Favourite Acoustic Amps

[Rudy4]

Originally Posted by ewalling

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.

I have a Roland Cube Street EX (50 watts / twin 8" drivers with twin 2" tweeters) which provides really nice sound for acoustic guitar and vocal. The true stereo chorus and reverb provides a full and sweet sound from this amp, and it is fully capable of being LOUD. I did a couple of outdoor gigs with it in a three piece band before cold weather hit.

This is a amp that deserves to be auditioned before deciding that you need more power in a heavier or more bulky form.

[RussellHawaii]

Another vote here for the Elite Audio EAE D6-58. I love mine. It is the best sounding acoustic amp I’ve ever tried, and its power and configuration is genius. I liked it so much I bought a 2nd one, and it will be my battery powered portable PA for acoustic gigs.
I’ve never tried an AER, but I think I’ve tried all the others. Elite is a big step above the rest. There are several that are at least as expensive and nowhere near as good. There is a sonic quality to most amps that is surprisingly abrasive to my ears, where the only way to make it sound ok is to turn it down! The Elite amps are the opposite; warm, clear, inviting sound.
I will add that their customer service is top notch also. I have no relation to the company.
For a lower budget the various Fishmans are useable and reliable. By comparison, some other brands are a waste of money.

[douglasfan1]

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

LR Baggs Synapse Personal PA. Is it an amp or a PA speaker? It's both and has many features that make life easy for an acoustic musician: good power with full, smooth, and wide-dispersion, 48-volt phantom power, good-sounding reverb effects, good EQ capability. At 39 lbs, it may be a bit heavy for some players but IMHO its sound makes up for its weight. Now sold at the lower price of $1299.

That's great! I love to try one but too expensive.

I have a Henriksen the bud ten, which handle almost all the situation I need. I once play with a bassist and he got a great sound with it too.
I used to have Trace Elliot TA40CR, which give me a nice tone, but Henriksen is more versatile and crystal clean tone and 48V phantom power.

[catdaddy]

Originally Posted by KenL

I have a Boss Acoustic Singer Pro that I like a lot. It's never left my guitar room, though, so I've never really pushed it. But it has a good natural tone on both guitar and vocals. It also has a bunch of features that I'll probably never use, like a looper. Plenty of power without being too large or heavy.

I got it used but like new from Dave's Guitar Shop.

It replaced a Roland AC60, which was also a very good amp. Very simple, which I liked.

I'll second the Boss Acoustic Singer Pro, good power with natural sound out of both instrument and vocal channels and the built-in Boss effects are top notch.

[Aspiring]

Originally Posted by catdaddy

I'll second the Boss Acoustic Singer Pro, good power with natural sound out of both instrument and vocal channels and the built-in Boss effects are top notch.

For those of you that have the Pro can you compare it to the live? I have the live currently.

[rockymtnguitar]

I glanced through the entire thread and didn't see any mention of the Marshall AS50. No fans? I have one and I'm happy enough with it, though I've never compared it to anything else, so I really don't know. Our singer uses the mic input and either he or I use the guitar input. It's been reliable and easy to use.

[MarvinLee]

So... a few months back, I came across an amazon listing for a Fender Acoustic Pro 200 with 1x12". This is not to be confused with the newer Acoustic 200's which look very similar. The older model is slightly larger and doesn't have all the effects included on the newer amp. The Amazon listing said it was no longer available, but on the side of the listing, very small it said "one available - used". Clicking on it, I noticed that is was being offered for $350. I also noted that it said "significant cosmetic damage, but still 100% functional". At that price, I decided to take a chance. I placed the order and waited. After about a week, it showed up in a tattered generic box, which looked like it had been dropped of the truck and drug to my house. Oh well... they said it would work, so I took it in and started unboxing it. What I found was a brand new amp, complete with plastic wrap, all documentation and a lovely cover. There was zero blemishes on this beautiful amp. Best I can figure, the significant cosmetic damage that they were referring too was from the packaging. Since having it, I have played several gigs with it as my main PA (I do solo acoustic and sing). It is incredibly loud with plenty of clarity and a beautiful warmth to it that surprises me for a solid state amp. I run an Adamas W597 into it which currently has a K&K Classic pup and a Nux Optima Preamp (I'm working on refurbishing the original Ovation electronics but it's going slow finding legacy parts). I realize that the older amp doesn't have all the bells and whistles of the newer Acoustic Pro 200's, but frankly I don't use effects. If I can't make something happen with just the guitar and amp after 40 years of playing, no effects out there will help. As it's slightly larger and heavier than the newer Pro 200's, I sometimes wonder if it might have a bit more kick. Not that it matters, it will get WAY louder than I need which means I have all the headroom I'll ever need.

