Bose L1 Pro8 Acoustic Guitar Demo - First Impressions

[@raymondschiller6309]

Absolutely Beautiful!! I bought one last night! Thanks for the wonderful Demo.

[@gair1944]

Thanks Raymond and congrats. It has proven itself time and time again. In fact, I bought a second one and often use a pair.

[@jimtalltheislandbrothers6639]

When kit brings a smile on the player face ....you know it's good. Great playing.

[@gair1944]

It always makes me smile. Especially with my cutaway D-18. That guitar is so musical!

[@jimtalltheislandbrothers6639]

@@gair1944 I have just purchased my first Bose L1 Pro8. I was quite put off by some online videos suggesting there was a hissing noise problem with the speakers, others claimed that the plastic connectors on the columns were flimsy etc..... What I found was that with just the speaker column it was very sturdy, once I added the plastic extension there was a slight wobble at first but when I pushed it in properly that wobble decreased drasticly and does not worry me at all. Well as for the hissing sound, I can put this to rest now. Whether there were any cables pluged in or not this thing was dead silent....and I mean silent. The type of Digital silence, no noise at all. I am extremely happy with the unit, it is punchy in the bass very clear in treble and overall a very very good system for a solo performer with backing tracks and electric guitar with a Headrush pedalboard. I highly recommend. I am yet to play it at a gig but this thing is loud. Your videos helped a lot in my decision making. Thank you.

[@wallacenock7423]

Really great sound, I have the L! 16 and the 32 for bigger events. Very impressed with the L1 8

[@josephthinks296]

Your enthusiasm and joy for this product shines through. Great review and wonderful sound. I’m sold.

[@gair1944]

I continue to be thrilled with the new Bose L1 Pro8

[@jjssnb3790]

Gary that was soothing to listen to love the sound of Bose🤙

[@johnmazlish4923]

Wow Gary- all I can say is that your wonderful guitar playing talent matches your love of music and great sound. Inspiring my man!

[@gair1944]

Thank you so much John. You made my day with your kind words. I do love music. Part of my soul.

[@johnmazlish4923]

@@gair1944 My pleasure Gary! If you don't mind, I have a question for you: I just bought the Bose S1 Pro, and I also own the Fishman SA 330. After watching your review on the new Bose L1 Pro 8, I'm really tempted to get Fishman's SA Sub for the SA 330- which from what I understand can also be paired with the Bose S1 Pro. I've never played with a sub before, but judging from your video it sounds as though it can add quite a lot of warmth and depth to acoustic guitar and vocals. Would you recommend owning a sub. even just for solo acoustic guitar/vocals? I'm definitely leaning towards just going for it! Thanks again Gary!

[@gair1944]

@@johnmazlish4923 Hi John, I am not aware of connecting a sub to the Bose S1 Pro. I can't imagine it would be bad, but I am not sure if you have the latitude to adjust the levels for the best "blend". But since you already own the Fishman SA 330, having the Sub would work well with BOTH systems. There may be times when the S1 Pro and Sub is all you need to carry. Otherwise I would expect the Fishman Sub and SA 330 to outperform the S1 Pro/Fishman Sub combo. But you really need to try both. I am always a fan of using subs since the small speakers in the little Bose are working pretty hard to deliver a full rich sound. I wish I could be more conclusive. If you do try the Fishman Sub and Bose S1 Pro. please let me know how it works.

[@johnmazlish4923]

@@gair1944 Thanks Gary! I just ordered the sub, and am excited to try it out. I think I'll probably only use it with the SA330, and I'm expecting it to be pretty awesome. I've never used a sub before, but since the Bose L systems all include one, I think it must be a great addition. The Fishman SA330 is an excellent system as is, so I'm looking forward to seeing how the sub opens up and warms the sound. I'll letcha know!

[@gair1944]

@@johnmazlish4923 I am sure the Fishman is going to sound better with the Sub. I did that comparison a few years ago. I definitely preferred the SA 330 With the sub.

[@johnyfernandez4213]

Gary you impressed me to own that L1 Pro 8 and your guitar sounds awesome. Thanks.

[@gair1944]

Thanks Johny. I just gigged with a pair of these L1 Pro8's this weekend with a trio. Absolutely superb sound. And I am playing my 5 string Sadowsky bass directly into one of them. Sounds amaaazing!

[@matthijsruhrup8869]

Pity the guitar is not tested/demo-ed with a phantom powered condenser microphone to give an idea what the pure acoustic Martin D-18 guitar sounds like?

