Guitarists who make a living from live performance understand all too well that relying on a venue to have a good quality (and working!) PA system is a big risk. For that reason, it’s always advisable to invest in your own.
Of course, PA systems can be extremely heavy, and overall difficult to transport. In many cases you’ll need a van, and probably some friends to help you move your gear and set up. Thankfully, there are now some highly portable acoustic amps on the market that double up as PA systems – a great example is the Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT 60.
In this KillerGuitarRigs Review, we’ll be going into more depth on this fantastic amp and PA combo. We actually named this as our editor’s choice in our roundup of the best acoustic amps, and if you’d like to find out why, you’ll want to keep on reading.
Read more about our review process.
Contents
Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT 60: Who Is This For?
The Boss Acoustic Singer LT 60 is a high end acoustic amp with amateur performers and working musicians in mind. It offers a huge amount of control over your sound, and a bi-amp setup to ensure the best possible tones for both your guitar and your vocals.
Unlike traditional PA systems, it’s extremely compact, and really easy to set up, too. This also makes it a great choice for players who need a powerful and flexible setup for gigging, but who don’t have the means to store and/or transport a large rig.
Appearance / Features / Controls
At a little over 11 inches tall, by 14.8 inches wide, it actually takes up very little space. It weighs around 22lb, so in a pinch, you could potentially even carry this on public transport.
It features 60 watts of solid state power, making it loud enough to be heard across a crowded room. It’s even got enough punch to keep up with a set of acoustic drums. The control panel is full featured, but still uncluttered and easy to use.
There are 2 separate channels, one for guitar, one for mics, each with their own input. Both the XLR and 1/”4” jack inputs get their own 3 band EQ, and come with effects. For the guitar in, you’ll get delay and chorus. For the Mic in, delay and echo. Both channels also have individual reverb controls.
It’s fitted with a pair of speakers – a 6.5” woofer, and a 1” dome tweeter. As for additional ports, it had an XLR output, and a ⅛” headphone out. There were individual footswitch control inputs for the mic channel and the guitar input, and it even features a USB out, allowing for use as a USB interface if you’d like to record using your DAW.
Performance / Sound
We found this Boss amp to be seriously impressive across the board. Starting with the build quality, it was absolutely rock solid, and we have no doubt that it would be able to handle the kind of punishment usually involved with transporting gear to and from gigs.
Not only was it well built, but it was also exceptionally good looking. We particularly liked that Boss didn’t give it a tolex wrap, and left it as exposed wood.
Tonally speaking, it was pretty magical. PA systems are usually quite neutral in terms of voicing, and this can result in a pretty bland tone that doesn’t do the guitar justice, but this definitely wasn’t the case here. It really complimented acoustic tones beautifully, providing a natural and organic sound that really highlighted the top end sparkle and mid range.
Thanks to its huge headroom, we didn’t find that it distorted when pushed hard, and found that it gave consistent results across the entire volume range.
We loved having a full EQ for both channels. Having the ability to EQ your guitar and mic separately makes a huge difference when you’re trying to sound your best, and this feature really facilitated that.
It was also a nice touch having some built in FX. The mic channel echo/delay dial worked great for getting some texture to the vocals, and the reverb added even more atmosphere. Similarly with the guitar input, the effects were exceptionally useful. Boss is well known for their FX units, and that same tech has gone into this amp. The chorus added beautiful shimmer, and having delay and reverb really gave us a lot to work with in terms of tonal texture.
Other Amps to Consider
The Boss Acoustic Singer Live 60 LT really is one of the most complete acoustic amps on the market. It offers pro level performance in a relatively compact package. Of course, there are still some other great options out there – if you’re thinking you’d like to check some out, we’ve highlighted a couple of our favorites below.
Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge 60
The Fishman Loudbox Mini Charge 60 offers a similar setup to the Boss, with 60 watts of power, a 6.5” woofer and 1” tweeter speaker set, and a classic, earthy aesthetic. Where this amp really stands out is in its portability.
Not only is it small and lightweight, but it offers dual power – mains, and rechargeable battery, with up to 12 hours use from a single charge. This is huge for street performers. The downside is the lack of a 3 band EQ on its mic channel. If the EQ isn’t a dealbreaker, and you like the idea of battery power, it’s a great choice.
Fender Acoustic Junior Go 100
The Fender Acoustic Junior Go 100 is a powerful acoustic amp with 100 watts on tap driving a single 8” speaker. At just over 15lb, it’s noticeably lighter than the Boss, and just like the Fishman, it offers an on board rechargeable battery. It has a whole slew of built in FX, and even features universal power, meaning it truly can go anywhere in the world with you.
Solo performers will love the built in 60 second looper, and for filling in the dead space between sets, it offers bluetooth connectivity, allowing you to remotely play music through the amp when you’re off stage.
Final Thoughts on the Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT 60
The Boss Acoustic Singer Live LT 60 is a fantastic performer that’s ready to go to work for singer songwriters and anybody else who plays and sings live. It’s a handsome amp that wouldn’t look out of place in any room in your house, and thanks to its compact dimensions, it won’t take up room like a traditional PA, either.
The only feature that we really think was missing was a rechargeable battery, which seems to be becoming a fairly standard feature on amps of this type today. Regardless, it delivers pro level tones and is one of the most user friendly models on the market.
