Acoustic amp recommendations....

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Dreadfulnaught

I tried several acoustic amps over the years, a bandmate has a Fishman Mini that he let me try. I loved it but wanted to do vocals through it as well. I bought its big brother, the Fishman Loudbox Artist Pro. Two channels, the ability to EQ some, a few effects, good volume, and portable. I carry it and cables, etc., in a rolling box with extendable handle from Lowe's. In fact everything but my guitar and me goes in there. It becomes the amp stand on stage. My Martin, with Baggs Lyric, does require a rubber sound hole plug to avoid feedback when playing with a band, but the sound is the closest to its unamplified sound that I have found yet. I plug an SM 58 into the second channel for vocals. I have not used the phantom power feature yet.

No complaints and I recommend one.

Can you provide a link to the roller box you purchased? I'm looking to get the Artist and that would come in handy.

[Revy]

For those of you that endorsed the Carvin AG200, are you happy with it's performance with vocals and guitar? I was also wondering how you liked the affects that were offered and how did they perform? Before I was leaning toward and Fender Acoustisonic given the fact it could also be used for an electric. But that was not written in stone. Don't play much electric, but every now and then. Would appreciate any input.

[jeanray1113]

I love my Fishman Loudmouth mini. Great sounding amp, won't break the bank or your back!

[dannyg1]

Here's what I've found in the small amps section of the internet:

If you're going to buy a Loudbox Mini new ($329 everywhere. Can get a 15% deal at GC if you time it well), buy this package deal. It's an actual bargain:

http://www.sweetwater.com/store/detail/LoudBoxMiniPK

If you're looking to buy a Loudbox mini used, it'll cost $225-250 in clean shape. Don't dismiss a Loudbox mini or artist that doesn't look perfect though, the covering is very delicate and doesn't wear well.

A loudbox artist is $549-569 new. Sweetwater offers the same package deal for that but you can find B stock on the artist for $429 if you look (Last seen at Sam Ash, two weeks ago). 15% off at GC on this too, at times.

Used Artist $375-450 in clean shape.

Fishman made an older version of the Artist called the Loudbox 100 and this is around used and clean for $300-325. That brings it into 'cheap' territory and it's got far more control than the mini (specifically feedback notch filters on each channel. Selectable dual reverbs on each channel. Tweeter level control. DI outs for each channel solo. DI out for main. All pre/post EQ.

The Loudbox series sounds very different than the SA220 amps do. Sa220's have a completely different set of reverb sounds and a lack of lower end mids that can be disconcerting to lower register rich male vocalists (Think towards the Johnny Cash as compared to the Steve Perry end of that spectrum).

Schertler makes a small amp competitive with the Loudbox mini called the Giulia Y ($499-529). Not to be confused with the single channel Giulia.
The Jam series amps are into the very expensive range, starting at $599-699 for the Jam 100. Reviews on the smaller Schertlers are non existent among users on forums I can find (Either the Giulia Y or the Jam 100), though Toby Walker has (or had) a Jam 100 and I just got one. I'm putting mine through its paces this week and comparing it directly to my Loudbox Mini on a stretch of gig days.

Acus/Acoustic Solutions makes an expensive series of amps closely related to the Schertler line and SR technologies, all seem to be part of Canare.

Genz Benz made two variations (8 in or 10 in) of an amp called the Compak 300 that sells used for $499-699 used.This gets good reviews on the forum but rarely lavish praise. Cool though because the amp head is removable to use on other cabs and it's very light at something around 16 lbs.

The TC Helicon Voicesolo 150FX is another amp that gets a lot of praise from its owners (a couple have proposed it already on this thread) and it can be had for around $175 used or $225 as B stock, which makes it the winner of the small, light and cheap awards for current, commonly used amps on this forum (with the Loudbox Mini still being the most commonly recommended small amp, because it's a more conservative, professionally known product and the most common small amp choice here. I haven't used the 150FX but I doubt that its as ruggedly built and ready for rougher handling as the Mini is.

The Ultrasound DS4 has been hard to actually get a hold of but it's well thought of.

The ZT Lunchbox Acoustic is another amp that its owners consistently say is a good and useful working tool. Its very small, maybe the smallest of all.

The Carvins get a lot of praise but from what I've heard their sound is more towards the PA side of the spectrum (Very matter of fact, a little brittle and not warm. Many people like that sound) as compared to the Fishman Loudbox sound. None of the Carvins are actually small.

Two expensive names to consider, well three if you include the AER already recommended are the Henriksen Bud amp and the Acoustic Image Corus and Ten2 amps. These are at the very top of the game according to their owners. All of these amps have owners who have owned more than one of the top four brands (That is AER, Schertler, Henriksen and then Acoustic Image in order of number of impressed owner reviews you can find here).


