Roland, Acoustasonic or Marshall?

[schooner]

I want to buy a small acoustic amp for my GS RS to which I will be adding a K&K Pure Western Mini pickup. The amp will be used almost exclusively at home, but occassionally in very small settings (coffee house size). I do not play in a group.

Because of its size and unobtrusive appearance I have been leaning strongly toward a Roland AC-60 but tonight I played through two other amps that have attractive features and better price tags. They are the Marshall AS50D and the Fender Acoustasonic 30DSP.

I did not have the time to dial in the sound as I have with the Roland and obviously will need to satisfy myself with the tone, but I thought that I would solicit people’s experiences with these three amps, especially if some folks have used each one.

The Marshall and Fender each have a phase switch which Dieter at K&K tells me is important to get the best sound. I like the layout and connections on the Roland better than the other two and aesthetically the AC-60 is a lot easier for my wife---errrr, me—to live with, but if I am really sacrificing important performance and/or tone she—I mean, I—will just have to get over it, especially if I can save some dough.

Any thoughts? I couldn’t really tell much from previous threads.

[cafeguy]

I play at about 6 nursing homes a month and when I started looking at a system that I could transport easily I compared the 3 amps you are looking at. Though I really liked the size of the AC60 the sound was a bit thin for me and had a slight hiss to it. The Fender was less money but I was able to dial in the sound of the Marshall more to my liking. I've played the Marshall in front of groups as large as 50 and it performed without a problem. I generally use a PA in Coffee Houses etc. especially with the band but as a solo and when I want to travel with a minimal amount of gear the Marshall has worked well and I've had no buyers remorse.

[Mama Tried]

Hi schooner, I've owned the Fender and loved it but it was heavy, when I put it in a road case it took two of us to load it and took lots of room to transport.

I switched to the Rolands and have found them to be excellent sounding, very flexable in different locations, easy to haul. Our three piece uses two of them as instrament/PA system in small locations. We have run guitars (Taylor 414ce and a Telecaster) and vocals thru both at the same time. Chorus, delay, and a little reverb too!

You can put these up on speaker stands to move your sound up and out while having the controls at eye level. You can run to FOH, chain them in line, and they pack away in a sholder case!

They also now making an AC90, better speakers, more power!

Best of luck, Mama Tried

[Tsckey]

I will sound like a broken record, but unless your heart is set on one of these three, give some consideration to an Ultrasound AG 30, or for more power, and only slightly larger, a AG 50 DS4. I think think they are price competitive with the Acoustasonic (and smaller and lighter), at least, and to my ear offer superior acoustic performance.

TC

[Jeff G]

I think any of them would do fine. If you can swing it, the SWR Strawberry Blonde is a really nice acoustic amp.

[jbryant]

Schooner...not sure if you mentioned whether or not you would be singing through the amp also. If so keep in mind the AG30 only has 1 instrument channel. This is just personal opinion of course and certainly up to the individual but I have played through many acoustic amps and yes the Fenders are a bit heavier but there's a reason for that. They sound better, fatter, fuller. IMO. The extremely light amps like the Roland, Fishman, etc. all sound very thin and sterile to me albeit maybe a lot louder than the Acoustasonic 30. If I were you I would opt for the Jr. which is slightly bigger but is a great amp and really usable in a gigging situation where you might need a little more power. I would also suggest looking for a used one without the DSP effects. The analog chorus and reverb on the pre-DSP ones are vastly superior to the DSP. Once again...no offense meant to other suggestions...just my 2 cents.

Jim b

[schooner]

Many thanks to each of you. This is precisely the type of information I was looking for. All of these different perspectives are a part of what makes this forum great. In the end it is a player's decision about what is best for him or her, but reports of other people's experiences--and for that matter biases-- is invaluable information.

Each of these responses makes me look at each amp slightly differently than I did before. Thanks again.

[ljguitar]

Hi schooner...
In order of preference for me based on authentic sound, and portability: (I've tried these with my guitar rigs all 4 of which have K&K mini)

1. AER
2. UltraSound - AG-50 (AG-30 if you only need one channel)
3. Roland AC-60
4. SWR Strawberry (my giggin partner owns one)
5. Fender
6. GenzBenz
7. Fishman loudbox 100
8. Marshall

I rated them in order for natural sound versus amp-like sound. I prefer my amp to sound like my guitar not like my guitar-through-an-amp.