[@SpotdoggieStudios]

Beautiful tones. Nice playing. I have an L1 Pro32 and just love it but have to sell it unfortunately. I am going to look at the install of my LR Baggs though. Mine doesn't sound anywhere that good. Are you using a preamp in between? Like a modeller of some kind.?

[@gair1944]

Hi and thanks for the nice comment. I am not using any sort of external preamp. The Baggs Anthem is a stunning sounding pickup with its own internal preamp.

[@freddierogers2462]

Very natural sound

[@bmusing1956]

Sounds great! Looking forward to your comparison to the L1 compact.

[@gair1944]

I can't wait to do the side-by-side as well. Regardless of how they stack up, this new L1 Pro8 sounds amazing.

[@gair1944]

I am uploading the L1 Pro8 Vs L1 Compact tonight

[@garygohmusic]

About a million times better sounding than the Andertons' demo. Thumbs up!

[@gair1944]

Thank you for your kind words. I am very impressed with this new Bose L1 Pro8! The enhancements from the L1 Compact are impressive. I.e. Tbe reverb sounds great, the Vol/bass/treble/reverb on both channels with multiple tone match profiles, the APP is simple and fantastic. So easy to use. The Sub has better bass, more bass and is punchier.

[@garygohmusic]

@@gair1944 My main source of income is from busking so I really hope they update the S1 Pro with some of these advancements soon!

[@TheBudBoss]

wow thats sounds good. made me smile.

[@gair1944]

You're welcome :-)

[@Aniki82]

Yes exactly !! me too I was smiling :D such a pleasure to see someone hiting gold and sharing the fun ;D ahaha

[@benjaminparker_]

Sounds great -- real tasty playing too Gary!

[@magnuswijk5191]

Great playing and a fantastic tone!

[@Durberville1]

Wow, just amazing sound

[@gair1944]

Thank you. I am very happy

[@simplecarnivore]

Damn nice picking!! Sounds fantastic!

[@ibleebinU]

Great demo and playing! I'll show this to my wife and she'll want to upgrade her JBL eon compact. Also, she'll get a kick out of you being a 'Roberts'....her maiden name.

[@gair1944]

Thanks. Clearly it's a "sign" from "Roberts". laughs.

[@brianthompson9136]

Wow! That sounds so good!

[@gair1944]

Thanks Brian. I love it!

[@brianlaws6204]

I'm finding the mix app not good. Reverb wont switch off as specified and touching rev mixer moves to volume. How about covering that ps being used with Sony android phone

[@leleckeberg]

Superb Sound. Le

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

I gotta check that one out!

[@christopherwilliams6444]

Fantastic demonstration!!! Thanks!

[@gair1944]

Thank you Christopher!

[@christopherwilliams6444]

@@gair1944 Thank you Gary!

[@isabelllowenherz2213]

An incradible acoustic sound. Do you play in a band? Or solo? Do you have also experiences with 2, 3 or 4 people over the L1 Pro8?

[@gair1944]

Solo, duo, and 4 piece band. We use the pair of Bose L1 Pro 8’s for all of these configurations.

[@isabelllowenherz2213]

@@gair1944 Nice - thanks

[@PeteHartley]

Thanks very much for the revue Gary. I’m really looking forward to the comparison with the compact (which has been my workhorse for years). My outdoor setup is 2 x S1 pro and the big rig is the 1S with 2 subs so I’m really curious about upgrading to the 8 or 16.

[@gair1944]

You're very welcome Pete. I made the comparison video of the Bose L1 Pro8 Versus the L1 Compact a couple of days ago. Here is the link: kzbin.info/www/bejne/eYW0d2R-bLmMppI&lc=UgzQhjfIGiQBna6g5Oh4AaABAg&feature=em-comments

[@gair1944]

PS: I think a pair of L1 Pro16's would be the most appropriate replacement to your 1Z w/2 subs. A pair of these new L1 Pro8's however will work for my band quite nicely.

[@drdannyroadkill]

Hi Gary, I'm considering getting a Pro 16. I already have an L1 Compact. could I connect the 2 even though there is a significant power difference. I'm thinking of doing this on occasions when I'm player a larger venue to cover more area, not necessarily to be "louder". have you ever experimented with this set up?

[@gair1944]

Hi Danny, I have used an L1 Compact as an extension speaker with my L1 Pro 8 by simply using the XLR line output from the L1 Pro 8 into the XLR input on the L1 Compact. It will absolutely work. It simply extends the projection and sound coverage for a venue. I actually sold my L1 Compact and bought another L1 Pro 8 so I can either run the pair from my Bose TS4 Mixer or simply use the Line output from one L1 Pro into an input channel on the other L1 Pro. (L1 Pro 8 or 16 doesn't matter) Just dial the volume on the extension speaker to the level you want.