[Doubleneck]

For me the vocals are the most important aspect of a acoustic amp. If your a singer-guitar player doing a gig, vocals carry it? I’ve had two Genz Benz Acoustic Amps one huge one with extension speakers. My favorite is my Ashdown Radiator 2, warm beautiful tone and the 160 watts filled a auditorium last week. Heavy at 35 lbs but I believe it’s those heavy speakers that get it done. Didn’t last long, must be rare never hear about them.

[wweiss]

Bose S1 Pro or QSC CP8 if more power is needed.

[Chriscom]

Originally Posted by Doubleneck

... My favorite is my Ashdown Radiator 2, warm beautiful tone and the 160 watts filled a auditorium last week. Heavy at 35 lbs but I believe it’s those heavy speakers that get it done. Didn’t last long, must be rare never hear about them.

I've seen a lot of gear now and I'd never heard of it! There's a listing by a shop in Australia on Reverb for a "Limited Edition" Ashdown Acoustic Raditaor 2 with VU meters galore and LR Baggs EQ. Wild!

https://reverb.com/item/13460201-ash...tic-radiator-2

[Doubleneck]

Originally Posted by Chriscom

I've seen a lot of gear now and I'd never heard of it! There's a listing by a shop in Australia on Reverb for a "Limited Edition" Ashdown Acoustic Raditaor 2 with VU meters galore and LR Baggs EQ. Wild!

https://reverb.com/item/13460201-ash...tic-radiator-2

That is the same as mine. I think list when they brought them out was $850? Got mine on eBay at half that. I think they were just pretty high priced at the time. Had a smaller Radiator 1 which they ended up switching production from the UK to China. Ashdown is still producing amps but the acoustics seem less ambitious?

[Yamaha Man]

I just ordered an Orange Acoustic 30 amp....I'm a big fan of Doyle Dykes's guitar playing, and he uses one and sounds great....it's backordered so I don't know when I'll get it...https://orangeamps.com/crush-acoustic-30/#video

[TwangGang]

I have been using an AER Compact 60/2 for about ten years. I can get the sound I want for both the guitar and vocals. Very small and light weight easy to carry around and totally reliable. For a really big venue I just set it up as I would for a small room and then run a line out into the larger house PA. But that has rarely been required (just a couple time for outdoor shows).

[J Patrick]

After all these years my favorite “sounding” acoustic amplifier is probably still the SWR California Blond….I used to own one with a 1-12 extension cabinet and for my ears it was a very satisfying sound…great for just about any instrument…excels as a bass rig….very usable control set…..big and fat sounding….

….my bandmates still play through theirs 20 years later but they’re too big and heavy for me to handle these days…..I’d love to find an amp that had the sound of the SWR that was about half the weight….the closest I’ve found is a JBL EON610 with a small mixer…it has that fat lower fidelity I like compared to many modern acoustic setups….

[Doranged]

I have the EAE D6-8 mk2 which I use as my primary. I also use the Bose s1 and the Fishmn solo amp to supplement it for some venues. I have an acoustisonic a ac 60 and a couple others. Bottom line if I could only keep one it would be the EAE.