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  #1  
Old 01-15-2012, 10:31 AM
phil0333 phil0333 is offline
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Default amp or pa for nylon guitar

Just curious what you guys recommend for nylon guitar. I have a Taylor ns72ce and am doing the singer/songwriter type thing (not a classical player).

I'm pretty sure I will go with a small PA but I didn't know if something like the fish man solo amp might be the way to go.

Thanks!

Phil
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  #2  
Old 01-15-2012, 12:40 PM
Doug Michaels Doug Michaels is offline
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Depends on the amp and the PA you are talking about. There are some amps that work great with nylon string guitars. I use a Ultrasound and also a Fishman loudbox. But I also have a Bose L1 Model II that has much more versatility but costs four times as much. Set your price, grab your guitar, head to Guitar Center and try some amps out. You also might try a keyboard amp as they work well with nylon string guitars. Its just so important to actually try the amp with your guitar before buying one. They are all so so different and how it sounds is what you are after. And using outboard foot pedals also works well with nylon string guitars. I use a chorusing pedal, a delay, and a compression pedal. Loads of fun.
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Old 01-18-2012, 01:20 AM
cheryl.0754 cheryl.0754 is offline
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Default Amp and Classical Guitar

Hi ... I have a Roland Amp, the AC-33. It is an amazing little amp ... lots of features (including a looper) ... a small amp, but the sound is great. It is a combination acoustic amp.
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  #4  
Old 01-24-2012, 11:57 AM
HymnLover HymnLover is offline
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I use a Roland as well. Mine is the larger AC-90. I'm sure the features are similar to the 33. Lots of onboard effects make it easy to tweak the sound. It also has a line out for getting into the house system or PA. I use it with my Martin 00016-SRNE and have been very happy with it. Very portable. Roland now has a range of sizes: AC-33, 60, & 90. Try one.
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  #5  
Old 01-24-2012, 01:37 PM
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CCFingerstyle CCFingerstyle is offline
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Default Nylon Amp

I've tried Fender Acoustasonics (all sizes), AER Compact 60, Genz Benz, Fishman Loudbox, Fishman SA-220 PA and and few others. I personally like the SA-220 best (by a pretty long shot). I thought my NS72ce sounded quit nice through it. However, in the end...I agree with the person who said take your guitar to a store and try out various amps. What I like might be irrelevant to you if you are looking for a different sound.
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Old 01-24-2012, 02:59 PM
lschwart lschwart is offline
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I'm very pleased with the sound I get with my Cordoba GK Negra through my Genz Benz Pro LT. It also sounds great going into my small PA set up (an A&H ZED10FX and a single RCF 312a). Sounds good both going direct into one of the line inputs on the ZED as well as through a DI box into one of the mic inputs.

Louis
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Old 01-25-2012, 07:40 AM
j3ffr0 j3ffr0 is offline
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Fishman Loudbox Artist here. For nylon string, the Fishman products sound significantly better to my ear than anything else I've tried (Acoustic, Marshall, Fender, Roland, and maybe a couple others)
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Old 01-25-2012, 06:37 PM
lodi_55 lodi_55 is offline
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My main setup is a Bose L1 which handles my flamenco and classical very well. I would also agree with Cheryl that the Roland AC-33 is wonderful for nylon as well. And it (suprisingly) can fill a room! By the way, I also have a Shadwow transducer/ribbon pickup which is relatively cheap and also performs nicely.
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  #9  
Old 01-26-2012, 01:54 AM
martin000 martin000 is offline
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Default Fishman Loudbox Mini

I love my Fishman Loudbox Mini.

It has a guitar channel with reverb/chorus effects as well as a microphone channel.

It is positioned nicely to sit on the floor and the speaker is pointed upward. I am amazed at how much clean volume comes out of a 60 W amp and it is really the best acoustic amp I have ever used.

Great with my Martin 000C-16SGTNE. Has a very nice direct line out so that you can use it as a monitor with a DI out to a mixer/amp/soundboard.

Enjoy,

Jon
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Old 04-13-2012, 05:05 PM
JDGPicker JDGPicker is offline
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Default amp or PA

Based on my experience, playing my nylon guitar through a mixing board to external speakers is superior to any amp out there. I do, however, play through a Schertler Unico amp and it sounds great.
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  #11  
Old 04-14-2012, 11:45 AM
Red_Label Red_Label is offline
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I took home the Roland AC90 to try with my Breedlove Masterclass crossover and though I dug the tone with the guitar, I didn't dig the tone I was getting also running my netbook (WAV and MP3 files) through it at all. To my ears... my small PA setup was far superior for both my guitar and the backing tracks I was playing along with. But I still yearn for a small amp solution that I can use for smaller gigs. I'm thinking about trying the Loudbox Artist for that. Will have to order one from MF though, as I don't have any locally to try.