[@drdannyroadkill]

@@gair1944 Thank you! I'm torn because there's a used L1 Compact available for $450 and I'm considering just getting that to have the pair, but the Pro 16 would do the job of 2 Compacts and then I'd have my Compact available if I needed more coverage. $$$ is a factor which is why I'm struggling 😆 thanks again!

[@gair1944]

@@drdannyroadkill I have found an L1 Pro8 does most of what I need. When I need more, I use another. (Or used to add the L1 Compact but I felt it was still somewhat mismatched. The pair of L1 Pro 8's has been great. I've never used an L1 Pro 16.

[@hodomin]

Impressive demo… thanks 🙏 I saw you have a fishman and Bose S1 pro. In your opinion, which one is best for performance among these 3? Thank you

[@gair1944]

Hi Dominic, The Bose L1 Pro 8 is by far the most impressive in any venue. The small Bose S1 can't compete with the L1 Pro 8. I know people using a pair of S1 Pro's but they are as expensive or more than an L1 Pro 8 and you have to bring stands. There is no remote app to change settings with the S1 Pro's either.

[@hodomin]

@@gair1944 Thanks for telling me again

[@SoundBritish]

Hi, thanks for posting, impressive sounds and great playing. Is that a PRS hollowbody behind you, if so is there a chance you could demo that thru the pro8 using the piezo? It would help a lot, many thanks Steve

[@gair1944]

Hi Steve, My PRS is not a Hollowbody II with the Piezo. It is a PRS 594 Semihollow with 58/15LT Humbuckers. I can demo it through the Bose, but I wouldn't expect that to be ideal. It might still sound decent for jazzy or bluesy clean playing

[@scottbeckett111]

Just bought one of these having used the L1 compact for years. Being delivered in a few days, I'm worried is it harder/heavier to carry than the L1 compact? Or is it slimmer and just as light?

[@gair1944]

The sub is definitely bigger than the L1 Compact. But its taller and for me a very easy 'carry'. Yes it is heavier but not bad at all. I'm 65 and not a muscle man at all. I find it very reasonable to carry.

[@boboconnell9698]

Hey Gary! Great great sound. And the sound I want....I’m playing the Martin 00018eretro with the Fishman Aura p/u and a Martin grand perfOrmer1 can’t for the life of me get that sound you are getting.... thoughts? Help ✌🏼😁 mine is sounding really nasally .... thanks

[@gair1944]

Hi Bob, you are welcome to email me at [e-mail] / for one thing, a 000-18 is a more mid focused guitar being a small OM sized guitar with short scale. I suspect some of what you're hearing is part of the tonal signature of that model guitar. I am not familiar with a Martin Grand Performer 1. Is that their GP shaped guitar? Shoot me an email and we can trade phone numbers to chat as well.

[@telefan2]

Hi Gary I’ve just bought this after watching your videos. If I want to use an Allen & Heath mixer to get extra channels, can I plug this into one of the two main channels and just turn the tone match setting off ? Really enjoying your demos.

[@gair1944]

Yes you absolutely can use an external mixer like the Allen & Heath. My band mate and I have used a Mackie DL1608 and qsc touchmix with it and they work great too. I also grabbed a Bose T4S for system synergy and it’s awesome as you might expect.

[@telefan2]

@@gair1944 so just an xlr cable from channel one with tonematch off and into desk panned to one side?

[@gair1944]

@@telefan2 Yes. XLR from the line output from your mixer into one channel of the Bose L1 Pro 8.

[@randycrumbaugh4708]

Beautiful sounding guitar. May I ask what string brand and guage you use? Thanks much!

[@gair1944]

Thanks Randy. I use daddario EJ17 , medium gauge phosphor bronze strings. .013-.056

[@JInfinity7]

So, question: can it effectively be brought down to bedroom level for practicing?

[@gair1944]

Yes absolutely. The more relevant question is; what size is your bedroom because it does have a more ominous footprint than a small acoustic amp

[@sergiosvoulgaris2897]

Hello! Sounds just great! I have the L1 compact myself. Wanted to ask this. Can you connect the Pro8 with the compact so you have a left right configuration having the pro8 as primary connection hub and the compact as the connected second speaker? Thanks!!!

