be something he could address. The other act has some tremendous egos involved and there's an issue of stagnation. Apparently they haven't changed their act in a few years. They're getting stale and either don't know it or don't care.

I hope to drop down to around 300-325 jobs per year but also work on some cd projects as well.

Bill,

Thats a hell of a work load and I don't know how far the giggs are apart, driving, setting up, gigging, none of us getting any younger, you take it easy, still liked the girls in the photo. What will you do when you get that call from the White House, you have to say " sorry I am much too busy, maybe some other time ".

Cheers Bill.

Maybe I could swap an hour performance for 5 minutes with the President? I have some things I'd like to get off my chest about his performance thus far, lol...

I usually leave in the morning by 8:30am do a gig at 10:00am, then grab lunch, check in and see what happening with politics and then drive to my afternoon performance, which is usually around 2:00pm...then home unless I've got a triple in which case its just more time in the car, lol...

I'm putting about 2200-2500 miles per month on the car...

(Good thing I love driving, eh?)

Bill,

Lots of people would like to give him a piece of thier minds I am sure, you must like driving a lot Bill thats a hell of a lot of miles, good job you are not paying what we pay for petrol(gas) £5.80 gallon I think thats about $10 per gallon, bang would go your gigging profit.

Tony

A country guitar player I know is an invited guest at a patio job I play. He brings his Bose...can't stand the Carvin set-up I use.


Different strokes, I guess.


R.

Don't worry, Don, I don't use them or any Bose product. Tried them, though (UGH)!


R.