zt lunchbox jr for acoustic?

[Thisisme]

Hello. I was looking for a really small portable amp for busking (i already own a ac33 and a street EX) but want something smaller to travel with. Iv done my research and my choice is between a roland mobile cube ac or the zt lunchbox junior?

My main questions are

. How loud is the mobile cube ac compared to the roland ac33?
. Iv heard the zt lunchbox jr is louder than a mobile cube but does it sound good with an acoustic guitar? and is playing an acoustic CLEAN throught the ZT JR as loud as the mobile cube ac?

Also what is the bass response like on the zt jr compared to the roland ac33 and roland monile cube ac?

[rokdog49]

Why not compare it to the Lunchbox Acoustic?
No contest in my opinion, the Roland wins over the Junior.
I cant speak to the "loudness" but the Roland is made for acoustic guitar use and has all the basic features an acoustic guitar player needs. The ZT Lunchbox is for electric guitars and has few features.

[jonfields45]

I've played a T5z into a Lunchbox Jr. If you place it against a wall on the floor it can sound pretty good for an acoustic tone. Volume wise you will have no problems as it can get quite loud. The preamp is noisy and I found if you place it up on a table you need to tweak the first volume just short of distortion to turn the master low enough to get the hiss down.

Prior to that amp I also had a Mobile Cube. All of those Roland products based on their 2.5 watt amps sound bad to me. They can't reproduce the low strings of an acoustic guitar without distorting slightly.

[51 Relic]

I own a ZT Lunchbox that I used to use with my electrics . They are not designed for use with acoustics , however you will get a sound I've tried it with my SLG200s and it will amplify the sound but the ZT Lunchbox Acoustic is a better bet

[bobwl]

One thing to be aware of, the zt jr. doesn't have a mic input. So if that is needed, it wouldn't be a viable option.

[Thisisme]

Thanks for the replies. I think i would need an amp with a mic input, i litruly just confirmed that with myself from playing right now. I can sing loud enough its just that the reverb is important on the vocals and harmonica when playing my dirty blues slide stuff.

I would purchase the zt lunchbox acoustic and replace it with my ac33 straight away if it where battery powered becuase its louder smaller and has more bass aparently.
I cant realy do a inverter becuase its too big. my "chargetech ac/dc wall socket portable power supply" will break if it handles more than 70 watts.

If any of you know a light small cheap battery i can run a zt lunchbox acoustic off that would be amazing, but i searched the web and not found anything

Was actualy wondering if i change the speakers in the ac33 it might go alot louder considering its 20watts with battery power

[martingitdave]

Once the amplifier gets that small, does it not make sense to just buy a louder acoustic guitar and go au naturale?

[Thisisme]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Once the amplifier gets that small, does it not make sense to just buy a louder acoustic guitar and go au naturale?

Na thats not an option. Im not a loud guitar player, i dont use a pick. Plus for the kind of music i play i need an amp. For alot of busking sessions the ac33 is loud enough but its not when your in the city with alot of people and noise. Thats why i was wondering about the mobile cube ac becuase i could use that for when i dont need to play that loud and when im travelling around its convinient. Then use my street cube EX when i need the extra volume. Either that or use the roland ac33 for everything and when its not loud enough just to suck it up and accept it. Just that night time is a grate time to busk its more fun becuase people are merry and fun and give you lots of cash. If im going to be out busking on a friday night i will make ALOT more money with a louder amp and get a bigger crowed. Though guitar soundquality wise im gonna sound better on the ac33 then again my electric footdrums that plug into the aux will have a lot more umph on the street cube ex. You see my problem im very indecisive

[dannyg1]

Small , light, loud and with bass is asking a bit more than physics can give you. Luckily, you really don't need so much of a solid bass response for acoustic guitar and most singing.

The Roland amps, as has been pointed out, do not provide any semblance of the power they pretend to and, since you're asking for reasonable level to cover dynamics and transients in a louder setting, your choices become more clear. What you're looking for first is real power. Problem is that real power plus effective bass response equals larger size. Add unfailingly good sound to that mix and you're looking at a heavier box as well (I say that from extensive experience). I would think that the Cube EX that you already own is the only option you've said you're familiar with that might suffice for all you're asking?

Is it good enough? It's certainly the least expensive option since you already own it.

My advice is to go listen/play through as many acoustic amps as you can, regardless of size, weight and cost and then decide whether your Cube EX can be your everyday amp. It s about as small and light as a louder amp (by promise at least. I've only ever heard one once and didn't come away impressed with its power) is going to be.

[dannyg1]

I should say that there are plenty of other options for you to consider but, if you like your Cube EX enough to use it as your main gigging amp, it won't be cost effective to audition the other contenders outside of the store.

If it really isn't, then I, and others, can suggest plenty of far better amps you can audition.

[Thisisme]

Originally Posted by dannyg1

Small , light, loud and with bass is asking a bit more than physics can give you. Luckily, you really don't need so much of a solid bass response for acoustic guitar and most singing.

