First gig with a secondhand AER Alpha Plus I picked up for very little coin…

[Jinder]

Hi all,
As I mentioned before, I own an AER Compact 60/4 which I am a big fan of. Gig with it regularly, works beautifully for everything.

I recently found myself looking for a second C60 to use as a stereo setup with my other one, as a convenient Mini PA for outdoor gigs that require such a setup.

However a friend of a friend was selling an Alpha Plus for a third of the money that a new C60/4 would have cost me. Talk about a deal! It’s pristine, seven years old but only used live a couple of times and otherwise kept as a bedroom amp. It’s brown, but I can live with that.

The fundamental differences between the AP and the C60 are 10w less output, a global three band EQ rather than an EQ for each channel, and global reverb rather than the capacity to pan it between channels. The cabinet is the same size, same porting, same speaker, just a metal grille rather than the foam frontage as per the C60, but cosmetic differences mean very little to me.

So, first gig with it was this evening, at a bar where I know the room inside out and have played many times. Normally the C60 acquits itself magnificently and never even approaches the midday position on the master volume, so I knew the Alpha would be sufficient volume wise even if it fell short of the remarkable amount of punch the C60 has.

The gig went marvellously-great crowd and very well received. The amp was perfect for the job. First impressions are that volume is in plentiful supply, the limiting on the amp is as minimal and musical as that of my C60, and the shared EQ has the benefit of offering midrange cut on vocals, which the C60 doesn’t have-the mic channel just has treble and bass cut/boost.

I found the Alpha Plus to be a bit more rootsy than the C60-slightly less of the super-hi-fi crispness, still detailed but slightly more warm. I suspect that seven years of use has had this effect by way of burning in the speaker and everything softening up a touch. My Maple Advanced Jumbo with Sunrise sounded magnificent through it. Vocals were excellent too, very little to call between the AP and the C60 overall I would say.

I should add the caveat that I use an outboard pre for my guitar (AD10) so can EQ that separately and use the AP global EQ to tailor the vocals first and then season the guitar to taste outboard. For an artist who doesn’t have any guitar EQ outside of the amp strip, however, this layout may be limiting.

Anyway, in general I’m very pleased with the amp, and would be if I’d paid twice what I paid. AER gear is so well thought out and just works. Simple, beautifully engineered, really pro level kit. Snagging a sweet deal just makes it all the better!

[jricc]

That's cool it worked out nicely for you Jinder. Ive never had the opportunity to try any AER products. Ive been using a Bose S1 (tonight and tomorrow) or a Fishman Artist for my smaller shows.Thnx for the report!

[Guitars44me]

Nice to hear that you like that amp so much! Something to be said for an amp that's been used a bit and gotten used to being played through.

Cheers
Paul

[Jinder]

Thanks guys!

I have to say that I’ve been super impressed with AER kit after getting my head around how neutral it is-we all get so accustomed to the extended low end of PA speakers and forget that often, in my experience, an acoustic guitar can sound quite hyped through them.

The shock when using AER amps is just how much like an acoustic guitar they make your plugged in tone sound, in terms of frequency range and dynamic response. Once you accept that and lean into it, a whole world of subtle dynamics can be accessed and there is far less of a chasm between your plugged in tone and response and your unplugged sound.

They’re so easy to sing through, too. I seem to be able to lay back on my vocals and push less through my AERs than through my old Alto TS112s, resulting in less vocal strain and hoarseness from gig to gig when on a run of work.

Ace customer service, too. Really great.

[Stepan Axman]

Originally Posted by Jinder

I found the Alpha Plus to be a bit more rootsy than the C60-slightly less of the super-hi-fi crispness, still detailed but slightly more warm.

There is little to find about sound differences between Alpha plus vs Compact 60 on the internet.
I do own the Alpha plus and have longer experience with Compact and I agree with You.
Alpha plus seems to me more suitable for jazz players and for use with electric guitar in general.
The warmer and rootsy sound seems to me like there is bit more lower midrange and kind of "speaker like feel" in sound what I find a tiny bit closer to the jazz amps.
I use it with cigarbox guitar (magnetic+piezo system) and it is match made in heaven
I dont use overdrive, just few delays and reverb and is sound fantastic.

[Jinder]

Originally Posted by Stepan Axman

There is little to find about sound differences between Alpha plus vs Compact 60 on the internet.
I do own the Alpha plus and have longer experience with Compact and I agree with You.
Alpha plus seems to me more suitable for jazz players and for use with electric guitar in general.
The warmer and rootsy sound seems to me like there is bit more lower midrange and kind of "speaker like feel" in sound what I find a tiny bit closer to the jazz amps.
I use it with cigarbox guitar (magnetic+piezo system) and it is match made in heaven
I dont use overdrive, just few delays and reverb and is sound fantastic.

I definitely find the two have a distinct flavour which I believe is due to the preamp voicings. When the two are linked as a stereo setup (fx loop send on the C60 into fx loop return on the Alpha Plus) they sound almost identical, so it’s got to be the front end that makes the difference.

I still have both amps and have had flawless service from both. I’ve used them individually, as a stereo setup and as two separate amps onstage for a duo outfit. Great bits of kit! I play around 200 shows a year so my kit gets put through its paces, and most amps/speakers I’ve owned have started to get a little tired three or four years into their service, but the AERs are still absolute perfection.

[Stepan Axman]

Originally Posted by Jinder

I definitely find the two have a distinct flavour which I believe is due to the preamp voicings. When the two are linked as a stereo setup (fx loop send on the C60 into fx loop return on the Alpha Plus) they sound almost identical, so it’s got to be the front end that makes the difference.

Different voicing on the preamp.. that make sense.
BTW. - if You are using another AER via fx send it is not stereo, it's still mono (the same signal), just from two amps.

[Rick Shepherd]

Glad to hear it is working out well! An outboard pre is a good idea and it can potentially allow you to have it close by to make adjustments if the speakers are set a distance away from you.

I recently picked up a Compact 2 battery operated unit. I replaced the dead batteries and it is marvelous. My experience with the sound quality as you stated, high quality sound.