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  #1  
Old 07-27-2021, 07:59 PM
ewalling ewalling is offline
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Default Favourite Acoustic Amps

What are people's preferences for acoustic amps? I've owned a Fishman Loudbox 130 (my favourite), a Fishman Loudbox Artist, and a Fishman SoloAmp, which I now have.

I've never owned a Roland, although the appearance appeals to me, and I've never tried the Buguera AC 60, which seems very reasonably priced.
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Old 07-27-2021, 09:56 PM
jcpharm jcpharm is offline
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i've only used a Loudbox Mini and a Boss Singer Live and they are both pretty good. A guitarist friend of mine told me he's looking for an used AER amp which are supposed to be pretty good (good enough for Tommy Emmanuel at least).
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Old 07-27-2021, 11:00 PM
Yamaha Man Yamaha Man is offline
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I have a Fender SFX acoustic amp, which is really nice, but expensive. I'm in the process of buying a Fishman Artist in the next day or two.
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Old 07-27-2021, 11:15 PM
guitarwebguy guitarwebguy is offline
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When I picked up my custom Breedlove at their shop in Bend (2014), they had an LR Baggs Acoustic Reference amp … I was stunned, I had never heard one before and so began a quest to acquire one, a year later I was successful and since I’ve sold all my other amps …. This one does it all, amazing dispersion, fantastic acoustic sound, classic Baggs electronics … I never looked back, I have tried a lot of amps over 50 years …. I will say the little Bose S1 is a temptation though ….
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Old 07-28-2021, 01:17 AM
Jinder Jinder is offline
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Tried and owned a great number of them over the years. Best I’ve come across is the AER Compact 60, by some way.
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Old 07-28-2021, 02:36 AM
douglasfan1 douglasfan1 is online now
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I used to have a Trace Elliot TA40CR, it sounds great, just too heavy
Now I have a Henriksen the bud ten. Love it so much and have great result with plugging in anything, even my laptop through Bluetooth
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Old 07-28-2021, 06:21 AM
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Methos1979 Methos1979 is offline
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Here is our procession through acoustic amps along with our (very) general opinions on each:

Genz Benz Shenandoah 85 - great sound, WAY too heavy!
Fishman Loudbox Mini - decent sound, small & lightweight.
Fishman Loudbox Artist - good sound, more inputs, phantom power.
Fishman SA220 - great sound, limited inputs.
Roland Street Cube Ex - small, lightweight, versatile, mediocre tone.
Henriksen Bud - super small & lightweight, very limited and unimpressive tone.
Carvin AG200 - great sound and feature set, a little heavy.
Roland AC33 - small, lightweight, battery powered, mediocre tone.
Mugig - super small & lightweight, just a piece of junk.
Harbinger MuV MLS8000 - Bose Compact clone, decent for the price but no Bose.
Bose S1 Pro - small & lightweight, battery powered, excellent sound, limited inputs and features, underpowered. Excellent with a mixer (for more inputs, power and features/effects in front of it).

Still using the Bose S1 Pro. We have two. Extremely versatile setup using one or both along with an EAE StompMix X6 mixer in front. We run on all battery power. Easy and fast setup, great sound. If I wanted a one-and-done very of this setup I'd get the EAE D6-58 Pro 120. Or maybe the new Bose L1 Pro 16 (or even 32!).

For a more indepth write-up of many of the above, click on the review link below and scroll down to the Amp section.

Last edited by Methos1979; 07-28-2021 at 06:30 AM.
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Old 07-28-2021, 06:47 AM
Mandobart Mandobart is offline
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I've played through a couple Acoustasonic's for gigs, tested out the various Roland's, test drove a Bose S1 and played a few gigs through an older Fender Passport PA.

I ended up ordering a Carvin AG300 based on advice here on the internet a few years back.

It is a feature packed, fabulous sounding acoustic amp with plenty of power for any indoor or outdoor venues in my area. Sounded better than anything else I had tried out. It's essentially a three channel powered speaker.

The only issue I've had, and I've found maybe 3 other people who also had this, was an infrequent hiss that would cut out the instrument/vocals. It would happen only outdoors, when hot, after playing for over a couple hours. I sent it back to Carvin and they said they fixed it, but couldn't tell me exactly what the cause was.

Carvin doesn't make the AG amps anymore. The features I like best on it are:

1. Three separate input channels, each with its own FX - reverb, chorus, delay
2. Two of the channels can select a high impedance input setting, meaning a preamp/DI isn't needed with passive piezoelectric pickups.
3. 48 volt phantom power for condenser mic or external pedals.
4. Can be mounted on a speaker stand.
5. Both XLR and separate 1/4" inputs on two of the channels. Although not ideal (unless you want the exact same volume and effects setting for your mic and instrument) you can use both simultaneously.
5. Can plug in any passive 8 ohm speaker as an extension cabinet.
6. Line out to send to a board or PA
7. Full spectrum output with a 3 way speaker. Can be used for any instrument from bass to fiddle plus vocals.
8. 250 watt rated output, 300 watt with an extension cabinet.
9. Aux input for backing tracks, between sets music, etc.
10. USB connection for charging phone, iPod, etc.
11. Cost was under $1k - I got mine new for around $600.