The Roland amps, as has been pointed out, do not provide any semblance of the power they pretend to and, since you're asking for reasonable level to cover dynamics and transients in a louder setting, your choices become more clear. What you're looking for first is real power. Problem is that real power plus effective bass response equals larger size. Add unfailingly good sound to that mix and you're looking at a heavier box as well (I say that from extensive experience). I would think that the Cube EX that you already own is the only option you've said you're familiar with that might suffice for all you're asking?

Is it good enough? It's certainly the least expensive option since you already own it.

My advice is to go listen/play through as many acoustic amps as you can, regardless of size, weight and cost and then decide whether your Cube EX can be your everyday amp. It s about as small and light as a louder amp (by promise at least. I've only ever heard one once and didn't come away impressed with its power) is going to be.

Yea the cube ex is good enough (ac33 sounds much better) but lacks volume and functions. When i play my cube EX right after playing the ac33 i dont enjoy it but when i have no amp to compare it with im fine with it. The bass response is pretty important becuase i have salgo electronic foot drums that plug into the aux so having a nice thud sounds good. The thud from the ac33 is fine and the thud from the cube EX is exelent. I was wanting a small amp becuase its easy to travel with and start playing straight away.

If you have any ideas of small busking amps or even big ones like the cube EX Please let me know as im always looking for better options?

[dannyg1]

What city are you in? im an NYC street player and I work a almost everyday, winter included.

My owner experience with a slew of options has led me to my mainstay, a Fishman Loudbox Mini (though I will probably buy a Loudbox Artist as it is the best all around amp for what I'm doing that I've yet tried). The other amps I own that are true contenders are:

Schertler Jam 100
Genz Benz Compak 300 8"
Fishman Loudbox 100

All of these amps I do currently own and all are more expensive than the Loudbox mini. The mini is smaller and as its already been well used, I think I'll use it until death before pressing another amp into daily service.

There are plenty of intriguing choices I haven't yet tried and a couple of them would be first tier choices for recommending others try ( judging by what people I trust say about them and/or features that make them look juicy):

For AC amps to run on inverter battery power:

The AER Compact 60, Compact Mobile, Domino and a reference amp I can't remember the model number of are extremely well thought of.

Henriksen Bud

Phil Jones makes a couple of interesting options.

Bugera AC60 - well reviewed by a guy here who is a critical listener and its light weight and inexpensive.

For battery built ins:

Sunrise M8 something or other ( a dual channel, battery powered 8" with effects) is, by the video just posted, looking like it's probably the all in one to beat.

Carvin s600b

[ghostnote]

I have both of the amps the OP asked about. (I have a little collection of small amps of various types) I like them both, but I'd never use them to faithfully reproduce a quality guitar tone for an audience. But if you're going to use them for a travel amp as you stated, either will be fine. I use them for just that: to take on vacation, to the beach, etc - they are a lot of fun to play out where there's no electricity. The Lunchbox Jr is really for electric guitar, but I've used it at an outdoor wedding and it worked just fine. It was only for one song; and being outdoors, great tone didn't matter all that much.

[Warrenaines]

Originally Posted by martingitdave

Once the amplifier gets that small, does it not make sense to just buy a louder acoustic guitar and go au naturale?

I'd be interested to hear experiences with this as I'm looking for a home/practice amp for a couple of reasons, including experimenting with effects and listening through headphones while playing without effects to get a different perspective on what I sound like.

Looks like the Lunchbox Jr is 35 watts and the Lunchbox Acoustic is 200W. I realize watts don't perfectly correlate with volume, but they're not irrelevant. I'd think that even a 35 watt amp would significantly amplify fingerstyle and be appropriate for some uses (if acoustic sounds good through it), and the still very small 200 watt could fill smaller rooms much more than playing a loud dread with a pick.

[jonfields45]

Originally Posted by Warrenaines

I'd be interested to hear experiences with this as I'm looking for a home/practice amp for a couple of reasons, including experimenting with effects and listening through headphones while playing without effects to get a different perspective on what I sound like.

Looks like the Lunchbox Jr is 35 watts and the Lunchbox Acoustic is 200W. I realize watts don't perfectly correlate with volume, but they're not irrelevant. I'd think that even a 35 watt amp would significantly amplify fingerstyle and be appropriate for some uses (if acoustic sounds good through it), and the still very small 200 watt could fill smaller rooms much more than playing a loud dread with a pick.

I've owned both and thought the Jr packed a lot more volume than you would expect and the Acoustic was disappointing relative to a 200W (or 120W RMS that I've also read) expectation. Probably heresy, but a little distortion on an acoustic guitar single note solo actually sounds good to me (maybe the theory behind the Baggs Session). I use a Tube Screamer to boost my MiSi equipped RainSong for solos when I play out with my duo (set with the "Drive" very low).

The Jr was quite usable for acoustic guitar IMO. The Acoustic also has a disappointing mic channel. It is bandpassed for voice and sounds poor with an instrument. The Acoustic has really thin vinyl and a cloth grill, instead of the hard plastic and metal of the Jr. It will show abuse readily. The AUX input on the Acoustic sounded bad for MP3s and it made me wonder how it achieved a reasonable acoustic guitar tone. The Acoustic gets quite warm if you push it and the Jr stays cool to the touch (which might indicate running the Jr on its 12 volt input will work well with a small battery).