[@gair1944]

Yes, use the line out from the L1 Pro8 into the L1 Compact channel input xlr jack

[@sergiosvoulgaris2897]

@@gair1944 Thank you!!!! Greetings!

[@JInfinity7]

Can one array put out sound in stereo?

[@terryrisberg]

I have a Fishman Loudbox 100 that is going on 13 yrs of use. It seems to have lost some of it's ability to produce the studio quality sound that I once felt it did. Perhaps I've evolved over those years and the sound just isn't up to par anymore. My question to you is, can this Pro8 out perform a Loudbox, even if the Loudbox was in perfect working order? I'm an accomplished fingerstyle player and have an assortment of Taylor 800e's with the expression system 2. I have a good ear and am looking to produce the very best studio quality sound I can under two thousand dollars. Thanks for your assistance!

[@gair1944]

Yes, I most definitely feel the Bose L1 Pro8 outperforms the Fishman Loudbox. I gigged a Loudbox Performer for several years and it was great. But the Bose projection never offends the people closest to you and the side dispersion is amazing. The tone is superb with a number of tone match settings, the sub delivers more fullness and richness than the Fishman could ever deliver (IMO). Get the Bose from Alan Finkbeiner at Sweetwater. You have a full 30 or 45 days for return if you're not happy. Its an amazing system. *And you don't have to use the tall extension pole if you don't want. Also the APP makes adjustments so easy from your iPhone. I'm not sure about Android app. I use iPhone exclusively. Hope that helps.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

My confusion with Bose L1 product is when it’s paired with any guitar that has the Anthem Pickup....it sounds amazing! Do you have any budget guitar with a budget pickup? Don’t answer. 😂

[@gair1944]

LOL ..Sorry. The only guitar I have without a Baggs Anthem is a Limited edition Martin Outlaw 17 with a K & K Pure western mini pick up. The thing is; if your pickup delivers an honest/accurate representation of your guitar ...the Bose reveals that. If you PU sucks ...the sound will be worse. The Bose won't make that better.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

@@gair1944 So true!

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

@@gair1944 It would be nice to hear it through the K&K too. That would at least give some variation.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

I’m curious what an electric guitar sounds like through it. I see guys using electric guitars on the S1. This one seems like the big brother. Just curious.

[@gair1944]

I am uploading a new demo video with electric guitar Demo thru the Bose L1 Pro8

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

@@gair1944 sweet can’t wait.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

I’m looking at it online and I don’t see a reverb knob. Is the built in reverb on the app?

[@gair1944]

The volume knob on the sub module is a multi function. Press for treble. Then adjust. Press agin for bass, then adjust. Press again for reverb. Press again and the knob is back to volume. All those functions are on the app too.

[@bjamminsincebirth3494]

@@gair1944 Thank you Gary!

[@deemusiclv]

What’s your opinion on the column? I see a lot of other reviews talking about it sways too much.

[@gair1944]

Yes there is some slight wobble if you give it a push. I gigged it outside on a windy day. No issues. and Indoors, once you seat the tower, it is absolutely solid. Yes it would be nice if it was completely rigid, but I think the concern while valid is way overblown.

[@deemusiclv]

@@gair1944 I thought so. I see some people just have cartoon-hate for Bose. But dude if you’re gigging regularly the value of simple setup is well worth it. Thanks for the info.

[@Nkt-gy3os]

Amazing sound..Bose is great 👍👍👍👍

[@gavinlocke2301]

Nice review great playing. Never heard one in real life I play an acousticube 3 aer amp with a CX8/2 just wondering if pluging in to one of these will match the Aer sound?

[@gair1944]

I haven’t gigged an AER so would be fair for the say. I love my sound thru this and I love the nearfield dispersion for personal monitoring. Even off to the side I can hear what my audience hears. In that reheard the Bose is superior to acoustic amps that are more directional and hotter/ louder up close which some times offends customers if you have to set up in tight quarters

[@wdmore]

It is a 7"x12" sub I believe.

[@gair1944]

Actually it is a 7”x13”. I misstated

[@alvinpong4345]

High end audio

[@garyroberts7952]

Not sure I understand, are you saying it sounds really good? Lol ...It sure sounds sweet to me. The for the acoustic guitar is the Tonematch Profile I am using on the Bose App "LR Baggs iMix Blend". It sounds better than any of the other settings I've tried. Keep in mind I am indeed using an LR Baggs Anthem Pickup.

[@garyroberts7952]

11/4/20 - Correction - The Sub in the Bose L1 Pro8 is a 7" x13" Oval shaped speaker.