NUsedAD - UltraSound AG-30

SpruceTop · #1 08-24-2019, 07:07 PM

In my local guitar shop today, I spotted a used, excellent condition, Made In USA, Ultrasound AG-30 for $149. Based on the kudos given UltraSound acoustic amplifiers by Larry ljguitar and Wade Hampton, and given the Made In USA place of manufacture, I had to try out this amp. I plugged-in a used Yamaha A3R with SRT2 preamp/pickup and the combo's tone got my adrenaline flowing. I decided to buy the UltraSound AG-30 and got a nice price of $130 by asking.

Background on UltraSound Amplifiers: After the original UltraSound Amplifiers company sold to Dean Markley, I believe Dean Markley started making these amps, and others in the UltraSound line, in China. The UltraSound AG-30 received a 2008 Acoustic Guitar Magazine Player's Choice Gold Award, and the serial number of mine is 1112 which may be in the first or second year of UltraSound's USA manufacturing of this model. Even the custom-fitted, made for UltraSound amp cover is Made In USA!

In reviewing this amp, I'm playing several of my acoustic-electric guitars through the system. It's a fairly simple amp that has Bass and Treble EQ, a Shape switch, Notch Filter, Effects Loop, and a DI. It sounds very good given its size and weight, and its 30-watt RMS rating into its 8-inch co-axial speaker. The amp's preamp input is rated as 1 Mega Ohm with a Sensitivity of 150MV to 6V. So, this amp will handle just about anything from passive to active pickups and pedals. Being that the input has no Gain control, I recommend using a pedal--I'm going to try my LR Baggs Session DI or ToneDexter--between the guitar and the amp's input as this gives control over the preamp's input gain. Just adjust the pedal until you hear some slight amp distortion on heavy strumming and back off the pedal's output a bit to satisfactorily load the preamp. This is a nice lightweight amp that offers good acoustic-electric guitar tone and would be a boon when not wanting to lug a more expensive, heavier and more powerful system to a jam.

I'd like to read any thoughts and experiences any of you have with the UltraSound AG-30 Acoustic Guitar Amp. Thanks!

SpruceTop

Read The UltraSound AG-30 Manual With Photo and Diagrams

Features:
The UltraSound AG-30 30W Acoustic Guitar Amp is optimized for piezo pickups. Active bass and treble EQ, mid-dip shape control, sweepable notch filter to eliminate acoustic feedback, EFX loop, headphone out, line out, and XLR out for DI. 5-year warranty.
Optimized for piezo pickups
30W power
8" coaxial speaker
Active bass and treble EQ
Mid-dip shape control
Sweepable notch filter to eliminate acoustic feedback
EFX loop
Headphone out
Line out
XLR out for DI
16"W x 11"H x 11"D
20 lbs.
5-year warranty

curbucci · #2 08-24-2019, 08:33 PM

Great amp! I've went through some acoustic guitar amplifiers and the two I've kept are the Ultrasound AG-30 (light brown) & AG-50DS2 (dark brown). I mostly use the AG-30 as my main gigging amp in the small cafe/coffee house circuit as a stand-alone for instrumental solo guitar gigs. If it's going to be a bigger cafe I use the AG-50DS2.
Those Ultasounds are what I have settled on when I switched to using K&K pure mini's on my guitar. For me the Ultrasound amp / K&K are a good match.

Bought both of them on the used online market. AG30 - $140 & AG-50DS2 was around $200 or $225.

SpruceTop · #3 08-25-2019, 09:35 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by curbucci

Great amp! I've went through some acoustic guitar amplifiers and the two I've kept are the Ultrasound AG-30 (light brown) & AG-50DS2 (dark brown). I mostly use the AG-30 as my main gigging amp in the small cafe/coffee house circuit as a stand-alone for instrumental solo guitar gigs. If it's going to be a bigger cafe I use the AG-50DS2.
Those Ultasounds are what I have settled on when I switched to using K&K pure mini's on my guitar. For me the Ultrasound amp / K&K are a good match.

Bought both of them on the used online market. AG30 - $140 & AG-50DS2 was around $200 or $225.

Thanks, Curbucci, for your response! I'm wondering if anyone (Dean Markley?) is still making Ultrasound amplifiers as I don't see any advertising for the brand?

curbucci · #4 08-25-2019, 08:52 PM

Not sure what happened to Ultrasound amplifiers. Dean Markley is not showing anything on their site. The founder of Ultrasound amplifiers has his own line of preamps and such here: https://gmfamps.com

It's pretty sweet that a person can get a good deal on used Ultrasound amps these days.