Also, the AER are the best for the buck, but it takes a bunch-o-bucks. Light and wonderfully equipped (and can be tossed in an overhead bin or checked as baggage in their case). Tough little guys if you have $1000-1200 to spend.

The UltraSound have a very similar sound, and weigh only slightly more. I use my AG-50 as a small coffeehouse amp (by itself) to sing and play through, and as a stage monitor in larger settings.

The Roland, Fender, GenzBenz, Loudbox & Marshall all sound very much like my guitar through an amp not like my guitar. The Loudbox is aptly named.

[chrisc]

I have owned the Fender acoustasonic SFX, SWR Cali Blonde, and US AG50ds2. The US is the champ by far over the Fender and somewhat over the SWR imo.

[buzzardwhiskey]

I recently added a K&K Western Mini (with the K&K Pure Pre-amp) to my Larrivee parlor and went shopping for amps. I auditioned the Roland, Fender and Marshall amps you wrote about (and I also tried a Fishman Loudbox).

I didn't like Roland. It was thinner and darker and more difficult than either the Fender or the Marshall. I couldn't get warm tones easily. However, I really like the form factor and the ability to pole mount it.

The Fender would be my second choice among these. It's warm and easier to make nice sounds quickly. It may also be the loudest among these. And I think it looks good (in a tweedy Fender sort of way).

The Marshall (for me) was the best among the bunch. It's very easy to get good sounds, and it's nice and warm. It's also the ugliest.

I ended up buying an Ultrasound DS4, which was very nice. The only thing that I would say negative about it is that it's not a super loud amp and for some reason they decided not to put a effects guide (just numbers) on the amp so you have to go look up the name of the effect.

I sold the amp (and my guitar) to finance a new guitar. Eventually I'll buy an amp again and it'll probably be between the Ultrasound CP100 and the Genz Benz 150LT.

[Jim Tozier]

I completely agree with Larry J's rankings (with the exception of the Fishman Loudbox, which I personally haven't tried and therefore can't comment on).

I am currently using an older Ultrasound AG50D with an AG50E extension cabinet (which is wonderful for getting better sound dispersion) anytime I need to amplify but don't feel like bringing my PA system along.

[MikesPC1]

The other 50% of my acoustic duo had the Marshall and i thought it was good but bought the Roland because of portability,aesthetics and the fact that it had the right connections for the ES on my 414.When we played them side by side the difference was huge and he bought an AC60 the next day.The Marshall altered the sound too much by comparison.

[schooner]

Again, thanks. Quite a distinquished group of folks responding to this.

Coincidentally, Jim, I was listening to Celtic Guitar just before reading this. You are in the process of teaching me to finger pick Foggy Dew!

[TN Taylor]

I am looking at amps, and the 3 the OP mentioned are the 3 I have tried. Unfortunately have not been able to A/B them as they are in 2 different stores.

Any updates in the last 6 months? I am looking at getting something this week. I am looking for an amp to do small rooms, less than 75 people with guitar (Taylor w/expression system) and vocals.

Thanks in advance.

Billy

[biggs2]

Billy, this is an older thread but, Ultrasound amps still get a lot of discussion here and are excellent amps. I don't own one but I've played the CP100 and an older version of the AG50 (I think a DS3) and was impressed. If I could justify the additional cost of AER Domino or Compact 60 or perhaps the Schertler Unico I would have probably went with one of these. However, I ultimately settled on the SWR California Blonde II. IMHO, these are versatile amps that provide a warm tone in a studio setting but, can cut through nicely in a live band environment. I think the CA Blonde II is a good all-around amp.

Although I don't own a Taylor, my neice brought over her daughter's Taylor with the Expression system. The CA Blonde II has a low Z input that is designed for the expression system and, I have to say it sounded really good on the amp. It is not a small amp and at 51 lbs is relatively heavy by comparison. Since I now primarily play in my home only weight was not an issue. Whether or not it ends up being the amp for your, I would at least give it a try.