ridger Posted November 14, 2002 Share Posted November 14, 2002 Any suggestions on an acoustic guitar amp to use for practice or a small gig? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Strat 94 Posted November 14, 2002 Share Posted November 14, 2002 Check out something by crate. they seem to work good for small deals and they sound pretty much as acoustic as you can get while youre plugged in. If I was talking to the ice cream, I would be eating you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
michael saulnier Posted November 14, 2002 Share Posted November 14, 2002 I have one of the Crate "tiny" acoustic amps and it's very cool. I've actually been playing more direct into my PA with an Art Tube MP pre-amp... so I don't use the amp all the time... But, good price, size, sound. What more could you ask for. Actually I've been interested in the Fender amp that has the side mounted speaker that creates a wide "field" of sound. I've demo'd them and been impressed. guitplayer I'm still "guitplayer"! Check out my music if you like... http://www.michaelsaulnier.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
strat0124 Posted November 14, 2002 Share Posted November 14, 2002 SWR Strawberry Blonde.....is a great choice. But you might be surprised to find a used Peavey keyboard amp works incredibly well for acoustic guitar. I got an 80 watt Peavey with a Black Widow in it for $100. Works well with acoustic....and bass.....and keys...... Down like a dollar comin up against a yen, doin pretty good for the shape I'm in Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dave251 Posted November 14, 2002 Share Posted November 14, 2002 The best small "acoustic" amp I've played through was the Ultrasound...dead accurate. BUT, kind of wimpy on the actual output. Would work for a 30 seat coffee house gig...less than $500 for the basic model. However, it really depends on your guitar and the pickup system. If you really want true "hifi" tone, go with one of the better powered PA speakers...JBL, Mackie, Yamaha, etc. These things work GREAT. You will need a small mixer or mic preamp, and maybe an EFX device if you like reverb or chorus. My personal "gig rig" is a Samson S63 6-channel mixer(actually has input trim on the channels!!), an Alesis nanoVerb, and a JBL Eon 1500 speaker on a pole...will cover just about any situation. I've got less than $750 invested in the rig. Below is a photo of our "electroCoustic" rig...we're working on the amp, hope to have the production proto ready by the end of the year. Of course, this ain't SMALL!! http://electrocoustic.com/newimage/guitaramp1.jpg Dave Wendler Instruments Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Boggs Posted November 14, 2002 Share Posted November 14, 2002 Another cool and versatile acoustic amp to look at is Carvin's AG100D. It can be seen at www.carvin.com . You have there a bass, acoustic, and voice amp with channels voiced for each. Boggs Check out my Rock Beach Guitars page showing guitars I have built and repaired... http://www.rockbeachguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RDuke Posted November 15, 2002 Share Posted November 15, 2002 Also popular is the Trace Elliot . I have a TA50r that weighs in about 20 lbs. Also, you can chain two together for when you need bigger sound. http://rickduke.opsyhopsy.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fendercaster Posted June 27, 2003 Share Posted June 27, 2003 I realize this is an old thread, but maybe I can get some new feedback. (no pun intended!) I recently bought a Line6 Variax, (yeah, I know, go ahead and snicker!) and am looking for an acoustic combo amp to run the acoustic models through. I've tried running through a friend's California Blonde amp, and was amazed how much better they sounded compared to my regular Peavey combos. Since I'm still in the doghouse with my wife for buying the Variax, I don't have a ton of money to put into an amp, so I'm looking for the best bang for the buck. I haven't kept up with all that's out there, so I'm pretty much flying blind. Is the Behringer ACX1000 worth checking out? How about Crates or the Fender Acoustasonics? Any thoughts would be appreciated. Thanks My gear: http://fendercaster.freeservers.com/guit3.html If you own two Lexus cars, do you have Lexi? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jim Soloway Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 An amp that I've had really good results with is the Carvin Stagemate. It's smaller than the AG100D. Digital effects are and add on option and as a bonus it comes complete with battery power strong enough to run for about 3 hours. www.solowayguitars.com Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Lander Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 I happen to run my acoustics, when not miked, straight into my PA, Carvin CX630 power amp. I may add a tube pre at some time but the rig sounds good enough that often folks ask what I'm running. My pickup'd acoustics are a Yamaha FG150 with a Dean Markley "Sweet Spot" and a Guild D4 with a Fishman Single Coil setup. Other than some certain effects some of the acoustic amps have, I can hear no difference, nor can I see a reason to spend more money. If I want to add effects I'll add pedals. That being said, I like the Crate acoustic amps. The CA30 series would be one I'd certainly look hard at. If you want reverb, go with the CA30D. It does a credible job. I also like the Carvin AG100 amps. They are very nice amps and really compact for the sound they put out. I'd probably pick it before the Crates & there's alot more horsepower available in a small package. I've not had the