50w acousti amp suggestions

saxonblue · #1 11-18-2017, 10:42 PM

Hi all, thinking of getting an acoustic amp. ATM I have an old electric amp ('81 Roland Bolt 60, a tube amp I've had since new) where I am using the plain channel & feeding both the instrument & mic into it via an RC30 loop pedal. It has an auxiliary (& post loop) phantom XLR mic input which can be blended with the instrument/looped signal. OK for home use & practice for open mics which I've done a few of lately but doesn't sound all that good as one can imagine & not ideal to take to a small pub style venue. The Roland also weighs 22kg (50lb)

It's been suggested to me I have a crack on my own but don't want to overcapitalise so I'm thinking 50-60w 2 channel amp in the midrange price wise. For now I have narrowed it down to:

1- Fishman Loudbox Mini 50w, seems to be quite popular on this forum.

2- Bugera AC60, saw one good review here although the person that posted it moved it on eventually all the while saying it was still a good product, not just for him/her. Also the flight deck looks not overly cluttered & user friendly.

3- Marshall AS50D, haven't heard much feedback (pardon the pun) on this one but I like the fact the mic channel also has a 1/4" jack input if a 2nd instrument is to be used rather than the mic & that each channel has it's own dedicated speaker although I'm not sure if this is an advantage, I'm not that au fait on the whole topic. Regardless I'm assuming Marshall knows a thing or 2 about amps.

All 3 of these retail for about AU$500 + which probably sounds ludicrous to many of you but our dollars & economies are not the same so leave it at that. I'm hoping some members with good 1st hand experience with these 3 can help out with suggestions. Alternately if I have completely missed out on another contender in the same range please chime in. Not interested in 2nd hand, new only.

The only one I've had experience with myself in a shop was the Fishman & it sounded mighty impressive, not quite as good as the AER 60 next to it but that one is out of the budget. I can imagine however the sound can get lost/dissipated in a larger space quite easily.

For "plugged in" purposes I use a Maton EBG808CL 6 string with active AP5 pickup, a Cole Clark Fat Lady 12 string with both SBT (Facebrace) & UST pickups which can be blended on the preamp, a Rode M2 condenser mic & some pretty decent Audio Technica monitor headphones (for home use). And I also have the RC30 loop pedal so definitely not looking for an amp with an inbuilt looper.

Thanks in advance, Cheers all.

Groovekings · #2 11-19-2017, 04:48 AM

Hi Mick
Replying from Canada here, mate
I have a Fishman mini and a small pa made up of two Yamaha dbr10 powered speakers and a tiny Yamaha MG06x board. When I play small quiet rooms with an attentive audience the mini rules, set up on a little portable stand it gets the job done. For a noisy pub or larger job it won't cut it. You need horsepower and bigger speakers. Aus prices are about the same in Canadian dollars. All the amps you mention will work for the small jobs. I think the Fishman has a good set of features for the money and superlative customer service.

I wish you luck in your musical adventures !
Cheers

JakeStone · #3 11-19-2017, 07:01 AM

Hey there - I bought a Marshall AS50D last year and it is a great amp. I think it's a work horse... I use it at home and have gigged with it (small pubs) ..both guitar and voice sound great through it.

Very versatile with dual inputs. Like you said the 2nd input takes mic or guitar.. I've had 2 guitars through it too and worked great. It has balanced XLR output and an effects loop. So you could use it in conjunction with a PA and the Marshall would become stage monitor. Effects loop is handy. Plus it has reverb and chorus effects to add a little "color". Plus it has 2 speakers for better dispersion and bass, volume.

I've never played the Fishman or Bugera. So I'm not sure how it compares ..

But I've heard nothing but great things on the Fishman ... I'd venture to say the Fishman would have slightly better quality sound... but I'm just going by reviews I've read. Fishman is known for high quality sound.

So if versatility is what you are after.. I'd go Marshall. If you don't need some of the extras go for the Mini.

Not sure what the used market is like there.. but I routinely see both of these for sale used for good prices.

varmonter · #4 11-19-2017, 07:36 AM

You have some nice guitars and pickups.
Seems for a few hundred more you could step
It up a notch and perhaps swing an aer or the
Mesa boogie rosette. All of which have stellar
reviews here on agf. I own an aer c60-3. And
Its 2 channel ability and features make it a
very versatile amp. The effects are very usable.
Used you can find them for 7-800.
I did try the loud box mini and thought
It was better sounding than its more expensive
cousins the artist and the pro. But I spent the
Extra bucks and got the aer because it sounds
a whole different category better. Imho
But I am great at spending your money .

TubeG · #5 11-19-2017, 02:29 PM

would be the woofer size also a consideration? the Fishman only have 6.5" woofer?

krisls · #6 11-19-2017, 05:18 PM

Of the three amps I'd have to say go with the Fishman.

But... I would perhaps suggest looking to a small, say 10 powered speaker and a mini mixer. Yam DBR10 maybe with a little 4ch Yam or the new Soundcraft Notepad. speaker and mixer could be got for around $800 and much more versatile and expandable.

Kris

CASD57 · #7 11-19-2017, 07:03 PM

I'd like the Bugera, AC60, lightweight, loud sounded good..
I did sell it more because I wanted to get something that was battery and AC powered..

saxonblue · #8 11-20-2017, 02:10 AM

Thanks for the input so far folks, much appreciated.

doublescale1 · #9 11-20-2017, 02:29 PM

Audition a Roland AC60 if you can - very natural sounding, can take mic and guitar, built-in chorus/verb, anti-feedback, and there is a line-out for a "sub-woofer" which will make the overall amp sound huge and very transparent for guitar and vocals. I have the AC90 and use an inexpensive Hartke 1200 Bass amp (120 watts) which will get you past the AER thing no problem in overall tone output, still for less $$$. Any cheap practice bass amp will to that trick for you with the Roland AC60.

TubeG · #10 11-21-2017, 01:30 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by doublescale1

Audition a Roland AC60 if you can - very natural sounding, can take mic and guitar, built-in chorus/verb, anti-feedback, and there is a line-out for a "sub-woofer" which will make the overall amp sound huge and very transparent for guitar and vocals. I have the AC90 and use an inexpensive Hartke 1200 Bass amp (120 watts) which will get you past the AER thing no problem in overall tone output, still for less $$$. Any cheap practice bass amp will to that trick for you with the Roland AC60.

interesting concept. - thanks.