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Old 10-19-2000, 04:33 AM
cafedog cafedog is offline
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Question Acoustasonic SFX - worth the price?

Having finally decided that the 814ce is the best guitar w/ cutaway & onboard electrnics I could afford I now need an amp to work with.

I like the stereo effect and dual channels of the SFX, and it seems to be powerful enough for my needs. It, like the Taylor, is at the upper range of affordability for me. With that in mind does anyone have advice on this or comparable amps?
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Old 10-19-2000, 11:38 AM
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J.R. Rogers J.R. Rogers is offline
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Coming from a person who has owned both the Acoustasonic SFX and the Junior, I would definitely pick the Junior over the two. However, if the SFX is in your price range, I would STRONGLY recommend buying the SWR California Blonde. The SWR is a fabulous amp, with all sorts of inputs, outputs, switchable speakers, lots of control over your sound, and a lot more power than the SFX.

The Acoustasonic JR. is more powerful than the SFX - volume wise. The SFX's specs don't tell the whole story. A lot of it's power goes to power the SFX speaker. Also, the SFX uses some low-quality inefficient drivers. My biggest gripe about the SFX is it's hernia-inducing size and weight. It's just not very manageable! My biggest gripe about the Junior is that the preamp gain is fixed. Forget using anything but a piezo pickup with the JR, unless you like to clip the preamp. The SFX has controllable preamp, but still clips at ridiculously low levels.

The SWR in comparison has a much better pre amp, power amp, and speakers designed to handle whatever you throw at it. It even sounds great using a Jazz-box through it. There is a good amount of hiss from the preamp, but it's only noticable when you're playing the amp at low volume levels.

Finally, after having owned several acoustic amps, my last word on the issue is www.daedalusmusic.com . I've never played a better acoustic amp system, period. Think about it... you've invested a TON of money into high-end acoustic guitars, and then you plug into a $400-$600 consumer amplification system and expect professional results? I came to that realization one day, and sold off one of my "boutique" electric guitar amps, and bought the Daedalus S-81 system with the Hafler power amp, rane preamp, and separate hardwood cabinet.:


Not only is this system WORLDS more powerful and a lot more portable, but it truly does your high-end guitars justice. The sound that comes out of the Daedalus system is pure and uncolored - a true rich amplified version of your acoustic guitar. I recently bought a second S-81 cabinet, and the sound is like sticking your head inside your acoustic guitar. Nothing compares, period. I know those are strong words, but it really IS that much better. Anyone in the Dallas area interested in finding out for themselves, this is an open invitation to come to my house and try it for yourself. (I can even setup the Acoustasonic Jr so you can A/B test.)

Regards,
J.R. Rogers
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Old 10-19-2000, 01:36 PM
GordonHLau GordonHLau is offline
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I would highly recommend the Ultrasound AG-100D. Of all the amps under a grand that I've tried, the Ultrasound amps are easily the most transparent amp. They made the SWRs sound especially colored in the midrange area. I have the the 50w model (I didn't need a lot of power) and it sounds incredible. I does lack a input gain control. Overloading is easily remedied by plugging directly into the return jack of the effects loop (or by using a rack or preamp unit that has adjustable gain).
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Old 10-19-2000, 02:06 PM
cafedog cafedog is offline
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Thanks for the comments,guys. I suppose the good news for me is that my 814 sounds great w/o amplification so as I continue my search for the right amplification I can have some fun getting to know it better.

In Seattle we have a Daedelus dealer and I know where to go to play an SWR, as well. I'll post some comments on them later.
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