Best amp/small PA for Acoustic Guit + Vocal Mic

[des0free]

What amp or small PA would be good for playing acoustic guitar and singing around a living room with friends or small house party with a group of friends listening, sometimes to be accompanied by drum set (assuming drummer is not a super-loud maniac). Desired features would be:

- Ability to plug in two mics, for guitar and vocal, or one mic + acoustic/electric pickup, while also playing backing tracks on an ipod
- Separate volume, tone, and reverb controls for vocal and guitar channels
- Feedback resistant, hopefully without needing extra carefully placed "monitors" (can I place speakers behind me?)
- Decent volume for playing with drummer, without being insanely heavy (reasonably portable, <40 lbs??)
- Would also sound passable when plugging in electric guitar via modeling pedal
- Cost <$1000, or better yet <$600

Small PA's? Bose L1 compact system, Fishman Solo amp or loudbox, Yamaha stagepas, Fender passport, Carvin S400 Stagemate, Roland BA 330, . . .??

Acoustic guitar amps? Fender, Marshall, Crate, Roland, Carvin, Ultrasound, . . .??

[BoB/335]

I've been on this forum since about October. There have probably been 20 different threads on this same topic and probably well over a thousand responses. There is a new thread every week and probably one or two on this same page.
I have to give credit to the members here who answer the same questions over and over again as if it was the first time they heard the question and for the way they have also put up with me in this area.

ALL OF THE ABOVE have been suggested for your scenerio. The best thing to do is to go out and listen to a few of them and then be sure to purchase somewhere that has a liberal return policy so you can see how it performs in your unique situation.

[Herb Hunter]

The requirements in the opening post would best be met by the Bose L1 Model I or II plus the Tone Match accessory but that is far beyond the proposed budget. The $400 Carvin AG100D is a three-channel, acoustic guitar amp with a 12" woofer and dual effects processors so that different effects can be assigned to voice and guitar.

http://www.carvinguitars.com/product...product=AG100D

I think an important alternative to consider would be a pair of these $379, 350-watt Carvin LM12As which have 3-channel mixers built-in:

http://www.carvinguitars.com/product...?product=LM12A

You would need to add effects units like the Alesis Nanoverb but the total cost would still be under $1,000.

[bfloyd6969]

Careful, I've read bad reviews on the Carvin AG100D about sound cutting out. Keep in mind that I haven't used one first hand, just going by what reviewers have been saying on the Harmony Central review site.

[buzzardwhiskey]

UltraSound AG-50DS4 $450
Shure SM57 (guitar) $100
Sennheiser e865 (vocals) $250
2 * DR Mic Stands $100

~ $900

There a thousand ways to do it. This is just one that I'd favor.

[ljguitar]

Originally Posted by des0free

What amp or small PA would be good for playing acoustic guitar and singing around a living room with friends or small house party with a group of friends listening, sometimes to be accompanied by drum set (assuming drummer is not a super-loud maniac).

Hi dfree…
I own/use UltraSound AG-50 and AG-30 and they are awesome too, but if your primary use is small PA with good handling of guitar, that is different from great guitar amp which handles the vocals fine too (which is my take on my UltraSounds).

My gigging partner and I often use my UltraSound for my vocal and guitar and his SWR Blonde for his guitars and vocal. It can handle about 50 people really well...and fits in the trunk of my wife's Saturn (guitars take up more room than the amps).

If starting from scratch, I'd probably get a BagAmp and mixer. It looks like it would handle a bit larger area. Someone here in the group loves his...

[JohnZ]

Originally Posted by bfloyd6969

Careful, I've read bad reviews on the Carvin AG100D about sound cutting out. Keep in mind that I haven't used one first hand, just going by what reviewers have been saying on the Harmony Central review site.

I've had one since they first came out in black cloth and overall it has been a useful amp. Though the effects have died several times (I've given up) the power amp has been reliable but will fade some in extreme heat. Newer line array gear has passed it by however and overall sound quality is not there for me any longer. Still, it can be used as a small bass amp (with the tweeter rolled off) or as a remote second or third source for multiple room coverage. I also plan to use it in its bass setup as a sub for 'in between' gigs where my new Fishman SA220 won't have enough bottom end for tracks and yet not so big as to need the Bose L1 as a slave.

As Bob/335 said - go out and try as many of those that you listed as you can and see what you like the best. There are lots of options and only you can determine which is most suitable for you.

[BuleriaChk]

Make sure you check out the new Roland AC-33. IMO, it sounds the best of the small amps (and can be battery powered to boot).

[gimme789]

get a JBL EON 10 G2 powered speaker ( $399 or less ) plus a small
mixer ( Behringer XENYX 1202 FX - $99.00 ).

Will do everything you are looking for, with 4 Mic inputs, and fantastic sound.

Very small, lightweight, and portable.

This combination is what I use for small acoustic gigs.

[cotten]

Welcome to the AGF, des0free!

Best? I don't know, but I'm very happy with my Ultrasound AG50 DS4, and often use it exactly as described by des0free. Better yet, I got it used in great condition from a fellow AGFer for well under $400.

Are there better amps/small PAs out there? Probably. The trick is to find the one that best fits your own personal needs, including price.

cotten

[Bobby1note]

Originally Posted by des0free

What amp or small PA would be good for playing acoustic guitar and singing around a living room with friends or small house party with a group of friends listening, sometimes to be accompanied by drum set (assuming drummer is not a super-loud maniac). Desired features would be:

- Ability to plug in two mics, for guitar and vocal, or one mic + acoustic/electric pickup, while also playing backing tracks on an ipod
- Separate volume, tone, and reverb controls for vocal and guitar channels
- Feedback resistant, hopefully without needing extra carefully placed "monitors" (can I place speakers behind me?)
- Decent volume for playing with drummer, without being insanely heavy (reasonably portable, <40 lbs??)
- Would also sound passable when plugging in electric guitar via modeling pedal
- Cost <$1000, or better yet <$600

Small PA's? Bose L1 compact system, Fishman Solo amp or loudbox, Yamaha stagepas, Fender passport, Carvin S400 Stagemate, Roland BA 330, . . .??

Acoustic guitar amps? Fender, Marshall, Crate, Roland, Carvin, Ultrasound, . . .??

One of these;

http://www.yorkville.com/products.as...type=29&id=339

and one of those;

http://www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=173

mix well, and there ya goes.

[mynameis]

Originally Posted by Bobby1note

One of these;

http://www.yorkville.com/products.as...type=29&id=339

and one of those;

http://www.soundcraft.com/products/product.aspx?pid=173

mix well, and there ya goes.

Good suggestions. I'd also suggest looking at a yamaha MG82CX which is a little cheaper than the soundcraft and has a simple compressor on two input channels. And if you can't locate a yorkville dealer there's also the JBL PRX512M to consider.

[Nelson]

I'll chime on with agreement on the Ultrasound AG50...I use one and it works fantastic...Have used it for he past 6 years and never had a problem. fills the rooms I play in and it handles guitar and vocals very well..

[Herb Hunter]

One of the requirements in the opening post was independent reverb controls. With the exception of the Pro 250, the Ultrasound amplifiers have a single control.