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#1
08-16-2020, 01:48 PM
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Acus One For Strings 5 review
Just thought I would share my recent experiences with a couple of different amps for acoustic guitar (+ vocal mic). I found myself recruited to play guitar for a "good morning song" tradition that is kicking off at my workplace. I kind of knew I should never have sold my Fishman Loudbox Mini a couple of months ago - but I just didn't see any use for it in the foreseeable future. Well, here I was, in the future, in need of a guitar amp.
My first thought was that I would buy another Fishman Loudbox Mini on the s/h market. Well, that proved to be difficult within the time limit I was working with - I needed the amp by the following Friday. OK, so I went into a store to try out some different amps: 1) Laney LA30d, 2) Fishman Loudbox Mini, and 3) Acus One For Strings 5T Simon (firing upwards at a ~45 degree angle). I tested with my trusty Yamaha LS6 with passive UST pickup - by no means state of the art, but a guitar that I know and that is just all round plain solid (figuratively speaking, actually back and sides are laminated!) ANyway, my findings: 1) The Laney was the cheapest of the three by a good margin. While it was OK and would have worked for the situation, I just thought that it was a little too lacklustre sounding - too "plastic'ey", and too much piezo + electronic artefacts... so, not really too excited about that one. However, a nice option for someone on a budget, I would say - nothing really wrong with it, I just wasn't all that excited about this amp. 2) Next up was the Fishman Loudbox Mini - I knew this amp and knew it is a capable amp, and that it would be up to the challenge. My test confirmed this - just an all round workhorse, doing what it is supposed to do and sounding good doing it. I find that it sort of "smoothens out" the piezo sound of my guitar, so it sounds a little rounder, softer, fuller - so a little colouring going on here, which is a good thing if your pickup is not top of the line, which mine isn't (- although it is "fair", I would say, as far as piezos go). I also tested the vocal channel, and while decent, it is not the strongest suit of the Loudbox, IMO. Here the colouring does not fit my voice particularly well, so that is a (small) trade-off. 3) Now the Acus 5T. The most expensive of these three amps. And IMO the most "neutral" sounding - in a good way - here you can really hear what you are doing. Not quite as "forgiving" as the Loudbox Mini, but more accurate, linear, and just... capable. The more accurate, leaner sound was not necessarily complimenting my Yamaha pickup as well as the Loudbox Mini - but I had the feeling that this is because the Acus was that little bit more revealing of the source. And for vocals (my vocals, anyway) the Acus was clearly better. Anyway. Due to budget considerations and the slightly more forgiving sound with my Yamaha, I leaned towards the Loudbox Mini. However, the selling price was some 25% higher than the online price. I appreciate that the dealer had let me test the amps against each other and I was willing to pay a premium for this service - however, I thought a 25% premium was a bit steep and asked if we could meet somewhere in between. But no, the price was firm. I said I would have to consider my options then and went away with no amp. OK, now Friday was getting nearer. I looked around online and found a deal on an Acus One For Strings 5, which is now discontinued, but very similar to the 5T. I ordered it at a price below the dealer's Loudbox Mini and hoped that it would reach me before Friday morning. By Wednesday evening without any track and trace info, I started to panic - but lo and behold, all of a sudden there was a second hand Fishman Loudbox Mini available locally. I thought OK, that's it then, I will get the Loudbox Mini, return the Acus 5 and be done with it. Long story short. I now have both a Fishman Loudbox Mini and an Acus 5 in my possession. My plan was to keep the Loudbox Mini as it is almost an "industry standard" that I could not go wrong with. But. After sitting at home with the two amps, it has become clear to me that the Acus 5 quite simply inspires my playing more than the Loudbox Mini. It is difficult to explain why, but there is just something in the way it sounds and reacts to my playing that is more satisfying to me - I kind of feel that I am "playing the amp", rather than the amp "trying to reproduce my playing". So I am keeping the Acus, although it has a few less features than the Loudbox Mini, and not quite as loud. The Acus is plenty loud, though, for the application that I am buying it for in the first place, which is 20-30 people singing in a large room (social distancing rules being observed, naturally). I will be keeping the Loudbox Mini for a while as well, just to be sure that I am not going to regret selling one once again - but right now, I feel that the Acus is more musically rewarding to play. Wow, that got long-ish. Apologies for that. Anyway, I'm off to play 
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#2
08-16-2020, 02:40 PM
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Acus is an offspring of former SR Technology and Schertler folks.
Nice amps.
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