Insanity = choosing an Acoustic Guitar amp. Help! Ahhhhhhh

[andrewpogany]

First, let me just say as a new guy to this forum: great stuff - my kind of people: practical knukleheads with a sense of humor and with a distain for the snowstorms of BS out there in our world.

Now for my problem. Ever go to the local groc store to buy a new toothbrush? I have. And I thought it would be pretty easy. Well, surprise....there are a THOUSAND choices....maybe a million....my brain couldn't process it. I ended up closing my eyes and just grabbing one in order to end my catatonic brain state and get the hell outta there. But that was for a $5 toothbrush. Now I'm in the same brain state in trying to choose a $500 - $1K acoustic amp that will also handle vocals, sound good at home and be able to sound good at a small coffee shop (less than 100, prob less than 50 gig) with NO additional sh*t to buy.

Situation:
Played through a Roland KC something keyboard amp, apx $350, sounded ok. Then a Fender Acoustasonic 30, apx $450, sounded better, then through a Fender Acoustasonic JR, apx $650, sounded great. Played through a used Trace TA100R and sounded good but not great; apx $500. All through guitar only...haven't tried vocals yet...next week.

Then, and I think this was my big mistake, after putting $$ down on the Fender, I deciced to research acoustic amps / acoustic + vocal PA amps on the internet. There's like a 1000 choices.

Opinions from you Guild acoustic cogniscenti?

* Fender Acoutisonic JR and/or 30?
* Fishman SoloAmp ($1000....very high end of my range...would have to be unbelievable for me to part with my $$....haven't played it or heard it)
* Audio Image. Music store sells it. High $$. Haven't tried one. anyone?
* Other?

Considerations

 

[West R Lee]

I've got a little Roland AC60 amp that I like very much. They now make an AC90 amp with a bit more power that I'd love to have. List on the AC90 is somewhere around $800 plus, but I've seen them from stores on eBay in the $550 range. I bought mine off of an eBay store, it was a couple of hundred cheaper than the local music store. Lot's of gadgets and effects, I can almost make myself sound bearable. Great little amp. You can probably get an AC60 on eBay stores for in the $400 plus range.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-AC90-Acousti ... 240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-AC60-Acousti ... 240%3A1318

West

 

[Metalman]

Andrew,

Hello, and welcome to the LTG Forum! I will get right to your question. Maybe this will help.

About a year and a half ago, I was on the same search and quandry you are in. I needed an acoustic amp that would do just about everything:

2 channels; I play two acoustic guitars in my Ensemble
Separate EQ for those two channels
Easy to transport
Digital effects, separate controls for each channel
CD or Ipod RCA inputs for intermission playback
Nice array of "anti-feedback" controls
XLR out in back, level control
Nice clean sound, full sound, lots of volume
Small package.

I was prepared to spend up to $700. I was that desparate to find the right "tool".

I took my F-30R with the Fishman Rare Earth Blend pickup into a Guitar Center store and told the sales man to leave me alone in my search. I know what this guitar sounds like, that is why I took it in, to compare amp to amp.
I played every acoustic guitar amp they had in there - all the ones you mentioned - and a few more.

This one was the absolute best sounding of all the bunch, hands down:

http://www.crateamps.com/pdf/manuals/CA6110DG_OM.pdf

Cost: about $350.

I have used it in coffee houses, restaurants, etc. If I need more power, then I plug into the PA. out of the XLR output in back, and use this amp as my onstage monitor. LIke I said, I was prepared to spend a lot more, but the amps that did cost more, did not sound as good.
If I were to get something else, I would go for the next one up, I believe it is a 100-watt model. This is 60 watts.

Check it out.

Dennis

 

[cjd-player]

I like the Genz-Benz Shenendoah series. I have the Shenendoah 100, which is no longer menufactured. (It has been replaced by the Shenendoah 150 with a lighter, neodemium magnet speaker, but I think you can still find some 100's on the web.)

It has two independent chanels with independent semi-parametric EQ's, so it works well for guitar and vocals. It also has speaker-out jacks so you can use external speakers for a larger venue if you need to. (I did that when I used it as a PA system at my daughter's wedding.)

