Question: amp sim into ac. guit amp?

[Nillerbabs]

Hi folks,

 

 

I realize that my inquiry today is a bit weird - but here goes nothing: have any of you got experience with running an electric guitar through an amp sim and into an acoustic guitar amp?

 

My predicament is as follows: I need a portable amp and came across the ZT Lunchbox Acoustic. I need to be able to play with a band, but I also do a fair bit of solo acts with electric guitar and vocal. For that purpose the mic channel on the ZT would be a godsend.

 

My line of thinking is that amp modelling is a field in constant evolution and I believe we will see some very convincing technology within the near future. Until then I could pair the ZT with something like the Tech 21 Blonde, which users praise into the skies.

 

My fear, however, is that the ZT Lunchbox Acoustic is so specifically tuned to acoustic guitars that an electric + amp sim will come out sounding, well... meh. Have any of you got experience with something similar?

 

 

Thank you and best regards,

Niels

[Larryz]

The ZT Lunchbox acoustic amp would probably work best with an acoustic guitar...they run about $399.00. If you look into the Roland Cube EX4 at $499, it will do everything you have in mind (i.e. running a mic, an electric or acoustic guitar, running your Tech 21 Blonde into it, running a keyboard, etc.

 

I have played electric guitar through a buddy's Fender acoustic amp and it just didn't fit the bill...better to run with an amp designed to handle an electric guitar if that's what you will be using IMHO.

 

I have a ZT Club 12 amp and have run a Tech21 Blonde through it and it sounds great but doesn't have the PA quality that the Acoustic amps have with xlr plugs for running a mic. Acoustic amps are basically mini PA's and work great with acoustic guitars and mics (especially when you don't have a PA). The ZT Club 12 electric guitar amps, have a 1/4" output that I have run to the PA at an outdoor concert and that little ZT club had no problem filling the field via the PA, and I even had to keep it turned down. Having a PA takes care of the mic situation when running an electric guitar. The little ZT's make great monitors but and can fill the club by themselves at a small venue.

 

None of the ZT comments above can come close to winning me over with regard to the Roland Cube EX4 comparison. I would spend the extra $100 and get a great little amp (which I used on batteries last night at my buddies back yard BBQ party)...It works great as a busking amp, works great as a PA with xlr's, works great as a monitor, works great with acoustic or electric guitar, has two 1/4" lines out to run to a PA with the choice of stereo or mono, runs 10, 25 or 50 watts, uses 8 double AA's that last 30 hours, can plug in to the wall with power supply included...

 

Hope something that I have mentioned is helpful. Good luck with it and have fun. Try before you buy is always a good way to go, but sometimes you have to go on-line to find amps like these. I really love the light weight of my ZT and my Roland Cube EX4 @ 22lbs +/-...

 

 

[p90jr]

Acoustic guitar amps are - IMO - kind of just mini-PAs. My stepdad - a horn player in small instrumental combos - even used a pair of Crate acoustic guitar amps as a small portable PA for a bit, before moving on to Carvin keyboard amps for a bit, then a Fender passport system.

 

I have an Ashdown acoustic amp, for some gigs when I want to play electric on some stuff I just kick on a Tech 21 Liverpool or Blonde pedal through it and it sounds good, or good enough not to bother me (I'm not selling the tube amps, or not bringing them out if the gig calls for to mainly play electric)... as you said, they're putting vocal channels on these things... I think the approach to amplifying acoustics anyway is to make the amp as neutral as possible.

 

but as Larryz said, you can find amps made for electric guitar with vocal input, too... and those might serve you better.

[harvey]

Broad generalisation coming up...I think modellers usually sound better through a full range amp. I would imagine the tech 21 through the lunchbox acoustic would be worth a listen.

 

Our friend Winston gets great results using amp models into a keyboard amp for electric guitar.

 

 

[Winston Psmith]

Thanks for that, Harvey!

 

Sorry to be a little late to this discussion, but I've been sick in bed the last few days. My initial advice is to try it before you buy it. If you're in a position to go to a nearby music store and try out the ZT with the Blonde pedal, that's your best case scenario. You get to hear whether the rig would work as you need, without buying the amp, and possibly having to return it. If you don't like what you hear, you'll be in the right place to consider some other choices. That Cube EX4 Larryz described sounds like a decent alternative, with a variety of I/O options.

 

Another thing to consider is that most of the Tech 21 pedals used fixed EQ curves and tone shaping to emulate amps and speaker cabinets, rather than using digital modeling. Running the Blonde pedal into the ZT amp may be more like using an OD pedal than an amp modeler.

 

Finally, IME, many Keyboard amps work very well as Acoustic guitar amps, for much the same reason PA systems do; they're full-range systems, with (more or less) flat response. I used to run my Acoustics through a Peavey KB 300, until I got tired of hauling the mini-monolith around. My little KC-60 is much more portable, and it has an XLR In jack for microphones, so it could cover vocals, as well.

[Larryz]

Hope you get better Winston! I'm not disagreeing with you on the Tech 21 Blonde, just going to share a little of my experience with one.

 

The Tech 21 Blonde is one great little pedal. It can work as a clean boost, a distortion/OD and/or an amp modeler, running to a ZT, ZT Acoustic, any other amp or direct to the PA. Even though it has a 1/4" in/out you do not need a DI when going to an acoustic amp or PA as it is lowZ. I was going to buy 3 of them and put them on line for the above 3 different uses. The amp modeler does not model any particular amp but colors any amp with the old Fender Tweed series sound. Depending on how you adjust the character, it tries to turn your amp into a Bassman, Twin, Deluxe, Champ, etc., depending on how you set it. When you find your sweet spot, I would recommend marking it as moving the knob changes things very quickly. The OD/distortion is really [Wild] pun intended Zak, and you have to be very carefull with the volume levels if your running it to an acoustic amp or PA. The clean boost is fantastic for on/off lead/rhythm as opposed to using a volume pedal. When combined with the clean Fender amp sound, you can't beat it IMHO. It will make just about any amp sound like a Fender amp (to include my ZT Club 12). Not exactly, but the flavor is there...

 

I bought the Fender Floor pedal and it does a better job of modeling Fender amps going direct to my PA or to my ZT. I sold my Tech21 to my buddy who had sold his to another of our buddies and wanted it back. The 2nd buddy said no LOL! So luckily I came to the rescue and sold the 1st buddy mine. These guys are both using the Tech21 in front of the Roland Cubes an they work great!

[Winston Psmith]

Thanks, Larryz. There are worse things than lying around at home, but I don't like missing work, too.

 

Just for curiosity's sake, I did a quick search on the Blonde pedal, and from what I can gather, it's all-analog, including the speaker sim, so no worries about odd digital artifacts coming through the ZT: I've run into issues chaining modeling effects, especially sending a Speaker Modeler through other modeling effects. That being said, I'd still advise getting down to one's nearest music store, and trying out the ZT with the Blonde pedal.

[Larryz]

Yeah Winston, +1 I advised the same "try before you buy" in my 9/13 post. One good thing about the light weight ZT's is it doesn't cost an arm and a leg if you have to pay postage to return them (especially the little lunch box ones)...they may not have them at the local GC but MF and SW have great return policies...

 

I only have a couple of negative comments on the ZT amps. 1. the reverb (if equipped) is not all that great. It's OK but you really have to use up most of the level knob to get anything out of it. 2. The outside of the amp finish is some sort of sparkle tape covering. I highly recommend you don't leave it in a hot car on hot days with the windows rolled up, as it will crinkle up. Put it in the trunk of the car. If you don't have a trunk, leave the window(s) cracked open and cover it for shade. Other than those two things, I think they are great little amps...