FYI... my guitar's signal chain is it running into my TC Electronic G-System, into a Baggs Para Acoustic DI, into my small mixing board, into one or two 15" + horn PA cabs. The tone is so clear, full and snappy that way. My PA cabs are cheap 100 watt powered ones, but still sound great. I'd like to upgrade to the QSC K10s or K12s (or some nice Mackie powered cabs) down the road. Or maybe try a Bose system.
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  #12  
Old 04-14-2012, 12:53 PM
Red_Label Red_Label is offline
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Just ordered a Loudbox Mini from MF after reading lots of great reviews on it. They have a 15% taxman promo going so I got it for $270. Looking forward to plugging-in!
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Old 04-17-2012, 02:19 AM
Cinematograph Cinematograph is offline
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Default Caveat emptor!

I just bought an Acoustic Image Clarus 2 channel Series 4 amp and a Raezer's Edge Stealth 10ER cabinet because it produced the most true and transparent acoustic sound of any of the amps and cabinets I've tried.

The music shop owner decided to set up a listening test which included the Roland AC90, an AER Compact 60, a Trace Acoustic TA60, the JazzKat AcoustiKat and, of course, the aforementioned Acoustic Image amp and Raezers' Edge cabinet. I played a Mario Beauregard Model MB Nylon with a K&K Ultrapure Classic pickup, a couple of DiCarlo jazz nylon string guitars (RMC Polydrive and piezo pickups), and a Lowden S32J IR/AS (proprietary piezo pickup), then switched to steel-stringed guitars including a Stefan Sobell Model 1 "Sicilian" steel string with a Highlander IP-2, a Dupont MD-50 with Péche à la Mouche pickup, a Nick Apollonio "bell" 12-string with K&K Sound Pure 12-string pickup and a Gibson Howard Roberts Fusion III (two Alnico magnet humbucking pickups). Each instrument, although amplified, sounded more acoustic than electric, and the sound was clear, articulate and most important, musical.

I originally expected to buy an AER Compact 60. Many friends, professional guitarists who play all manner of acoustic music, own and swear by the AER. In this test, the AER would place third after the AI Clarus with Raezer's Edge cabinet, and the AcoustiKat. Indeed, in our comparison, the AER tied for third place with the Roland. Other acoustic amps such as the SWR were disappointing when compared to even the Roland or Fender Acoustasonic.

Understandably, many will hesitate because the aforementioned acoustic combo amps and amps-plus-cabinets are expensive. But if one needs to amplify a steel string or, even trickier, a nylon-stringed guitar, and hope to have it retain some degree of its acoustic identity, it is essential to carefully examine the pickups and various types of amplification before making any purchase, even if one isn't planning on spending more than a few hundred dollars. Don't be unduly influenced by what others use, especially your guitar heroes, because your unique sound may be underminded by gear not well-matched to your technique, the music you play or the environment in which you rehearse or perform. Take the time to visit different music shops that may offer less-promoted pickups and amplifiers, and carefully listen to what you hear. Consider that the acoustics in a given shop will differ radically from your room, rehearsal space and studio, so try to purchase the amp with an approval period of a few days in order that you might have a chance to put the amp (and cabinet) through their paces. Ask questions of the sales staff but don't let them railroad you into buying gear they have in stock but about which you're unsure or unconvinced.

No matter how much you decide to invest, spend your money wisely. Much in the same way one carefully buys different instruments for their playability and ability to help enhance your sound, so too should you buy amps (and cabinets). What might work for, say, John Renbourn, Martin Simpson, Julian Bream or Joe Pass, not only won't make you sound like them, it might work against you and whatever your "sound" might be.
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Last edited by Cinematograph; 01-18-2013 at 10:46 PM. Reason: correcting spelling and grammatical errors
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  #14  
Old 04-17-2012, 06:47 PM
JDGPicker JDGPicker is offline
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@ Cinematograph....well stated.
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  #15  
Old 04-20-2012, 01:15 PM
Red_Label Red_Label is offline
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WOW... got my Fishman Loudbox Mini yesterday and I'm VERY impressed. For the money ($270 with the Musician's Friend tax promo), it's just awesome. Very natural sounding. Plenty of volume and low-end for small gigs. Hard to believe that such a sound can come from such a tiny amp.

I demo'd the Roland AC90 at my house for a week and was not impressed. Besides a nice, full-but-crisp, natural guitar tone, I need the ability to play backing tracks and have them sound good. That's the area where the much-bigger Roland didn't impress me, whereas the Fishman did.

After I demo'd the Roland, I much preferred my guitar into my Baggs Para Acoustic DI and assumed that would always be with me. But I was every bit as happy with the Loudbox Mini DI'd out to my PA as I was using the Baggs into the PA. So the Fishman will be heading solo with me to smaller gigs, and for larger ones I'll use it in conjunction with my PA. The Baggs DI will just go along for me as a spare in case the Loudbox goes down. But at that price, I'll likely have a spare one in short order.

Could be by-far the best $270 I've ever spent on something related to acoustic guitar.
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