Taylor acoustic amp

[nostatic]

Originally Posted by Bob Womack

They are playing to the folks that want a premium product and are willing to pay a little more for the satisfaction of owning it. it features mahogany construction and you won't want to drag THAT around to gigs.

At 24 lbs, if it sounds good I gig this in a heartbeat. My guitar is mahogany and I gig it

But Bag End did the wood cab for decades. Plenty of bare birch on stage over the years…

[shufflebeat]

A bit sad, really.

[TylerRobertson]

*shrugs* that looks awesome.

[shufflebeat]

I may be a little harsh but it reminds me of the short-lived trend for novelty CD players in the form of old vinyl record players.

I think BobW has it right in terms of who it’s aimed at. I can’t see it brings anything new to the table. The “reviews” I’ve seen seem to struggle to find anything nice to say apart from “it’s simple and looks unique” and that’s a lot of money for mediocre, even with a free coffee table.

[Robin, Wales]

It does look like when you switch on the amp you may get an episode of "I Love Lucy" being broadcast out of it !!!

[Petty1818]

The furniture look is weird. I didn't realize they also had the wooden stand. My question is; do people really want an amp with exposed wooden sides? That to me is calling for scratches.

[Rudy4]

As long as this topic is veering off a bit on the "furniture look" it might be good if folks took a look at the Humphrey Espresso 15 that Juston Wo has posted in the classifieds:

Humphrey Espresso 15

THAT is art!

I can see the appeal of having an amp that adds to the decor rather than something that causes friction with the S.O.

Where it falls short is sound. Acoustic guitar is such a pleasing instrument partly because of its ability to surround with ambiance while you play. Listening to a single speaker in mono really doesn't do it for me, and hasn't since I purchased my original Roland JC-120 amp years ago. Once I heard stereo chorus with reverb I was hooked.

To this day the only amps that hold appeal for me when listening in a small environment are true stereo amps with reverb and chorus that can be used if desired. I use a Cube EX which satisfies those requirements with dual 8" drivers and dual 2" tweeters. I love my acoustic through that amp.

THAT general configuration in a nice wood cabinet would please not only the eyes, but the ears, too.

[pcs264]

I’m one of those 55+ guys and I get the idea they’re going for. But I actually use my amps, so function matters, and this one is seriously lacking. Only one XLR input? (it probably would cost them about $1-$2 to make both inputs dual XLR + 1/4”). And no phantom power, at this price point? Given these issues, I’ll give this one a hard pass without needing to hear it. I’m happy to stick with my Carvin AG300, and if that eventually dies, I’d consider a Baggs Synapse or an actual PA.

[GCWaters]

I like it--reminds me of the early Mesa Boogies....and I'd bet that it will outsell the new Martin Inception....

[GoPappy]

I think Bob Womack nailed it on this amp. It's not designed for people dragging it around the city on a subway to gigs or playing rowdy bars with chicken wire between you and the audience.

It's designed for the guitarist who wants a good sounding amp that looks like a piece of furniture in their family room or music room, and I suspect it will sell well to that audience. Fender has sold a lot of the Acoustic 100 amps and I imagine a fair number of those were bought more for their looks and ability to blend into a home setting than for their sound or features or "gigableness."

[KevWind]

Originally Posted by TylerRobertson

That is exactly it, although not just the 55+ year old bunch haha (those guys are cool though!) - it's gig worthy, be careful with it or not. Guess depends on how you like wood looking!
I was involved in the design, and we were going for simplicity, sounds and looks. A common complaint from 'average players' with acoustic amps or mixer setups was 'too complicated'. (I've been volunteered into manning a board enough times for that reason)

I could see a case for some mentioned features for sure, but most if you really need it are available. Like most people are confused by a sweep/selectable notch filter and phantom power but both can be had on the Baggs Para DI. In 2024 there's so many excellent effects that suggesting someone use onboard effects on an amp other than reverb also seemed superfluous.

I don't know, this feels like about the end of the road for what I would want out of an acoustic amp. Brought it to weddings, open mic, comedy night, karaoke, heck I run my spouse's synth through it at practice.

We think there's space for a beautiful, easy to use amp that sounds great without much fuss.
I might be wrong, so feel free to remind me in a while if you see more features show up on a MKII

Price is out of my hands, but it IS an all mahogany cabinet & amp stand made in California.

Oh I think it has a decent market demographic and will sell well, and for that demographic $1k will not be a big issue.
I agree more FX than reverb is not really necessary for many Acoustic gigs.
I also think a notch filter is not necessary . However I do think most folks willing to spend $1k on an amp will not be the least "confused" by Phantom Power --just my 2 cents

[TylerRobertson]

Originally Posted by KevWind

Oh I think it has a decent market demographic and will sell well, and for that demographic $1k will not be a big issue.
I agree more FX than reverb is not really necessary for many Acoustic gigs.
I also think a notch filter is not necessary . However I do think most folks willing to spend $1k on an amp will not be the least "confused" by Phantom Power --just my 2 cents

yep that's a valid point too - and I can certainly make the switch non-intrusive to aesthetics.

[Robin, Wales]

Originally Posted by pcs264

I’m one of those 55+ guys and I get the idea they’re going for. But I actually use my amps, so function matters, and this one is seriously lacking. Only one XLR input? (it probably would cost them about $1-$2 to make both inputs dual XLR + 1/4”). And no phantom power, at this price point? Given these issues, I’ll give this one a hard pass without needing to hear it. I’m happy to stick with my Carvin AG300, and if that eventually dies, I’d consider a Baggs Synapse or an actual PA.

Yep....

2 XLR + 1/4" inputs and phantom power (plus a notch filter) would make this perfect for the 55+ guys, as we don't always plug-in but some of us like to mic' for small gigs. It's like "Here's an amp that will appeal to your old style nostalgia - but we are going to make it impossible for you to use it old style". Oh well.....

This cabinet on its stand plus a ToneLabs Ear Trumpet or two would be a classic vibe for coffee house type gigs. But to do that you would need a small mixer between you and the amp.

[Charlie Bernstein]

No. It's probably fine.

The guitar companies are all making gear furniture these days. As my grandmother used to say, they should live and be happy.

[Charlie Bernstein]

Originally Posted by KevWind

. . . I agree more FX than reverb is not really necessary for many Acoustic gigs. . . .

I never use effects for acoustic gigs. Self-defeating. Any room has enough natural reverb to do take care of that. Why pay for a great-sounding guitar and then mask its sound?

Electrics are different. They're made to be plugged in.