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“The best…AI has ever produced…”
FLEX SYSTEM “SOMETHING SPECIAL”
SAYS BASS GEAR IN RHAPSODIC REVIEW.
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Flex System |
Bass Gear had given The Flex System a 2013 Winter NAMM Best of Show Award so, at first listen, the editors clearly
liked it. But when they got to spent more time with our top-of-the-line product for one of the magazine’s typically
in-depth reviews, it’s fair to say they loved it. Here is just a bit of what bassist and Editor Tom Bowlus had
to say:
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Each time I plugged a new instrument into the Flex System, I was impressed with the transparency of the amplification. Each
individual instrument spoke very uniquely, and I always had the impression of hearing a particular instrument, only louder,
as opposed to hearing the "rig."
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In the context of the trade-off where you only get to pick two of the three “L traits” – low, light, or loud –
AI has pulled a move reminiscent of Kirk and the Kobayashi Maru. The Flex rig definitely goes low, but with a slew of
control options. The Flex Cab isn’t “beach ball light,” but it is a quite manageable 32 lbs – and
remember, that’s for two 10’s, a tweeter, and three amps! In terms of loudness, the it manages to let your
instrument be heard in a way that fills a decent-sized stage, but it doesn’t pummel you (or the guitarists,
unfortunately) in the process.
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I'm not normally a big reverb or delay user, but the effects built into the Flex Pre are really, really good! I especially
enjoyed the effect of using both reverb and delay with fretless bass guitar.
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Given AI's history and the large numbers of upright players using their gear, I was not surprised to find that the Flex
System really excelled at double bass. I loved how the tone just filled the room; your ears aren't really drawn to the
physical position of the rig. That whole omni-directional thing really does work!
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Moving on to electric bass, the Flex System really made a P-bass sound like a P-bass, and a J-bass sound like a J-bass. That
sounds simplistic, but when you hear it done really well, it's always eye-opening to realize how much unique tonal ground
Leo managed to cover with those two designs.
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To further demonstrate its wide range of capabilities, I even used the Flex System as a small vocal PA. And guess what? It
performed this task flawlessly.
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[The Flex] is incredibly lacking in noise or hiss. You can really crank the gain, and if you are not plucking the
instrument, you can hardly tell it’s on. Very impressive.
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Rick Jones and Acoustic Image have brought a phenomenal range of technological innovations to market, The Flex System
represents the best amplification system AI has ever produced.
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Used independently, the Flex Pre and Flex Cab are highly competent and rewarding products. Used together, the two make for
an especially compelling rig. If you value transparent amplification, effective tone and room control, flexible placement
for both the enclosure and the controls, and stage-filling capabilities in a compact package, AI has you covered. The
American-made Flex System is something special.
As a testimonial to the suitability of the Flex System (and all AI products) for any instrument, the Bass Gear rave
followed close on the heels of others in Keyboard, Acoustic Guitar and Bass Player. Quotes from
all three are at acousticimg.com
TOP SOUND ENGINEER PICKS FLEX PRE FOR JAZZ TOURS.
Ken Jablonski, owner of Aero Sound Company and front of house sound engineer for several major jazz performers (including
Esperanza Spaulding, Jack De Johnette, and Maria Schneider Orchestra) is a recent high profile convert to the Acoustic Image
Flex Pre as the ideal road pre-amp. Jablonski, who first used the Flex this month on a Spaulding tour, says “The Flex
Pre works great for me on electric and acoustic bass. I dial in different tone and gain on both instruments using one stage
amp. It’s quiet and easy to use… has good frequency centers…and fixes a lot of amp issues. It’s easy to
carry on the road, too.”
AI WEBSITE MAKES “HOW TO CHOOSE” EASIER.
Over the years, we’ve heard from many of our customers that choosing the right Acoustic Image product can be difficult,
given the breadth of our product range.
Well, the selection process just got easier with the launch of the new How To Choose section on our website which
includes a graphic “selection tree” — and helps buyers to assess their needs and make a choice based three main
factors: features, need for volume, and weight.
The process isn’t easy to explain and picking an amp still has a large subjective component, but musicians who have used
the selection tree it say that it helps in distilling down a lot of information . If you have a chance, take a look and tell
us what you think.
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