opportunity to play acoustically through the Stagemate but it's on my to buy list because it's PORTABLE and all reviews I've seen give it pretty high marks, and it's Carvin & I've had excellent service from Carvin products and their service department. SWR acoustic amps haven't impressed me that much. I think the two above setups are a better bang for the buck, same for the Fender Acoustisonics. I haven't played the Marshall acoustic amp but I'd be surprised if it were better than anything mentioned above. It might by my connotation of what a Marshall amp should sound like & that's not acoustic. I've played through some other acoustic amps that I can't bring to mind right now. If I recall them I'll add a reply but they didn't impress me enough to remember to this point so it's probably a gonner. These are only my impressions and thoughts. Yours may very well be different & it may be that I got a bad amp when I was plugged in. Several years ago, many in fact, I played some amp that had lots of goodies, great sound and easy adjustments. I didn't have the bucks at the time or I'd be an owner. Problem is I can't recall the name of that amp for the life of me. Someday I'll find another one. Something else to think about is not relying on an acoustic amp but also look at a keyboard amp. Often, with the effects available, you can produce a really nice acoustic sound from them. You might also look hard at a great sounding electric guitar amp when clean. I will, at times run my acoustics through my Fender Hot Rod deVille 2X12 & it does the job. (I know, BLASPHEME!) Our Joint "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it." The Duke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sound_Pursuit Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 Yep, I have a Carvin AG100D and use it in church twice a week (loud and mic'd). The EQ on the acoustic channel allows me to get a very full rich sound and overcome the extreme brightness that my guitar naturally produces. We also run a 2nd guitar through it. During rehearsals, we use the 3rd channel for a mic to avoid cranking up the entire sound system. It was the only acoustic amp I found with a 3rd channel when I was shopping. I've used it in a lot of different environments. If you know how to use an EQ, you can get a great sound anywhere. Think of it as a miniature PA system with a dedicated channel for acoustic guitar. A Humble man is hard to find. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Anodos Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 A word of advice about the Carvin AG100 (and possibly other amps like this): If you're strictly playing acoustic guitar, try clogging up the bass port with an old sock or something. They tried to make this amp to suit a lot of needs, including acoustic bass players. It sounds much less honky if you clog up that bass port. I just took out the plastic ring in the port hole, cut an old sock in half and stuck it in the ring, and then covered both sides with duck tape and shoved it back in the port hole. Much better now. Give it a try. It only takes a few minutes and it ain't a big deal to switch it back if you for some reason don't like it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Caevan O’Shite Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 Now that's a great example of good practical advice! -k Ask yourself- What Would Ren and Stimpy Do? ~ Caevan James-Michael Miller-O'Shite ~ _ ___ _ Leprechaun, Esquire _ ___ _ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dak Lander Posted June 28, 2003 Share Posted June 28, 2003 Originally posted by Geenard Skeenard: SWR Strawberry Blonde.....is a great choice. But you might be surprised to find a used Peavey keyboard amp works incredibly well for acoustic guitar. I got an 80 watt Peavey with a Black Widow in it for $100. Works well with acoustic....and bass.....and keys...... Gene, good to see you back here. I hope you'll be around more now. I've not liked the SWR amps. They just didn't cut the mustard for the bucks. I agree about the keyboard amps. I've seen several that are great to play an acoustic through. Wann sell that Peavey? Our Joint "When you come slam bang up against trouble, it never looks half as bad if you face up to it." The Duke... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dukbut Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 I have had good luck with a Yorkville AM100. It has 2 6 inch speakers and a horn. It was cheap, it's light, good volume, 2 channel-clean acoustic and fx. If I want it to sound huge I plug it into my Fender acoustic Satallite FSX. I am not sure why more folks don't use the satallites, they are great. The entire package cost between $500 and $600. DUKBUT "If you wish to better understand seemingly incomprehensible things, help another to better understand." Dalai Lama Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wewus432 Posted June 29, 2003 Share Posted June 29, 2003 An acoustic guitar amp is basically an amp with a regular speaker plus a horn so that you can reproduce a wider range of frequencies than a regular guitar amp. An amp with a regular speaker plus a horn is what? A PA system. I used to have an $1100.00 top of the line Trace Elliot acoustic amp, and then one day I realized my acoustic guitar sounded almost, if not as good going through a channel on my PA. You can buy a small PA for what some of those acoustic amps cost, then you have the PA to use for gigs too. Check out this little PA, from MusicYo . Probably sounds as good as any acoustic amp. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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