There are a number of folks who post over on the Acoustic Guitar Forum who use these amps as small PA systems for performing.

I had a Fender Acoustasonic Jr, but never really liked it for guitar or vocals. I sold it after I got the Shenendoah. I think the Shendoah has much less "amp coloration" than the Fender.

 

[West R Lee]

:lol: Boy, we're really helping Andrew out here......3 replies and 3 different opinions. That's what makes the world go round.

West

 

[cjd-player]

3 replies and 3 different opinions.

:lol: That's what typically happens with this question. :lol:

You need to just go out and play as many as you can.
We all like to hear things differently, and eventually you'll find one that floats your boat.



Does that count as a fourth opinion? :mrgreen:

 

[andrewpogany]

thx West. Let's see where this goes. There's a LOT of new and good schtuf out there today (hey, look at the outdated advice you got on home stereo, incl mine)....this one should produce some good stuff for all....(I know I am corn-fused beyond all recognition at this point).....thx

 

[AlohaJoe]

I've got a little Roland AC60 amp that I like very much. They now make an AC90 amp with a bit more power that I'd love to have. List on the AC90 is somewhere around $800 plus, but I've seen them from stores on eBay in the $550 range. I bought mine off of an eBay store, it was a couple of hundred cheaper than the local music store. Lot's of gadgets and effects, I can almost make myself sound bearable. Great little amp. You can probably get an AC60 on eBay stores for in the $400 plus range.

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-AC90-Acousti ... 240%3A1318

http://cgi.ebay.com/Roland-AC60-Acousti ... 240%3A1318

West

I've got one of those too and it sounds great for small venues. The AC90 wasn't available when I got mine, but I've heard them and they're even better and substantially louder... likely just about right for venues the size you're describing. The larger speakers are better for vocals too and the reverb is quite nice. Highly portable and dependable.

In the end it's your own ears you have to satisfy, so you're going about it the right way. Try a bunch and decide for yourself, but give the Roland a shot and see what you think.

 

[Scratch]

Hi Andrew,
I have a Marshall AS50R which is the earlier version of the now AS50D: http://www.zzounds.com/item--MSHAS50D.

For me, 50 watts is enough to occasionally gig in a small restaurant venue. I believe Graham also has one. Nice, but not fancy, Marshall at a reasonable price...

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

I have a Crate 30 watt that is too small for anything larger than a living room.
Two friends of mine have larger Crate amps that would be just what you are looking for.
An acoustic amp is nothing more than a small PA system.
The one that my friends own is at least a 50 watt and has several imputs. Some are high and some low impedance.
It has 2 speakers and sounds great.
This amp works great for instruments and mics.
Crate amps pack the most into the best price.
Give them a good look before you buy anything else.
TMG

 

[andrewpogany]

Thx for all of your replies. Keep 'em coming. As I said, Crate is not an option out here. Besides Fender, SWR "California Blonde" and Audio Image and Rolalnd are an option. I wil def check out the roland 60 and 90. What I like, without hearing them yet, are the input output stuff they have.

any opinions on SWR, Acoustic Image, Fender Acoustisonic? I really liked the sound of the Fender Acoustisonic JR but I was turned off by the look of it and more imp, by the lack of eq and outputs, esp for DI/effects loop for the 2nd/vocal channel. Should I worry about this at all or what?

 

[taabru45]

I have a Yorkville AM100. Great little amp, so quiet you can't tell its on, crisp like a bell, effects, Very inexpensive for the quality, I think. Got mine used for $250 Steffan
http://reviews.harmony-central.com/revi ... c+Amp/10/1

 

[capnjuan]

Hi Andrew; you have the same problem that people looking for electric guitar amps have searching through the dozens of boutique makes out there; Victoria, divided by 13, TopHat, Dr Z, Soldano, Swart, Fuchs, and many, many more. Good luck in your search! CJ

 

[Metalman]

Andrew,

One thing you should look out for in your quest, is that amps built for electric guitars don't always sound good for acoustic-electric guitars.

Amps such as: Fenders, Marshalls, Mesa-Boogie, Crate (tube amps), etc. are voiced for a midrange boost, and sound best when cranked up. They are built to distort. They have no anti-feedback features, useable effects, etc.