Biggest drawback is the weight, about 30 lbs. Less than the Acoustasonic's I tried, but more than the Bose or Roland's. Better sounding and better features than those though.
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Old 07-28-2021, 10:00 AM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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I have owned so many of the amps being discussed.

By far my favorite amp is the Elite Acoustics D6-58. Sound, power, features, build quality, looks, battery power…this amp has it all. I just cannot recommend it highly enough.
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Old 07-28-2021, 10:17 AM
Goat Mick Goat Mick is offline
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I currently own multiple amps by Fishman and Bose. To me the Bose (S1 Pro & L1 Compact) amps sound the best, clear and clean and the coverage is amazing. But if I had to choose only one to use, I'd probably go for a Loudbox Performer. I do really like my Loudbox Mini and Loudbox Artist, but with the Performer you can play about any size audience you'll find and have plenty of good clear sound. And the Loubox amps are pretty much bulletproof, very dependable and durable.
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Old 07-28-2021, 11:07 AM
TedBPhx TedBPhx is offline
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Had one of those Boss Katana 100w combos. The acoustic channel was awful. Got a Mesa Rosette:300 2x8. Hard to imagine a better acoustic amp.
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Old 07-28-2021, 11:15 AM
jklotz jklotz is offline
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I could be off base, but I think most folks will have a preference based on how they use it. For instance, I'm a solo fingerstyle guy (no singing), so my preference would probably be very different than the singer/songwriter guys, who use it not so much as an amp but more as a PA for guitar and vocals.

I know of a few really good sounding amps for acoustic guitar that would be just fine for my purposes, but others have said they don't like the vocal sound, so they don't like it.
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Old 07-28-2021, 01:04 PM
lkingston lkingston is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by jklotz View Post
I could be off base, but I think most folks will have a preference based on how they use it. For instance, I'm a solo fingerstyle guy (no singing), so my preference would probably be very different than the singer/songwriter guys, who use it not so much as an amp but more as a PA for guitar and vocals.



I know of a few really good sounding amps for acoustic guitar that would be just fine for my purposes, but others have said they don't like the vocal sound, so they don't like it.
Yes, that is true. My most important needs are:

1) Great vocal and guitar sound.
2) EQ with high pass filter, sweepable mids, and a notch filter.
3) Enough channels for a duo.
4) Built in DSP for reverb, chorus, and delay without external pedals.
5) A pole mount and controls I can get to when the amp is high in the air.
6) Stereo line outs with EQ for a pair of powered speakers or house PA in larger rooms.
7) Battery power.
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Old 07-28-2021, 02:20 PM
pcs264 pcs264 is offline
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Mandobart View Post
I've played through a couple Acoustasonic's for gigs, tested out the various Roland's, test drove a Bose S1 and played a few gigs through an older Fender Passport PA.

I ended up ordering a Carvin AG300 based on advice here on the internet a few years back.

It is a feature packed, fabulous sounding acoustic amp with plenty of power for any indoor or outdoor venues in my area. Sounded better than anything else I had tried out. It's essentially a three channel powered speaker.

The only issue I've had, and I've found maybe 3 other people who also had this, was an infrequent hiss that would cut out the instrument/vocals. It would happen only outdoors, when hot, after playing for over a couple hours. I sent it back to Carvin and they said they fixed it, but couldn't tell me exactly what the cause was.

Carvin doesn't make the AG amps anymore. The features I like best on it are:

1. Three separate input channels, each with its own FX - reverb, chorus, delay
2. Two of the channels can select a high impedance input setting, meaning a preamp/DI isn't needed with passive piezoelectric pickups.
3. 48 volt phantom power for condenser mic or external pedals.
4. Can be mounted on a speaker stand.
5. Both XLR and separate 1/4" inputs on two of the channels. Although not ideal (unless you want the exact same volume and effects setting for your mic and instrument) you can use both simultaneously.
5. Can plug in any passive 8 ohm speaker as an extension cabinet.
6. Line out to send to a board or PA
7. Full spectrum output with a 3 way speaker. Can be used for any instrument from bass to fiddle plus vocals.
8. 250 watt rated output, 300 watt with an extension cabinet.
9. Aux input for backing tracks, between sets music, etc.
10. USB connection for charging phone, iPod, etc.
11. Cost was under $1k - I got mine new for around $600.

Biggest drawback is the weight, about 30 lbs. Less than the Acoustasonic's I tried, but more than the Bose or Roland's. Better sounding and better features than those though.
I'll second everything Mandobart said re: the Carvin AG300. I got mine in 2018 (the last year it was made), and have never had a bit of trouble with it. The sound quality for instruments and vocals, the features and flexibility are fabulous - this would have been a bargain at twice the price (anything new today that can match it would be). If you come across a used one in good shape, grab it, but they don't show up for sale very often.

Last edited by pcs264; 07-29-2021 at 04:39 AM.
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Old 07-28-2021, 03:49 PM
Br1ck Br1ck is offline
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I'll jump on the Carvin AG 300 bandwagon. First of all, it has to me the best vocal sound. I've sung through some of the twice the price brands. I've played acoustic trio gigs using it for bass. Won't cut it with drums, but will do anything else. I've used it for acoustic guitar, used it for uke, and used it for mandolin. Used it on the floor, used it on a stand. A friend borrows it and uses it for a powered speaker. Has Hi Z switch for two channels and usable effects.

It is an amp multiple people have asked If I'd sell.
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