SpruceTop · #5 08-26-2019, 04:25 PM

I just played my 2016 Taylor GS Mini-e Koa ES2 through the UltraSound AG-30 and it sounds HUGE with plenty of Bass punch! The build date on the Taylor is September 2016, and the ES2 in this Mini is the regular ES2 system, either just before or around the time of the ES2 system update. At any rate, the ES2 at its Volume Control detent position has the output to ideally drive the UltraSonic AG-30's input and thus this little amp sounds much louder than it did with my Martin D-18 with Schatten HFN Artist Plus2 and my Martin HD-28 with Trance Audio M-VT plugged-in to it. The two latter systems are pretty low-output and would really need to be fed into a pedal like a ToneDexter or LR Baggs Session Acoustic DI to ideally get the strong output to drive the AG-30's input to get a nice loud output from the amp. Conclusion: I really like the tone and available volume of the Ultrasound AG-30!

RogerPease · #6 08-26-2019, 07:14 PM

According to their website djagobooks.com has
Ultrasound AG-30M and CP-100 amps in stock.

No relation, just a PSA. Cheers.

SpruceTop · #7 08-27-2019, 02:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by RogerPease

According to their website djagobooks.com has
Ultrasound AG-30M and CP-100 amps in stock.

No relation, just a PSA. Cheers.

Thanks! It's nice to know Ultrasound is still around!

SpruceTop · #8 08-27-2019, 04:02 PM

I'm playing my Martin D Junior with B-Band A1.2N AST through the UltraSound AG-30 and it sounds great! The B-Band A1.2N AST is quite a high-output system with an excellent string-to-string balance and plenty of Bass punch, and it efficiently drives the AG-30's input. Surprisingly, the smallish AG-30 has the guts to successfully reproduce the 6th-E-string fundamental tones and resonances of all the guitars I've played through it.

ljguitar · #9 08-27-2019, 08:13 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by SpruceTop

…I decided to buy the UltraSound AG-30 and got a nice price of $130 by asking.

I'd like to read any thoughts and experiences any of you have with the UltraSound AG-30 Acoustic Guitar Amp. Thanks!

Hi ST

I own a pair of AG-50 (DS-4), and I own an AG-15M (only made for less than a year). I have owned an AG-30, and gave it to a friend - it was a great little amp. I thought of it as ½ of an AG-50 because of less watts and single coaxial speaker (the AG-50 has two coaxial speakers). I drive mine with K&K dual source rigs, but have driven these with under saddle, SBT (Sound Board Transducers), magnetic pickups, and even mics. They are quite flexible and have a much more solid sound than many other small-speaker amps (especially with smaller 6.5"-ish and smaller speakers). And 8 inch coaxial rig is really a sweet spot with acoustic guitars.

It's a great small gigging amp, and mine took-a-lickin'-and-kept-on-tickin'. I think you got a good deal.

I was sorry the company sold to Dean Markley…they have about ruined the line. Service went out of the window, and supplies dwindled. Glad all 3 of mine are operating well.

I wouldn't be distracted but the 30W because to double the volume of an amp you need ten times (10X) the power. So 30W and 50W are close and either one can supply you with ear splitting volume before maxing out if you feed them a decent signal.

Actually the little AG-15M (XLR & ¼" input channels, with three way tone plus presence instead of the shape controls) does really well on stage as my personal monitor in our Worship Team which is puts out a solid medium-loud stage volume.

hope you enjoy your find…

Greg Farres (the inventor) is a member and occasional poster here on the forum.

SpruceTop · #10 08-28-2019, 04:26 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by ljguitar

Hi ST

I own a pair of AG-50 (DS-4), and I own an AG-15M (only made for less than a year). I have owned an AG-30, and gave it to a friend - it was a great little amp. I thought of it as ½ of an AG-50 because of less watts and single coaxial speaker (the AG-50 has two coaxial speakers). I drive mine with K&K dual source rigs, but have driven these with under saddle, SBT (Sound Board Transducers), magnetic pickups, and even mics. They are quite flexible and have a much more solid sound than many other small-speaker amps (especially with smaller 6.5"-ish and smaller speakers). And 8 inch coaxial rig is really a sweet spot with acoustic guitars.

It's a great small gigging amp, and mine took-a-lickin'-and-kept-on-tickin'. I think you got a good deal.

I was sorry the company sold to Dean Markley…they have about ruined the line. Service went out of the window, and supplies dwindled. Glad all 3 of mine are operating well.

I wouldn't be distracted but the 30W because to double the volume of an amp you need ten times (10X) the power. So 30W and 50W are close and either one can supply you with ear splitting volume before maxing out if you feed them a decent signal.

Actually the little AG-15M (XLR & ¼" input channels, with three way tone plus presence instead of the shape controls) does really well on stage as my personal monitor in our Worship Team which is puts out a solid medium-loud stage volume.

hope you enjoy your find…

Greg Farres (the inventor) is a member and occasional poster here on the forum.

Thanks, Larry! Now that I think back, I remember you being a big proponent of UltraSound amps and your frequent posts on this company's amps made it easy for me to consider and buy the AG-30. I made an addition to my OP. Thanks, Again!