There are a few other smaller multi-channel amps to consider, but they're very uncommon:

Ashdown AA100, Boulder Creek A25d, Ibanez T20 and T35, Acoustic A20 and A40, Phil Jones Amps.

[martingitdave]

Originally Posted by Revy

For those of you that endorsed the Carvin AG200, are you happy with it's performance with vocals and guitar? I was also wondering how you liked the affects that were offered and how did they perform? Before I was leaning toward and Fender Acoustisonic given the fact it could also be used for an electric. But that was not written in stone. Don't play much electric, but every now and then. Would appreciate any input.

Hi, I was trying to decide between a number of options. There were the "line array" designs, compact PA designs, and powered mixer options. I started with the SA220. It's a great unit. I have a nice review comparing it and the L1 compact. But, the gig I needed it for fell through. So, then I decided to get a less expensive compact PA or acoustic amp. I was looking at the Loudbox Artist and the Carvin AG200. The Carvin is more of a compact PA. It is more "sterile" and not "warm" the like the Fishman amps. Fishman makes their loudbox amps intentionally warm. The Carvins are jus powerful, clear speakers. I found one used I could demo. The sound was more transparent, not necessarily "better", but very good. The effects are very good. The knobs are small though. The additional channels are great. And, the extra power is useful. My only dislike is the, frankly, boring design of the cabinet. While it is high tech inside, it looks rather pedestrian. It's a silly criticism, but one I actually considered. The Loudbox Artist is great for a two channel amp. I was about to pull the trigger on the AG200, which is great value, but found a floor model Line 6 compact PA for very little money. The line 6 is 800 watts, great design, high tech, and sounds superb.

If the Line 6 wasn't available, I'd own the Carvin AG200, AG300, or the S600 for its feature set.

If you can afford more, and need more features, you'll need to go over $1,000 to get:

Mixer and powered speakers (Mackie, Yamaha, JBL, etc.)

Line array/compact PA (Fishman, Bose, S600, Mackie Reach)

Expensive multi channel PA/Amp like the Schertler Jam, AER, etc.

Sent from my XT1585 using Tapatalk

[ocmcook]

Originally Posted by Reviveourhomes

I am looking for a smallish acoustic amp that I can play with at home and some small room gigs. I would like something that doesnt break the bank and one that you can run a mic (that sounds decent) and guitar through. Recommendations?

look at the roland cubes great sound with 2 or 3 sizes and prices.

[sam.spoons]

Roland Cube amps are designed for electric guitars and are great little amps for that job. Acoustic guitars need a different type of amp/speaker system to reproduce the wider frequency range of an acoustic guitar and despite having an 'acoustic guitar' setting the Cubes are simply unable to do this.

The Roland AC series OTOH are designed for full range reproduction and the AC40 is their entry level model.

[Spacep0d]

Good thread. Learned a lot. I started a different thread about this topic but it kinda died off, but glad this thread exists.

Thanks to some of the reviews here and my own research, I've settled on the Fishman Loudbox Artist, though I would prefer to buy the Mini. The big feature I'm after? Headphone jack! You get one on the Artist but not the Mini. Being in a townhome with a shared wall, I'm really after this feature so I can amplify vocals with quality headphones and hear the mix without making too much noise beyond the normal sound of my guitar and voice. I'm also hard of hearing. Right now, I have to put my hearing aid in my GOOD ear to hear myself well, meaning that I'm all panned right. If I leave the hearing aid in my bad ear (as intended), I just don't anything well enough. Having amplification naturally gets around this and lets me dial in the mix perfectly...not to mention being able to monitor everything on headphones (huge for me to get proper feedback sometimes, or just to practice).

I also like the extra wattage, more FX, more control over mic vs. guitar, the phantom power (if I ever go condenser mic), feedback suppression, etc. I'll be getting a used or new Fishman Loudbox Artist and using it with an SM58S (side-switch) mic.

[rpatkin]

... to a Quilter Aviator 8". Quilter is quieter (MUCH), and more capable of getting an "acoustic" sound out of it. The one knob clean channel works wonderfully with an SBT, both channels are great with a soundhole pickup. Nice reverb, nothing else. A true quality instument. (And if you're interested in a very slightly used LoudBox Mini for a very good price, contact me.)

[Yamaha Man]

Regarding the Fender SFX Acoustic amp....I know it's not a cheap amp, but it sounds great and mine is NOT for sale.

Originally Posted by Martin Maniac

Regarding the Fender SFX Acoustic amp....I know it's not a cheap amp, but it sounds great and mine is NOT for sale.

Loving mine. Great amp.