Amps built for acoustic-electrics are mini-PA systems, with all the bells and whistles mentioned above in the other posts. Almost the opposite of what tube amps will do.

You can try it, but in most cases, your acoustic guitar - going through a tube amp - will howl like a banshee when the volume is pushed.

This is not a hard fast rule; there are some exceptions. Some older blackface Fender tube amps, like the Super Reverbs, and Twim Reverbs have less mid-range boost, and will work with some guitars, like those with a good UTS transducer, and a good preamp with EQ.

I have a Fender Prosonic, a great amp for loud electric guitar playing. There was no other amp to use one day, so I plugged my Fishman Rare Earth equipped F-30R into it for a gig, and it worked fine. Just couldn't crank it much, had a nasily tone, and I had to leave the pickup on the full magnetic pickup setting. But it got me through the gig.

After that I went out and got me a Crate CA60. Now I am happy.

You gotta try it to see what works best for you. And that is what makes the quest fun!

Dennis

 

[Taylor Martin Guild]

Good luck in your quest for an amp.
Hope you find the right one for a good price.

 

[wIlee]

Opinions from you Guild acoustic cogniscenti?

* Other?

Considerations

Well, just to really screw things up (I suddenly feel at home...). I recently purchased a new Ibanez Troubadour T35 (http://www.acousticguitar.com/video/videoindex.aspx?issueid=1164# under Ibanez) that I really like. It has a ton of features, is really light, sounds good, and is really pretty -- in a retro HiFi way! Here are some other pics.

 

[Metalman]

Thx for all of your replies. Keep 'em coming. As I said, Crate is not an option out here. Besides Fender, SWR "California Blonde" and Audio Image and Rolalnd are an option. I wil def check out the roland 60 and 90. What I like, without hearing them yet, are the input output stuff they have.

any opinions on SWR, Acoustic Image, Fender Acoustisonic? I really liked the sound of the Fender Acoustisonic JR but I was turned off by the look of it and more imp, by the lack of eq and outputs, esp for DI/effects loop for the 2nd/vocal channel. Should I worry about this at all or what?

Andrew,

In my quest, I did try the Fender Acoustisonic. It had no volume; I had it cranked all the way and was real low. I went to another model, and the same thing. I figured, well, I would have to use a pretty good pre-amp with this amp. So I passed on it.

 

[Overcomer]

Hi Andrew,
I have a Marshall AS50R which is the earlier version of the now AS50D: http://www.zzounds.com/item--MSHAS50D.

For me, 50 watts is enough to occasionally gig in a small restaurant venue. I believe Graham also has one. Nice, but not fancy, Marshall at a reasonable price...

+1...i use mine in Church as a monitor for me and then go straight into the board...I bought it used for less than $200...2 channels, not bad at all!

 

[dapmdave]

I've been in the same hunt. The Crate recommendation is interesting - there's one here in a local pawn shop, like new for about $250. I've been eyeballin' it, maybe I'll bite.

How do these acoustic amps work with a regular electric guitar? Anyone have any thoughts on this? (Not to hijack the thread... )

But, another option is just getting an amplified PA speaker. A friend uses this and it does sound good. No coloration, effects, just watts and a speaker.

 

[Jeff]

I've been in the same hunt. The Crate recommendation is interesting - .........

I've heard from other sources praise for the Crate acoustic amps. Of course I didn't hear this until after I bought my Ultrasound DS3.

Initilly I bought a Fender Acoustasonic, brought it home & something didn't click, took it back the next day & tried the Ultrasound. The Ultrasound seems to capture a more acoustic ambiance, fingers brushing the top for example is reproduced more accurately, the shop graciously made the swap & I paid about $30 bucks more.

http://www.ultrasoundamps.com/image-viewer-ds4.htm

Recently I picked up a Baggs Para Acoustic DI, wouldn't want to say it's a totally necesary accessory, but it is a nice tool. Makes enough difference Smitty my instructor asks that I bring it to weekly lessons. Smitty, by the way, prefers the Fender acoustic amps. :roll:

http://www.lrbaggs.com/html/products/pr ... radi.shtml